Robot Vacuum Cleaner: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner UK

If you don’t want your hands dirty, then robot vacuum cleaners are a great choice. They are more efficient than manual vacuum cleaners and are ideal for houses with one storey or less.

Smart features are a nice bonus. This includes mapping technology that remembers the design of your house as well as avoiding furniture and rug, and navigating those nipples beneath furniture that larger robots struggle to reach.

iRobot Roomba j7+

The iRobot Roomba J7+ is an upgrade on the company’s previous model and incorporates new technology to make it more efficient in preventing pet waste. It makes use of smart mapping to create maps of floors and rooms and works hard to avoid obstacles such as furniture, charging cables, and shoes. It can also detect dirt, and prioritise areas of cleaning that are particularly dirty. This is a significant improvement over older models which sometimes ignored the dirtiest spots or only cleaned them for a short period of time.

The robot vacuum is equipped with a self-emptying bin that can deposit dustbin debris into its own 2.4L dirt bag. iRobot claims that the bag can hold debris for up to 60 days, so you’ll only need to empty it and then replace it every three months. The base station can also hold an extra bag for quick replacements.

It’s easy to set up and use the Roomba, which is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and is fully controllable via the iRobot Genius app. Using the app, you can decide to begin and stop cleaning, determine the amount of time it should spend on each job and then create a timetable.

During our testing, the iRobot Roomba J7+ cleaned the floors of area rug and hardwood in the family room, foyer and kitchen without a problem. It was quiet and listened to us as it did its job. The decibel meter registered just 64 decibels during the operation. It took 90 minutes to sweep a single room and the battery had to be recharged afterward for an hour and 58 minute. You can also extend your iRobot ecosystem by using the Combo J7, which lets you to connect it with the iRobot mop m6 and let one run while the other one moves around the room.

Dyson 360 Viz Nav

The Dyson 360 Viz Nav is the ideal robot vacuum cleaner for anyone living in a multi-floor house. This model can create maps for multiple floors and save them into the app. It’s then easy to switch between rooms without having to repeat the setup process. The robot can be controlled using voice commands, like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Dyson has adopted a different method of obstacle detection that is different from other robot vacs, using a combination of sensors and cameras. A panoramic camera mounted on the top of the robot along with 26 external sensors, help to create an image of the area as it moves. This helps the robot to avoid obstacles and furniture.

In our tests, we discovered that the Dyson 360 Vis Nav could reach up to baseboards as well as edges, and could navigate through furniture with tight corners. The robot’s suction is strong and can take in every hair strand, dust particle and dried-out piece Playdoh that we tossed at it. The vacuum removed the bin quickly and easily, cutting down on cleaning time by half.

However the Dyson 360 Viz Nav didn’t do better than other robots in our obstacle-avoidance test. It had a tough time with a temporary drying rack that it was unable to scoot under, eventually getting stuck and interrupting the cleaning process. It also struggled to evade some taller pieces of furniture, like chairs or tables. The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is also not able to climb stairs, which will be an issue for many homeowners who live in multi-story homes.

Roborock

Roborock robot vacuum cleaners offer top-of-the-line cleaning features that are an upgrade from the rest. Two mops are provided that spin and lift stains while pressing down. They also lift automatically when vacuuming carpets to prevent streaks of dirt from appearing and re-clogging vacuums with dirt. They have extreme suction of 5,500 Pa for outstanding dust and dirt removal. They also have sophisticated water flow controls to ensure the proper amount of moisture is applied to every floor type.

Roborock’s ability to map out your entire home using laser technology is one of its most impressive capabilities. The LiDAR system of the Roborock robotic arm rotates constantly emitting lasers and determining how long it takes to bounce off the nearby objects. The data is then used to construct an accurate map of your home’s layout which allows it to navigate precisely and avoid obstacles.

Based on the model you pick You can personalize your map to include No-Go zones, furniture placements and cleaning for specific rooms. You can also pick a cleaning routine for vacuum only, mop alone or a combination of vacuum and mop. You can schedule regular cleanings using an app-based cleaning system that lets you to set it and forget.

Roborock offers a variety of options, ranging from the budget-friendly S6MaxV up to the most expensive S7 MaxV. All models feature advanced mapping capabilities, a long battery life, and a large capacity dustbin. The docking station comes with a variety of options, including charging and refilling the hot water tank. In the UK, they also have a two-year guarantee.

Beko RCV 5

The Beko RCV 5 is a relative newcomer to the robotic vacuum and mopping industry and is already making waves due to its sleek design and a reasonable price tag. This robot has a few tricks up its sleeve that distinguish it from the competition, including self-emptying and object recognition. It’s also easy to install and use, using an easy-to-use app that lets you alter the settings to suit your preferences.

The navigation system in this model utilizes a combination of sensors and mapping technology to guide your home, and it does a fantastic job of staying clear of obstacles. The app allows you to adjust the cleaning path, to allow certain areas to be cleaned more frequently. The app can be difficult to use initially but once you get the grasp of it, you’ll be able to plan your cleaning schedule and monitor the power of your robot easily.

Despite its impressive list of features however, the RCV 5 is not without its flaws. It has a tiny water tank, which can only hold 240ml at a given time. This is enough for a basic wipe-clean, but not the best option for stubborn stains. The plate is also not equipped with the ability to rotate or vibrate.

The battery life of the robots at this price isn’t the length one would expect. In actual fact the RCV 5 only lasts for about a third of a cleaning cycle before needing to recharge. This isn’t a major issue, but is something to keep in mind when shopping for a new robotic vacuum cleaner.

Karcher RCV 5

The German manufacturer Karcher is most well-known for its pressure washers. However, it’s entered the robot vacuum market with a model that both vacuums and mop. The RCV 5 offers an impressive variety of features, including great obstacle detection (with a dual laser system) and mapping that can be tracked in real time through the app that is smart.

It also detects carpeted surfaces, which automatically triggers wet mopping mode. The spot cleaning feature is extremely useful. It can be programmed to repeat weekly. The RCV 5 is a reliable robot cleaner with suction power of 2,500 pascals. It is able to clean both hard and soft flooring, and can reach into corners and under low furniture.

Karcher Home Robots is an app that runs on smartphones and, like other robots, it can be used to initiate cleaning processes and create maps of your home. It’s also possible to create virtual walls and zones in which the RCV 5 can’t drive, along with various other controls.

The RCV 5 has a downside in that the dust bin is only a litre, and will need to be emptied regularly. This is different from other models which have integrated disposal technology in their docking station. It’s also a touch heavier than some competing gadgets that make it less mobile and requires a bit more space to sit down in its charging station. Nonetheless, testers found the RCV 5 to be very easy to use and rated its app control as high. It did well in our tests, but some users had difficulty getting the voice technology to work properly and the docking station was difficult to put in a flat position.