Shellbot SL60 in test: Can the newcomer keep up with the competition?

Robot vacuums are now a dime a dozen. It is therefore not surprising that some people lose track of the right model. For this reason, prospective buyers often turn to established brands like iRobot or Roborock. With the Shellbot SL60, we want to take a closer look at a newcomer today that sounds promising, at least in terms of technical details. In addition to a strong suction power of 4000 Pascal, it also features state-of-the-art laser technology in the form of a LiDAR sensor. Is the Shellbot SL60 a real insider tip?

Shellbot SL60: Technical Specifications

Scope of delivery

The scope of delivery of the Shellbot SL60 is not really surprising and is reminiscent of comparable vacuum robots. Besides the robot itself, Shellbot stashes two wipes, the combo tank for water and dust, a dust-only bin, two side brushes, an IR remote, a small cleaning tool, and the usual paperwork in the box. Of course, the package also includes the matching charging station, which the robot haunts after its work is done.

This one is only available in black

When it comes to construction, the Shellbot SL60 relies on tried-and-true design. Will mean that this vacuum robot also comes in a circular shape. A small turret is enthroned in the center, with the LiDAR technology hidden under the lid. What you also get to see when you look at the top are the two buttons.

In addition to the on/off switch, there is also a home button here, which the robot uses to return to its charging station. If you take a look at the side, you’ll see the obligatory ventilation slots. At the front there is a shock absorber, which should not only protect the robot itself, but of course your furniture as well.

On the underside, you can’t spot any big features except for the main brush and the two big wheels. The black color looks very cool in combination with the blue light, but could prove to be a bit impractical in the long run.

Finally, after just a few hours of testing, I noticed that the Shellbot SL60 attracts dust magically. Therefore, I would have liked a counterpart in white. In terms of workmanship, the smart household helper is also in no way inferior to the more expensive competition. Very good work!

The knows where it goes

While LiDAR technology with sophisticated laser navigation was only reserved for flagships a few years ago, it is now also increasingly found in mid-range models. This is also the case with the Shellbot SL60. However, it does not only rely on the navigation method, which ensures the best orientation of the robot vacuum cleaner both in the light and in the dark. On top of that, it supplements this with a special sensor on the front, which is supposed to detect objects lying on the floor in good time.

Complementing the combination navigation are the usual crash and carpet sensors. These live up to their name and not only prevented falls of the smart household helper in the test. On top of that, it reliably detected my long pile carpet in the living room and automatically increased the suction power.

As the Shellbot SL60 makes its circles through the apartment, it quickly becomes clear that the interaction of LiDAR sensor and object recognition works perfectly. Thus, it drives purposefully room by room and only extremely rarely collides with furniture, doors or walls. Only with smaller objects does the object detection seem to be somewhat overtaxed. For example, it overlooked a small book during its test drive and did not even stop at cables. However, that doesn’t really surprise me in this price range.

Shellbot SL60: A really good vacuum cleaner

With a total suction power of 4000 Pascal, the Shellbot SL60 has quite a bit going for it. Here, even former flagships like the Roborock S7 (test) with a suction power of 2500 Pascal cannot come close to keeping up. However, performance is not everything. The vacuum cleaner must also be able to transfer this to the floor. In my tiled bathroom and kitchen, the Shellbot SL60 was able to deliver just as great results as it did on my parquet floors in the living room and bedroom.

When the smart household helper then drove onto my carpet in the living room, the carpet detection also immediately kicked in and the suction power was increased in an instant. Of course, the results on the carpet cannot be compared with those of a hand-operated vacuum. Nevertheless, they were good. However, this is not only the case with the Shellbot SL60, but also the competition. On hard floors, however, the robot delivers a great performance.

Shellbot SL60: mopping function of yesterday

As positively as I am taken with the suction performance, I found the mopping performance sobering. The Shellbot SL60 still relies on a wiping unit in 2022 that simply drags a wipe behind it. The Roborock Q7 Max+ (test) has vividly proven that this does not have to be the case in the mid-range. With this one, in fact, the cloth doesn’t just lie flat on the floor, but is pressed down on the floor to create friction.

However, the Shellbot SL60 doesn’t want to be a real vacuuming and mopping robot at all, I have a feeling. After all, it leaves its user the choice between two different dust bins. In addition to the large, dust-only container, which has a capacity of 500 ml, you can also opt for a combo container with a capacity of 240 ml for dust and 260 ml for water.

Somehow, this seems a bit inconsistent to me and underlines that even the manufacturer sees its wiping function as a nice-to-have rather than a feature to be taken seriously. The results also turn out accordingly. The Shellbot SL60 always pulls a water film behind it, which at least wipes up dust that has been left behind. This is better than nothing, but does not correspond to intensive cleaning.

Convenient control with app or remote control

A modern robot vacuum cleaner naturally cannot do without a suitable app connection. Accordingly, of course, the Shellbot SL60 also offers the possibility to make settings via smartphone. For example, in the Shellbot app, you can regulate the suction strength and amount of wiping water to be used during cleaning.

You can also set no-go areas here, where the robot has no business being. Conversely, you can send it to a specific place for targeted cleaning. Of course, the routines that you can define here are really practical. For example, you can have the Shellbot SL60 run at a certain time every day. While you are in the office, for example, he cleans your apartment as a traveling cleaner.

In the detailed map of your home created thanks to the LiDAR sensor, you can then also select specific rooms in which the robot vacuum cleaner should get to work. During the first run, it automatically assigns rooms to your apartment. If these are not right, you can easily adjust them in the app. If you can do without the app with map function, simply use the included remote control.

Shellbot SL60 review: conclusion

The Shellbot SL60 is a very good vacuum robot, which convinces me especially with its great suction performance. In addition, there are modern sensors with LiDAR and object detection. A chic design with great workmanship and the practical as well as clear app round off the overall package. I was a bit disappointed by the wiping function, which is reminiscent of the old days and can be revised in the next generation. If that bothers you, you might be happy with an alternative. For about 100 euros more, there is the Roborock Q7 Max+, which not only offers a better wiping function, but also a suction station on top of that.