After the not quite successful model of the robotic vacuum cleaner Ultenic TS1, we gave this brand another chance. We ordered their highest model Ultenic MC1 with a cleaning station that contains not only a dust bag but also a water tank and can clean and dry the mop.
Considering its equipment, this vacuum cleaner is also relatively cheap compared to well-known and proven brands. So again, we will look at all its functions and evaluate whether its purchase is worth it.
Where to buy Ultenic MC1?
This robotic vacuum cleaner is currently available at a favorable coupon price in the online store Banggood directly in the EU warehouse. Fast and free delivery is also available, with which you can expect it at home within 5 working days of dispatch.
Ultenic MC1
Express delivery from a European warehouse free of duty and VAT.
This product will be delivered to you expressly from your local warehouse in Europe. Delivery from EU warehouses usually takes 7-10 days and delivers courier. No extra charges, no customs duties or VAT.
Technical specifications
| Model | Ultenic MC1 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions of the vacuum cleaner | 35.4 x 35.4 x 9.9 cm |
| Dimensions of the cleaning station | 43 x 43 x 45 cm |
| Maximum suction power | 5000 Pa |
| Drums | 5200 mAh |
| Endurance per charge | 180 minutes |
| charging | 5 hours |
| Overcoming obstacles | 2 cm when vacuuming / 1.8 cm when mopping |
| WiFi | 2.4 GHz |
| HEPA filter | yes level 11 |
| Dust container capacity (in the vacuum cleaner) | 350ml |
| Dust bag in the cleaning station | 3 L |
| Container for clean water in the cleaning station | 4 L |
| Container for dirty water in the treatment station | 4 L |
| Functions of the cleaning station | vacuuming dust from a vacuum cleaner; moistening and cleaning the mop; drying the mop; charging |
| Sensors | 4 sensors against falling down the stairs; carpet recognition; wall recognition |
| navigation | LDS |
| Application | Ultenic |
Quality double packaging
The Ultenic MC1 was brought to us by DPD courier in a large and rather heavy box. Its dimensions are 52.1 x 52.1 x 52.9 cm and weight 20.2 kg. Even the box suggests that the cleaning station of this vacuum cleaner will not be too compact, on the contrary.
We appreciate the packaging, which is also protected by a second, protective box, following the pattern of the cheaper model. Even inside, it maintains a high quality of protection of individual parts from damage.
Both the cleaning station and the vacuum cleaner are stored in shaped cartons, covered with foil and a foam layer. In addition to the mentioned main parts of the vacuum cleaner, the box also includes a power adapter, a clear manual, a spare side brush, a spare HEPA filter, a bag for the cleaning station, two pairs of mops, a cleaning brush and even a cleaning agent for mopping.
The cleaning agent is a pleasant surprise. It has a lemon scent and it's no small sample. Its volume is 500 ml. The Ultenic brand definitely deserves praise for such quality packaging and rich accessories.
Design and quality of workmanship
Let's first look at the design of the Ultenic MC1 robotic vacuum cleaner itself. In this case, it is gray, shiny and at first glance it looks very good, almost luxurious.
In the upper part, there is a laser rotation system that takes care of orientation and space mapping. There are also three buttons here - switch on / off, return to the cleaning station and clean the area around where the vacuum cleaner is currently located.
The dirt container is hidden under the top cover of the vacuum cleaner and has a capacity of 350 ml. Around the perimeter of the vacuum cleaner is a typical bumper, charging connectors and sensors.
In the lower part, we find large wheels, which, however, can overcome a maximum 2 cm high obstacle when vacuuming and a 1.8 cm obstacle when mopping. There is also a side three-armed brush, a cylindrical rotary brush with bristlesnami or sensors against falling down the stairs.
Huge cleaning station
In this case, the cleaning station is really massive and consists of two parts that just need to be connected. These parts simply fit together, click, but once it happened to us that they separated slightly during the return of the vacuum cleaner to the station. In this case, the vacuum cleaner reports the error "Tray removed" and does not start vacuuming again until the base is firmly connected.
After opening the top hatch of the cleaning station, we get to the waste bag, which has a capacity of 3 L. The bag is surrounded by water tanks on both sides. One is for clean water and the other for polluted water. Both have a capacity of 4 L.
There are also four buttons in the front part of the station - start / pause, return of the vacuum cleaner to the station, cleaning the mop, vacuuming the dust from the vacuum cleaner.
Since we have a water tank and a dust bag, the cleaning station takes care of automatically emptying the vacuum cleaner, dosing it with water for mopping, cleaning the mops by rubbing against the rough plastic elements in the base of the station and even has a warm air drying system.
Ultenic app and smartphone pairing
Ultenic MC1 cooperates with the Ultenic application, which we tried already during the testing of the TS1 model. The application requires registration and login, where we then see our devices.
Adding another vacuum cleaner was very easy and quick. Just click on the button with the "+" symbol, choose the model and follow the instructions on the screen. The principle consists in connecting to the WiFi network of the vacuum cleaner and selecting the home WiFi network to which it will connect. The whole process is really very quick and easy.
The home screen of the Ultenic MC1 vacuum cleaner application will display a map after the first vacuuming, which will automatically divide it into rooms. Around the map are all the most important buttons for cleaning settings and vacuum cleaner control.
Here we can find, for example, suction power setting, map rotation, prohibited zones, map editing mode, drying mode setting and a pair of buttons - start vacuuming and quick return of the vacuum cleaner for recharging.
Above the map we can also see the percentage of the battery in the vacuum cleaner and the duration of the current or last vacuuming together with the area vm2, which the vacuum cleaner has currently passed.
First vacuuming and space mapping
The Ultenic MC1 also vacuums fully when exploring the premises for the first time. It does not have the function of quickly discovering spaces, which we know from Roborock vacuum cleaners. When they are first started, they just quickly go around the perimeter of the individual rooms to be able to draw the initial map.
Unlike the cheap TS1 model, the Ultenic MC1 equipment no longer lacks the classic laser rotary system in the upper part, which takes care of space discovery and navigation (LDS). Thus, the vacuum cleaner does not needlessly rotate around its own axis, as the TS1 model did.
Its operation is smooth, impacts on objects are minimal and gentle, and the overall impression of its navigation in space is very decent. The vacuum cleaner does not get stuck, does not wander and knows exactly where to go.
Suction power and suction quality
The robotic vacuum cleaner Ultenic MC1 has a maximum suction power of 5000 Pa. It has a standard bristle rotary brush in the lower part and one three-armed side brush for picking up dirt from the corners and edges of rooms.
Before each vacuuming, we can choose from four levels of suction power. We can vacuum the entire apartment, selected rooms, the current area where the vacuum cleaner is located or a selected point on the map.
As with all detailed reviews of robotic vacuum cleaners, we checked the quality of the vacuuming. We spread oatmeal, coffee and red lentils on the kitchen floor. We sent a vacuum cleaner to vacuum up this mess with the highest suction power.
And how did it turn out? The Ultenic MC1 performed quite well, but it didn't avoid a common problem that almost every robot vacuum has. It is a side brush that blasts larger dirt into places that the vacuum cleaner has already passed, so it itself pollutes already clean areas.
After the first vacuuming, a few pieces of red lentils remained on the floor, which did not completely disappear even after the second vacuuming. However, the suction power is sufficient and the vacuum cleaner vacuums well, but a smaller problem is precisely larger particles of dirt, which most robotic vacuum cleaners do not cope well with.
Let's just remind you that even the much more expensive Roborock S7 Max Ultra could not vacuum such dirt the first time. The disadvantage of a rotary brush with bristlesnami is excessive trapping of hair directly on the brush.
Moping quality
At first glance, a pair of round mopping cloths that rotate, which could indicate better floor washing, catches your eye. Since the regular mops of robotic vacuum cleaners do not move, they vibrate better, rotary mops represent a kind of next level. At least those are our expectations, but let's take a look at the real test together.
In the kitchen, we spilled water mixed with cocoa and food coloring on the floor. We then let these mixtures dry overnight so that we could test the quality of mopping in the morning. It is not an easy task, especially in the case of cocoa, which we definitely did not skimp on.
Unfortunately, the robotic vacuum cleaner Ultenic MC1 did not surprise, rather disappointed. After the first vacuum, it partially removed the dye stains, but also spread them further across the floor. After completing the first cleaning, he returned to the docking station, where he cleaned the mops and prepared for the second round.
The second time, he cleaned the aforementioned dye stains and partially reduced the cocoa stain, which, however, did not completely wash off even after the third mopping. We expected more from the rotary mop, mainly because we removed the cocoa stain by hand very simply and effortlessly. The vacuum cleaner probably lacks the pressure of the mop to the floor.
Battery, durability and speed of vacuuming
Ultenic Mc1 has a 5200 mAh battery, which should be enough for 180 minutes of operation. Charging takes about 5 hours. These are facts from the manufacturer, but let's look at reality.
We ran the vacuum cleaner in all performance modes in order to track how long one vacuuming takes and how much battery the vacuum cleaner consumes.
Each vacuum lasted approximately 34-35 minutes, regardless of power. At the lowest level, the vacuum cleaner consumed only 13% of the battery, at the second level it was 18%, at the third 27% and in the highest mode 33%.
Mopping lasted 26 minutes and we only had 9% battery left. However, we don't have any level to choose from here.
Customizing maps and settings
As we mentioned earlier, the robotic vacuum cleaner automatically divides spaces into rooms. If you don't like this division, you can easily customize it in the map management. In addition to changing the division of rooms, we can also find our own setting of the order of vacuuming, the number of cycles and the performance mode for each room separately.
There are also virtual walls and prohibited zones for mopping or vacuuming. We had to create a no-mopping zone for each carpet, because without it, the vacuum always got stuck on the carpet while mopping. It cannot automatically skip the carpet.
Here we also find the automatic station settings, where we can choose the cleaning interval of the mop in the station (every 6, 9 or 12 minutes), or the drying level - silent or fast.
The settings menu also includes managing multiple maps, scheduling cleaning for a specific time, cleaning history, silent mode, increasing performance for carpets, remote control or even displaying the status of individual components.
Ultenic MC1: Final review
After the fiasco with the Ultenic TS1 vacuum cleaner, we gave the top model of the brand, the Ultenic MC1, a chance. At first glance, this is a big difference, whether in the quality of processing, design or functionality itself. MC1 pleases with a good suction power of 5000 Pa and especially with a fully automatic station.
It hides the dust bag together with the tanks for clean and dirty water. The cleaning station can thus moisten, wash and dry the mop. We also positively evaluate the rich accessories in the package, including cleaning agent for mopping.
We are satisfied with the quality of vacuuming, but we expected more from mopping. Despite the two rotary mops, the mopping quality is only average. However, let's not forget the attractive price, which is significantly lower compared to well-known brands.
Despite some shortcomings, this is a pretty good vacuum cleaner. If you do not need high-quality mopping and want an automatic cleaning station at a price below 550 EUR, the Ultenic MC1 can be an interesting choice.
