15 Reasons You Shouldn t Ignore Robot Vac

Top Rated Robot Vacuums

A robot vacuum will keep your floors tidy enough to decrease the frequency of manual hoovering. Select a vacuum that is well-trained in navigation, is able to clean corners and stairs, and that has an enormous bin that will need to be emptying every so often.

There are models that mop and charge themselves, which is a feature important for families with pets or children. The top performers in our tests have good obstacle avoidance.

1. Roomba iRobot i3+ from iRobot EVO

The i3+ EVO is similar to its sibling, the i3 EVO. They differ only in the fact that the i3+ comes with self-emptying capabilities. This makes the i3+ a good choice for people who want a hands-off, fully automated cleaning experience, but don't mind having to empty their dust bin manually when it fills up.

Both robots do well cleaning up surface debris from carpets and hard floors and they're very adept in moving around furniture and other obstacles. iAdapt navigation software creates smart map of your home to assist the i3+ to navigate and clean efficiently. However unlike the i7+ or other top-rated robots that we evaluated the i3+ doesn't have a feature for avoiding obstacles and therefore it could be stuck on things like socks or power cords, and it can have difficulty traversing transitions across surfaces like hardwood to carpet.

iRobot recommends you clear out areas in which the i3+ EVO will vacuum before you use it, and include clearing out any clutter or toys it may encounter. You should also keep the dustbin and filters free of dirt to prevent them from becoming clogged. If the i3+ EVO's internal bin is filled or the battery is low it will return to its docking station, automatically empties its debris into the station's dust bin and continues cleaning where it left off. The i3+ EVO's battery lasts for approximately an hour and a half of continuous use, and takes around three hours to fully recharge.

2. iRobot i7+ Roomba

The iRobot Roomba i7+ is the most powerful model of the flagship line from iRobot, and it is equipped with the most recent features. It's self-charging, self-navigating and -- the most important feature of all -- it comes with self-emptying bins that eliminate one of the most important sources of maintenance for any robot vacuum.

The Roomba i7+ is able to remember up to 10 floor plans and their names using Imprint Smart Mapping, an application that allows it to map rooms so it can clean them more efficiently. It also integrates with the iRobot Home app to let you schedule cleaning jobs and control your robot using voice or via the app.

The i7+ is faster and more maneuverable in our tests than the eufy RoboVac G30. It also cleaned large pet hair pieces from any surface including carpeting. The main advantage it has over the Eufy is the self-emptying bin that eliminates major sources of maintenance and reduces the cost of maintenance.

We were also impressed with the i7+'s compatibility with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant AI services. We used these services to instruct the robot on how to begin or stop cleaning sessions as well as move around the room, and to vacuum a particular area. Connecting the i7+ to these services was simple and easy with the iRobot Home app. When connected we were able to use the i7+'s voice commands, such as "Hey Alexa, vacuum the master bedroom." The iRobot Home App also offers options to manage i7+ settings and evaluating the performance.

3. Dyson Cyclone V10

This tiny Dyson model is an athletic car that is amidst a sea of vacuums with cords that feel like minivans and buses. It is powerful enough to replace a traditional stand-up vacuum in the majority of homes, but also small enough to fit on a bookcase or coffee table.

The V10 is powered with a Lithium-ion battery with 7 cells of energy that produces power without fading for 60 minutes. Its advanced whole-machine filter system captures allergens and expels cleaner air back into your home. Its cleaning head is specially designed and drives bristles of nylon that are stiff and deep into carpet to suck up large crumbs and fine dust. It has three different suction modes that can be adapted to the task. It quickly switches from floor vac to handheld vacuum and back again.

This model also has an accessory dock that can charge to 100% in about 3.5 hours, and gives users easy access to two attachments as well as a wand clip. This is a major improvement over previous Dysons that require a lengthy charge and are difficult to store.

The biggest issue with the V10 is its sluggish run time. The tests conducted by CR show that its advertising claims of up to 60 minutes are not true. This is a standard, not exceptional, battery-powered cordless vacuum's running time. This is enough time to vacuum the average-sized home however, it's not enough time to get into every corner. (A second pass usually works). That's not to say this model doesn't have its advantages: It's lighter and mobile than the older cordless Dysons, and its vacuuming performance is noticeably better on carpets with low pile.

4. iRobot Roomba 694

The 694 is a basic robot automatic vacuum cleaner that's a great choice for those who don't have a lot of money to invest in a robot. It's capable of sucking up a variety of debris types and sizes during our testing, and it often passes over the same areas multiple times to ensure a thorough clean. Its flat front end helps it reach into corners and along the edges of walls, which is a nice touch.

Its smart navigation system uses iAdapt technology to avoid obstacles and navigate your home. However, it isn't equipped with the mapping capabilities of more advanced models, including our top picks, i3+EVO and the j7+ Series. As a result, it is sometimes stuck on things like phone cords or low furniture, and it frequently is power-depleted before making it back to its original location.

The Xiaomi Mi Bagless Robot Vacuum vacuum is superior to the Roomba 694 in many ways, as it has fewer parts that need regular cleaning, is fitted with an allergen-trapping HEPA filter, has lower costs for recurring maintenance, has more advanced automation capabilities and is better at maneuvering itself. It also has a bigger dustbin and charges faster.

The RoboVac X8 is a slick RoboVac X8 is superior to the Roomba 694 for most purposes, as it has a longer battery life, has the ability to alter its suction power mode on its own and has physical boundary strips, and can be controlled by your smartphone's voice assistant. It is also more robust, has a larger motor, and performs better on floors with low pile and bare.

5. Samsung Jet bot cleaner AI+

Samsung is a household name in home electronics. It's no surprise, then, that they are one of the top makers of robot vacuums and mop. Jet Bot AI+ has a cutting-edge onboard technology for navigation and obstacle avoidance.

The app offers a variety of options for customizing your robotic cleaner. This includes virtual barriers, mopping levels and behavior modifications docking frequency settings, and much more. The app is easy to use and understand as are other Samsung devices.

In our tests, the Jet Bot AI+ performed well on hard floors, and it removed 86 percent of dog hair (on carpet). It didn't do very well in avoiding taller items such as socks or cords. This was disappointing. It's also more expensive than other models that we tested, and this could be a deal breaker for certain shoppers.

The smart vacuum has an onboard camera that can be accessed through the app, and you can also set up a live stream from the robot's house cleaning robot station. This feature lets you to monitor your pets or children while you are away. The dustbin and the filter can be cleaned for an easy, quick clean-up. The Jet Bot AI+ also comes with a clean station that's self-emptying to keep the robot's dustbin clear and maximizes suction power for each cleaning run.

6. Black & Decker Robot Vacuum

Black and Decker robots are designed specifically for hard flooring. They have a wider cleaning path and an extra-large dustbin that holds twice as much debris than other models to keep the cleaning area clear for maximum runtime. They also come with two side sweepers for cleaning along edges and corners. The POWERSERIES Extreme model comes with AutoSense technology, which can tell whether it's picking up dirt or debris on the surface and then automatically adjusts the power level. It also has a smart app that lets you see the virtual map and manage the functions and schedules. You can also monitor the vacuum's battery status and send it back to its dock to charge by pressing one button. The app also allows you to personalize the LED lights on top of the vacuum by using different colors, so you can easily tell what areas it's focusing on or where it's stuck.

The app makes it possible to manually steer the robot when needed. My living room rug for instance, has a darkly-colored border which could cause a problem for other robots. However the HRV 425BL kept moving across the border, but it didn't register it as an incline. And the ability to create the weekly cleaning schedule is a fantastic time-saving feature.