Coredy isn’t yet a household name when it comes to robot vacuum cleaners, but they are certainly making strides in that direction. Their budget devices compete with Eufy at the lower end of the market and are giving them a run for their money when it comes to value-for-money products.
In this article, I’ve reviewed the Coredy R550 robot vacuum, a slight upgrade on their hugely popular R500 vacuum launched a few years back.
Quick Summary
The Coredy R550 (also known as the R500+) is an excellent device that stands up well against others at its price point and even against Roomba’s entry-level 600-series.
It’s suitable for both low and medium-pile carpets, capable of picking up most sized particles it encounters. The R550 isn’t a replacement for your upright vacuum, but it can reduce how often you need to get it out.
Whilst the R550 is a good choice given the price, its less-than-impressive mopping lets it down. If you can forego the mopping feature, the R650 isn’t much more expensive but has better suction power and comes with boundary tape for creating no-go areas.
If you want a device that can be controlled from an app rather than a remote control, the R750 is Coredy’s top robot vacuum with the highest level of suction and it integrates with Alexa and Google Home.
Coredy R550 Specifications
| Price | £ |
| Suction Power | 1,400pA |
| Height | 7.2cm |
| Climbing Threshold | 15mm |
| Battery Capacity | 2600mAh |
| Runtime | 120min |
| Dust Bin Capacity | 500ml |
| Floor Type | Hard Floors, Low + Medium Pile Carpets |
| Mopping | Yes (mop tank sold separately) |
| Wi-Fi (for app and voice control) | No |
| Boost Intellect | Yes |
| Supports Boundary Strips? | Yes (not included) |
| Motorised Roller Brush on Base | Yes |
| Washable HEPA Filter | Yes |
| Where to Buy | Amazon |
Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of the Coredy R550 vacuum:
Full Review
The Coredy R550 (sometimes referred to as the Coredy R500+) sits in the middle of Coredy’s range and is one of the cheapest robot vacuum and mop combo’s currently on the market.
In this review, I’ll run through all of the key features of the vacuum and give an honest overview of navigation and cleaning performance compared to others at its price range.
What’s Included?
Included with your R550 is the following:
- R550 robot vacuum cleaner
- 4 x Side brushes
- Spare HEPA filter
- Main brush
- Remote control (with batteries included)
- Cleaning brush
- Charging dock with power adapter
- Welcome guide and user manual
Features Overview
The R550 is the same size and shape compared to Coredy’s other robot vacuums which are known for their slim height making them ideal for low furniture such as sofas and beds. Despite their height, they are still suitable for thresholds up to 15mm which covers most doorways and carpets.
With a 2600mAh battery capacity, the vacuum can run for an above-average 120 minutes on a single charge. It doesn’t feature recharge and resume technology so will end a cleaning cycle when the battery is low and return for charging.
As with most of Coredy’s range, the R550 uses a remote control for setting schedules and changing settings. There is or Wi-Fi or app support, nor is there any integration with smart home voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Home. That being said, the low-tech approach is preferred by some consumers, particularly those that are older or less tech-savvy.
Navigation
The R550 doesn’t have any mapping technology, it uses a navigation method called random path which means it will bounce from wall to wall until it has covered the entire room.
The algorithm is great in larger rooms with near-perfect coverage, however, it didn’t perform so well in smaller rooms.
Whilst the R550 will recognise boundary strips, it doesn’t come with any included so you’ll have to purchase this separately at around £30 for 2 metres. The boundary strips are magnetic and can be used to create no-go areas where the vacuum shouldn’t go, this is ideal for areas where the vacuum gets stuck or may knock things over.
As the vacuum doesn’t map your home, there is no room-by-room cleaning as with some of the best robot vacuums on the market.
Cleaning Performance
The R550 performs well on both low and medium-pile carpets, picking up most dirt particles. You may see a scattering of some lighter debris which can get pushed away by the front spinning brushes.
It has suction power of 1,400pA which is the same as the lower spec R300. I would have liked to see a step up from the cheaper model, however, it’s still okay compared to other robot vacuums at this price level.
The vacuum also has a HEPA filter which will remove minuscule dust particles from the air, this is ideal for anyone with allergies.
Underneath, it has a motorised roller brush which agitates the dust in the carpet, allowing the vacuum to pick it up. The brush attracts fewer hair tangles than other budget vacuums, however, I still wouldn’t recommend it for pet owners (Roomba’s tend to be best for anyone with pets).
The R550 has 5 different modes:
- Auto – Main cleaning mode that starts with the centre of the room before progressing to the edges.
- Spot Clean – Spirals out from a specific point when you have dirt or spillage that needs cleaning.
- Low Suction – Low power mode with reduced suction
- Edge Mode – Only cleans the edges of a room and around table/chair legs
- Single Room – A quick cleaning mode that lasts around 30 minutes.
The vacuum has Coredy’s Boost Intelect feature which detects whether it is on carpet or hard floor and adjusts the suction power accordingly. This allows a smooth transition between floor types and ensures the battery isn’t wasted where high suction isn’t required.
Mopping Performance
Everything has been fine up until his point, but this is where I become very critical of the R550. First of all, it’s capable of mopping, but the water tank and mopping pads don’t come included so you’ll have to fork out extra for them.
Then there’s the fact that the vacuum cannot switch between mopping and vacuuming by itself. You’ll need to manually take out the dust bin and add the water tank, and vice versa when you’re done. If you have boundary strips set up for the vacuum, you may need to change where these are for the mop.
Even once you’ve set up the mop, the pressure it applies to the floor is minimal so it will do nothing more than wipe across the surface. I think it would be quicker to grab a cloth mop and wipe the floor yourself which defeats the point.
Maintenance
The R550 has a 500ml dustbin which is above average so will manage several cleaning cycles before you need to empty it. The dustbin can be a bit cumbersome to open as you need to press the two triangular clips very firmly, it’s best to place the dustbin as deep in the rubbish bag as you can before opening it.
You will need to occasionally remove tangled hair from the brush and wash the HEPA filter. A spare HEPA filter is included when you buy the vacuum so you don’t have any downtime.
![Read more about the article Best Eufy Robot Vacuum Cleaners UK [with Comparison Chart]](https://smarthomeinsider.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Eufy-Robot-Vacuum-Comparison-300x176.jpg)
