How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robot vacuum can provide a fantastic value. However, it can cost more than you expect in terms of maintenance: removing fur from brushes, clogged inlets and emptying tiny dust bins can quickly turn your dream of automating cleaning an exercise.
The iRobot J7 Combo is the best budget robot for many people. It offers the same hands-off performance for only a fraction of the cost.
Suction Power
Some models in this category have enough suction to do basic vacuuming. Others may require the use of a handheld nozzle for deeper cleaning. If you live in a home with mostly hard floors or carpet, a budget-friendly robot vacuum should suffice. But if your floors have an assortment of surfaces and there are rug, or have pets that shed, a more capable model will provide the most effective results for your price.
Some budget models come with mopping and a water tank capabilities, which adds to their versatility. The more recent Dyson R7050C for instance, has excellent scores in CR's tests of navigation and a huge bin of 770ml, but it's louder than most of the other robots we've tried and doesn't offer mopping features. Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro is smaller and quieter and has an automatic dock. It has a reservoir of water, a powerful suction power of 5,500-pascals as well as a large bin that you can fill with cleaning products to make it more efficient. The Q5 Pro can be controlled through the app's smart function, which allows you to vacuum or mop a room, sequence of rooms, or a whole area. You can also set up no-go zones, and customize suction settings for each room.
The Shark ION is a good choice for those who are looking for something affordable and simple to use. It's not as well-equipped as the other models we've tested that have a simple application and basic mapping capabilities, but it does have excellent navigation and cleaning capabilities. It's also one of a few robots that can distinguish between hard flooring and carpets. The 300ml dustbin is only emptied once every 30 days.
If you want a more sophisticated model that can vacuum, mop and create 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 and 750 offer a powerful suction force and combs that are clever for pet hair and other dirt, as well as in-app scheduling and voice control using your smart home assistant. Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 offers a outstanding cleaning capabilities at a reasonable cost.
Navigation Efficiency
A budget robot vacuum cleaner can be as effective as more expensive models, as long as it can navigate through your home and avoid obstacles. To determine navigation efficiency, our lab technicians installed a tracking device to monitor a robot's movements through a multi-room test house and evaluate its ability to identify the rooms it must clean in a certain amount of time, avoiding pitfalls like power cords, rugs and furniture. We also evaluate the speed at which robots can traverse different terrains in a house, including stairs and floor transitions.
The best budget robot vacuums feature efficient navigation systems that aid in helping them to tidy up a space without having to waste time, running into obstacles, or getting stuck. Many robot vacuums come with the ability to map which is essential for a full-house clean. Even budget models without mapping can efficiently cover a room. It is important to balance the cost of your device with the features that you need.
We also look at how easy it is for a robot to overcome common thresholds for homes such as the size of a door's sill or the height of a sofa. A budget-friendly robot should be able to navigate these obstacles and some even have settings that adjust the suction power depending on the floor type. We also check if the robot is compatible with smart home technology and is able to 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 an affordable package. It is controlled by the iRobot app, and comes with an auto-return feature that returns it back to its base once the battery is exhausted, then resumes where it was when it left.
The iLife V3s Pro does not have the advanced object-avoidance technology you find on a variety of premium robots. However, it does have a live camera which transmits a grainy feed to your smartphone so you can watch it work. The cameras can detect obstacles like stairs and other steps and alert the robot when it comes across them. However, the iLife employs random navigation rather than a method designed to avoid objects that are stuck against furniture legs, so it may not be able around a leg on a chair or other tight spot as well as a robot that has mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
When you're shopping for a robot vacuum it is important to balance price with performance. The cheapest models might not include advanced features such as mapping but there are models that are very effective in cleaning your home. Be aware of the dimensions and capacity of the dustbin. You'll need enough space to hold all the trash that a robot accumulates, including pet dander, dirt, and hair.
You'll also require a robotic vacuum that can remove staining from carpets. We test every model in the ZDNET robot vacuum chart to determine their ability to lift hair and dirt from carpet, and the best models come with a brush that can dig into the fibers and pull out dirt.
Budget models are effective in cleaning up small messes from plain floors or low-pile floor carpets, but they aren't able to get rid of larger debris and pet hairs from higher-pile carpets. These models tend to have a less powerful suction, but they can still be effective in cleaning particles from tight spaces such as corners and under furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro vacuum cleaner is the best vacuum for its price range. It has a good score in our tests, and it is able to remove hairs and dirt from carpets. It's also one of the quieter models we test and easy to use. It features a suction opening that collects debris instead of pushing it through the bar. It can also adjust the power to match the surface. It also comes with a side brush that has three bristles that push hair and debris into the path of the robot, but it's not as effective at as it does in picking up fine dust.
Choose a model that includes both vacuum and mop functions, such as the Combo j9 Plus. It is able to simultaneously vacuum and mop, and you can make specific vac/mop settings to each room. It's more expensive compared to other budget robot vacs in our list however it comes with the advantages of having a forward-facing camera which enables more precise mapping and better protection against obstacles such as power cords and cat piss.
Maintenance
Robot vacuums are useful however they come with costs. They require regular maintenance that ranges from emptying their dust bin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also become tangled up in cords or fall off the stairs.
The best budget robot vacuums minimize these hassles by requiring minimal management from the user. Top picks are equipped with navigation systems that allow them to avoid obstacles and avoid hazards like electrical cords and food items that have been dropped. They also use a variety of sensors to map rooms and create maps that show where they've already cleaned so that they don't have to go over the same areas over and over again.
floor vacuum robot let the price of the higher-end models deter you. They can still do a great job if given a chance. A majority of our top picks for budget come from leading OEMs, like iRobot, Roborock and Dreame You can be confident that they've been designed with attention to detail and built to last.
You might consider a mopping robot if you are willing to spend more. These can swish a wet cloth over floors to scrub them and help eliminate stubborn stains, and can be used with a specialized mop pad for difficult jobs such as dried coffee.
The TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus is the best budget mopping robot that we have reviewed in our roundup. It has the clean elegant, minimalist design of a home hub, but the features and performance of a top robovac that includes LiDAR navigation. During our testing it proved that the RV30 was capable of navigating without hitting furniture, and also creating detailed maps of its floors 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, but the app's setup guides you through the entire process.
If you decide to go with a top-rated robot or a less expensive option, always remember to keep your robovac in good condition. It is a good idea to empty its trash bin after every cleaning task, and also to clean the filter if you have one (check the owner's manual or the manufacturer's website for more information). Replace the battery as needed and check its Wi-Fi connectivity.