iRobot Braava Jet M6 Review
iRobot Braava Jet M6
The Braava jet m6 is a dedicated robot mop that can clean where you tell it via an app or voice commands. With a runtime of approximately 150 minutes (or ~1000 square feet), it uses a spray jet mounted in the front to sprinkle its path with fluid before driving back and forth over the wet spot with its mop.
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My experience was positive with the iRobot Braava Jet M6
It works best on hardwood, tile, stone or laminate flooring. The amount of fluid dispensed is adjustable and I had it set to the least amount of fluid for my hardwood. While I wouldn’t trust it to clean up big stains or spills, it did pick up small sticky spots and dust. Generally, the floor did feel fresh and clean to my bare feet. The result of a mopping session is similar to taking a wet rag and wiping down your entire floor.
It has a fairly compact and square shape. I found that the m6 can navigate around table and chair legs better than the typical round robot size. The only area it didn’t want to venture into was a small overhang under my kitchen cabinets (even though it fit underneath), its vSLAM navigation system must have been confused about where the cabinets ended. Luckily, there are software updates for these devices so this may be solved in the future.
Overall setup experience is similar to other vSLAM iRobot Roomba devices. It needs to embark on a “mapping run” to get the big picture of your floor plan. Other features, like room-specific cleaning, are unlocked after the mapping run is finished.
There is no fancy docking station for the m6, instead, it’s a very minimal charging dock. The device backs into the dock, which I felt was humorous at times as I watched it wiggle into position. It can also dock to recharge and then resume cleaning if the battery is running low.
In the fillable tank, I mostly used pure water and occasionally some diluted Bona. It came with a small amount of special washing fluid, but I wasn’t sure about it as a cleaner, so I stuck with pure water most of the time.
Maintenance is easy on the M6
I occasionally wiped the unit down, but that was it. It doesn’t have any brush rollers, so there was never a hair tangle to remove. However, the mop pad itself must be washed in between runs.
The mop pad is hand-washable. I found that I always wanted to mop while the mop pad was still dirty, so I bought additional mop pads for this bot so I didn’t have to wait. These extra pads worked well for me (from Amazon).
What do other customers think about the Braava Jet M6?
Customers highly rate the Braava jet m6 on Amazon. Individuals that tend to rate lower seem to have misguided expectations about this bot (and probably any robot vacuum/mop generally). It’s not about deep cleaning and picking up huge messes, rather, it’s about getting your floor 90% awesome on a regular basis without you having to do any real work.
Let’s get picky. Here are some overall negative aspects to be aware of before considering the M6:
Navigation: The Braava Jet M6 is equipped with iAdapt 3.0 technology that allows it to navigate and clean floors efficiently, but it can still encounter obstacles and miss spots. Also, vSLAM technology requires lights to be on in the areas you want cleaned.
I noticed it couldn’t get under the overhang from my kitchen cabinets even though there was plenty of clearance. I had no issues with it getting stuck on carpet or anywhere else on my particular hardwood flooring.
Battery Life: The Braava Jet M6 has a limited battery life, typically around 2 hours of cleaning time on a single charge. This means that it may not be able to clean large areas in one go.
Water Tank: The M6 has a small water tank, which means that it needs to be refilled frequently when cleaning larger areas.
Surface Type: Being a mop, it’s designed for hard floors, such as tile, hardwood, and laminate. It is not suitable for carpets or rugs.
Noise: The Braava Jet M6 is not the quietest robot mop, so it might be a disturbance for people who are sensitive to noise. It makes a bit of a whirring sound to dispense water and you may find that slightly annoying (I wouldn’t want to work right next to it).
Price: The Braava Jet M6 is considered a high-end robot mop and its price may be a limitation for some people.