How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain-priced robot vacuum is a bargain. But beware that it may cost more than you expect in maintenance: detangling hair from brushes, clogging inlets and emptying tiny dust bins could quickly turn your dream of automated cleaning an exercise.
For many people the most affordable robot is the iRobot J7 Combo. It offers the same hands-off experience for less than half the cost.
Suction Power
Some models in this price range have sufficient suction to perform basic vacuuming, but others might require a bit of help with a handheld nozzle in order to reach into the smallest crevices and cracks. If you live in a house with mostly hard floors, a budget robot vacuum is likely to do the trick. But if your floors have a mix of surfaces and there are rugs, or if you have pets who shed, a higher-end model will give you the best results for your price.
Some budget models come with a mopping feature and water tanks, which increase their flexibility. The Dyson R7050C comes with an enormous 770ml bin as well as excellent navigation scores, but it is louder and doesn't have mopping capabilities. The more compact Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro, however, is surprisingly quiet and has an auto-empty dock. It also has a water tank, a powerful suction power of 5,500pascals and a large container that can be filled with cleaning solution to make it a more efficient mopping device. You can control the Q5 Pro via the smart app to mop or vac in a room, a sequence of rooms or an entire area, and you can set no-go zones and customise mopping and suction settings to suit different rooms.
The budget Shark ION is a great choice for those seeking something basic, affordable and reliable. It's not as sophisticated as other models, having a basic app and no-frills mapping capabilities, but has outstanding cleaning and navigation capabilities as well as cleaning. It's also among the few robots we've tested which can differentiate between hard flooring and carpets and has a 300ml trash bin that only needs to be cleaned every 30 days.
If you're looking for a more sophisticated model that can vacuum, mop and draw a map of your home for smarter obstacle avoidance look at some of the more premium options within this price range. The iRobot Roomba 650/750 has a powerful suction, a clever comb to remove pet hair as well as dust, and it can be controlled via your smart home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that provides outstanding cleaning performance for the price.
Navigation Efficiency
A low-cost robot vacuum cleaner can be just as effective as expensive models, so long as it is able to navigate through your home and avoid obstacles. Our lab technicians used the tracking device in a multi-room test residence to test the robot's ability to navigate and locate rooms that it needed to clean within a certain time frame, while avoiding obstacles like power cords, furniture, and rug. We also examine the speed at which robots can traverse different terrains in a home, such as stairways and floor transitions.
The most affordable robot vacuums have navigation systems that let them efficiently clean a space without getting lost or running into obstacles. They're all equipped with mapping capabilities, which are essential for a complete house cleaning. Even budget models without mapping can effectively cover a room. It is crucial to balance the cost of your machine against the features you require.
We also look at how easy it is for robots to overcome thresholds in the home, such as the heights of a door sill and a sofa. A good budget-friendly robot must be able to move over these obstacles, and some have settings that can alter suction power according to kinds of floors. Finally, we take a look at whether a budget robot is compatible with your smart home configuration and can be controlled remotely via an app or voice command.
One example of an excellent budget robot is the iLife V3s Pro, which includes basic mapping capabilities and other advanced features in a very affordable price. It can be controlled using the iRobot App and has an auto return feature that allows you to return the robot to its home base once the battery runs low and then picks up where it began.
The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance features found on numerous premium robots, however it does have live cameras that send an unreliable video feed to your smartphone so that you can monitor it while it is working. The cameras are also able to detect stairs and other obstacles and elicit an alert if the robot comes across them. The iLife, however, uses random navigation instead of a method that is designed to prevent objects from being stuck to furniture legs. It may not be able to navigate through a tight space or a chair leg as a robotic system with the ability to map.
Cleaning Performance
When you are looking for a robot vacuum, you must consider the price and performance. The cheapest models might not have advanced features, such as mapping, but they can still do an excellent job of cleaning your home. Pay attention to the dimensions and capacity of the dustbin. You'll need enough space to accommodate all the waste that robots collect, including hair, dirt, and pet dander.
You'll want a robot capable of removing stains and dirt from carpets too. We test every model in the ZDNET robot vacuum chart for their ability to remove dirt and hair from carpet. The most effective models have a specific brush that can dig into the carpet's fibers and pull out debris.
The majority of budget models are effective in cleaning up spills on carpets that are not paved or carpets with low piles However, they struggle to get rid of larger pieces of debris and pet hair from carpets with higher pile. These models typically have less suction power however, they can be effective at cleaning up debris from tight areas like corners and under furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro vacuum cleaner is the top vacuum in its price. It has a good rating in our tests, and it is able to remove hairs and dirt from carpets. It's also among the quieter models we tested and is simple to use. It has tiny suction openings which collects debris instead of pushing it through the bar, and it has the ability to adjust the power to match the surface. It has a sidebrush with three bristles to push hair and debris into the robot's path. However, it is not as effective in sweeping up fine dust.
If you need both a vacuum and a mop, look for a model that can do both like the Combo j9 Plus. The robot can vacuum and mop simultaneously and you can also customize the settings for each room. It's more expensive compared to other budget robot vacs in our list however, it has the advantages of a forward-facing camera, which allows for more precise mapping and better obstacles to avoid for things like power cords and cat piss.
Maintenance
The convenience that robot vacuums offer is great, but the technology comes with cost. They require regular maintenance that ranges from emptying their dust bin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also get caught up in cords or fall off the steps.
The best budget robot vacuums minimize these hassles by requiring only minimal supervision from the user. The top picks have navigation systems that avoid objects and are free of dangers, including tangled electrical cords and dropped food items. They also use a variety of sensors to map rooms and create maps that let them know the areas they've cleaned before so they don't go over the same spots again.
Don't let the price of the more expensive models deter you. robotic vacuums can still do an excellent job if given a chance. A majority of our top budget choices are made by top OEMs such as iRobot, Roborock and Dreame and you can be sure that they've been created with the utmost care and built to last.
You might consider a mopping robot If you're willing to pay more. These machines can scrub floors using a damp cloth and eliminate staining that is difficult to remove. They can also be used in conjunction with mop pads to tackle difficult jobs, such as dried coffee.
There are a number of mopping robots in our roundup however the most affordable model is the TP Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has a sleek, uncluttered appearance, but it also comes with all the features and capabilities of a top robotvac. In our tests, the RV30 was capable of navigating without bumping into furniture and building detailed maps of its flooring that it can refer to in future runs. This is the only budget robot that we have tested with this feature. iRobot Roomba also has mapping capabilities, however the app setup guides you through the entire process.
No matter if you opt for an expensive robovac or a more affordable alternative, you should always maintain your robovac regularly. It's a good idea empty its trash bin after every cleaning job and to clean the filter if one is present (check the owner's manual or the manufacturer's website for details). You should also replace the battery as required and keep track of its Wi-Fi connectivity and app updates.