Twenty Myths About Robot Vacuum Deals: Busted
Top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Robot Vacuum Deals
Now is your chance to own a robotic vacuum. CNET's top-rated models are on sale this Black Friday and Cyber Monday and can save you up to 57%.
The Roborock Q7 Max is a powerful robot that has smart mapping and app-based no-go zones. Its running time of 180 minutes is impressive. It also self-empties itself and automatically refills its water tank.
1. iRobot Roomba j7+
The Roomba J7+, iRobot's most intelligent robot to date, is the Roomba j7+. Its biggest innovation is its camera-based obstacle-detection system. This uses AI to detect objects such as charging cords and shoes. It's the first robot to provide you with images of objects that it encounters, so you can tell that it is safe to avoid it.
The Combo j7+ is also the best robot to mop we've ever tested, picking up dirt and spills with ease and leaving no trace that it was there. The iRobot app makes it easy to control. It can schedule cleanings and create Keep Out Zones to ensure that it doesn't clean in areas that you don't would like. It's also compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can start and stop it with your voice.
The design is also more appealing than the competition. It features a sleek, high-end piece that looks like toys rather than a loud and obnoxious robot. And the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal System automatically empty which is great for reducing your cleanup time.
In our tests, we discovered that the j7+ quickly removed dust, dirt, and hair from pets. Its counter-rotating rubber brush rolls kept the debris in one location instead of scattering it all over the floor robot. It was able to capture small gravel, sand and even a tiny bit of grit. Most robots can't do this. It did all this without getting tangled in our pet's hair.
The j7+, while not as intelligent as the $1,217 Roomba S9+ Self-Emptying Vacuum from iRobot, and it can't clean the stairs, is still a good option for those who need both mopping and a vacuum. It's not costly and the iRobot App makes it simple to use.
Although the iRobot Home app is very easy to use, we've found it to be less reliable than other applications that work with robotic cleaners. It can take a while to download updates, and sometimes it's difficult to know whether the update is working until you see it in action.
2. Roborock Q5+
If you're looking for an automated vacuum cleaner that can do more than simply clean floors, the best choice is probably hybrid. This kind of robot usually includes a built-in water tank which means they can mop and vacuum your home simultaneously. These bots also come with various additional features like smart mapping and small object avoidance and the ability to wash and re-dry mopping pads. They're expensive at retail, but usually lower prices on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
Roborock is the manufacturer of several of our top robotic vacuums and the Q5+ does not fail to impress. It's their cheapest auto-empty model. While it's not equipped with some of the features found on higher-end models (like no-go zones and multi-story memory) it's still a great choice if you're willing to sacrifice a little to save a few hundred dollars.
The Q5+ is noticeable soft around obstacles like table legs and walls which makes it an excellent choice for homes with lots of furniture. It's also extremely thorough in cleaning up dust bunnies. This is a area where many cheaper robot vacuums fall short. The technology for navigation in the Q5+ is excellent too, with very little misses in corners and on walls.
The Q5+, like other Roborock products can be controlled via just a few buttons on the device or through the Roborock App. The app lets you start and stop cleaning or schedules, establish virtual barriers and no-go zones and adjust your home map, or change the labels of rooms.
If you decide to go with the Q5+, it comes with a brand new auto-empty dock designed specifically to make this robot simple to maintain. It requires a screwdriver for install, but once it's in place, emptying the bin is easy. It also has a large LCD display that is great to have when setting up schedules or altering settings. This feature isn't essential for most people but it can help you to keep track of the robot's maintenance schedules.
3. Narwal Freo X Ultra
The Freo X Ultra is a well-rounded robot mop and vacuum that's astonishingly intelligent in its mopping and vacuuming capabilities. Its design is one of the top in the market, but it's expensive.
It's a tiny base station that looks beautiful and can be hidden when not in use. But the station's biggest selling point is how it automates various tasks and functions that most other robots will leave to you. It can store clean and dirty water, it electrolyzes and heats the water (which most other robovacs require you to do) and empty the dust bin after vacuuming, and keeps your robot charged and clean.
And its vacuuming is impressive, too. It's one of the few bagless robot vacuum vacuums I've tested that does very well at cleaning up debris from unfinished floors, and it's not as loud as the more expensive Roomba 980 or iRobot the 900 series.
But the Freo X Ultra has its shortcomings, particularly in terms of navigation. Its LiDAR and laser sensors aren't as reliable and reliable as other robovacs, which means it is sometimes stuck or confused in certain areas of the house. It's not able climb stairs as well as competitors, either and doesn't come with a dock that lets you to set up an area for cleaning that is specifically designed for plush carpets.
Although it doesn't provide as many in terms of cleaning configuration options in its app or as many in-app shortcuts as some other robovacs, the Freo X Ultra is still a top choice for those looking for an all-around great mop and robot vacuum that's worth the premium price cost.
If you're looking to save money or aren't averse to the limitations of the robot, there are many other options on the market. A lot of eufy models are significantly less. The eufy Qrevo Curv, for example, is cheaper and offers the same experience in the app, but with more features, including the ability to climb stairs, a full-function dock, and a better overall performance when vacuuming floors and low and high-pile carpets.
4. Eufy RoboVac G30
eufy, an Anker company, has a track record of producing robot vacuums that strike a good balance between performance, features and price. The G30 Hybrid is no different and offers a powerful cleaning of hard floors as well as mopping functions as well as carpets at a price that is affordable. It's easy to set up simply by snapping one of the side brushes on, switch it on, and plug it into the charging dock. The app will guide you through the steps to connect your G30 to your Wi-Fi. The dock will need to be located near an outlet and have enough space to move.
The G30 is tiny, 2.85 inches tall to be exact, which means it can be tucked away under sofas and other furniture with low clearance. Its design isn't as ostentatious compared to some rival models. It features a sleek black finish and three physical buttons for Auto Cleaning start/pause (which scrubs a spot in a spiral pattern for two minutes) Recharge and Spot Cleaner. You can also connect the G30 with Amazon Alexa or Google Home for voice commands to perform unscheduled cleaning.
The most important characteristic that distinguishes the G30 apart from its competitors is the way it cleans. It makes use of an integrated map to create a picture of the immovable items that are in its path. It can remember what it has already cleaned and where it cannot access. If it requires a recharge, it returns to its starting point and begins cleaning from where it left off.
The elegant G30 isn't without its faults however. The iRobot Roomba is built better and has lower monthly costs. It is faster to charge, has similar battery life and performs better on unfinished floors or low-pile carpet. It has a bigger dust bin that doesn't require the same amount of emptying. It also comes with boundary strips that keep it from certain areas. The G30 is less expensive and easier to maintain. Its smaller dust canister doesn't need emptying as often and is less prone to suffocating heavy materials such as cereal.