How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robotic vacuum can provide a fantastic value. However, it can cost more than you anticipated in maintenance: detangling the fur from brushes, blocking inlets and emptying the tiny dust bins could quickly turn your dream of automating cleaning to be a chore.
The iRobot j7 Combo is the best value robot for many people. It offers a similar hands-free experience at a fraction of its price.
Suction Power
Some models in this range have enough suction to do basic vacuuming. Others might require the use of a handheld nozzle for deeper cleaning. If you live in a home that has mostly hard flooring, a budget robot vacuum should work. However, if your floors are a mix of surfaces and there are carpets, or have pets who shed, a better model will give you the best results for the money.
Some budget models come with mopping and a water tank capability, further increasing their flexibility. The more recent Dyson R7050C for instance, has excellent navigation scores in CR's tests and a large 770ml bin, but it is louder than many of the other robots we've tested and doesn't have mopping features. Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro is smaller, but it is quieter and has an automatic dock. It comes with a water reservoir, a powerful suction power of 5,500-pascals and a large bin you can fill with cleaning products to make it more effective. You can control the Q5 Pro via the smart app to mop or vac in a room, a sequence of rooms, or an area and define no-go zones as well as 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 sophisticated as other models, with an uncomplicated app and basic maps, but it has superior cleaning and navigation capabilities. It is also one of the few robots we've tested that can tell the difference between hard flooring and carpets and has a 300ml trash bin that has to be emptied every 30 days.
Consider some of the premium models that are priced at this level If you're looking for something more advanced that can vacuum mop, sweep, 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 superior cleaning performance for the price.
Navigation Efficiency
A budget-friendly robot vacuum could be just as effective as an expensive model, provided that it can navigate your home and avoid obstacles. Our lab technicians used the tracking device in a multi-room test house to assess the robot's capability to navigate and find the rooms it required to clean within a specific time period, while avoiding obstacles like power cords, furniture, and rug. We also examine the speed at which robots can move through different terrains of a house, including stairs and floor transitions.
The most affordable robot vacuums have efficient navigation systems that help them to tidy up a space without spending time, crashing into obstacles or getting stuck. Many robot vacuums come with the ability to map which is essential to complete a thorough house clean. But even budget models without mapping can effectively clean a room, so it's important to consider the cost and features you require for your home.
We also consider the ease with which robots can get over common thresholds in the home such as the size of a door's sill or the height of the sofa. A good budget-friendly robot must be able to move over these obstacles, and some offer settings that alter suction power according to flooring types. We also look at whether a budget-friendly robot is compatible with your smart home configuration and can be controlled remotely via 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 affordable price. It can be controlled by the iRobot App and comes with an automatic return feature that returns the robot to its home base once the battery runs low and then picks up where it left off.
The iLife V3s Pro does not include the advanced object-avoidance technology you find on a variety of high-end robots. However robot vacuum cleaner cheap does have live cameras that transmit a grainy stream to your phone so you can observe it working. The cameras are also able to detect obstacles like stairs and other steps and elicit an alert if the robot comes across them. However the iLife employs random navigation instead of a method designed to avoid objects that are stuck to furniture legs, so it may not be able to get around a leg of a chair or any other tight spot as a robot that has mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
When you are looking for a robot vacuum, you must consider the cost and performance. The cheapest models might not have advanced features like mapping but there are many that perform very well in cleaning your home. It is important to pay attention to the size of the dustbin and how much dirt it can hold before having to empty it. You'll need to have enough space to accommodate all the garbage a robot collects including pet dander, dirt and hair.
You'll also require a robotic vacuum that removes the stains that carpets have. We test every model on the ZDNET chart to see whether it is able to remove hair and dirt from carpet. The most effective models have an exclusive brush that digs through the fibers to eliminate debris.
Most budget models do well in removing messes from plain floors and in low-pile carpet However, they struggle to get rid of larger chunks of pet hair and debris from carpets with higher pile. They typically have less suction power than more expensive models however they can do a a good job of clearing out obstructions from tight spaces like corners and underneath furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro vacuum cleaner is the best vacuum for its price range. It has a good rating in our tests, and it's able to take hairs and dirt off carpets. It's also one of the quieter models we tested and is easy to use. It has an opening for suction which collects debris instead of pushing it through the bar, and it can adjust power to be in line with the surface. It also has a side brush with three bristles that push hair and debris in the robot's path, but it's not as effective at as it does in picking up fine dust.
If you need both mopping and vacuum you should look for a product that offers both functions, such as the Combo j9 Plus. This robot can simultaneously vac and mop, and you can define specific vac/mop setting for each room. It's more expensive than other robot vacuums in our chart but has a camera on the front that allows for more precise mapping and a better way to avoid obstacles things like power cords and cat Poop.
Maintenance
Robot vacuums are useful however, they come at a cost. Regular maintenance is required, from emptying the dustbin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They may also get caught in cords or fall off the steps.
The best budget robot vacuums reduce these issues by requiring minimal management from the user. The top picks have navigation systems that avoid objects and keep themselves clear of hazards, such as the tangled electrical cords or dropped food items. They also use a combination of sensors to map rooms and create maps that indicate the areas they've cleaned before so they don't go over the same areas over and over repeatedly.
Don't let the cost of the higher-end models deter you. They can still do an excellent job if given a chance. A majority of our top budget choices are from top OEMs, like iRobot, Roborock and Dreame You can be confident that they've been designed with the utmost care and built to last.
If you're willing to invest more, consider mopping with a 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 roundup but the most affordable model is the TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has a sleek, uncluttered appearance, but it also has all the features and capabilities of a top rated robot vacuum. In our tests the RV30 was capable of navigating without bumping into furniture and building detailed maps of its flooring that it can refer to in future runs. It's the only budget robot we've tested that have this feature, though iRobot's Roomba offers similar capabilities for mapping, and an in-app setup that walks you through the process step-by step.
If you decide to go with an expensive robovac or a more affordable option, always remember to maintain your robot regularly. It is important to empty the dustbin and clean the filter after every cleaning session (refer to your owner's guide or the website of the manufacturer for more details). You should also replace its battery when needed, and check in on its Wi-Fi connectivity as well as app updates.