The Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Robot vacuums can make the chore of vacuuming less painful. Modern models mop and climb (small) stairs.
Some have a smaller bin that they empty on their own. Others can be controlled by a smartphone app rather than an actual remote. Some of them have mapping capabilities that help them navigate your home more effectively.
1. Power
With the suction power of 8,000Pa Our top pick for robot vacuums is strong enough to take on the toughest dirt patches and hairs. Its ultra-thin square shape allows it to slide underneath furniture, such as sofas and beds. Dual-Laser LIDAR technology allows for precise obstacle avoidance as well as intelligent navigation. It also does a great job at cleaning up pet hair baking soda, sand, and other debris close to the baseboards and in corners.
Other high-powered robots that are listed apart from the DEEBOT X2 OMNI include the IRobot Roomba j7+ as well as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra. The latter comes with a robust docking station that automatically performs maintenance and mopping functions as well. Its powerful suction and effective mopping made sure my floors were free of pet hair, muddy paw prints, and other debris in every floor type test that we conducted.
A model with 2,500Pa suction will suffice for the majority of homes in the lower price range. These units are quieter, making them an ideal choice for people who have sensitive hearing. They're not silent, but they're only the same volume as a normal conversation at home.
Think about your budget and cleaning requirements to find the right combination of power and efficiency. A regular light-duty cleaning schedule requires longer runtime and lower suction, while weekly heavy-duty cleaning requires a lot of power. Assess your flooring, layout of your home, and cleaning schedules before choosing the right model. We recommend looking through our complete list of robot vacuum reviews and ratings for more information on the latest models available. Many users have reported that their carpets and floors appear cleaner after using a robotic vacuum.
2. Navigation
A robot vacuum can't do its job well without knowing how to navigate your home. The best robots employ sophisticated navigation technology to scan rooms and make an outline map, which allows for thorough cleaning without getting stuck or hitting obstacles. There are three major kinds of robot navigation: LiDAR-based, camera-based and sensor-based.
LiDAR is employed by the most expensive models to create a virtual room map, which provides the highest levels of precision and efficiency. Bump sensors are used in less expensive models, but they aren't always accurate and miss a lot debris when working in dark places. Most robots also feature cliff sensors to prevent them from falling down stairs or other falls.
Several robots I tested used object recognition to navigate around things like cords and fake dog turds. But the Eufy X10 was the best. It had excellent mapping capabilities with powerful oscillating mops, a user-friendly app and the ability to clean a specific area, room or the whole home.
Take into consideration features such as floor type sensors, which automatically boost suction power when required. Some robots, like the Roborock mop, utilize a mopping pad lift to reach corners and eliminate dried spills. Many hybrids can apply cleaning solution on the most difficult stains.
A smaller size of the bin will require less frequent emptying, however, a larger one can save you money on replacements. Most low-cost robotic cleaners use the smallest disposable dust bag. However, the majority of mid-range models come with larger dustbins of 3L that last for a long period of time. Certain premium robots such as the ECOVACS DEEBOT OMNI Station will self-empty and fill up their water tanks, allowing hands-free convenience.
3. App control
The top robot vacuums have an app that allows you to monitor cleaning progress and schedule sessions, and most can connect to smart home devices for hands-free control. They also can sync with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice-based control. Some have a remote control that allows you to start, pause and return to dock. Choose a model that has an extra large dustbin and is able to self-empty rather than one that needs manual emptying.
Certain robovacs have mapping technology that helps them remember obstacles, like the stairs, and also avoid hitting furniture. Others allow you to designate no-go zones and targeted rooms, so that they only clean areas that require it the most. They also have cliff sensor to prevent them from falling, which is useful in multi-level homes.
If you plan to make use of your robot vacuum to clean rugs, opt for one that can perform both dry mopping and wet. You'll have better results cleaning when your vacuum can also remove its mop pad. Clean it and reattach it when you need to run another cleaning cycle. Also look for a robot that has a rubber roller that is less susceptible to knots caused by pet hair and other debris than a bristle roller, as found on some cheaper models. Check the robot's side brushes and brushroll for any debris that might have gotten stuck on. Make sure to do this at least every week. If you notice they are beginning to get clogged up it might be time to buy replacement parts.
4. Debris collection
As the name suggests robot vacuums are created to collect dust and debris from your floors. The best robot vacuums can pick up tiny particles like sand and baking soda, in addition to larger ones like metal screws, orzo, and pet hair. robot hoover have better pickup results on carpets with low pile than most manual vacuums.
All flooring types are covered, and the top-performing robots had pickup scores of greater than 95 95%. The two top performers in this category were the ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI, and the Roborock Q Revo. Both are highly automated with docking stations that can do maintenance on their own and app features which make them extremely user-friendly.
Both come with self-emptying bins which automatically take the contents of the wastebasket, and clean the washboard while mowing. They also feature 8,000Pa suction and smart mapping technology and advanced obstacle avoidance that can help them navigate even the most difficult spaces. The ECOVACS robot is among the few that can mop carpet and remove mop pads. This makes it a perfect option for those who need to switch between mopping and vacuuming frequently.
If you're looking for a more affordable option, we recommend the iRobot Roomba Combo J7+, our budget pick. It has LIDAR navigation and decent performance in the field of debris pickup for the price. It is slow in mapping rooms and has a tendency of bumping against obstacles, but it is less than our other picks.
5. Battery life
The best robot vacuums let you get on with your day while they keep your floors in perfect in good condition. It is still necessary to manually vacuum your home every so often, but robovacs will aid in maintaining a certain level of cleanliness and even clean when you are 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 smaller than a large vacuum but it should be sufficient to get the job done in most homes. If you don't want to sit for your robovac to recharge, you can choose a model that will automatically return to the base station to charge.
If you're looking for a robovac that has a little bit of everything in it, then think about a robot that can also mop. Eufy's X10, the best model in this class, offers self-emptying and self-refilling for the dust bin, the water tank, and mop pad. It can be programmed to automatically refill and wash mops as soon as they run out.
Its respectable carpet and hard floor pick up excellent hair pickup, tangle-free, and a close to perfect auto empty scores make it the clear winner of our test scores. It's not cheap and unless you have the space of a small home with no pets, it may be too expensive for certain. The Dreametech D10+ is the runner-up and has a similar performance, but is priced around 25 percent less.