Yeedi C12 Combo review: A solution for every problem

Best Prices Today: Yeedi C12 Combo

Whether it’s stairs, that spot just under the couch, or between the casters of your office chair, there are plenty of spaces in your home a robot vacuum simply can’t reach. But what if you could get both a robovac and a stick vacuum in one go? And what if it also had a detachable mop?

We’ve been seeing more and more of these robovac-and-stick-vac combos in the past year, and that’s exactly what the Yeedi C12 Combo is. This recently launched model seeks to deliver an all-in-one solution that features a robot vacuum, a stick vacuum, a mop accessory, and a bagless charging station that handles the dirt and dust from both containers.

The C12 Combo’s stick vacuum is a cinch to use, relatively light, and super easy to keep charged since it’s usually set it up on the base station’s charging pad.

Design

The Yeedi C12 Combo is an upgraded version of the C12 Pro Plus, which means it features the same robot vacuum and a similar-enough auto-empty base station. And that’s about where the similarities end.

The new base station features the same bagless container that we saw in the previous model, but the unit is longer on the left side to incorporate a docking space for the cordless stick vacuum. There’s also a side holder to ensure the brush head and pipe stay upright and a hidden container that fits some accessories for the stick vacuum.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best robot vacuums.

The robot vacuum has the same simple design we saw in the previous model, sans the extra mop accessory. It comes with a tangle-free brush that actually works, a side brush, and a dust container that you won’t actually have to interact with unless there’s a power outage and the station is offline.

The stick vacuum looks sleek and stylish with a simple design that features a small dust container. There are two buttons on the handle within reach of your thumb; one will power up the device, and the other will cycle through the suction power.

There are also some accessories you can use, starting with a main brush that features LED lights to highlight dust and hair on your floors, a crevice tool for vacuuming around your sofa seats and other tough-to-reach spots, and a 2-in-1 dusting brush for cushions, tables, and whatever other places you need to clean.

There’s also another accessory you can attach to the stick vacuum, namely a mop. Yep, you read that right. The mop accessory consists of a small rectangular 240ml water tank and a mop head (two mop heads come included in the package) that attaches to the tank via loop-and-hook fasteners. The wheels of the main vacuum brush attach magnetically to the mop, allowing you to vacuum and mop in one go.

Setup

The C12 Combo comes in a fairly large package, but then again there are a lot of items crammed inside. The station comes almost fully assembled; all you have to add are the trays that the robovac and stick vacuum will sit on. The only other physical setup task is placing the base station in a suitable spot.

Connecting the robot to Wi-Fi is easy; just scan the QR code under the robot’s lid using the Yeedi app and following a few steps. The C12 Combo only supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, but that’s not uncommon with robovacs.

Before you actually start cleaning, you’ll have to allow the C12 Combo to map the house, which it can do in just a few minutes. The mapping process is surprisingly accurate, but if there are any issues, you can use the Yeedi app to split rooms or otherwise edit the floor plan. You can also set down no-go areas where you don’t want the robovac to reach.

The default in the app is to run a whole-house cleaning job, but you can select just a specific room (or rooms) for cleaning, choose which rooms you want the bot to clean first, or pick only a select area you draw on the map.

Vacuum performance

The C12 robot vacuum performed well over my laminate floors and the hard floors, cleaning up dust, dirt, and all the floof from my pets. (There are three of them that oscillate between vegging on the couch and running around the house like cartoon characters, so there’s a lot of dispatched hair in all colors and lengths.)

Using a maximum of 10,000 Pa suction power, the robot carefully moves around the house, picking up everything in its path. When I tested the C12 Pro, I had one specific issue: it kept eating my socks. However, the C12 Combo performed much better this time around. Instead of just mowing through the room and sucking up socks, it slowed down and approached them cautiously, carefully passing them by and moving them around slightly. It kept doing that until it pushed the socks to the side of the room and then ignored them. It carefully went around a plushie and a slipper, too.

We gave the robovac a test by spilling some rice on the floors. The robot went about its routine and sucked up most of the grains, although some got left to the side after the side brush pushed them away. The C12 Pro Plus performed better in this task.

This time around, I had no coffee grounds for the fine powdery test, so I used cocoa powder. In this test, the C12 Combo picked up well enough, leaving me no complaints in this department.

One thing that annoyed me with the C12 Pro Plus was that when it returned to the station, it took an incredibly long time to find its path, visiting rooms it wasn’t even supposed to go into. Well, that wasn’t an issue with the C12 Combo. Whether it was a problem with my test unit or Yeedi simply ran a software update in the interim, the C12 Combo always knew where the station was and backed up to it like a pro.

Stick vac performance

I have little to complain about when it comes to the C12 Combo’s stick vacuum. It’s a cinch to use, relatively light, and super easy to keep charged since it’s usually set it up on the base station’s charging pad.

The main brush performed well in picking up everything off the floor, and it did not get tangled at all throughout the whole process. The LED lights are rather helpful in highlighting dust and hair on the floor, but I must say I still prefer the green light on the Ultenic U16 Flex.

I really, really liked using the two-button set-up on the handle. It’s easy to reach with your thumb, and there’s no way to accidentally push it simply by handling the vacuum. Adjusting the suction power is extremely easy as well.

The jury is still out on the performance of the mop accessory. It has a stellar build, and I love that it attaches magnetically to the vacuum. The mop pads attach securely to it, and there’s no way to “lose” them while cleaning.

But–and it’s a big “but”–the C12 Combo’s mopping function isn’t that efficient. Sure, if your floors are squeaky clean already, this accessory can an extra layer of shine by simply coasting around. For most homes, however, it won’t do much in terms of actually cleaning because you can’t apply a ton of elbow grease to ensure a deep clean.

Part of the issue with the C12 Combo’s mopping performance is that the mop head is positioned behind the vacuum. On the one hand, that’s great because it means your floors will first be vacuumed and then mopped, thus avoiding any situations where the mop simply pushes the dirt around, for instance. On the other hand, it also means the mop won’t easily reach the corner of the room without some careful side steps and maneuvering.

So, is the C12’s mopping ability useful? Absolutely. Can you expect the same cleanliness you’d get from a regular mop and bucket or a mopping vacuum like those from Tineco? Definitely not.

Now on to the coolest part of the Yeedi C12 Combo. Not only does the base station empty the dustbin of the vacuum when the robot docks, it also sucks the dust out the stick vacuum when you place it on the base. That’s pretty handy.

Specifications

• Suction power: 10,000 Pa/95AW
• Auto-empty base station: Yes (1.5-liter dustbin)
• Accessories: 2-in-1 dusting brush, crevice tool, 340ml water tank, 2 mops

Should you buy the Yeedi C12 Combo?

Overall, the Yeedi C12 Combo stacks up well. The robovac performed its cleaning duties well enough, and I found the handheld vacuum to be quite effective in numerous situations. The station is equally fantastic.

It’s too bad the C12 Combo doesn’t come with the C12 Pro Plus’s mop accessory, as I found the latter’s mopping pad to be slightly more efficient than the one you add to C12 Combo’s stick vacuum.

Still, the Yeedi C12 Combo is worth its sticker price because you get such a versatile combination of cleaning components, and the fact that they share the same station is icing on the cake.

Best Prices Today: Yeedi C12 Combo