Xiaomi 1st Gen Robo Vac - Replace Battery, Buy Again or Something Better?

SBOB on 02/10/2020 - 20:22

So my several year old 1st Gen Xiaomi Vac has finally started having issues, and its battery is pretty much dead (barely does a room or 2 and just stops dead without even getting back to the dock to recharge)

  • A new genuine battery looks to be about $150 (which seems excessive considering the price of a completely new entire vac)
  • A new generic battery looks to be about $60-70 (but likely a month or 2 wait)
  • A completely new 1st gen looks to be about ~$320

Has anyone with a 1st Gen Xiaomi robo vac ever upgraded to one of the newer/better models and seen a significant improvement?
We have a tiled area, so mopping would be 'beneficial' but unsure how well it actually performs on the better models (and there are so many models, so hard to identify the differences/benefits of more expensive models)

So, anyone want to weigh in and help me decide
Much appreciated for any advice.

Poll Options

  • 1
    Genuine Battery
  • 11
    Generic Battery
  • 0
    Buy a 1st Gen again
  • 9
    Buy a better model
Home & Garden Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Xiaomi

Comments

  • Flowerbomb on 02/10/2020 - 22:31
    +1

    I really like the mopped features. To me it makes a difference, as water does make area cleaner. It doesn’t beat a traditional mop, but I really can’t be stuffed mopping the floor.

    I voted for getting a generic battery but there is merit in getting new model to take advantage of the mopping features.

    • SBOB on 02/10/2020 - 22:38

      do you know which level of the vacs does 'decent' mopping?
      seems to range from 450->1000 bucks, but struggling to see the significant differences between the different models

      • Flowerbomb on 02/10/2020 - 23:24

        Model wise, I can’t really comment as I haven’t kept up to date with Xiaomi’s latest vacuums. I’m contented with my s5.

        The s5 I have has a really small water tank and wouldn’t clean a dirty floor well, not by a Long shot. But it’s great for my kitchen and living room. Plenty of YouTube videos so something you could check out.

  • travs on 02/10/2020 - 23:01

    Wow, I guess I'm not the only person in this situation - totally makes sense lol!

    I think I'm going to go the "buy a better model" route until i see a deal on the batteries. I'll then refresh the battery and assign my gen 1 to sweep the garage.

    • skid on 03/10/2020 - 08:15

      Never seen a li-ion battery go on sale. Best you could hope for would be a decent cashback deal. With batteries, you get what you pay for.

  • ohagas on 03/10/2020 - 06:22

    Why buy a new one if working perfectly fine? I replaced the battery on mine for around $46 from AliExpress. It's given it a new lease as life and the battery seems as good as the original.

    • SBOB on 03/10/2020 - 12:05

      all the ones im seeing are closer to $70 shipped (and aliexpress shipping times arent exactly reliable recently :) )

  • SBOB on 03/10/2020 - 17:37

    thanks all
    generic battery replacement won the battle

    • ohagas on 03/10/2020 - 18:39

      Sensible choice I reckon. Even if it's 70 bucks, it's money well spent and should last you quite a few more years, touch wood.
      Btw I just checked and it was last Dec when I got mine, and it's not available any more. Also, the battery form was a little smaller than the original but a small piece of foam cushion sorted that.

      • SBOB on 03/10/2020 - 19:05

        Yeah, few different types on AliExpress.
        Picked the one with the same form factor as the original for 70 bucks.
        Hopefully doesn't take months to arrive.

    • lookingforTV on 09/09/2022 - 13:35

      I know this is an old post! Have you ended up getting a generic battery replacement? If you are happy with it, could you please PM the link? I am worried about getting a dud one from Ali.

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