The Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Robot vacuums can make the chore of vacuuming less painful. Modern models mop and even climb (small) steps.
They have a small dustbin that they empty themselves, and some are controlled from a smartphone app instead of the physical remote. Some of them have mapping capabilities that assist in navigating your home more efficiently.
1. Power
With an impressive 8,000Pa of suction, our top pick for robot vacuums is strong enough to take care of the most difficult dirt patches and hairs. Its ultra-thin square shape allows it to slide under furniture such as sofas and beds. Dual-Laser LIDAR technology offers accurate obstacle avoidance and intelligent navigation. It's also great for cleaning baking powder, pet hair and other debris that can be found near corners and baseboards.
Apart from the DEEBOT X2 OMNI, the other top-of-the-line bots on this list include the IRobot Roomba J7+ as well as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra. The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra has a docking station which automatically performs maintenance. It also has mopping capabilities. Its powerful suction and efficient mopping helped keep my floors clear of pet hair and muddy footprints and other debris during every floor type test that we conducted.
In the lower price range, a model with around 2,500Pa of suction is more than enough for the majority of homes. They are also quieter, which makes them an ideal option for those with hearing issues. They're still not silent, but they're only as loud as a normal conversation at home.
To get the most effective mix of performance and convenience take into consideration your cleaning needs and budget. A regular light-duty cleaning schedule requires longer runtime and a lower suction, whereas weekly heavy-duty cleaning requires a lot of power. Consider your flooring, layout of your home, and cleaning schedules to determine the best model for your requirements. Look through our entire list of robot vacuum reviews and ratings to learn more about the most current models. Many users have reported having their carpets and floors looking much cleaner after introducing a robot vacuum in their home.
2. Navigation
A robot vacuum won't be able to do its job well if it doesn't know how to navigate your home. For this reason, the most effective robots depend on sophisticated navigation technology that reliably scans rooms and creates a map to ensure thorough cleaning without being lost or hitting obstacles. There are three types of robot navigation that include LiDAR, camera and sensor.
LiDAR is employed by the most expensive models to create a virtual space map, which offers the highest levels in precision and efficiency. The less expensive models depend on bump sensors, which can be more inaccurate and tend to miss a lot of debris in dark spaces. Many robots also have cliff sensors to stop them from falling down stairs or other drops.
robot vacuum cleaner in my tests utilized object recognition to efficiently navigate around things such as fake dog turds and cords, but the best was the Eufy X10. It had powerful mop heads that oscillate, a user friendly app and a superb mapping capability.
Other features worth considering include sensors for floors that can recognize carpets that are hard and soft and automatically boost suction power when necessary. Certain robots, like the Roborock mops, use a mopping pad lift to get into corners and eliminate dried spills. Many hybrids are able to apply cleaning solution to stubborn staining.
A smaller size of the bin will require less frequent emptying, whereas bigger ones will cost less to replace. The cheapest robotic cleaners usually employ a tiny disposable dust bag, while the majority of mid-range models come with larger 3L dustbins that last for many years. Some premium robots like the EcoVACS DEEBOT OMNI Station can self-empty and refill their water tank for hands-free convenience.
3. App control
The best robot vacs have an app that lets you monitor cleaning progress and schedule sessions and connect to smart home devices for hands-free control. Many robot vacuums can be controlled by voice using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Some models have an on-screen remote that lets you start or pause and then return to dock. Choose a model that has larger dustbins that self-empty, as opposed to one that requires manual emptying.
Some robots are equipped with mapping technology to help them avoid obstacles like stairs and furniture. Certain robovacs permit you to define no-go zones and rooms to ensure that they only clean the areas that require the most. They also come with cliff sensors to keep them from falling down staircase, which is particularly beneficial in multi-level homes.
If you plan to use your robot vacuum to clean rug carpets, you should choose one that can be used both 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 reconnect when it comes time for another cleaning cycle. Look for a robot with a rubber roller. It is less likely to become tangled from pet hair or other particles. It's recommended to check the robot's brushroll and side brushes for debris stuck on every once or twice per week as well. If you notice that they're starting to clog, it might be time to replace parts.
4. Debris collection
Like the name suggests, robot vacuums are designed to collect dust and debris from your floors. The best robot vacuums can collect tiny particles like baking soda and sand, in addition to larger ones like metal screws, orzo, and pet hair. They also have better results on carpets with a low pile than many manual vacuums.
Across all flooring types, the top-performing robots had pickup scores of more than 95 95%. The ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI and the Roborock Q Revo were the two most efficient bots in this class. Both are highly automated, equipped with docking stations that do maintenance on their own and apps that make them extremely user-friendly.
Both come with self-emptying bins which automatically take the contents of the wastebasket and can clean the washboard while you mow. They also have 8,000Pa suction and smart mapping technology and advanced obstacle avoidance that can help them find their way around even the most difficult spaces. The ECOVACS model is also among the only robots we tested that can take its mop pads and vacuum carpet making it the ideal option for those who need to switch between vacuuming and mopping frequently.
If you're seeking a lower-cost option, check out the iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus, our budget pick. It comes with LIDAR navigation and decent debris pickup capabilities for the price. It can be a bit slow at mapping out rooms and has a tendency of bumping against obstacles, but it is lower than the other choices.
5. Battery life
The most effective robot vacuums are designed to let you get to work while they keep your floors clean and spick and clean. It is still necessary to manually clean your home every so often however, robovacs can aid in maintaining a certain level of cleanliness and even clean while you're away.
Find a robovac equipped with a long-lasting battery to get the most use of it. If you use the highest power setting, the model should last two cleaning sessions. This is less than a size vacuum cleaner, however it should be enough to cover most homes. If you don't want to be waiting around while your robovac charges, you can also select one that will automatically make its way back to the base station to recharge.
If you're looking for a robovac with a variety of features in it, you should consider one that is able to mop. Eufy's X10 is the top model in this category and provides self-emptying, auto-draining and self-refilling of the dust container and mop pad. It is also programmable to automatically re-fill and wash its own mops when they're low.
Its high-quality carpet and hard floor pick up excellent hair pickup, tangle-free, and a near-perfect auto empty score make it the clear winner of our test scores. It's not cheap and, unless you live in a an apartment that is small and has no pets, it might be too costly for some. The Dreametech D10+ is the second-placed model and offers the same performance, but is priced around 25 percent less.