How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robot vacuum can provide a fantastic value. Beware of maintenance costs that might be higher than expected: tangles in brushes, blocked air inlets and emptying dust bins will quickly make your automatic cleaning dream into a burden.
For many, the best budget robot is the iRobot Combo. It offers the same hands-free experience, but at a fraction of its price.
Suction Power
Some models in this price range have sufficient suction to perform basic vacuuming, while others might require assistance with a handheld nozzle in order to reach the deepest cracks and crevices. A budget-friendly vacuum is likely to complete the job if you have a home that has primarily hard floors. However, if your floors are a mix of surfaces and you have some carpets, or have pets who shed, a more capable model will provide the best results for your price.
Some budget models come with mopping capabilities and a water tank, increasing their versatility. 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 smaller Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro, by contrast, is relatively quiet and has an auto-empty dock. It comes with a water reservoir, a powerful suction power of 5,500-pascals and an enormous bin that you can fill with cleaning products to boost its effectiveness. You can manage the Q5 Pro via the smart app to mop or vacuum in rooms, a sequence of rooms, or an area and create no-go zones and customize mopping and suction settings to suit different rooms.
The Shark ION is a good option for those looking for something that is affordable, simple and reliable. It's not as advanced as other models, having a basic app and no-frills mapping capabilities, but it does have excellent navigation and cleaning abilities. It's also among the few robots we've tested that can differentiate between hard flooring and carpets and also has a 300ml trash bin that only needs to be cleaned every 30 days.
If you're looking for a more advanced model that can mop, vacuum and draw a map of your home to help you avoid obstacles look at some of the most expensive options in this price range. The iRobot Roomba 650/750 has a powerful suction, a clever comb to remove pet hair and fine dirt, and can be controlled through your smart home assistant. Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 offers a great cleaning performance at a reasonable price.
Navigation Efficiency
A low-cost robot vacuum can be just as effective a higher-priced model as long as it is able to navigate your home and avoid obstacles. Our lab technicians utilized an instrument for tracking in a multi-room test home to assess the robot's capability to navigate and locate rooms that it needed to clean within a certain time frame, while keeping away from obstacles like furniture, power cords and rugs. In addition, we analyze how fast the robot can move across a variety of household terrain such as stairways and transitions between different types of floors.
The best budget robot vacuums are equipped with navigation systems that allow them to clean a room efficiently without having to waste time or crashing into obstacles. Many models have mapping capabilities, which are crucial to complete house cleaning. However, even models that do not have mapping can be used to efficiently cover a room and it's crucial to weigh the cost against the features you want for your home.
We also look at how easily a robot can cross over thresholds in the home, such as the heights of a door sill and sofas. A good budget robot should be able to pass over these obstacles, and a few offer settings that adjust suction power for different kinds of floors. We also consider whether the robot is compatible with smart home technology and can be controlled remotely via an app or voice commands.
The iLife V3s Pro is a fantastic example of a budget robot that offers basic mapping capabilities as well as clever features. It's also quite affordable. It can be controlled by the iRobot App and comes with an automatic return feature that will return the robot back to its base when the battery is low and continues where it started.
The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance found on many of the top robots, but it does have a live camera that transmits an unreliable video feed to your phone so you can watch the robot as it performs. best robot floor cleaner can spot obstacles and stairs and alert the robot if it encounters them. The iLife, however, uses random navigation instead of a method designed to prevent objects from being stuck against furniture legs. It might not be able get through a tight space or chair leg as well as a robot system that has mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
When you're searching for a robot vacuum, it is important to balance price with performance. Budget models may not feature advanced features such as mapping but there are some that excel at cleaning your home. Pay attention to the size and capacity of the robot's dustbin. You'll need to have enough space to accommodate all the trash a robot collects including pet dander, dirt and hair.
You'll need a machine that can remove dirt and stains from carpets, too. We test every model in the ZDNET robot vacuum chart to determine their ability to lift dirt and hair off carpet. The most effective models come with a brush designed to dig into the carpet's fibers and pull out debris.
The majority of budget models are successful in cleaning up spills on plain floors and carpets with low pile, but struggle to clear larger chunks of debris and pet hair from higher-pile carpets. These models usually have a less powerful suction however, they can be effective at cleaning up debris from tight places such as corners and under furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro is the most affordable model for vacuuming with top marks in our tests because of its ability to remove dirt and hair from carpets. It's also among the quieter models we test and is user-friendly. 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 that comes with three bristles to push hair and debris into the path of the robot. However, it is not as effective in picking dust particles.
Find a model that has both vacuum and mop functions, such as the Combo j9 Plus. It can mop and vacuum simultaneously and you can also customize the settings for each room. It's more expensive than the other robot vacuums on our chart but has an in-front camera that allows for more precise mapping, and better obstacle avoidance for things like power cords or cat poop.
Maintenance
Robot vacuums are useful however, they come at costs. Regular maintenance is required to empty the dustbin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They may also get caught in cords or fall off the stairs.
The most affordable robot vacuums reduce these issues through requiring minimal oversight from the user. The best models come with navigation systems that enable them to avoid obstacles and stay clear of hazards such as electrical cords, food debris and even dropped food. They use sensors to map rooms, and create maps that inform them where they have already cleaned.
Even the cheapest robotic vacuums can give a decent clean if you give them a chance Don't be deterred by the cost of higher-end models. Our top budget choices are from top OEMs such as iRobot Roborock Dreame. You can be sure that they have been designed with attention to detail and are built to last.
Think about a robotic mopping machine if you are willing to spend more. These can swish a wet cloth across floors to scrub them and remove stubborn stains, and can be used with a mop pad that is specifically designed to tackle tough jobs such as dried coffee.
There are many mopping robots in our roundup but the most affordable model is the TP Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has the sleek, fussless appearance of a home hub, but the performance and features of a top-rated robot, including LiDAR navigation. In our tests the RV30 was able of navigating without hitting furniture and building detailed maps of its flooring, which can be used to reference in future runs. This is the only robot in the budget that we have tested with this feature. iRobot Roomba also has mapping capabilities, but the app setup guides you through the entire procedure.
Be sure to maintain your robot regardless of whether you pick a costly robovac or one that is more affordable. It is a good idea to empty its dustbin after every cleaning task, and also to clean the filter, if it has one (check the manual of your owner or the website of the manufacturer for details). You should also replace the battery as required and keep track of its Wi-Fi connectivity and app updates.