Best Robot Vacuums: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Best Robot Vacuums and Mop Combos A robot vacuum is the ideal tool for maintaining a clean home. It will pick up dust, pet hair, and other particles on the surface. Some robots are able to sync with smart assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant for a hands-free experience. Find models that recharge and resume cleaning the area they left. 1. iRobot S8 This smart robot mop and vacuum combo is a great option for a wide range of households. It can be used to vacuum and mop, has excellent navigation with both GPS and laser sensors, and comes with a variety of features and controls accessible through the app. It also has a handy feature that allows you to create Cleaning zones for specific areas that need extra attention, as well as Keep Out zones where you do not want it to move. It also gets software updates, similar to the other Roomba products, that enhance it over time. It's expensive but is also among the most advanced robot vacuums ZDNet has ever tested. It has a high-powered battery that can sweep an entire home in less than two hours. Additionally, it can switch between vacuuming and mopping with the press of one button. It will automatically empty the trash bin that is above its charging station, in contrast to other self emptying robots which require you to empty the bin after every run. It's got a range of other features that make it an excellent choice for homes of all sizes with its intelligent obstacle avoidance, which uses the camera as well as processor-powered intelligents to identify obstacles. It isn't often entangled or trapped during a cleaning process and is the best in avoiding power cables and other objects I've tested. It's not as reliable in detecting pet waste, or other dangers. 2. Eufy RoboVac Hybrid X8 While Anker-owned Eufy has made its name in budget robot vacuums, it's not yet an all-in-one model that could also mop. The X8 Hybrid is a new model that offers a range of modern features and is able to compete with more expensive models. The laser navigation is the main selling point of this machine. The X8 makes use of the laser mapping system, which is more precise than the previous Eufy devices. It also takes a lot less time to create a comprehensive picture of your space and stores multiple maps, which is great for multi-floor homes. The X8 is still a decent vacuum on floors with no dust and can sling debris over its side brushes and into its 400ml dust bin with relative ease. The X8's tyres, despite their circular shape, are adept in grabbing corners and edges. Our tests showed that it could only remove 90% of the fur on hard floors. There's a basic mopping mode that utilizes the same water tank as the vacuuming. While this is great for spills that aren't too big, you can't control how much water it is using and this will reduce its effectiveness on more severe stains. It is effective of removing pet hair. It has a higher rate of pick-up than the Roborock S7. 3. Miele RX2 Miele's RX2 robotic vacuum is renowned for its quiet, efficient appliances. It is a stunning design, a great navigation system and a powerful cleaning power. But it has some operational hiccups which prevent it from being considered as the top overall smart robot vacuum. Like iRobot's latest models and models, the RX2 comes with dual-sensor mapping which uses the LIDAR sensor to map out the space and three 3D scanning cameras that can detect and avoid obstacles (like furniture legs or pet waste) in real-time. Once the room has been identified it is possible to designate virtual no-go areas and sections that you would like to be the robot. You can also start an automatic clean or manually change the cleaning mode, watch live feeds from the onboard cameras, and more on the main screen. The RX2 has superior sensors that can detect furniture and other obstructions immediately. The suction and sweeping capabilities are exceptional, removing surface litter from carpets of medium pile as well as embedded dust on bare floors. It's not the fastest robot on the market. As with many others, it's not a good climber and has trouble with things like metal threshold transition strips. Some people buy robot vacuums because of the ease of setting up a schedule in an app, and then forgetting about them for weeks. However, it's essential that a machine can get the job done that's the reason our ZDNet staff looked over and tested a number of the most popular ones to help you choose the perfect one for your home. 4. Shark ION This round, budget robovac looks just like your typical robot but it's a step up in performance and features. Its smart mapping system creates 2D and 3D maps of your home, and uses them to avoid obstacles and navigate. It's also able to detect common obstacles like furniture legs and power cords in real time. This combination of sensors, together with a bump sensor, and an infrared sensor for dropping that keeps it from falling down steps, makes it one of the fastest vacuums we've tested. It was able to walk over the thick shag carpets and didn't get stuck (unlike the RoboVac 11s, or Roomba 690-). Its navigation skills were also impressive; its composite score in carpet and bare floors was better than the competition. It took in 98.5 percent of the surface pet hair and litter from our laboratory test samples. The controls are more basic than the competitors. There is a cleaning button on the top and you can either start it with the app or via voice commands using Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also set a schedule for your daily or weekly cleans, create no-go zones, and see the history of its cleaning. In a smart dark gray plastics, Ion feels sturdy and is attractive in your home. Its rear dustbin is accessible to empty, and the removal of the filters is also simple. 5. best rated robot vacuum Eufy 11S is an excellent choice if you want an automated vacuum cleaner that is simple and has no frills at a low cost. This model lacks some smart features like Alexa integration and digital mapping found in higher-end models. If you don't require these features, you could save money. The robot is easy to install and use. It doesn't require a smartphone app or Wi-Fi pairing, but it does come with an remote control that lets you select different modes and alter the suction level. It also allows you to manually turn off the robovac during scheduled cleaning. During our tests, the 11S was extremely efficient in removing dirt and pet hair from hard floors and carpets with a low pile. Its slim profile made it possible to fit under furniture with low hanging and other items that bulkier robots could not reach. It could also easily pass over doorway thresholds and move from one floor type to another. The 11S, like other robots, can also eat some objects, such as cords and cat toys. The manufacturer states that you can stop this by keeping these items off the floor and by using the possibility of a cord organizer. It also suggests cleaning the dustbin on a regular basis replacing the filters, and washing or changing the brushes as needed. 6. IRobot Roomba 990 The Roomba 980 is iRobot's most popular robot vacuum. It's costly, but it's the most powerful robot vacuum you can purchase. Its self-navigating capabilities and environmental mapping are something to behold. It also comes with more advanced automation features than many competitors, such as the ability to set virtual boundary markers using its mobile app. It's a dependable robot vacuum, even if the app is a bit sluggish and the 980 spins out when it comes across cables. We love the 980 because it uses its iAdapt2.0 navigation sensors and its visual simultaneity localisation and mapping (or vSLAM) to store the floor plan of your home. It uses this information to create a consistent and efficient cleaning path through each cycle. The result is cleaner floors and a more efficient robot vacuum cleaner than the majority of high-end robots. The 980's other features include dual multi-surface rubber brushes, which pick up dirt from carpets and hard floors, along with an ejector brush that moves debris into the bin of the robotic vacuum. Its floor tracking sensors aid it navigate around furniture and along edges, and Cliff Detect prevents the Roomba from slipping down stairs. It also automatically returns to its base station to ensure hassle-free charging between sessions. Although the 980's battery life and bin size aren't as impressive as some other robot vacuums, it's a sturdy and reliable machine that will keep your floors spotless for hours at a time.