How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robot vacuum can be a great value. However, it can cost more than you expected in terms of maintenance: removing fur from brushes, clogged inlets and emptying small dust bins can quickly make your automated cleaning dream a chore.
For a lot of people the most affordable robot is the iRobot J7 Combo. It offers the same hands-free experience, but at a fraction of its price.
Suction Power
Certain models in this price range have strong enough suction for basic vacuuming, but others may need a little assistance with a handheld nozzle in order to reach into the smallest crevices and cracks. A budget-friendly vacuum will likely do the job if you have a home that has primarily hard floors. If you have a variety of floors, rugs or pets who shed, you'll get the best results with a more capable robot vacuum.
A few budget models include a water tank and mopping capabilities, which adds to their flexibility. The Dyson R7050C features an enormous 770ml bin as well as excellent navigation scores, however it is louder and does not have mopping capabilities. The more compact Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro, by contrast, is relatively quiet and has an auto-empty dock. best home vacuum cleaner has a water tank, a powerful 5,500-pascal suction power and a large bin can be filled with cleaning solution to make it a more efficient mopping machine. The Q5 Pro can be controlled through the app's smart function, which lets you vacuum or mop a room, sequence of rooms, or an entire area. You can also set up no-go zones, and customise suction settings for each room.
The Shark ION is a good option for those looking for something affordable easy to use and reliable. It's not as advanced as other models, having an uncomplicated app and basic maps, but it has excellent navigation and cleaning abilities. It's also one of few robots that differentiate between carpets and hard flooring. The 300ml dustbin only emptied once every 30 days.
If you're looking for a more advanced model that can mop, vacuum and even create a map of your house for smarter obstacle avoidance, consider some of the most expensive options in this price range. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 offer a powerful suction force, clever combs for pet hair and other dirt, as well as in-app scheduling and voice control using your smart home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that offers superior cleaning capabilities for the price.
Navigation Efficiency
A budget-friendly robot vacuum could be as effective as a higher-priced model in the event that it is able to navigate your home and avoid obstacles. Our lab technicians employed a tracking device in a multi-room test home to test the robot's ability to navigate and locate the rooms that it needed to clean within a certain time period, while keeping away from obstacles like furniture, power cords and carpets. Additionally, we analyze how fast robots can move over different types of terrain for homes including stairways as well as transitions between different floor types.
The most affordable robot vacuums come with efficient navigation systems that aid in helping them clean a room without wasting time, crashing into obstacles or getting stuck. Many robot vacuums come with maps that are essential for a complete house cleaning. Even low-cost models with no mapping can efficiently cover a room. It's important to weigh the cost of your machine with the features that you need.
We also consider the ease with which robots can cross over thresholds in the home, such as the thresholds of a door sill or the heights of a sofa. A good budget-friendly robot must be able to transition over these obstacles, and some provide settings to adjust suction power for different flooring types. Finally, we consider whether a budget robot is compatible with your home's smart-home setup and can be controlled remotely using an app or via voice control.
One example of an excellent budget robot is the iLife V3s Pro, which includes basic mapping capabilities and other advanced features in an affordable price. It can be controlled by the iRobot App, and it has an automatic return feature that returns the robot to its home base when the battery is low, then continues where it left off.
The iLife V3s Pro does not have the advanced object-avoidance technology you find on a variety of top robots. However, it does have a live camera which transmits a grainy feed to your phone so you can observe it working. The cameras are able to detect obstacles and stairs and alert the robot when it encounters them. However the iLife uses random navigation instead of an approach designed to avoid objects that are stuck against furniture legs, therefore it may not be able around a chair leg or other tight spot as well as a robot with mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
When you're shopping for a robot vacuum, it is important to balance price with performance. Some budget models don't have features such as mapping, but they'll still be effective of cleaning your home. You should also be aware of the size of a robot's dustbin and how much dirt it can hold prior to needing to empty. You'll need enough room to accommodate all the waste that a robot collects including hair dirt, pet dander.
You'll want a vacuum that can get rid of dirt and stains from carpets as well. We test every model in the ZDNET chart to determine whether it is able to remove hair and dirt from carpet. The most effective models have a brush that digs through the fibers to eliminate dirt.
The majority of budget models are successful in cleaning up spills on plain floors and carpets with low piles, but struggle to clear larger chunks of debris and pet hair from higher-pile carpets. These models usually have less suction power, but they can still be effective at cleaning up particles from tight spaces like corners and under furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro vacuum cleaner is the top vacuum in its price. It has a high score in our tests and it is able to take hairs and dirt off carpets. It is also one of our quieter models and is easy to use. It comes with a suction hole that scoops up debris instead of pushing it through the bar. It also has the ability to adjust the power to match any surface. It also has a side brush with three bristles that push hair and debris in the robot's path, but it's not as effective at in removing fine dust.
If you require mop and vacuum, look for a model with both functions such as the Combo j9 Plus. It is able to simultaneously vacuum and mop, and you can define specific vac/mop setting for each room. It's more expensive compared to other low-cost robots in our chart however it comes with the advantages of having 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 wonderful, however the technology comes with cost. They require regular maintenance, from emptying their dustbin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also get tangled in cords and fall off the stairs, so they should be monitored with care.
The best budget robot vacuums ease the burden because they require minimal management by the user. Top picks are equipped with navigation systems that allow them to avoid obstacles and avoid dangers like electrical cords and food items that have been dropped. They use sensors to map rooms, and create maps that inform them where they've cleaned.
Don't let the cost of the higher-end models deter you. They can still do a great job if given the chance. A majority of our top budget picks are made by top OEMs like iRobot, Roborock and Dreame and you can be sure that they've been created with the utmost care and built to last.
If you're willing to invest more, think about mopping with a robot. These machines can clean floors using an aqueous cloth and get rid of the most stubborn stains. They can also be used in conjunction with mop pads to tackle tough jobs, like dried coffee.
There are several mopping robots featured in our list but the most affordable model is the TP Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has a sleek and uncluttered design, but it also has all the features and performance of a top robovac. During our testing, the RV30 was capable of navigating without bumping into furniture and also creating detailed maps of its floors that it can refer to on future runs. It's the only budget robot we've tested to include this feature, although the iRobot Roomba offers similar capabilities for mapping, and an in-app setup that walks you through the process step-by step.
Make sure to keep your robot in good condition regardless of whether you opt for an expensive robovac or one that is more affordable. It is a good idea to empty its dustbin after every cleaning job and to clean the filter, if it has one (check the owner's manual or the manufacturer's site for more information). It is also recommended to replace its battery when needed and monitor its Wi-Fi connectivity and app updates.