The Unexpected Sequel to My Quest for the Perfect Robot Rover
If you read the first part of this story, you'll remember that my journey into robot vacuum ownership was never supposed to become a full-scale investigation.
I just wanted a robot vacuum.
What followed involved model numbers, EU regulations, marketplace sellers, camera features, multiple countries, and enough online shopping drama to qualify as a Netflix mini-series.
And somehow, after all that, I ended up buying a completely different robot than the one I originally planned to buy.
This is that story.
The Robot That Got Away
At the end of Part I, I thought I had finally reached the finish line.
After days of research, comparisons, YouTube videos, and enough browser tabs to crash Chrome, I had settled on the Dreame L50s Pro Ultra.
Not because it was the absolute best robot on the market.
Not because it had the highest suction.
Not because it had the fanciest dock.
No.
I wanted it because it checked all my weird boxes.
It cleaned.
It mopped.
It had a camera.
And, most importantly, it could double as a tiny rover that I could drive remotely around the apartment.
The price on Amazon Germany was around €583.
I had basically reached the point where I was ready to click Buy.
The investigation was over.
Or so I thought.
Amazon Had Other Plans
The following day I opened Amazon expecting to complete the purchase.
Instead, Amazon looked me straight in the eye and said:
"The robot you wanted is gone."
The listing was still there.
The product was still there.
But the offer wasn't.
The shiny new robot had been replaced by a collection of used units.
Used: Good.
Used: Very Good.
Used: Like New.
It felt a bit like arriving at a car dealership to collect your new vehicle and being told:
"Good news, sir.
We sold your car.
Would you like this one that somebody else drove around for six months?"
The answer was simple.
No.
I wasn't buying a used robot.
Not because of the money.
Not because of the discount.
Because I wanted a new robot.
Period.
The International Robot Hunt
Once Amazon Germany betrayed me, things escalated.
Soon I was checking Amazon:
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Spain
I'm fairly sure I spent more time searching for robots than some people spend buying actual cars.
The good news?
The robot still existed.
The bad news?
Several stores wanted around €599 and then casually added another €60+ for shipping.
Suddenly the amazing deal wasn't so amazing anymore.
The robot hadn't become better.
It had just become more expensive.
The Mysterious Model Numbers
At this point, things became confusing.
I started seeing model numbers that sounded less like vacuum cleaners and more like Star Wars droids.
RLL84CE.
RLL88HE.
RLL89HE.
Every time I thought I understood what I was looking at, another code appeared.
The same robot seemed to exist under multiple names.
Different stores listed different specifications.
Some advertised 25,000 Pa suction.
Others advertised 30,000 Pa.
Some called it L50s Ultra.
Others called it L50s Pro Ultra.
I eventually reached the point where I trusted the model numbers more than the actual product names.
Enter eMAG
While digging through alternatives, I stumbled onto an eMAG listing.
The robot was called:
Dreame L50s Ultra (RLL89HE-WH)
The advertised specifications were impressive:
- 25,000 Pa Vormax suction
- VersaLift navigation
- 82.5 mm low profile design
- 100°C mop washing
- PowerDock station
- Automatic mop drying
- Automatic water replenishment
- Obstacle recognition for over 200 object types
- Remote pet monitoring
That last feature got my attention.
Because "remote pet monitoring" generally means one very important thing:
There's a camera.
And if there's a camera, there is hope.
The Camera Obsession
At some point I had to accept an uncomfortable truth.
I wasn't shopping for a robot vacuum.
I was shopping for a robot rover.
The cleaning part was important.
Sure.
But deep inside I already knew my first hour with this thing would look like this:
- Charge robot.
- Connect robot.
- Open camera view.
- Drive under sofa.
- Drive under bed.
- Explore every inaccessible corner of the apartment.
Vacuuming would probably happen eventually.
Maybe.
The Coupon Quest
Then another challenge appeared.
eMAG offered a 20% discount coupon.
There was just one catch.
To activate it, I had to buy a second item from the campaign.
This resulted in one of the strangest shopping experiences of my life.
There I was.
A grown adult.
Buying a €740 flagship robot vacuum.
And simultaneously scrolling through pages of cheap promotional products searching for the least offensive item available.
USB cables.
Kitchen gadgets.
Random accessories.
Questionable products I didn't know existed.
The kind of things people buy accidentally.
The Hero Nobody Expected
In the end, the second item that unlocked the discount wasn't some carefully selected premium accessory.
It wasn't spare mop pads.
It wasn't dust bags.
It wasn't a smart home gadget.
It was an energy drink.
An actual energy drink.
A tiny, almost meaningless purchase that triggered roughly €148 in savings.
I laughed harder than I should have.
The Final Result
After all discounts, vouchers, adjustments, and the cash-on-delivery fee, the final cost landed around:
€597
For:
Dreame L50s Ultra Model: RLL89HE-WH Brand new Bulgarian warranty Local delivery PowerDock station 100°C mop washing Camera-powered pet monitoring
And honestly?
After everything that happened with Amazon, it felt like a victory.
The Verdict
Would I have preferred the original Amazon deal?
Probably.
Would I have preferred the black version?
Definitely.
Do I care anymore?
Not really.
Because after:
- losing the Amazon deal,
- rejecting used units,
- decoding model numbers,
- researching EU variants,
- comparing listings across four countries,
- learning more about robot vacuums than any normal person should,
I finally reached the finish line.
My birthday present survived the Amazon fiasco.
Now all that's left is delivery.
And if we're being honest, the first thing I'll do when it arrives won't be cleaning.
It will be driving my new rover around the apartment like a tiny robotic explorer.
The vacuuming can wait. 🤖🚀🎂
