Hey folks, Valkor here. Whomever coined the phrase "put off tomorrow, what you can do today" definitely had a guy like me in mind, because I am a super procrastinator and all-around lazy guy. And yes I'll admit it, I get that way when it comes to doing my reviews, but it kicks in hardcore when I have to do housework. Anything distracts me for wanting to pick up a broom or wash a dish – video games, movies, Law and Order: SVU. Holy shit! I mean why hasn't anyone told me how good this series is? Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay make the best pair. It's too bad he's no longer on the show. And did you know he was on Oz?
OK I'm getting distracted again; thanks to the folks at Evolution Robotics, you won't have to put off tomorrow what you can do today – at least when it comes to your floors, because with Mint Plus 5200 Automatic Floor cleaner, it takes the term "set it and forget it" to a whole new level. In short, I can have my SVU and get my housework done too.
The Mint Plus is kinda like a Roomba, only square. And instead of vacuuming floors, the Mint Plus tackles the sweeping and mopping. Included with the device are two types of microfiber cloths – one for wet and one for dry, but you can also use Swiffer wet/dry pads as well (quick side note: whoever invented Swiffer is a GENIOUS!!) and there are buttons at the top of the device for those specific tasks (one button for mopping, one for sweeping). The Mint Plus uses the "NorthStar Navigation Beacon" (NorthStar2), which is this little cube that assist Mint by guiding it around obstacles or telling Mint where it needs to go. At one point Mint (I call it Cooper) bumped into a chair that I purposely left in the middle of the floor; it returned to the navigation cube (which I call mini Coop) and I believe it had a conversation that went like this:
Cooper: Yo, there's this thing in the middle of the floor, what am I supposed to do about that?
Mini Coop: Hmm… just go around it, it's nothing. Forget about it.
Cooper: You sure? Ok then. *and away it goes*
The Mint Plus is meant only for hard floors like wood, tile or linoleum, it can detect drop offs like if it's near stairs or ledges, you can use multiple cubes with the device, which is a plus when dealing with a large or multiple areas, and when it's completed its task, it'll go back to where it started. Battery life is pretty good - 4 hours on the sweep and 2 hours on the mop, and you can purchase the Mint Plus with or without a docking cradle. So after letting Mint Plus aka Cooper run its course through the Val-Cave, it's now time to give it its score in the TOV Breakdown.
The Bang:
Let's start with the design, which deserves instant thumbs up as the square shape works best, especially when handling corners. The flatness of it means it can easily slip under couches and coffee tables with ease; No more having strain your back moving furniture just to get at those dust bunnies, Mint Plus slips under low-level furniture with no issue. I like the whole "set it and forget" mentality of the device as it frees yourself up to do other things (like write this review). A great example of that is when you need to do a quick tidy up when your about to have guest over. But Val, how does it clean? It cleans up quite nicely! I can't give Mint Plus all the credit because Swiffer pads are awesome, but that in conjunction with the Mint Plus, together they do a super job. SInce Cooper's arrival, my floors received a nice dusting and mopping on the daily. Overall, I was impressed and the lazy/procrastinator side of me REALLY appreciated it. Oh I don't have to dust or mop, instead I can kick my feet up, play video games and watch TV? SIGN ME UP!
The Slack:
First up, this sort of device needs a scheduler of some sort so that it can do its thing while you're away and you'd be able to set it to sweep one day and mop the next (thanks to the handy Reservoir cleaning pad). And very nitpicky, but for such an advanced device as this, I was surprised by the old school beeps when I switched it on.
My fellow lazy men, our time has come to truly embrace our laziness (when it comes to sweeping and mopping floors). Yay I say unto thee, you must purchase this wonder device put forth by Evolution Robotics called the "Mint Plus 5200 Automatic Floor Sweeper" and behold it's might as it does the job you push to the side in favor of downloading porn! But seriously, the Mint Plus 5200 is a solid performer and a definite winner in my book. It's available now for $299, tack on an additional 70 bucks plus if you want the docking cradle. However with the holidays soon upon us, I'm sure you'll find the device at a decent price. And out of TOV 5 stars, I'm giving the Mint Plus 5200 a 4.5 and it's been Valkor tested, TOV Approved!