Dibea D960 Review: Better Than An ILIFE or Roomba?

Over the past few months, I’ve been reviewing several Dibea products. First it was the D900 robot vacuum then the C17 and F6 stick vacuums.

Now were’ going to have a first look at the Dibea D960 robotic cleaner. It’s their latest and dare I say bet a better option than a Roomba 650.

Definitely this is a better option than the D900 because of the built quality and finish.

And it’s got an on/off switch – something that’s missing with the former.

This allows you to easily reset the robot if there’s any error code without taking off the battery.

It also comes in a really nice shiny black finish that’s similar to the A6 with gray accents. So it looks really elegant and will not be lost in a modern home.

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So why is it a better option than a Roomba 650?

First, it’s cheaper. You can buy this in Amazon for less than $200. The Roomba 650 depending on when you buy it would be close to $100 more expensive.

Performance would be roughly the same and you’ll have less scuffing because it avoid obstacles better whereas the Roomba 650 is notorious for bumping into stuff.

A quick look at the features

Pros

Cons

What to expect from the Dibea D960?

To get a feel about what this robot is about please watch this review I recorded…

This second generation Dibea robot is much more refined in terms of finish and functionality except for the navigation.

First let’s look at how about this robot looks.

Top View

The D960 has the same finish as the ILIFE A6. It is a combination black (to be more specific Piano Black) with gray accents but the difference is shape – A6 is round while D960 is D-shaped like the Neato.

I like the deep black finish but it won’t stay that pretty for long trust me.

With only two buttons and the branding at the bottom, interface is as simple as you can get.

Bottom View

Unlike the Neato BotVac this robot uses two side brushes which will clean better at the edges and corners.

At the middle of these two brushes is a motorized brush roll that sweeps up dirt. It has the same design as the Neato, meaning it uses a combination squeegee and bristle.

This design works great at picking up stuff large and small including hair. But expect long hair to wrap around this.

Run Time and Battery

Run time should hover between 120 to 150 minutes depending on the surface it is cleaning. Expect the run time to be shorter on carpet because it requires more juice to clean.

This robot uses a 2,600 mAh lithium ion battery that will take around 5 hours to fully charge. And since it is lithium the power band should be linear.

Navigation

I was expecting this robot to be as efficient as the D900 but it was not.

In the first cleaning test I did, it took more than 20 minutes for the robot to clean at least a majority of dirt on the floor.

The Dibea D900 took less than 20 minutes so it was a bit of a disappointment for me. But the cleaning performance is a great as it was able to clean almost everything I scattered.

Cleaning Performance

Before I write my commentary, please check out some before and after photos…

In terms of cleaning performance, this Dibea D960 is a good performer.

Out of the 50 grams of dirt on the floor, it was about to pick up 48! That’s Xiaomi RoboRock territory and you don’t need to pay $500 for it.

Not as smart as a Neato

The bad news is this robot isn’t as smart. It does not have any app, Alexa compatibility and no WiFi. So scheduling is done through the remote.

If you don’t mind all these limitations then save yourself a few hundred bucks.

I’d say this and the A6 can go head to head. What this robot has over the ILIFE A6 would be the mopping feature.

The A6 does not have that feature and this is actually cheaper in Amazon or GearBest.

Mopping

The Dibea D960 also comes with a separate mopping bracket that transforms this robot into a mop.

Watch this video to see how the robot navigates with the water tank on.

What I like about their design is you don’t need to flip the robot over to attach the mop. Just remove the existing dirt bin and slide the water tank in its place.

That’s one less step in the process and if it makes like easier, I’m all for it.

What comes in the box?

You’ll get the following items in the box:

• Dibea D960 robot with two side brushes and dirt bin
• Water tank and bracket assembly with a microfiber mop
• Extra microfiber mop
• English manual
• 2 extra side brushes
• Charging dock and plug

Where can I buy this?

The two place I’d recommend buying this would be in Amazon where this will cost just below $200. Another site would be at GearBest where this retails for about the same price.

Click on the link below to get the latest prices at GearBest…

• US Plug
• EU Plug

Coupon code: SMARTHOME (15% OFF)

To wrap up

Dibea really has stepped up their game with the Dibea D960. Put this side by side with the older D900, you’ve got something with more refinement and better quality overall.

In terms of cleaning performance, this is very close to the ILIFE A6.

If you’re debating between the two, I wouldn’t stop you from buying either one. It’s that close.

It can mop

What this has over the ILIFE A6 and Roomba 650 would be the mopping feature.

And you don’t have to pay extra for it.

Another thing I like would be the ability of this robot to pry itself from tricky situations. If you watched the whole video, you’ll notice that it did not wedge itself under the chair. It was able to back up and go on its way.

That would not be the case if I were using another robot such as the Alfawise X5.