How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robotic vacuum is a great deal. However, it can cost more than you expect in terms of maintenance: removing the fur from brushes, blocking inlets, and emptying tiny dust bins can quickly turn your automated cleaning dream to be a chore.
For many, the best budget robot is the iRobot J7 Combo. It provides the exact hands-off performance for a fraction of the price.
Suction Power
Some models in this category offer enough suction for basic vacuuming. Others may require an nozzle that can be held in a handheld for more thorough cleaning. A budget robot vacuum will likely do the job if you live in a house with mostly hard floors. If you have a variety of floors, carpets or pets that shed, you will be able to get the best results with an advanced robot vacuum.
Some models with a budget price include mopping capabilities and a water tank, increasing their flexibility. The newer Dyson R7050C, for example, has very good navigation scores in CR's tests and a generous bin capacity of 770ml, however it's louder than a lot of the other robots we've tested, and doesn't offer mopping features. The smaller Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro, however, is surprisingly quiet and has an automatic emptying dock. It also has water tank, powerful suction capacity of 5,500pascal and a large container that can be filled with cleaning solution to make it an effective mopping machine. The Q5 Pro can be controlled through the app's smart function, which allows you to mop or vacuum a room or a sequence of rooms or an entire area. You can also set up no-go zones, and customize suction settings for each room.
The budget Shark ION is a great option for those who want something simple, affordable and reliable. It's not as sophisticated as other models, with a basic app and minimal mapping capabilities, but has superior cleaning and navigation capabilities. It's also among the few robots we've tested which can differentiate between carpets and hard flooring and has a 300ml trash bin that needs to be emptied every 30 days.
Consider some of the premium models that are priced at this level if you want something more advanced that can vacuum, mop, and create maps for smarter obstacle-avoidance. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 are extremely powerful suction power as well as a comb that is cleverly designed for pet hair and other fine dirt, and in-app scheduling and voice control with your smart home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that provides excellent cleaning performance for the price.
Navigation Efficiency
A low-cost robot vacuum can be just as effective as an expensive model, provided that it can navigate your home and avoid obstacles. Our lab technicians used an instrument for tracking in a multi-room test house to evaluate the robot's ability to navigate and locate the rooms that it needed to clean within a specific timeframe, while also keeping away from obstacles like furniture, power cords and rug. We also analyze how fast robots can move over a variety of household terrain such as stairways and transitions between different floor types.
The most affordable robot vacuums come with navigation systems that allow them to effectively clean a room without wasting time or running into obstacles. Many models have mapping capabilities, which are crucial for a complete house cleaning. However, even models that do not have mapping have ways to efficiently cover a room and it's crucial to weigh the cost against the features you require for your home.
We also examine the ease with which robots can pass over common household thresholds like the size of a door's sill or the height of the sofa. A budget-friendly robot should be able to negotiate these obstacles, and some come with settings that alter the suction power depending on the floor type. We also consider whether a budget robot is compatible with your smart home setup and can be controlled remotely using an app or voice control.
The iLife V3s Pro is a excellent example of a robot that is budget-friendly that provides basic mapping capabilities and other clever features. It's also very affordable. It can be controlled using the iRobot app, and comes with an auto-return feature which returns it to its original location when the battery is exhausted and then picks up where it was when it left.
The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance features found on many of the top robots, but it has live cameras that stream a grainy video feed to your smartphone so that you can keep an eye on it as it works. The cameras can also spot stairs and other obstacles and alert you if the robot encounters them. The iLife, however, uses random navigation instead of a method that is designed to avoid objects stuck to furniture legs. It might not be able to navigate through a tight space or chair leg as well as a robot system that has the ability to map.
Cleaning Performance
When you're searching for a robot vacuum, it is important to balance price with performance. The cheapest models might not have advanced features like mapping but there are many that perform very well in cleaning your home. Also, pay attention to the size of the dustbin and the amount of dirt it can hold prior to needing to empty it. You'll need enough space to accommodate all the trash that robots collect, including hair, dirt, and pet dander.
You'll also need a robot vacuum that is able to remove stains from carpets. We test every model on the ZDNET chart to see whether it can remove hair and dirt from carpet. The best models have a special brush that digs into fibers to eliminate debris.
Most budget models do well in removing messes from plain floors and in low-pile carpet, but struggle to clear larger chunks of pet hair and debris from higher-pile carpets. They tend to have less powerful suction than more expensive models however, they still do a well at cleaning up debris from tight spaces such as corners and under furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro is the most affordable model for vacuuming, scoring top marks in our tests due to its ability to remove hair and dirt from carpets. It's also among the quieter models we test and is easy to use. It has a small suction opening that collects debris instead of pushing it through the bar, and it has the ability to adjust the power to match the surface. It has a sidebrush with three bristles that push hair and other debris into the robot's path. However, it is not as effective in sweeping dust particles.
Find a model that has mop and vacuum 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 than the other budget robot vacuums on our list, but it has the advantages of a forward-facing camera, which allows for more precise mapping and better obstacle avoidance for things like power cords and cat Poop.
Maintenance
Robot vacuums are useful, but they come at a cost. They require regular maintenance that ranges from emptying their dust bin to replacing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also get tangled in cords and drop off the stairs, which is why they should be monitored attentively.
The best budget robot vacuums can ease these problems because they require minimal user management. The top picks have navigation systems that avoid objects and are free of dangers, like strangling electrical cords and dropping food. They use sensors to map rooms and create maps that inform them where they have already cleaned.
Don't let the price of the higher-end models deter you. They are still able to do a fantastic job if given the chance. A majority of our top picks for budget are from top OEMs, such as iRobot, Roborock and Dreame You can be confident that they've been developed with attention to detail and built to last.
If you're willing to spend more, think about a mopping robot. These can swish a wet cloth across floors to scrub them and remove stubborn stains, and they can be utilized with a specially designed mop pad to tackle tough jobs such as dried coffee.
There are a number of mopping robots featured in our roundup, but the best budget model is the TP Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has a neat and uncluttered design, but it also has all the features and capabilities of a top-rated robotvac. During our tests, the RV30 was able to navigate without hitting furniture, and constructing detailed maps of its flooring, which can be used to reference on future runs. It's the only budget robot we've tested to include this feature, however the iRobot Roomba has similar mapping capabilities with an in-app setting that guides you through the process step by step.
Make cleaning robots to keep your robot in good condition, whether you choose a costly robovac or one that is more affordable. You should empty the trash bin and clean the filter after each cleaning session (refer to the owner's manual or the manufacturer's site for more information). You should also replace the battery as needed, and check in on its Wi-Fi connectivity and app updates.