Best Robot Vacuums and Mop Combos
A robot vacuum is a great tool for maintaining a clean home. It will pick up dust, pet hair and other surface debris.
Some robots connect to smart assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant for a hands-free experience. Look for models that recharge and resume cleaning where they left off.
1. iRobot s8
This smart robot vacuum and mop is a great option for homes with a variety of. It comes with a fantastic navigation system with GPS and laser sensors. It also has numerous features and control options that can be accessed through the app. It also comes with a helpful feature that allows you to create Cleaning zones for specific areas that need extra attention, as well as Keep Out zones where you do not want it to be. It also gets software updates, like the other Roomba products, that make it better over time.
It's expensive but also one of the most sophisticated robot vacuums ZDNet has ever tested. It comes with a powerful battery that can sweep the entire house in less than two hours. It can also switch between vacuuming and mopping at the touch of one button. It automatically empties the bin of dust above its charging station, in contrast to other self emptying robots which require you to empty the bin after every run.
It has a wide range of other features that make it a great option for most homes with its intelligent obstacle avoidance, which uses the camera as well as processor-powered smarts to detect obstacles. It's not often damaged or trapped during a cleaning cycle and is the best in avoiding power cables and other objects in my tests. It is not as accurate in detecting pet waste, or other hazards.
2. Eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid
Eufy owned by Anker, has become a household name in the world of robots that are budget-friendly vacuums. However, it did not offer the option of a model that could mop. That's changed with the X8 Hybrid, which has an impressive set of modern features that can compete against more expensive models.
The laser navigation is the main selling point of this machine. Previous Eufy devices have built up an approximate map of your home utilizing infrared sensors and bumping into things however the X8's laser mapping technology is much more accurate. It also takes a lot less time to create an accurate picture of your living space and also stores multiple maps, which is ideal for homes with multiple floors.
The X8 is still a decent vacuum on bare floors, slinging debris under its side brushes and into its 400ml dust bin with relative ease. The tyres are adept at securing edges and corners even though they're circular. It's not the best cat litter eater, however our tests have shown it is able to remove around 90 percent of the fur off hard floors.
There's a basic mopping mode that uses the same water tank as the vacuuming. While this is great for spills that are not too large however, you aren't able to regulate the amount of water it is using and this will reduce its effectiveness when dealing with more serious staining. It's effective at picking up pet hair. It has a higher pick-up rate than the Roborock S7.
3. Miele RX2
The company is known for its quiet home appliances Miele's RX2 robot vacuum is a great choice because of its cleaning power, beautiful design and great navigation. It has some oddities in its operation that keep it from being named the top smart robot vacuum.
Similar to the latest models of iRobot like the RX2 features dual-sensor mapping technology that uses an LIDAR sensor to map a room and three 3D scanning cameras to identify and avoid obstacles (like furniture legs or pet waste) in real-time. Once the room is defined, you can assign virtual no go areas and sections that you would like to be the robot. You can also start an automatic clean or manually change the cleaning mode, watch a live feed from the onboard cameras and more from the main screen.
The RX2's sensors work well in registering furniture and other obstructions in real-time. The suction and sweeping abilities are exceptional, getting rid of surface litter from carpets of medium pile as well as embedded dust on floors. It's not the fastest robot available. It's not the greatest climber and has issues with transition strips made of metal.
Many people purchase robot vacuums due to the ease of setting up a schedule using an app, only to forget about them for weeks. It's crucial that a robot is capable of the task, so our ZDNet staff has compared and examined some of the most popular models in order to help you select the best one for your home.
4. Shark ION
This round, budget robot looks like your standard robot, however it's upgraded in terms of performance and features. Its smart mapping system generates 3D and 2D maps of your home and uses those to navigate around obstacles and avoid them. It can even detect common obstructions such as furniture legs and power cords in real time. This combination of sensors, along with a bump sensor and an infrared drop sensor that keeps it from falling down stairs, makes it one of the fastest vacs we've tested.
In our tests, it effortlessly could climb over the thick shag rugs and didn't get stuck on them (like the RoboVac 11s or Roomba 690). Its navigational skills were impressive as well as robotic cleaner and mop its score for composite tests on carpet and bare floors was better than the competition, and it picked up 98.5 percent of surface pet hair and litter from our laboratory test samples.
The controls are more basic than those of the competition's. There's a cleaning button at the top and you can choose to start it with the app or via voice commands with Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also set a schedule for your daily or weekly cleans, set no-go zones, and see its cleaning history. Ion is covered in a smart dark gray plastic that is both attractive and beautiful in your home. Its rear dustbin is easily accessible for emptying, and taking out the filters is also simple.
5. Eufy 11S
If you're looking to buy a basic, no-frills robot vacuum at a low cost, the Eufy 11S could be a good choice. It lacks some of the advanced features, like digital mapping and Alexa integration, which are found in higher-end models, but if you don't need those functions you can save cost with this model.
This robot is simple to use and set up. It doesn't require a smartphone app or Wi-Fi pairing, but it does come with a remote control that lets you choose between various modes and adjust the suction level. You can also manually send the robotvac on the schedule of cleaning.
In our tests during our tests, the 11S was extremely effective in removing pet hair and dirt on hard floors and in carpets with low pile. Its slim profile made it possible to pass under furniture that is low-hanging and other items that bulkier robots could not reach. It was also able to pass over doorway thresholds and change from one floor type to another.
Like other robots, the 11S can take in some objects such as cords, drawstrings on hoodies and cat toys. The manufacturer says that you can prevent this by keeping these items off the floor and using an organizer for cords if you can. It also suggests that you periodically clean the dustbin, replace the filters and change or wash the brushes when necessary.
iRobot Roomba 990
The Roomba 980 is iRobot's flagship robot vacuum. It's expensive but it's the most powerful robot vacuum you can purchase. Its self-navigation feature and environmental mapping is a marvel to behold. It also comes with more advanced automation features than many competitors, including the ability to create virtual boundary markers through its mobile application. It's a powerful robot vacuum, even though its app isn't the most responsive and the 980 spins out when it comes across cables.
We love the 980 due to its iAdapt2.0 navigation sensors as well as visual simultaneity mapping and localisation (or vSLAM) to remember the floor plan of your home. It then uses the information to create a consistent and efficient cleaning path for each cycle. The result is cleaner floors and a cleaner vacuum than the majority of high-end robot vacuums.
Other features include two multi-surface rubber brushes that pick up dirt from carpet and hard floors and a spinning brush that sweeps debris into the robotic vacuum's bin. The sensor for floor tracking helps it navigate through furniture, along edges and up steps. Cliff Detect prevents the Roomba from falling. It can also return automatically to the base station for easy recharging in between sessions. Although the 980's battery lifespan and bin size aren't quite as impressive as some other robot vacuums, it's a sturdy and reliable machine that can keep your floors clean for hours on end.