Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 vs T8 AIVI vs T8: We compare the top models from 2019 & 2020

It was all hands on deck when we let the Ecovacs models (Deebot OZMO 950 vs T8 AIVI vs T8+ ) compete against each other in our suction test.

First, the robotic vacuum cleaners have to show what they’ve got in our "suction arena". Here they have to remove different kinds of dirt on different floor types.

Then, we check how the robot vacuum cleaners cope with daily floor cleaning over a more extended period in our flat.

You can see an overview of the results for the three Ecovacs models in the table below.

Suction test: Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 vs T8 AIVI vs T8+

Suction test on hard floors

All three Ecovacs models did a great job on hard floors.

The differences in the suction result are so minor that we can say without a doubt:

If you have mostly hard floors at home, you will be delighted with either of the three models.

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 on Laminate

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI on Laminate

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8+ on Laminate

Suction test on carpets

Carpets are more challenging for all types of vacuums.

The Ecovacs models have an excellent carpet detection function.

As soon as the robot vacuums drive onto carpets, they immediately switch to the highest suction level.

Here, the cleaning results’ differences were also very similar with all three models (Deebot OZMO 950 vs T8 AIVI vs T8).

We think that the minor differences in the results are just variance.

Long story short:

The Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 and the T8 series models (T8 AIVI and T8+) work great on the carpet.

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 on a low pile carpet

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 on high pile carpet

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI on a low pile carpet

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI on High Pile Carpet

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8+ on a low pile carpet

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8+ on High Pile Carpet

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 920*

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T9 AIVI*

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8+*

The everyday floor cleaning

We always check how the robot vacuums clean our homes over a more extended period in addition to the test environment.

Because that's what matters in the end:

The robot vacuum has to be able to clean your home satisfactorily.

The Deebot OZMO 950, the Deebot OZMO T8 and the T8+ all came out with flying colours in everyday floor cleaning.

You can choose from 4 different suction levels (Quiet, Standard, Maximum and Maximum+) with all three models.

This way, you can adjust the suction intensity to the degree of soiling in your home.

The robot vacuum will clean the heavily soiled kitchen at the strongest suction level and the less dirty bedroom in medium mode.

We also liked the cleaning in corners and also along the skirtings with all three models.

The side brushes of the Ecovacs models (OZMO 950, T8 AIVI and T8 Plus) are pretty long compared to other models.

That’s why the robot vacuums can reach deep into the corners and remove most of the dirt.

Cleaning result with long pet hair (and human hair)

Neither the Deebot Ozmo 950 nor the T8 Series models (T8 AIVI and T8+) reach their limits with long human hair.

They suck up the hairs without any problems.

However, not all hair ends up in the robot vacuum’s dust container.

Some hairs may wrap around the main brush, so you have to remove them from time to time.

You can easily remove the main brush of all three models with a simple handle for this purpose.

Practical: A unique cleaning tool is under the lid of the Ecovacs robot vacuum models.

You can quickly remove hair from the main brush with this cleaning tool.

Special feature:

Unlike the Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI and the T8+, the Deebot OZMO 950 comes with a special "attachment for hair".

This cleaning head works exceptionally well for hair because it doesn’t have a brush.

This way, hair can’t wrap around the brush.

We recommend using the attachment only in "special cases", as the cleaning performance (especially on carpets) is not as good without the main brush.

Conclusion on the cleaning test

All three models - the Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950, the T8 AIVI and the T8 - scored very well in the cleaning test.

Their differences were hardly noticeable during everyday cleaning. They did a great job.

We also compared the mopping performance of the Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 vs T8 AIVI vs 950.

All three models have an integrated mopping function.

This means that the robot can vacuum and mop your home in one go!

You just have to attach the mopping pad to the wiping plate and connect the water tank (with the wiping plate) to the robot vacuum from behind. Then you’ve already activated the mopping function and are good to go.

You can control the water intensity level via the app for all 3 models.

You can also set up the water intensity individually for each room. This way, the robot vacuum will mop the tiles in the bathroom with the highest water output and the sensitive laminate floor in the living room with a lower water intensity.

You should watch the robot cleaner during the first mopping runs. Then you can determine which water intensity level works best on your floors.

Deebot OZMO 950 mopping function

The Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 comes with a reusable mop and five disposable wipes.

We recommend using only the reusable mop.

The reusable mop is of much higher quality than the disposable wipes. It also provides much better mopping results.

That’s how it works:

The water tank dampens the wipe with water. Then the robot vacuum simply pulls the wet wipe behind itself during the cleaning process.

That removes the last dust residues and light soiling.

Your home will be even cleaner.

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI and T8+ mopping function

The T8 series models (the T8 AIVI and T8+) take the mopping up a notch.

They named it the "OZMO Pro" mopping technology (a vibrating water tank).

The "OZMO-Pro" mopping technology has a unique water tank with a vibration function. The wiping plate has approx. 480 vibrations per minute.

It simulates the typical "scrubbing" movements.

And you can see that in the mopping result! The scrubbing movements clean the floor even better.

The vibration of the water tank is somewhat noisy. It wasn’t a big deal, but it was louder than the "conventional" mopping feature of the Deebot OZMO 950.

There is one minor drawback: There’s no reusable mop for the OZMO-Pro water tank yet.

But we found a temporary solution. We recommend using the Deebot OZMO 950's reusable mop for the OZMO Pro water tank instead of the low-quality disposable wipes.

The reusable mop is much fluffier and therefore absorbs water better. This improves the mopping result.

The reusable mop may not fit 100% perfectly on the OZMO Pro water tank’s mopping plate (the fabric doesn’t cover the entire top left and right).

Nevertheless, we gave it a try, and it worked out well. There aren’t any disadvantages.

Conclusion

Block Quote: Stopper Tertiary: The mopping function of the T8 series (Deebot OZMO T8 and T8 AIVI) is much better than that of the Deebot OZMO 950, thanks to the vibrating "OZMO Pro" mopping technology.

The "scrubbing movements" significantly improve the T8 AIVI and T8+’s wiping results.

Navigation is vital when comparing the Ecovacs models (Deebot OZMO T8 vs T8 AIVI vs 950).

Differences and similarities in navigation and obstacle avoidance

All three vacuum-mopping robots rely on laser-based navigation technology. You’ll recognise that once you see the typical laser tower (LDS=Laser distance sensor).

The laser navigation ensures that all three models drive quickly and in a very structured way. The vacuum-mopping robots always know where they’ve already been and where they need to go next. All three models clean your flat seamlessly.

The Deebot OZMO 950’s obstacle detection is rougher than the T8 series models (T8 AIVI and T8). It uses the bumper frequently.

However, the main difference between the Deebot OZMO 950 and the T8 series models (T8 AIVI and T8+) is the obstacle detection function.

The T8 AIVI and the T8+ also recognise smaller objects (e.g. phone charging cables) as obstacles and automatically avoid them.

Camera-based obstacle detection with Ecovacs Deebot T8 AIVI

The Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI uses camera-based AIVI technology ("Artificial Intelligence and Visual Interpretation").

A camera registers the objects here. Then, the data-driven artificial intelligence identifies the object as a specific item ("That's a sock") and calculates the correct path around the obstacle.

Afterwards, you can check in the Ecovacs Home App, which objects the Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI detected as obstacles and avoided. If necessary, you can remove the objects from the floor and let the robot vacuum clean that area again.

The Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI scored an obstacle detection rate of ~65% in our tests.

A great feature was that the robot vacuum switched off the side brushes when driving around obstacles. That way, the mobile phone charging cable, for example, can’t get caught by the side brush.

Unfortunately, the Deebot OZMO T8+ doesn’t switch off the side brushes when avoiding obstacles.

PS: Some people may feel "watched" with the AIVI camera. Ecovacs included a cover flap in the delivery scope for this purpose so that you could cover the camera. However, then you wouldn’t benefit from the advantages of camera-based obstacle detection.

If that bothers you, then the Deebot OZMO T8 with laser-based obstacle detection might be a good alternative.

Laser-based obstacle detection with Ecovacs Deebot T8

The T8 uses the so-called "TrueDetect 3D" technology for obstacle avoidance.

A cross laser permanently scans the surroundings.

Then the 3D camera evaluates the interruptions of the laser beams. That’s how the robot vacuum detects obstacles and avoids them.

The main difference to the Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI: The T8 recognises obstacles, but it doesn’t know what the object is.

The T8 AIVI, on the other hand, knows that: "It's a shoe/sock/pants....". Furthermore, the T8 also doesn’t mark the obstacles on the map (in the mobile phone app).

The T8 scored a whopping obstacle detection rate of almost 100% (vs 65% for the Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI).

It reliably detected an avoided all the obstacles we placed in the flat.

Since this robot vacuum doesn’t switch off its side brushes when avoiding obstacles, the side brushes touch the objects from time to time.

The speed of obstacle avoidance was also significantly faster than with the Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI.

Another advantage of the T8 vs T8 AIVI: Obstacle detection works very well, even in bad lighting conditions. The camera-based AIVI technology depends on good lighting conditions to function well.

Conclusion

All in all, the navigation of the Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 is already excellent. It cleans your flat in a structured and fast way and doesn’t leave out a single spot.

However, the robot vacuum can’t recognise smaller objects like mobile phone charger cables, socks, etc., so it simply drives over them.

That means that you have to tidy up your flat as much as possible before each cleaning trip. Otherwise, the OZMO 950 may "choke" on the objects lying around. Then you’d have to rush to help your little friend and free it so it can continue cleaning.

And that’s where the T8 AIVI and the T8 take up a notch.

You can also let the T8 series models clean a flat that is not 100% tidy, thanks to the independent obstacle detection.

With this technology, the robot vacuum won’t get stuck on the next best obstacle.

So if you live in a large and somewhat "chaotic" household, we recommend the T8 series models. The obstacle avoidance of the T8 worked better (improved obstacle detection rate, faster navigation).

The Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950, the OZMO T8 and T8 AIVI have a powerful lithium-ion battery.

That makes all three Ecovacs models very suitable for larger houses / flats.

All three Ecovacs models have almost identical hardware. That’s why they also have nearly identical designs.

Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950: Design

The Deebot OZMO 950 has a very nice matte finish.

You can see the mobile dust bin and cleaning tools when you open the lid.

A unique feature: The surface under the lid has a ribbed structure. That makes it look like fabric and gives it a high-quality finish.

When taking a look at the bottom side of the Deebot OZMO 950, we see the usual additions: Sensors, rollers, side brushes and main brush in their designated places.

Design of the Ecovacs Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI vs T8

The main difference between the OZMO T8 AIVI and the T8 is the colour. In the UK, the T8 AIVI is only available in black, whereas the T8 is only available in white.

On the other hand, the T8 AIVI has a camera built into the bumper’s front for obstacle avoidance.

These two models’ bottoms are very similar.

There is just one major difference.

Ecovacs improved the Deebot OZMO T8’s tread pattern. It reduces the driving noise and increases the skid resistance.

If you want to get an auto-empty station with a T8 model, you need to plan a little more space in your home.

But that's not a disadvantage, because the auto-empty dock is an absolute eye-catcher in your home.

Conclusion

Long story short: the Deebot OZMO 950 and the T8 series models (T8 AIVI and T8) are of very high quality.

The Chinese manufacturer can easily keep up with its American and European competitors (or even outperform them in some areas).

The price plays an essential role in our Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 vs T8 AIVI vs T8+ comparison.

The Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 is by far the cheapest vacuum-mopping robot of the trio.

With the OZMO T8 series, you have to dig much deeper into your pocket:

But you can also buy the auto-empty station separately (available* on Amazon UK) afterwards if desired.

We worked out all the similarities and differences between the models in our Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 950 vs T8 AIVI vs T8 comparison.

One thing is for sure: All 3 models are excellent vacuum-mopping robots that are among the premium models.

If you can do without the auto-empty station and the obstacle avoidance (including flat objects), then the Deebot OZMO 950 model is a perfect choice. Here you get a high-quality device at an almost unbeatable price-performance ratio.

If you don’t want to miss the auto-empty dust bin, the vastly improved mopping feature, and the obstacle avoidance, you should go for one of the T8 series models.

If we had to choose between these two models (T8 AIVI vs T8), we would prefer the T8 model. The obstacle avoidance is more sophisticated, the operation is less noisy, and the price is slightly lower.

But the OZMO T8 AIVI also has its advantages with the monitoring function. You can even use the Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI as a mobile security camera for your home.

No matter which one you’ll choose: All 3 robot vacuums are among the best models available in the UK. You’ll be pleased with your new household helper either way.