Haier SWR Pathfinder – a strong bot for tough cleaning

The Haier SWR Pathfinder robot vacuum (versions T320, T321, T322 and T325) is a standard automatic vacuum cleaner that can do a relatively good cleaning job, depending on your home cleaning requirements. For the low price it comes with, the compactly designed bot packs some impressive features, making it, in many cases quite a bargain. I’m not going to bother you with many details, not in the beginning at least. So here’s the resume of what you’ll going to find out if you read this assessment:

• what are the complete specifications of this product
• when should you consider investing in a Haier SWR Pathfinder
• how it compares with other bare floor robots such as the iLife X5, iLife V5 Pro or the SeeBest D730
• what’s the difference between T320, T321, T322 and T325
• from where to get a good deal for it

As you may already guessed, this review was made possible by GearBest.com, who not only provided the unit for testing but is graciously sponsoring the Back-to-school giveaway, offering a Haier Pathfinder to the lucky winner.

Looks

Here are the main highlights of this product:

Me and Michael (the guy who is helping me with the tech-related problems I face while maintaining this site) managed to spend some time with professional video-editing software, so now we are able to make better quality videos (and hopefully, our skills will improve over time):

Specifications

Suction Power

Haier is a company that usually doesn’t like to sacrifice quality over price. This remains true with the Pathfinder. With a suction power of 600 to 800 Pa, the cleaning ability of the SWR is more than sufficient for undertaking light to moderate cleaning jobs on wooden floors, ceramic surfaces, cemented floors, tiles, and carpeted areas. It sucks up dust, small rocks, debris, hair, and even sand. The way I see it, it is most efficient when working on bare floors, as it doesn’t come with a brushroll. The motor is fast, a bit big, and noisy, at the measured 61 db (on the standard mode). However, you can adjust the suction until you reach the “silent” mode, which allows the robot to go around 50-55 DB.

Input Power and Battery Life

The SWR-T320 comes with a 2000mAh Ni-Mh battery which is good for about one and a half to two hours of operation on a single charge. It requires an input voltage of 24 volts and takes 200 to 300 minutes to charge fully. The charging duration may be slightly longer on its first charging period, due to the nature of the Ni-Mh batteries.

Dust Capacity

A dust box of 20 oz. is among the largest you can get in a robot vacuum cleaner. It is a fair compromise, considering the sturdy design of the machine. The SWR cleans up to 1200-1300 sq. ft. before it requires the dust box to be emptied.

This robot vacuum cleaner also comes with a 6 oz. removable water tank that enables it to perform both wet and dry cleaning duties. The tank can clean around 200 sq. ft. before it needs to be refilled. By the way, if you’re more into robot mops than robot vacuums, you might want to check out this section. Its wet cleaning capabilities are further facilitated by a large fiber cloth with barb upholstery that efficiently cleans all types of dry surfaces. That being said, IMO the Haier SWR Pathfinder is most useful in small and medium-sized apartments and houses.

Navigation/Movement Algorithm

Although the SWR-T320 series are equipped with enough sensors to prevent furniture collision or falling downstairs, as expected from units from this category, they don’t feature SLAM (the bot does not memorize the places it has already cleaned, and no inner map is created). Therefore, as most robot vacuum cleaners I’ve lately reviewed, it moves semi-random. Nevertheless, the movement algorithm of the SWR-T320 cannot be faulted thanks to its TAC smart sensors. It is sensitive enough to avert its course from colliding with objects and create a fairly regular movement pattern. Four sets of infrared sensors prevent the cleaner from falling off steps and other edges. One of the great features of the SWR-T320 is that it can tackle 3cm inclines with slopes of up to 25 degrees. As for the cleaning modes, we have Automatic cleaning (which is the main operating mode), Focus on cleaning (which is the same with Spot Cleaning) and Edge Cleaning. Of course, the unit can be scheduled to clean when you’re not at home, as it automatically docks itself for recharging when the battery runs low, using the common infrared induction technology.

Filtration System

Dual filter protection makes the machine very good at inducting all kinds of dirt and debris into the dust box efficiently. A primary roughing filter is backed up by a second HEPA filter to enhance the machine’s filtration. The filters are washable and easy to replace. The box even contains an additional HEPA filter, so you’re set up for a year or so.

Weight and Dimensions

The cleaner is small enough to fit in relatively tight corners and spaces as it cleans. At 13.39 x 13.39 x 3.54 inches, its design features a nice balance of compactness and surface area coverage. The SWR-T320 is a bit on the heavy side. With a weight of 7.34 lbs, it is about 2-3 lbs heavier than some other robot vacuum cleaners. Nevertheless, its dimensions and weight do not hinder the convenient storage of the machine.

Warranty

The Pathfinder comes with great after-sales services that include an extended 1-year warranty. The after-sales package also includes a 30-day free trial period and a good return policy in addition to other customer services. The warranty can be voided if you open up the whole machine so make sure that if you have a problem, you address directly to the seller.

Accessories

As you can see in the image gallery, the package contains:

• the robot, ready to go, already mounted with the side brushes, filters, dust bin, water tank and cleaning cloth
• the operating manual and the warranty certificate
• the charging dock
• 1 adapter
• 1 virtual wall
• 1 extra mop cloth
• 2 extra side brushes
• 1 extra HEPA filter
• 1 cleaning brush
• the remote control, already equipped with a button battery

Special Features

The touch panel on top of the robot is definitely worth mentioning. So is the variable suction. The unit changes suction power from 600pa to 800 Pa automatically, when the robot vacuum comes in contact with areas that have concentrated dirt. Last but not least, the box contains a virtual wall, a feature rarely seen in cleaning robots under $150. Too bad you need D-type batteries to power this one, and they are not included in the package.

Usability

The SWR Pathfinder is not the most cumbersome machine to use, although it may take some time to familiarize yourself with the controls. It is fairly easy to unpack and comes with a remote control that has a range of about 4 meters. It works right out of the box, but my recommendation is the charge it for about 2 hours before using it for the very first time. O the highest suction mode, the noise produced is acceptable. Although hard floors are its specialty, it works well on low-pile carpets too.

Comparison with other similar models

	Haier SWR Pathfinder	Seebest D730	iLife X5	iLife V5 PRO
Battery capacity	2000 mAh	1800/2200 mAh	2600 mAh	2600 mAh
Charging time	4 – 5h	4h	5 – 6h	5 – 6h
Suction power	600 – 800 Pa	1000 Pa	550 – 850 Pa	550 -8 50 Pa
Noise	55 db	60 db	52 db	55 db
Dust capacity / Water capacity	20 oz / 6 oz	17 oz / 2 oz	10 oz / 10 oz	10 oz / 10 oz
Virtual wall	Yes	No	Yes	No

Pros

• Can climb 25-degree inclines
• Filters can be washed and replaced easily
• Automatic recharge feature allows it to clean with minimum supervision
• Edge cleaning mode is very efficient for removing dirt from corners and edges
• Noise level can go as low as 55 db
• Comes with a good price

Cons

• Takes time to learn how to use it
• It does not automatically remember the rooms it has cleaned
• It’s a bit heavy

SWR-T320 vs SWR-T321 vs SWR-T322 vs SWR-T325

The Haier SWR Pathfinder series consists of four different models that offer similar performances and designs. The only difference between the four is their colors. The SWR-T320 is white, the SWR-T321 is gold, the SWR-T322 is red and the SWR-T325 is gray.

Final Words and VGMrv

The Haier SWR Pathfinder is capable of handling regular cleaning tasks quite efficiently. Its price tag is not prohibitive at all, especially considering the fact that it comes with some impressive features. Overall, it is very capable of delivering good results. Here is the VGMrv:

VGMrv table for Haier SWR Pathfinder

What do you think about this Haier robot? Have I managed to capture everything about it? Do you still need some advice? Post your feedback bellow.