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Dreame D9 Max Gen 2: two-minute evaluate
The Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 is an entry-level robotic vacuum designed for these in search of cleansing comfort on a funds. Whereas it does not supply the identical superior options because the best robot vacuums in the marketplace, it is a very succesful cleaner that delivers good worth for cash. I might undoubtedly depend it among the many best budget robovacs I’ve examined.
This hybrid robotic vacuum and mop is properly constructed, if a bit of on the big facet, with a compact charge-only dock. Set-up is simple, and I used to be impressed by its mapping and navigation, which was fast and painless (which is not all the time the case with funds bots).
When it comes to cleansing energy, the D9 Max Gen 2 carried out properly in suction exams, tackling nice particles or chunkier spillages with out difficulty. I used to be much less enamored with its mopping abilities, nevertheless. The design of the mop pad is not one of the best and I am unsure it is definitely worth the effort, delivering solely the lightest wipe-down of my lino flooring. One other potential draw back is the unreliable object avoidance; when you typically have muddle in your flooring and do not need to should tidy earlier than each vacuuming run, this is not the robovac for you.
The app is properly designed and intuitive. Whilst you will not get the form of granular management or automation supplied by pricier bots, it covers the principle bases. The one exception is that I could not see a solution to arrange a cleansing schedule or time a cleansing run.
For the value, then – which is solidly within the funds bracket – I believe the D9 Max Gen 2 is an efficient purchase. Dreame makes a few of our favourite premium robotic vacuums (together with the superb Dreame L40 Ultra), so I am not shocked to search out that its funds providing is of a top quality. I might advocate it to anybody in search of a wallet-friendly, fuss-free robovac that navigates reliably properly and helps you keep on high of your vacuuming. That is the brief model; learn on for my full Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 robotic vacuum evaluate.
Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 evaluate: value & availability
- Checklist value: $299.99 / £219 / AU$699
- Launched: Confirming
- Out there: US, UK, Australia
Within the US, at time of writing, the Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 is out there direct from Dreame US or through Amazon, and has an inventory value of $299.99. Within the UK, it has an inventory value of £219, and is that can be purchased direct from Dreame UK, in addition to a variety of third-party retailers equivalent to Amazon, B&Q and Currys. In Australia, the robovac prices AU$699 at full value, however could be discovered discounted to AU$399 on the Dreame AU website on the time of writing. Be aware that I noticed the vacuum being supplied at large reductions in all territories whereas scripting this evaluate.
Even at checklist value, this bot is firmly within the funds value bracket – we depend any robotic vacuum underneath $500 / £400 as funds at TechRadar. For that value, it feels very well-built, and the options are in step with what I might count on.
- Worth for cash rating: 4 out of 5
Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 specs
|
Max suction: |
6000Pa |
|
Robotic diameter: |
13.8in / 35cm |
|
Robotic top: |
3.8in / 9.6cm |
|
Dock dimensions (W x D x H): |
5.3 x 5.4 x 3.7in / 13.4 x 13.8 x 9.4cm |
|
Mud bin quantity (onboard): |
0.6 L |
|
Mud bin quantity (base): |
None |
|
Water tank quantity: |
0.2 L |
|
Base sort: |
Cost solely |
|
Navigation: |
LiDAR |
|
Cost time: |
6 hours |
|
Max runtime: |
4 hrs 45 minutes |
Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 evaluate: design
- Hybrid robovac and mop with compact, charge-only dock
- Single rubber curler and one facet brush
- Fastened, D-shaped mop pad with small built-in water tank
The Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 is a hybrid robotic vacuum and mop. It is sports activities the usual, spherical design with a raised navigation puck, and is out there in black or white. Dimension-wise, it is on the bigger finish of the spectrum, measuring 13.8in / 35cm in diameter, and it options two bodily buttons: Energy and Dwelling. Nevertheless, for many controls you will need to use the companion app.
This mannequin makes use of LiDAR for navigation, therefore the raised puck. That is the quickest and most correct robot vacuum navigation know-how, and broadly used – however not all the time a given in budget-friendly fashions (some use the extra fundamental vSLAM; see how the 2 evaluate in our LiDAR vs vSLAM explainer). There’s additionally a digicam on the entrance of the bot.
Flip it over and you will find a single rotating facet brush, a rubbery curler, two chunky wheels, and a smaller, third mini-wheel for stability. On the whole, I desire rubbery rollers such because the one right here over bristled brushrolls, because the latter are likely to grow to be tangled with hair. Some bots can have twin rollers (the principle examples being Roborock and iRobot Roomba fashions); however usually, this appears like a fairly customary setup.
Picture 1 of 2
Barely extra uncommon is the strategy to the mop pad. Dreame has built-in a large, very shallow water tank onto the underside of the D-shaped mop pad. Different robovacs can have a separate tank contained in the bot itself, however that makes use of up helpful dust-storing house. Right here, you are getting a barely greater onboard mud cup capability, however the bot will not maintain a lot water.
The mop pad/water tank comes on and off utilizing a mixture of clips and magnets (not as sophisticated because it sounds!), so it does not should be hooked up while you’re simply vacuuming.
This sort of mounted, D-shaped mop pad tends to not be as efficient at scrubbing in comparison with the spinning, twin discs discovered on extra superior fashions. Nevertheless, it is as I might count on for a robotic vacuum on this value bracket.
The mop pad can also’t raise and decrease to permit the bot to traverse over carpet with out leaving damp patches, which is a function additionally seen on pricier robotic vacuums. In truth, extra superior Dreame bots can dock themselves and drop off their mop pads once they’re not required – however once more, you’d have to pay a good bit extra for that form of performance.
Picture 1 of 2
A hinged lid on high of the bot could be opened to disclose the onboard mud cup with built-in filter. That is very barely fiddly to take away from the within of the bot. There’s additionally a brush and hair-cutter device, for simpler upkeep.
The dock is of the fundamental, charge-only sort, quite than the sort that homes a bigger dustbin into which the bot’s smaller bin will routinely empty. That has the advantage of being way more compact – excellent news, in case you have a small dwelling. Nevertheless, it additionally means you will have to handle emptying the bin manually, which can be annoying when you’re recurrently coping with massive volumes of mud or pet hair, for example.
You will additionally have to manually refill the bot’s water tank, in addition to clear and dry the mop pads. For a dock that may do that for you, you would be trying in a considerably greater value bracket.
- Design rating: 3.5 out of 5
Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 evaluate: efficiency
- Good navigation, however unreliable object avoidance
- Vacuuming typically good, can wrestle with bigger particles
- Mopping okay, however only for very mild cleans
The app walked me by means of the preliminary setup, which included linking the bot to my dwelling Wi-Fi and connecting it to the app – all good and simple.
On setup, it prompted me to do a quick mapping run, the place the bot simply creates a map of your house however does not clear. This took underneath 5 minutes, and concerned the bot meandering into every room and vaguely trying round. After that was full, it created a really tough map of the house, with out attempting to separate rooms.
I then set it off on its first cleansing run. I used to be fairly impressed. The bot coated every thing with minimal fuss, solely getting barely muddled when attempting to traverse the slanting edges of some rooms. It additionally turned caught when it was making its manner across the border of my low fireplace – though did handle to flee by itself finally.
With the primary cleansing run full, the app cut up the map into what it thought have been rooms (largely right), and I tweaked and named every room. It’s attainable to create a number of maps, however I did not do that as I stay on a single ground.
Navigation & impediment avoidance
On the whole, the Dreame Max Gen 2 navigates very properly. I may see it adjusting its path when it was about to succeed in an obstruction, though at occasions it did additionally appear to search out its manner by bumping into issues.
Nevertheless, it is not as dependable in relation to impediment avoidance. I ran TechRadar‘s customary exams utilizing a shoe, sock and cable on my ground, and the Dreame failed to identify any of them, consuming the cable, doing its finest to eat the sock, and pushing the shoe round till I picked it up and took it away to security. This bot in all probability is not the only option in case you have quite a lot of muddle in your flooring.
Suction efficiency
The Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 has 4 suction modes: Quiet, Normal, Robust and Turbo; and could be set to hoover, mop, or each.
To evaluate cleansing energy, I ran TechRadar‘s customary exams. I began by sprinkling tea and oats on separate patches of carpet. I bumped up the suction setting to Robust (it is Normal by default) and set the bot to hoover that space.
Picture 1 of 3
It cleared many of the tea in a single go, and nearly all of it in two. I then boosted suction as much as Max, and remote-controlled the bot over the realm to clear the ultimate remnants.
Picture 1 of 2
I used to be impressed with the way it dealt with the oat spillage, too. It cleared nearly all of it first time and the remainder on second go, and it did not ping them round, both.
Nevertheless, in my common use of the vacuum on carpet, I had just a few minor complaints. Sometimes, the bot would deposit bigger particles – a tiny little bit of leaf, for instance – in one other space of the room after initially seeming to have picked it up.
I additionally discovered it wasn’t wonderful at coping with hair. I’ve lengthy hair, and the bot would often to roll it into clumps and depart it on the carpet quite than choose it up. Nevertheless, there was hair within the bin after I got here to empty it, and none wrapped across the brushroll, so it is not a complete fail on that entrance. (Should you’re in search of the best vacuum for pet hair, we now have a separate information that is price consulting.)
Picture 1 of 3
I repeated my tea suction take a look at on laborious ground. On the primary go, the D9 Max Gen 2 appeared to only push the tea leaves round all over the place. On the second and third passes, although, it had gathered just about every thing.
Picture 1 of 3
The oats have been pinged round much more enthusiastically, nevertheless; however, once more, nearly all have been sucked up finally. Just a few escaped and that was as a result of they’d bounced their manner out of my set cleansing zone.
It is price stating that robotic vacuums are nice for on a regular basis upkeep cleans, however even the priciest fashions fall in need of the outcomes achieved with an honest guide vacuum. After I went to empty the Dreame’s bin after use, it was packed stuffed with mud and hair, so it actually picked up lots from my condominium; however following up with my Dyson Gen5detect noticed much more mud assortment.
Mopping efficiency
To mop, it’s essential to clip on the complete water tank with pre-dampened mop pad hooked up. I discovered filling the tank a bit of fiddly since it is so skinny and the opening is small, and getting the moist mop pad again on proved a bit difficult, too. To Dreame’s credit score, the unit did not leak in any respect whereas I used to be attaching it again onto the bot, as I had feared it’d. There is not any choice to make use of this bot with a ground cleaner.
There are three water ranges to select from, and I chosen the center one for my mop exams. You can too select from a few depth settings: Day by day mopping and Deep mopping (the place the robotic strikes in “a dense Z-shaped sample”). I opted for the latter, as a result of the app warned there was a “threat of skidding” on this mode, which sounded thrilling.
In truth, there was no skidding and I could not actually see a distinction in the way it was transferring in comparison with the way it had beforehand navigated the remainder of my condominium. Nevertheless, it did an okay job of mopping, leaving a light-weight, even sheen of water throughout the ground and clearing a moist spillage I might launched.
Picture 1 of 2
To see the way it fared with trickier spillages, I smeared a tiny little bit of ketchup on the ground. Sadly, it barely touched this in any respect, even after traversing the realm 3 times. Plainly the vacuum is not exerting sufficient stress with its mop pad to clear something apart from floor grime. That is not too stunning for a bot at this value level, but it surely’s price taking into account if mopping is a precedence.
There’s additionally some upkeep to pay attention to. You will have to take away and rinse the pad shortly after a mopping session (the app prompts you, which is useful), in addition to working it by means of the wash pretty recurrently so it does not find yourself smelling. After my mopping session, there have been bits of tea and oats on the pad together with the ketchup, although I might run the vacuuming exams individually, first. Subsequent I drained the tank, though the location of the inlet meant I could not empty it utterly.
Because the D9 Max Gen 2 cannot raise its mop pads, you will ideally need to keep away from conditions the place the moist mop is being dragged over a carpeted space. As such, this bot is not best for flats equivalent to mine, the place there is a large carpeted room assembly three rooms with lino.
Briefly, I am not wholly satisfied this machine is best off for having mopping capabilities, or that I might find yourself utilizing them typically. Should you actually need hands-free mopping, I might advocate investing extra in a machine with spinning round mop pads which are in a position to raise over carpet, and a dock that may clear them.
- Efficiency rating: 4 out of 5
Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 evaluate: app
- Properly designed and simple to make use of
- Predominant features coated, besides you possibly can’t set a cleansing schedule
- Pricier choices supply extra granular management
The Dreame app is well-designed and intuitive. It does not supply tons of settings in comparison with extra premium choices, however many of the key ones are coated.
The map is obvious, and you’ll observe the bot in real-time because it makes its manner across the dwelling. You may cut up and merge rooms, add “zones”, and create no-go zones if there’s one thing you realize goes to trigger issues.
There’s additionally an space the place you possibly can regulate your suction and water settings. Should you change on “custom-made cleansing”, you possibly can set customized suction energy and water for every space. It is also attainable to regulate the order through which the bot cleans you rooms. Whilst you can launch the bot remotely, you possibly can’t set an everyday cleansing schedule for it to observe.
Must you purchase the Dreame D9 Max Gen 2?
|
Attribute |
Notes |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Worth |
Price range value bracket, and feels properly constructed for the value, providing an honest function set and specs. |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
A normal hybrid robovac with detachable D-shaped mop pad and charge-only dock. Pretty fundamental in design, however good for the value. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Efficiency |
Good mapping and navigation, however unreliable object avoidance. Vacuuming is nice, however mopping performance is underwhelming. |
4 / 5 |
|
App |
Straightforward to make use of and properly designed. Not as many choices as you will discover on pricier robovacs, however the vital controls choices are all there. |
4 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
How I examined the Dreame D9 Max Gen 2
I used the Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 as my predominant vacuum for a few weeks to get a really feel for its common usability and efficiency. I additionally ran a sequence of suction exams to evaluate its cleansing energy, asking it to select up nice (tea) and chunky (oats) particles on laborious ground in addition to carpet. To check impediment avoidance, I scattered widespread objects you’d discover round any dwelling over my front room ground to see if it will stumble upon them or navigate round them. I additionally famous how efficient it was at mopping, and whether or not it may address moist (water) and sticky (smeared ketchup) spillages.
Throughout my evaluate interval, I assessed how simple it was to arrange the D9 Max Gen 2, the accuracy of its navigation, and if it typically carried out as I might need it to. I in contrast my expertise with different robotic vacuums I’ve examined, each funds and premium fashions.
Learn extra about how we test robot vacuum cleaners.
- First reviewed March 2025