How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robotic vacuum is a great value. Beware of maintenance costs that might be higher than expected: tangles in brushes, air inlets that are blocked and emptying dust bins will quickly turn your automated cleaning dream into a burden.
For a lot of people the most affordable robot is the iRobot j7 Combo. It delivers almost the same hands-off experience at less than half the cost.
Suction Power
Some models in this price range have strong enough suction for basic vacuuming, however others might require a bit of help from a handheld nozzle to reach the deepest cracks and crevices. If you live in a house with primarily hard flooring and a low-cost robot vacuum should work. If you have a mix of floors, rugs or pets that shed, you will be able to get the best results with the most powerful robot vacuum.
Certain models that are priced lower come with mopping features and a water tank, which increases their capabilities. The latest Dyson R7050C model is a good example. It has excellent scores in CR's tests of navigation and a huge bin capacity of 770ml, however it's louder than most of the other robots we've tested and doesn't offer mopping features. Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro is smaller and quieter and comes with an automatic dock. It also has a water tank, a powerful suction power of 5,500pascals and a large bin that you can fill with cleaning solution to make it a more efficient mopping machine. You can control the Q5 Pro via the smart app to mop or vac in rooms, a sequence of rooms or an area and create no-go zones and customize suction and mopping settings for different rooms.
The budget Shark ION is a great option for those who want an affordable, basic device that is reliable. It's not as advanced as the other models we've tested that have a simple app and basic mapping capabilities, but it does have excellent navigation and cleaning capabilities. It's also among few robots that discern between hard flooring and carpets. The 300ml dustbin is only empty once every 30 days.
Consider some of the premium models in this price range if you want something more sophisticated that can vacuum mop, sweep, and create a map for smarter obstacle-avoidance. The iRobot Roomba 650/750 has a powerful suction, a clever comb to remove pet hair and fine dirt, and can be controlled via your smart home assistant. Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 offers a outstanding cleaning capabilities for a reasonable price.
Navigation Efficiency
A low-cost robot vacuum cleaner can be as effective as expensive models, as long as it is able to navigate through your home and avoid obstacles. Our lab technicians utilized an instrument for tracking in a multi-room test residence to test the robot's ability to navigate and locate rooms it needed to clean within a specific time period, while keeping away from obstacles like furniture, power cords and rug. We also examine the speed at which a robot is able to move through different terrains of the home, like stairways and floor transitions.
The most affordable robot vacuums are equipped with navigation systems that enable 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 effectively clean a room, so it's important to consider the cost and features you want for your home.
We also look at the ease with which robots can get over common thresholds in the home like the threshold of a door's sill or the height of a sofa. A budget-friendly robot should be able to move over these obstacles, and a few have settings that can adjust suction power for different floor types. We also look at whether the robot is compatible with smart home technology and can be controlled remotely through an app or voice command.
The iLife V3s Pro is a great example of a budget robot that offers basic mapping capabilities, as well as other clever features. It's also quite affordable. It is controlled by the iRobot app, and comes with an auto-return feature which returns it back to its base once the battery runs out and then picks up where it left off.
The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance found on many premium robots, but it has a live camera that transmits an unreliable video feed to your phone so you can monitor the robot as it performs. robotic hoovers can detect obstacles like stairs and other steps and alert the robot when it encounters them. However the iLife uses random navigation rather than an approach designed to avoid objects stuck to furniture legs, which means it may not be able around a leg on a chair or another tight spot as easily as a robot that has mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
If you're looking for a robot vacuum it's crucial to balance cost with performance. The cheapest models might not have advanced features such as mapping, but they will still do an excellent job of cleaning your home. It is important to pay attention to the size of the dustbin and how much dirt it can hold prior to needing to empty. You'll need to have enough space to hold all the trash that a robot accumulates, including pet dander, dirt and hair.
You'll also want a robot vacuum that is able to remove stains from carpets. We test all models in the ZDNET robot vacuum chart for their ability to remove dirt and hair off carpet. The most effective models have a specific brush designed to dig into the fibers and pull out debris.
Budget models are effective in cleaning small spills from plain floors or low-pile floor carpets, but they struggle to remove larger debris and pet hairs from higher-pile carpets. These models typically have a less powerful suction, but they can still be effective in cleaning debris from tight areas like corners and under furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro is the best budget model for vacuuming with top marks in our tests because of its ability to lift hair and dirt from carpets. It's also among the quieter models we test and is user-friendly. It has a small suction opening that collects debris instead of pushing it through the brush bar, and it can adjust the power to be in line with the surface. It also comes with a side brush that has three bristles that push hair and debris into the robot's path, but it's not as effective at as it does in picking up fine dust.
Find a model that has both vacuum and mop functions, like the Combo j9 Plus. It is able to simultaneously vacuum and mop, and set specific vac/mop settings for each room. It's more expensive than the other robot vacuums we have in our chart but has an in-front camera that allows for more precise mapping and better obstacle avoidance of things like power cords and cat Poop.
Maintenance
The convenience that robot vacuums offer is fantastic, but the technology comes at a price. 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 and drop off the stairs, which is why they should be monitored attentively.
The most affordable robot vacuums ease the burden as they require little management by the user. The top models come with navigation systems that avoid objects and are free of dangers, including strangling electrical cords and dropping food. They use sensors to map rooms and create maps that tell them where they have already cleaned.
Even the tiniest robotic vacuums can give a decent clean if you try them, so don't be discouraged by the price of better models. Our top picks for budget-friendly models are from the top OEMs like iRobot Roborock Dreame. You can be assured that they've been designed with care and are built to last.
If you're willing to spend more, consider a mopping robot. These can swish a wet cloth over floors to scrub them and remove stubborn stains, and can be used with a specialized mop pad for difficult jobs such as dried coffee.
There are a number of mopping robots featured in our list however 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 robovac, including LiDAR navigation. In our tests the RV30 was able of navigating without hitting furniture, and constructing detailed maps of its flooring, which it can refer to when it runs. This is the only budget robot that we tested with this feature. iRobot Roomba also has mapping capabilities, but the app setup guide you through the entire procedure.
Remember to maintain your robot regardless of whether you opt for an expensive robovac or one that is more affordable. It is a good idea to empty the dust bin after each cleaning task, and also to clean the filter if you have one (check your owner's manual or the website of the manufacturer for more details). You should also replace its battery as required and monitor its Wi-Fi connectivity as well as app updates.