Today Evolution Robotics announced the newest model of the Mint Cleaner, the Mint Plus. The Mint Plus (which will be going by the model number 5200) has several improvements over the previous model. It charges faster, has a 25% longer battery life and thus can sweep larger areas. Also new is the “Pro-Clean System”, which is an improved mopping system with a reservoir pad.
Later note: We’ve got our hands on a Mint Plus and published a comprehensive review, here.
They’ve also improved the NorthStar module, which is what the robot uses to navigate as it seeps and mops your floor. According to the manufacturer, the NorthStar2 module is more efficient, and helps the Mint sweeper cover more ground faster.
The new Mint Plus charges in two hours, and can go for four hours. It has a Pause/Resume feature for pausing the Mint mid-clean. The Mint Plus also features a “Quick Clean Mode” where it does the back-and-forth floor cleaning but then skips the perimeter.
Details about the New Cleaning Pad Reservoir
The Mint sweeper comes with a cleaning pad that you attach a Swiffer or washable microfiber cloth to. Evolution has modified the pad so that it has a reservoir that you fill with water (and a “mild cleaner” if you prefer). To use this feature, you remove the cleaning pad from the robot, fill the reservoir at the sink, add any cleaning solution you desire, close the reservoir, and you’re ready to go (after attaching the cleaning cloth, of course). We’re really looking forward to trying this out. In our experiments with using the regular Mint robot for mopping, the cleaning cloth would dry out before the robot was done mopping. This is a great idea. More info here on Mint’s site.
Improved NorthStar
Looks like the NorthStar2 module helps the new Mint Plus navigate larger areas, and also they have changed the way that the robots clean multiple rooms. With the older Mint cleaner (Model 4200), the second NorthStar module would simply keep the Mint from going into the next room by itself. You would have to move the Mint robot there yourself. With the new NorthStar2, they’ve changed the way the cleaner interacts with the NorthStar cubes such that it will stay in one room until it finishes, and then will go into the next room (with a second NorthStar module). Unfortunately, the 4200 Mint will not be able to use this new navigation scheme.
With the new NorthStar2, you can also pause and resume cleaning. So if you want to change the cleaning pad, or replenish the Mint’s reservoir, you can pause the Mint by pressing any button on the robot, and then when you’re done, the Mint will resume cleaning without needing to cover floor area that it’s already done.
More information on Mint’s site, here.
Mint Plus with Cradle
Mint’s site also mentions that there will be a Mint Plus with Cradle (model 5200C) coming. That sounds like a great idea. Watch our site for more information about this, and a review as soon as we can get our hands on one of these babies.
The Mint Plus is currently available at Amazon dot com
Further Reading about the Mint 4200 Model
See our in-depth review on the Mint Cleaner here. Check here for a comparison of Mint and Roomba. And, 12 reasons why the Mint is better than the Scooba 230.
