The Osotek Hotwave takes your mopping game to the next level and tackles the toughest of boss stains, with a self-cleaning system and hot water tank.
When it comes to cleaning up any mess, the Osotek HotWave H100 Pro will undoubtedly handle your household tasks, and you'll get a workout carting the thing around your home as well, which is either a positive or a negative depending on your outlook.
While some products aim to automate the process of housework entirely, despite any shortcomings that might bring, the Osotek H100 Pro Wet-Dry Mop Vacuum simply seeks to boost possible mopping performance while making the whole process much simpler. Of course, you’re still doing the mopping for yourself, but with self-cleaning, reduced drying time, and the ability to wash at high temperature, this device could greatly increase both your cleaning efficiency and power.
The H100 Pro is a combination vacuum cleaner and mop that features an onboard water tank, self-cleaning roller and filter, and a base station that heats the water and dries off, as well providing storage space for extra accessories. You also get a bottle of cleaning fluid and a measuring cup to use with it. The base station also contains a spare roller and spare filter so that while one is in use, you can always have another to swap to at a moment's notice. There's also a cleaning tool included in the package which is useful for cleaning the nooks and crannies of the device, and has a detachable handle with a small blade for removing clumps of hair.
We were sent a prototype device for review, and this is an active Kickstarter campaign. Osotek is a new brand, and this is its first product. There are inherent risks with any crowdfunding campaign, and even more so from a new company that hasn't yet got a reputation to lose. We can't guarantee you'll actually be delivered a product, though it's clear this is late stage production prototype and should be ready for mass manufacture soon, if it isn't already. If you're not comfortable with the risk of backing a Kickstarter campaign for a potential saving off of launch price, you should wait until it's more widely available via the usual retail outlets. In fact, the Osotek HotWave appears to be identical to the Xiaomi Mijia Superthermal, which is available now at around $650 (compared to $500 for the Osotek HotWave early-bird pledge).
The process of using the H100 Pro is pretty simple. Just remove the water tank, fill it with a ratio of 1 part cleaner fluid to 40 parts water, then pop it back in. The device has buttons on the handle that you can press to fill it with fresh water, and once it’s in the tank and at full temperature, the screen on top will let you know that it’s ready to start cleaning. Voice prompts can also let you know when the water is filled up and hot enough, as well as when it gets too full or dirty and has to be cleaned—but you can turn them off using the voice button on the back of the device.
In practice, the system mostly works fine but does come with one or two minor issues. Namely, the voice prompts on our sample version of the product aren’t quite right. The voice prompts go off at the wrong time, and despite the manual claiming they can be disabled, we’ve not been able to get them to go away thus far. It’s not a big deal since the actual device functions perfectly in spite of this issue, but it’s certainly worth noting. It’s also worth pointing out that this is a pre-production prototype model, which is probably why it has this error, along with some minor scratches on the base. We've been assured that full production units will not have these sorts of problems.
Slight niggles aside, how does it clean? The answer is incredibly well. You have several modes at your disposal, including an Automatic mode that detects the right amount of suction power and water to use; a suction-only mode for clearing away water spills; and the super mode, which sets everything to maximum power just in case you’ve got a really stubborn stain that you can’t get out. When it comes to regular cleaning, the H100 Pro has proven itself to do a great job, cleaning up both visible dirt, and any invisible residue left behind by sticky substances, which is a godsend in kitchens and bathrooms.
Part of the reason that it can do such a fantastic job is thanks to the hot water system. While inside the base station, the clean water is heated to over 90 degrees Celsius in around 90 seconds (though if you’re in the US, this could take a few minutes due to voltage differences). Even when the water hits the ground, it’s still at around 60 degrees Celsius, which not only helps to remove stains but also promotes quicker drying, so you don’t have to worry about slipping on your wet floors while you clean.
The manufacturers have several suggested tests to put the device through, including ketchup that has been dried with a hairdryer, and the interestingly-named "Jam Apocalypse", which involves covering your floor with a frankly ludicrous amount of jam. Quite shockingly, the H100 did a fantastic job of cleaning up the jam, getting both the visible clumps of jam as well as the invisible sticky residue normally left behind, though it did leave the roller and internals of the machine in quite a state. Luckily, cleaning up the nooks and crannies of the device is pretty easy, mostly thanks to the included cleaning tools.
There’s also the self-cleaning function that does mostly take care of the problem, though this still left some external sticky residue on the wheels and some internal parts. When you return the device to your base station, you can press the self-clean button to start the process. This pulls hot water into the roller as it spins, cleaning off the dirt. Once this is done, it’ll start using hot air to dry off the roller, so you know that it’s good and ready for another use. Again, while this does mostly work well, in the case of heavy messes, there is definitely some residue left behind, specifically in the corners of the roller and the roller guard.
The other test, which involved artificially dried-on ketchup, was another rousing success, with the only slight downside being that my kitchen smelled like Hot Ketchup for a solid week after this was done. Once again, the bigger messes did make it necessary to clean some internal components, however, this shouldn’t be a problem for most people. Realistically, the chances that you’ll need to clean up messes of this magnitude regularly are pretty slim, unless you live in a literal zoo or children’s TV show café. For most daily cleaning jobs, the self-cleaning and drying routine does more than enough.
It’s also worth noting that the Osotek H100 Pro Wet-Dry Mop Vacuum is intended only for hard flooring. Every picture of the device in use shows it only being run on uncarpeted floors, and with the hot water functionality, you’re probably going to end up with a wet carpet or rug if you try to use it on these surfaces. That’s not to say that you technically couldn’t get away with using it on carpets, but it’s really not what the machine is designed for, so you do so at your own risk.
You might be wondering how the "vacuum" part of this thing works, and the answer is also mostly very well. It’s not as powerful as a dedicated vacuum would necessarily be, but for hardwood floors, it does a great job. There’s a chamber inside the water tank where solid matter ends up to keep it separate from the liquids. You can suck up most stuff without too much trouble, though it does struggle with longer hair. The only thing to note here is that you have to make sure you approach each section of the room you’re cleaning from the front, as rolling backward over debris doesn't do much.
So, is it a perfect product overall if it's a great cleaner? Well, not quite. That’s not to say that it isn't a great success, but there are a few caveats that you have to bear in mind. Foremost, it’s motorized to make cleaning easier, but this means that if you’re going over the same spot, you’ll either have to drag it against the motor or lift the entire device to make a second pass. That comes to the next minor issue, which is the weight. This thing is heavy, and you’ll really start to feel your arm getting tired after a few minutes of cleaning. It's not an issue if you’re relatively strong, but don't buy this for Granny's next birthday.
Having said that, The Osotek H100 Pro Wet-Dry Mop Vacuum does exactly what it set out to do. It presents an almost unparalleled cleaning experience. When it comes to shifting tough stains, from dry ketchup to random dust and particles, and yes even a jam apocalypse, you’ll struggle to find a better product for the job. The extra weight might make it a bit tougher for older folks to use, but the self-cleaning feature and the ability to fill the tower with water for repeated use make it a much more convenient experience than regular mopping, on top of just doing a better job.
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A gaming, cybersecurity, and technology writer who has been building computers and tinkering with software since he was a teenager. William has been a professional freelance writer since 2016 and has been involved with prestigious websites in the past, including TechRaptor.net and Hacked.com
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