I will start with 3 stars and will upgrade if I have unfairly judged it:
I ordered this vacuum cleaner based on the reviews here and on foreign websites. The price was similar to the price of a well-known model from another company that maps, but since I read that the maps get lost when the internet quality drops and since I wasn't interested in remote activation, I bought this one. The brand, which has a good history with vacuum cleaners, also contributed to my decision. I want to clarify that I followed the instructions in the manual faithfully, which I studied thoroughly, watched countless foreign-language videos, and my house is completely minimal, without objects and cables on the floor, not many carpets, and no curtains touching the floor. On the first day in auto mode, after removing the mopping attachment, it passed through many areas multiple times with assistance because it was getting lost. It passed and re-passed through many spots, with a voice notification when it got stuck somewhere it "insisted" on going even though it couldn't fit in height. However, the dustbin was filled with dirt (see first use photo) that we didn't think existed in such a well-maintained house. Then I set it to start at a specific time the next day, but it didn't work. On the second day, I tried the mopping function. It's worth noting that unlike many other models and brands, you can use a small amount of cleaning solution with this one if desired. Also, to properly use the mopping function, you need to wet the cloth very well and twist the blue cloth before placing it, so the floor gets adequately moistened. I started it in the bathroom and bedrooms in parallel mode, and it did a relatively good job, except that it passed through the same spots many times and "refused to leave" one bedroom, so it went over it 5 times. In the end, I emptied it, cleaned it, added fresh water, and took it to the living room. That's where the difficulties began. In the dining room, it constantly got confused with the chair legs in auto mode, didn't pass through many spots, persisted in trying to go under the hanging heating bodies even though it couldn't fit, and of course, it couldn't climb on carpets unless I removed the water tank and took out the small pads. In the end, it "ran out of battery" and went back to the charger without completing the living room and the whole house, which has a total area of 110 sq.m.
As for tips, I will mention that it kept getting stuck repeatedly under the hanging toilet, I removed it, and the same thing happened again. So, I used a scale as a natural obstacle, and it avoids that problem.
Now, a few words about the service: After visiting 5 representatives: a store, Hoover service for large appliances, Hoover service, local service representative, none of them knew how to answer 2 basic questions. My first question was whether it is only ineffective at the beginning because it learns the space, if it learns the space and stores the information somewhere, or if it starts from scratch every time. My second question was whether it would be helpful during the "learning" stage to help it define each room by placing an obstacle (e.g., a box) as I saw in a video. However, the support for this product in Greece is very poor.
Of course, I will try it again in all the modes in its menu, but for now, unfortunately, I am not impressed. If it can't perform well in an organized space like mine, it will be difficult for it to perform in more cluttered houses. Also, since it is a robot, you expect it to do the work for you and not the other way around.
Update: even though it finished charging after 5 hours, it did not return to clean where it had left off, but it literally stayed still on its base without any care!
Update 2: 11/2023: after trying another well-known model that can be controlled through a mobile device, which I kept for only 6 months, I went back and bought a second Hoover, the same model, for my vacation home because:
1. compared to other models under 250 Euros, it does the best and most POWERFUL cleaning
2. even though I bought the exact same model (I don't know if there have been any improvements), the vacuum responds much better to the remote control for repeating or avoiding certain areas
3. the battery is sufficient for cleaning the entire house with one charge
4. it is one of the few with a height of 8 centimeters, which means it can go under almost all furniture. The other prevailing vacuum I looked at, priced at 300 Euros, was 9.5 centimeters, so it definitely had more capabilities, but since it couldn't fit under certain furniture - a task that would have to be done manually - it had no advantage
5. I bought the second vacuum for 158 Euros (more affordable than the first one due to the supplier), and for that price, it is the best in terms of value for money.
Issues that persist and one should consider are: 1. the customer support issue mentioned above 2. the issue of not finding spare parts or consumables through China, like you can for all models of other renowned companies (although I have already found out that some brushes from another vacuum fit perfectly) 3. it requires a lot of reading and studying the user manual in order to achieve the ideal detailed cleaning.
