Trifo Ollie vacuum cleaner review: pet-friendly performance
MSRP $300.00
“It lacks some extra features, but the Ollie is a reliable vacuum that all pet owners should consider.”
Avg
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Affordable price
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Easy to use software
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Tons of extra features
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Eye-catching design
Against
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It makes loud and high-pitched sounds
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Some features seem underdeveloped
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Mapping and navigation issues
Ollie is a robotic vacuum cleaner from Trifo designed for pet owners. Specifically, it’s built to pull loose fur out of every nook and cranny in your home, using a combination of powerful suction and unique attachments. It also comes with several pet-friendly features, such as a laser pointer to entertain your babies and ease their vacuum-induced anxiety.
Considering it only costs $300, the Ollie lives up to its price tag. It has issues with navigation and mapping, and some of its pet-friendly features seem half-hearted, but pet owners should definitely include Ollie in their robotic vacuum search.
Simple setup, intuitive application
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
Introducing Ollie to your home is a painless process. Once you’ve found a place for its docking station and installed the accompanying smartphone app, you’ll be able to set up Ollie in minutes. You can start your first cleaning from the app — and this initial cleaning will set the stage for your home for subsequent cleanings.
Setup takes no more than half an hour and operation is simple thanks to the smartphone app.
Once this process is complete (it took about half an hour for my tiny apartment), you’ll be able to dive into all the customization options offered by the Trifo app. You can change suction levels, designate specific cleaning areas, set no-go zones, check previous cleaning statistics or view Ollie’s maintenance history. You can even set up a cleaning schedule so Ollie cleans while you’re at work.
The app gives you great control over Ollie without feeling bloated. Intuitive menus, a minimalistic user interface and a home screen that only shows the most important make this robot vacuum cleaner easy for anyone to use. And if you want to activate its advanced features, they are just a touch away from the screen. For only $300, I was impressed with the top-notch software.
Full of extra features
Jon Bitner / Digital trends
Ollie is first and foremost a robotic vacuum cleaner, but Trifo decided to throw in a ridiculous number of extra features. They’re mostly gimmicks, and most of them don’t look nearly as well-designed as a smartphone app or an actual vacuum cleaner. For example, the Ollie comes with a laser pointer attachment that attaches to the side of the vacuum – but it has a tendency to fall off during use and needs to be manually activated. It’s a great toy for my dog (who thinks it’s a cat), but it would be great if Trifo could automate its performance.
The clip-on accessory often falls off, making the laser pointer and air freshener unreliable.
The same goes for the air freshener, which is housed in the same clip-on gadget as the laser pointer. When the Olli is in action, the air coming out of the back should float over the air freshener stick and remove unpleasant odors. But since the attachment has a tendency to fall off or twist out of place, I’ve never noticed fresher air after an Ollie run.
The list of accessories is rounded off by a true-color camera for video recording, two-way audio and motion detection. These features work much better than the above, and pet owners will likely get good mileage out of them. They don’t work quite as well as a dedicated indoor camera, but they’re a nice bonus for people who don’t already have the technology.
Pet hair, be careful
Jon Bitner / Digital trends
Pet hair is the bane of every pet owner’s existence, and Ollie’s central purpose is to remove all traces of it from your home. The robot vacuum cleaner comes pre-installed with a standard rotating brush, but there is an option to install a Pet Hair Extractor — a device that provides 4000 Pa suction and easier access to pet hair lurking on your floors.
Installation of the connector is extremely simple. After turning Ollie off and flipping him on his back, all you have to do is press the quick release lever, remove the rotating brush and attach the pet hair remover. The device is tangle-free and designed for increased suction to pull every bit of pet fur in its path.
Pet owners with hardwood floors will love the Pet Hair Extractor.
Unfortunately, my results with the attachment were mixed. Testing showed that it worked best on laminate or tile floors, while carpeted areas still had fur pulled in even after several passes with the Ollie. Because this attachment has minimal oscillation, fur that has been trampled into your carpets simply cannot be removed — even when pulled at maximum vacuum.
However, the device will appeal to pet owners who have hardwood in their homes. Not only does it work wonders on loose fur, but the device is literally zero maintenance. And since the Pet Hair Extractor doesn’t have a brush, there’s nothing to comb or clean. Just empty the bin after each cleaning and you’re good to go.
Since my home is mostly carpeted, I stuck with a standard rotary brush. Each cleaning resulted in a bucket full of fur (gross), which is easy to empty without getting your hands dirty. This is the only routine maintenance you will need to do after each cleaning. You’ll occasionally want to check the roller brush for lint and clean a few internal filters, but the Ollie is surprisingly self-sufficient.
Regardless of which attachment you use, Ollie does a solid job cleaning your entire home. I ran into a few issues with navigation and mapping (like getting confused on the way back to the dock or missing a small part of my kitchen), but I found that simply re-mapping the room restored Ollie’s sense of direction.
Our opinion
While Ollie isn’t perfect, it’s still a great choice for pet owners on a budget. The pet extractor is great for maintenance-free work on wooden floors, the simple application makes it easy to plan your cleaning, and all the quirky extras make it stand out in a crowded mid-range market. However, if you’re not a pet owner, consider another option — your $300 is paying for a lot of features you simply don’t need.
Are there better alternatives?
Yes, but they tend to carry high prices. The iRobot Roomba s9+ is arguably the best robot vacuum around, but you’ll pay nearly $1,000 for its performance. If you don’t need all the pet-specific features, we found that the Yeedi Vac Max offers similar performance and pricing.
How long will it last?
Trifo offers a one-year limited warranty on the product, although we’d expect it to last much longer. The overall lifespan of the appliance will largely come down to how often you maintain and vacuum.
Should you buy it?
If you’re a pet owner on a budget, yes. If you’re not a pet owner, consider checking out some other robot vacuums that offer a similar price but don’t come bundled with features you won’t use. Our roundup of the best robot vacuum cleaners is a great place to start.
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn