Roidmi NEX Storm 2 in 1 Battery Vacuum Cleaner: Vacuuming and Wiping Simultaneously

Roidmi launches the long-awaited, genuine successor to the Roidmi F8. This has not only the highest suction power measured so far, but can also vacuum and wipe at the same time (!). We have tested how well the vacuum cleaner wiper works in practice.

• Roidmi NEX Battery Vacuum Cleaner
  • at Geekbuying for $427.86 (Coupon: 3NEHZCIH) | Banggood for $429.99 | Indiegogo for $499 (Luxury package)

Technical data of ROIDMI NEX: Comparison to Roidmi F8

Even the less attentive reader will notice: Here are some strong technical innovations compared to the F8. More suction power, a little quieter and a little longer working hours make the new battery-powered vacuum cleaner interesting. But what makes it even more interesting, of course, is its wiping function.

Scope of delivery of the Roidmi NEX

A small package, striking for a battery-powered vacuum cleaner, stood in front of me one Thursday afternoon. Suddenly all my colleagues were sitting around me – with the Roidmi F8 the Chinese manufacturer made a deeply positive impression.

And this anticipation is also justified in the scope of delivery of the NEX: no plastic smell, everything space-saving and neatly packed. So you can give the battery-powered vacuum cleaner away with a clear conscience (yes, that’s not as unusual as it sounds).

Included in delivery:

• Vacuum cleaner head with 0.4 l dust chamber
• vacuum tube
• Wiper attachment with additional wipe cloth
• Floor nozzle with floor roller
• four attachments for different Fields of application (also mite top)
• vacuum hose
• stable wall mount with screws and dowels (like Roidmi F8)
• additional HEPA filter
• small cleaning tool
• CN charging cable
• Instruction manual in Chinese (not required)

The scope of delivery also depends on the respective shop. For example, if you finance the crowdfunding campaign at Indiegogo, you will get significantly more accessories and spare parts. So always read on the shop pages exactly what is included.

A must-have germ, but absolutely ingenious if you want the all-round package: the included wall mount is also a charging station and allows its owner to present the battery-powered vacuum cleaner in a space-saving and impressive way in the premises. The charging time is only 2.5 hours, on average 5 hours are the order of the day for battery-powered vacuum cleaners.

Design and workmanship

Some people say, “As long as this thing vacuums.” Others (like me) say: I don’t want to hold cheap stuff in my hand when I’m vacuuming. And we in the editorial department agreed: The Roidmi NEX is the current ultimate when it comes to processing. Extremely high-quality plastic, metal and aluminium elements did not earn the NEX several (albeit questionable) awards for nothing (iF Design Award, RedDot Design Award and a few more).

With its weight of 2.6 kg (1.5 kg as a hand vacuum cleaner), the NEX is a little heavier than comparable models, but you can’t really see this in its handling. The 119.1 x 25.9 x 15.8 cm battery-powered vacuum cleaner once again has the feeling that the vacuum cleaner works independently and pulls its owner behind it. Like a walk with the dog, for whom it cannot go fast enough.

As with its predecessor, all the individual parts can be quickly and easily assembled using the “click lock”, and the transfer to the hand-held vacuum cleaner is also quick and easy. Even the included attachments are of high quality, that’s how it should be with every model.

Of course, you can only read a guideline value for the battery from four glowing LEDs, but it’s practical and chic. More details can be found in the app, more about that later. Tiny LED lights on the hand vacuum cleaner indicate the battery status (1-4 lights) and a full dust chamber (light under the garbage can symbol). There is also a CE mark on the vacuum cleaner. The 2500 mAh battery is not exchangeable.

When it comes to design and workmanship, everything – and really everything – has been done right here. Guidelines for other vacuum cleaners in the future. The design is a matter of taste, of course, but should go down well with most people. Only the black – and therefore not conditionally to the rest of the vacuum cleaner fitting – floor nozzle can be criticized. Maybe you should have kept the whole battery vacuum cleaner (except the roller) black-red. Whining at a high level.

Roidmi NEX in practice: The Dyson Killer?

Despite triple noise suppression, the operating volume is still 72 dB. That’s a lot for a vacuum cleaner, but not so loud that you wouldn’t be able to handle it. However, talking on the phone or watching TV at the same volume as before the vacuum cleaner falls flat. There are three different suction levels, so you can vary the volume and suction power. Here is a short list including the respective operating volume and working time:

1. Standard mode: 12,000 pa, 55 dB, 60 min.
2. Boost mode: 17,000 pa, 63 dB, 38 min.
3. Maximum suction power: 23,500 pa, 72 dB, 10 min.

Up to 200 m² can be cleaned with one battery charge and 60 minutes of work before the vacuum cleaner has to be returned to the charging station wall bracket. The first suction stage is so powerful that it can be used without any problems. In the case of larger accumulations of dirt, you can simply switch up one or two levels for a short time.

The electric floor nozzle operates at 120,000 rotations per minute. This corresponds to the standards of the most powerful models. For comparison: The new Dyson V11 ($700) has 125,000 rotations. The suction power of 23,500 pa is the highest value that a battery-powered vacuum cleaner has ever achieved on our scoreboard. And this suction power is also noticeable on carpets.

The entire floor nozzle (with which one goes over the floor) has a width of 26 cm, the intake hood only has a width of 8 cm. Accordingly, only elements with a suitable diameter fit through the intake hood. Larger toys are luckily spared, but also larger dirt. This is not a specific Roidmi problem, other battery-powered vacuum cleaners have the same dimensions here.

With lint, dust or even dog hair, the vacuum cleaner can be used both as a smaller manual vacuum cleaner and as a fully equipped unit.

LED lights: NEX detects darkness

Big bonus from me personally: The LED lights on the floor nozzle are here again as with the F8. So you can see every grain of dust under furniture or in more complicated corners. The vacuum cleaner automatically detects when it is in a dark environment and switches the lights on automatically. This works just as reliably as with the F8.

https://youtu.be/hKeBcPJ2D30

However, opinions differ widely on LED luminaires. Many people think that this is a waste of batteries, because you would only vacuum in bright light. My opinion: In dark corners you can see dust and dirt much better with LEDs, especially directly on walls. In addition, the Roidmi NEX switches the lights on and off automatically, so the battery consumption is manageable and can be adjusted accordingly.

The dust chamber: small, but fine

The individual parts of the 0.4 l dust chamber can be easily disassembled and reassembled. The filter can be easily washed out or alternatively cleaned with the supplied small brush.

The dust chamber thus fulfils all the requirements that such a chamber must fulfil: Allergy-friendly (because it can be emptied without direct contact with the contents), easy to clean and equipped with the appropriate HEPA filters (High Efficiency Particulate Air filter). It could only be a little bigger, but you would have to refine the design, which could increase the weight and worsen the handling.

Nevertheless, it must be clear: The dust chamber must be definitely emptied after a cleaning of the complete premises before the next round. Of course, this also depends on the degree of soiling.

Attachments and hand vacuum cleaners

Of course we also have – as usual with other models – various attachments, such as the mite attachment for combating house dust mites. The NEX can also be used as a hand vacuum cleaner, e.g. for cars or if you want to vacuum something away quickly. We also know the attachments from the F8. The roller is ideally used for hard floors, the brush can also be used for carpets.

With the hand vacuum cleaner, LEDs would also have been nice, because you often want to say dark corners in the car. This is of course a very high level of complaining. Otherwise an absolutely solid hand vacuum cleaner with high suction power. The movable hose is used in more complicated corners. Practically you don’t use it very often.

Roidmi F8 vs. NEX: Direct comparison of both models

Well, now we already know that Roidmi has done something right again with her new product. But now the question is: Is it better than the F8 (except for the wipe function)?

Strictly speaking, when using both Roidmi vacuum cleaners alternately or even simultaneously, one does not necessarily have the feeling of holding another battery-powered vacuum cleaner in one’s hand. Yes, the NEX has more power, which you can feel in the handling. The electric floor nozzle pulls its user even more through the four walls than the F8.

On carpets, too, the 23,500 pa are noticeable at the highest suction level compared to the 18,500 pa of the F8. In addition, the F8 only allows three suction levels to be selected when it is connected to the app. This was improved by a firmware update, is not necessary with the NEX.

Otherwise, the values are rather manageable: The NEX has a slightly longer working time (depending on the suction level) and is minimally quieter, which you don’t really notice in practice. Loud are both on the highest suction level. Both models are so similar in so many ways that you hardly notice a difference. But wait a minute, the highlight of the Roidmi NEX is the simultaneous vacuuming and wiping.

Wiping and vacuuming in one device

The principle behind simultaneous wiping and vacuuming works as follows: A further attachment with a 0.18 l water tank is added to the floor nozzle, which makes it possible to use the battery-powered vacuum cleaner as a mop. The tank is held by magnets. However, the floor nozzle, over which the dust is sucked in, remains on it. Accordingly, the Roidmi NEX sucks and wipes at the same time. Attaching the wiper attachment over the magnets is really cool, see for yourself:

https://youtu.be/e_8Lndnb0eo

Of course you have to fill the water tank with water beforehand, the microfibre cloth is already attached to the attachment.

The system is called “Air X Dust Separation Technology“. The only thing behind this is that the vacuum cleaner first vacuums at the front and then pulls with the mop attachment. First, the dirt that appears in front of the floor nozzle is sucked in and then wiped away. Of course, it also works the other way round depending on the user’s technique, but it makes less sense.

Really a very practical function, so you can vacuum and wipe in one pass through the apartment. As you know from non-electric wiping mops, you can also apply more pressure to the floor with muscle power and thus remove more stubborn stains. Several editors from our editorial department wanted to try out the NEX and we agree: It works really well!

App control via Xiaomi Home (Roidmi)

Like its predecessor, the NEX can also be connected via app, but we haven’t really been able to determine the sense behind it with the F8 either. Who cares: The vacuum cleaner is connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth. The vacuum cleaner has “its own Bluetooth”. Disadvantage: Bluetooth is continuously switched on, so of course battery performance is also lost.

The connection with the battery-powered vacuum cleaner is quick and simple, and is also self-explanatory: Click on the “plus” in the upper right corner, and when Bluetooth is switched on, the NEX pops up as a round graphic. Press the button and the rest happens by itself.

Now comes the point that might answer the question why you need an app control for a battery-powered vacuum cleaner. Ah no, but not. In the app you can choose between three suction levels, receive notifications about the status of the vacuum cleaner and track the remaining battery life. The latter actually makes some sense, as you can only estimate approximately how much battery power is left on the vacuum cleaner itself. Here you can see the battery life in combination with the current suction level.

The app informs you about possible firmware updates from the manufacturer. For example the F8 got a further suction stage via update. But otherwise? Do you need one of the mentioned app functions? I don’t think so.

Conclusion: Buy a Roidmi NEX battery-powered vacuum cleaner?

So far only the Dreame V9 has managed to pass by the Roidmi F8. To quote Frank Castello from “Departed”: “Because the crown weighs heavy”. The V9 must now pass on the crown.

The Roidmi NEX doesn’t really make you feel like you’re doing housework. Within minutes you can vacuum and wipe many square metres at the same time. A real relief for the household, which also shines in terms of workmanship and design. Of course, this time saving and work facilitation must be worth the price, which not everyone wants to or can spend.

If you want to complain at a high level, then you could criticize the working time at the highest suction level (which you will use least), but all other requirements are fulfilled and even partly exceeded. In short, the Roidmi NEX sets the bar very high for future models.

What do you think of the new Roidmi?