How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robot vacuum can provide a fantastic value. However, it can cost more than you anticipated in terms of maintenance: removing hair from brushes, clogging inlets and emptying the tiny dust bins can quickly make your dream of automating cleaning a chore.
The iRobot J7 Combo is the best value robot for a variety of users. It offers the same hands-off experience for a fraction of the price.
Suction Power
Some models in this category are able to handle basic vacuuming. Others may require an nozzle that can be held in a handheld for more thorough cleaning. A budget robot vacuum is likely to complete the job if you live in an apartment with primarily hard floors. If you have a variety of floors, have rugs or pets who shed, you'll be able to get the best results with a more capable robot vacuum.
Some models with a budget price include a mopping feature and a water tank, increasing their versatility. The Dyson R7050C features a large 770ml bin and excellent navigation scores, but is louder and does not have mopping capabilities. Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro is smaller, but it is quieter and has an automatic dock. It also has a water tank, a powerful 5,500-pascal suction power and a large container that you can fill with cleaning solution to make it an effective mopping machine. You can operate the Q5 Pro via the smart app to vac or mop in a room, a sequence of rooms or an area as well as create no-go zones and customize suction and mopping settings for different rooms.
The budget Shark ION is a great pick for those looking for something simple, affordable and reliable. It's not as advanced as some of the other models we test and comes with a basic app and basic mapping capabilities, but it has excellent navigation and cleaning capabilities. It's also one of only one or two robots that can distinguish between carpets and hard flooring. The 300ml dustbin only empty once every 30 days.
Consider some of the premium models that are priced at this level if you want something more sophisticated, able to vacuum, mop, and create a map for smarter obstacle-avoidance. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 offer a powerful suction force as well as a comb that is cleverly designed for pet hair and other dirt, and in-app scheduling and voice control using your smart home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that offers outstanding cleaning performance for the price.
Navigation Efficiency
A low-cost robot vacuum cleaner can be as effective as more expensive models, as long as it can navigate through your home and avoid obstacles. To assess the effectiveness of navigation our lab technicians set up a tracking device to watch a robot's movement through a multiroom test house and evaluate its ability to find the areas it has to clean in a specific amount of time, while avoiding obstacles like rug power cords, power cords, and furniture. We also look at how fast a robot can traverse different terrains in a house, including stairways and floor transitions.
The most affordable robot vacuums have efficient navigation systems that help them to tidy up a space without wasting time, crashing into obstacles, or getting stuck. They're all equipped with mapping capabilities, which are crucial for full-house cleaning. Even models that aren't mapping can cover a room efficiently. It's important to balance the cost of your device with the features you require.
We also examine how easy it is for robots to cross over thresholds in the home, for example the heights of a door's sill or the heights of a sofa. A budget-friendly robot should be able to pass over these obstacles, and some provide settings to alter suction power to suit different flooring types. In the end, we must consider whether a budget robot is compatible with your 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 has basic mapping capability and other advanced features in an extremely affordable price. It can be controlled via the iRobot app, and comes with an auto-return feature which returns it back to its base once the battery is exhausted and then picks up where it left off.
Check This Out iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance features found on numerous premium robots, however it does have live cameras that stream an unreliable video feed to your smartphone so that you can watch the robot as it performs. The cameras can also detect obstacles like stairs and other steps and elicit an alert if the robot encounters them. The iLife, however, uses random navigation instead of a method that is specifically designed to avoid objects that are that are stuck against furniture legs. It might not be able to navigate through a tight space or a chair leg as a robotic system with mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
If you're looking for a robot vacuum it's crucial to balance cost with performance. There are models that aren't as expensive and don't have advanced features like mapping however, you can find models that are very effective at cleaning your home. Pay attention to the dimensions and capacity of the dust bin. You'll need enough space to fit all the debris that robots collect such as hair, dirt, and pet dander.
You'll also require a robotic vacuum that can remove staining from carpets. We test every model on the ZDNET chart to determine whether it can remove dirt and hair from carpet. The best models have a special brush that digs through the fibers to remove debris.
The budget models are great at cleaning small spills from bare floors or low-pile floor carpets but they struggle to remove larger debris and pet hairs from higher-pile carpets. These models tend to have a less powerful suction however they can be effective in cleaning particles from tight spaces like corners and underneath furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro is the most affordable vacuuming model and has scored top marks in our tests because of its ability to remove dirt and hair from carpets. It is also one of our quieter models and easy to use. It has an opening for suction that collects debris instead of pushing it through the brush bar, and it is able to adjust power to be in line with the surface. It also comes with a side-brush that has three bristles that push debris and hair into the path of the robot, but it doesn't do as good in removing fine dust.
Find a model that has both vacuum and mop functions, such as the Combo j9 Plus. This robot can simultaneously vac and mop, and set specific vac/mop settings for each room. It's more expensive than other robot vacuums in our list, but it has a camera on the front that allows for more precise mapping, and a better way to avoid obstacles things like power cords or cat urine.
Maintenance
The convenience that robot vacuums offer is great, but the technology comes with cost. They require regular maintenance that ranges from emptying their dust bin to replacing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They may also get caught in cords or drop off the stairs, which is why they should be monitored attentively.
The best budget robot vacuums reduce these issues through requiring minimal oversight from the user. The top models are equipped with navigation systems that enable them to avoid obstacles and avoid hazards such as electrical cords and dropped foods. Sensors are used to map rooms and create maps that inform them where they've cleaned.
Even the cheapest robotic vacuums can give a decent clean if you give them a shot and don't be put off by the cost of better models. Our top budget picks are from leading OEMs like iRobot Roborock Dreame. You can be certain that they've been designed with care and built to last.
If you're willing to invest more, think about a mopping robot. They can use a moist cloth across floors to scrub them and help eliminate stubborn stains, and can be used with a mop pad that is specifically designed for tough jobs like dried coffee.
There are a number of mopping robots included in our list, but the best budget model is the TP Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has the clean, fussless appearance of a home hub, but the performance and features of a top-rated robot that includes LiDAR navigation. In our tests it proved that the RV30 was able to navigate without bumping into furniture and building detailed maps of its flooring that can be used to reference in future runs. It's the only budget robot we've tested to include this feature, although iRobot's Roomba also has similar capabilities in mapping and has an in-app configuration that walks you through the process step-by-step.
If you decide to go with an expensive robot or a less expensive option, always remember to maintain your robovac regularly. It's a good idea empty its dustbin after every cleaning task and to clean the filter if you have one (check the manual of your owner or the manufacturer's site for details). You should also replace its battery when needed, and check in on its Wi-Fi connectivity and app updates.