The Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Vacuuming is the bane of many lives However, robot vacuums make it more enjoyable. Modern models mop and climb (small) steps.
They have a tiny dustbin that they empty themselves and some are controlled from a smartphone app instead of an actual remote. Some come with mapping features to aid in navigation.
1. Power
With 8,000Pa of suction power, our top pick for robot vacuums is strong enough to take care of the most difficult hairs and dirt. Its ultra-thin square shape allows it to slide underneath furniture like sofas and beds. Dual-Laser LIDAR technology offers precise obstacle avoidance as well as intelligent navigation. It's also great for cleaning pet hair, baking powder, and other debris near baseboards and corners.
In breaking news to the DEEBOT X2 OMNI bot, other top-of-the-line bots on this list include the Robot Roomba J7+ and the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra. The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra comes with docking station that automates maintenance. It also has mopping capabilities. Its powerful suction, combined with its efficient mopping, kept my floors clean of pet hair, muddy prints and other debris on every floor we test.
A model with 2500Pa suction should be sufficient for homes that are in the lower price range. These models are quieter, and therefore a better option for those who have sensitive ears. These units are not silent but they're not as loud as normal conversations at home.
To find the ideal balance of performance and convenience Consider your cleaning requirements and budget. For light-duty cleaning that is frequent you will require a longer time-to-run and less suction is recommended. Weekly heavy-duty cleaning requires the most power. Take a look at your flooring, home layouts and cleaning schedules in order to determine the best model to meet your requirements. We recommend checking out our complete list of robot vacuum reviews and ratings to get more details about the latest models available. Many customers report that their carpets and bare floors look cleaner after using a robot vacuum.
2. Navigation
A robot vacuum cannot accomplish its task if it does not know how to navigate around your home. The best robots use sophisticated navigation technology to scan rooms and create maps, ensuring thorough cleaning without getting stuck or hitting obstacles. There are three kinds of robot navigation that include LiDAR, camera and sensor.
The most expensive models utilize LiDAR to create a digital map of the room, offering the highest levels of accuracy and efficiency. Bump sensors are employed in less expensive models, but they aren't always accurate and miss a lot of debris when working in dark areas. Most robots also feature cliff sensors to prevent them from falling down stairs or other drops.
A number of the robots I tested utilized objects recognition to navigate through things like fake dog turds. However, the Eufy X10 was the best. It had excellent mapping capabilities and powerful oscillating mops that could be used as a user-friendly app and the ability to clean a zone, room or entire house.
Other features worth considering include floor type sensors that can detect hard floors and soft carpet and automatically boost suction power when required. Some robots, like the Roborock mop, make use of a mopping pad lift to reach corners and tackle dried spills. Many hybrids are able to apply cleaning solutions to stubborn stains.
A smaller dustbin means less frequent emptying, and a larger one will save you money on replacements. The majority of robotic cleaners that are low-cost use an inexpensive, disposable dust bag. However, most mid-range models have larger dustbins of 3L that last for a long time. Certain high-end robots, such as the ECOVACS DEEBOT OMNI Station can self-empty and refill their water tanks for hands-free convenience.
3. App control
The majority of robot vacuums come with an app that can monitor cleaning progress and schedule sessions. They also connect to smart home devices. A lot of robot vacuums can be controlled by voice using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Some have a dedicated remote control that allows you to start, pause and return to dock. Select a model with an extra large dustbin and is able to self-empty, rather than one that requires manual emptying.
Some robots are equipped with technology for mapping to help them avoid obstacles such as furniture and stairs. Some robovacs allow you to create no-go zones as well as specific rooms to clean those areas which need it the most. They also have cliff sensor to prevent them from falling, which is useful in multi-level homes.
If you want to use your robot vacuum to clean rug carpets, you should choose one that can be used for wet and dry mopping. You'll get better results with the robot vacuum that can remove its own mop pad, too, which you can then rinse and reattach when it's time to do another cleaning cycle. Also look for a robot with a rubber roller, which is less prone to tangles due to pet hair and other debris than bristle rollers, as found on some less expensive models. It's a good idea to inspect the robot's brushroll as well as side brushes for debris stuck on once or twice a week as well. If you notice that they're beginning to get clogged up, it may be time to purchase replacement parts.
4. Debris collection
Robot vacuums are designed to, as the name suggests, to remove dust and other debris on your floors. The best ones pick fine particles such as baking soda and sand, as well in larger pieces of metal screws, orzo pasta and pet hair. They also provide better results on carpets with a low pile than many manual vacuums.
The top-performing robots across all flooring types had scores greater than 95%. The ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI and the Roborock Q Revo were our two best-performing bots in this category. Both are highly automated, with docking stations that do maintenance on their own and apps that make them extremely user-friendly.
They both have self-emptying bins that take the contents of the wastebasket, and clean the washboard while mowing. They also have 8,000Pa suction and smart mapping technology and advanced obstacle avoidance that helps them navigate even the most difficult of areas. The ECOVACS model is also the only robots we tested that could remove its mop pads and vacuum carpet which makes it the best choice for users who need to switch between mopping and vacuuming frequently.
If you're looking for a more affordable option, we suggest the Roomba Combo J7 from iRobot+, our budget pick. It features LIDAR navigation and decent debris pickup performance for the price. It can be a bit slow when it comes to mapping rooms and is susceptible to bumping against obstacles, but it is lower than the other choices.
5. Battery life
The most effective robot vacuums are designed to let you go moving with your day while keeping your floors in tip-top span. You'll still need to manually clean your home every so often, but robovacs will aid in maintaining a certain standard of cleanliness, and even clean while you're away.
Choose a robovac that has long-lasting batteries to get the most out of it. If you choose to use the most powerful power setting, the model should last for about two cleaning sessions. This is less than a typical large vacuum cleaner, but it will be sufficient to provide for the majority of homes. If you don't want to be waiting around while your robovac recharges you could opt for an automatic model that makes its return to the base station to recharge.
If you're looking to buy a robovac with a bit of everything in it, then consider a robot that can also mop. Eufy's X10 is the top model in this class and includes self-emptying, self-draining and self-refilling of the dust container and mop pad. It can be programmed to refill and wash its mop pads as soon as they run out.
Its respectable carpet and hard floor pickup excellent hair pickup, tangle avoidance, and an almost perfect auto empty score make it the clear winner of our test scores. It's not cheap, however and unless you have a a small home with no pets it might be too expensive for some. The second choice one, the Dreametech D10+, has very similar performance however it costs 25% less.