A quality robot vacuum should help you get rid of dust and pet hair with minimal effort. I tested and reviewed the best options on Amazon, and here’s my ultimate ranking.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. iRobot Roomba 694 - 90-Minute Runtime
Top-rated: 20,449 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: 3-Stage Cleaning system lifts dirt, dust and debris from carpets and hard floors.
Helpful review: "I am someone who can become overstimulated to the point of not functioning, and then let the mess get even worse. I wanted to automate even just one process of cleaning my apartment in hopes that it will help me prevent my house from falling into a depressing mess. I have the Roomba 694 and have never owned another kind or brand, so I don't know how it compares to other models. I've had the Roomba since January 26th. If my feelings change, I'll try to update my review. If you don't want to read a novel, skip to the bottom!
PROS:
- Comes with an extra filter
- Easy to set up
- Automated vacuuming that you can leave to its own devices. Really convenient.
- 1.5 hour battery life, which I rarely run out of
- It can vacuum all the way under the bed!!
- Automatically spot cleans dirty areas, or you can tell it to spot clean a dirty surface
- Easy to disassemble to clean/empty
- Goes over uneven surfaces well/has no problem with that
- Generally does a pretty good job overall.
- Cleans my hard wood, linoleum, and carpet alike.
- It's pretty good at getting cat litter up, which is awesome, cause even my regular vacuum isn't great with that!
- It ran over a cotton ball that was on the floor and dragged/smushed it into the carpet and left a white fuzzy streak. I thought "Man, that's gonna take forever to get out of there." When the robot made its way back over, it went over the cotton several times and cleaned it so well it was like it never happened.
- Doesn't really get stuck too much
- Makes a cute little song noise when it's done or docks at its home base lol. It's kinda cute (even though it's inanimate)
CONS:
- Small dust bin. It's a small vacuum, so that's a given, but you will have to empty it often. Luckily, that's easy and does not deter me from using it. Using a normal vacuum will collect probably like 5x the debris. If you don't want to empty it, maybe splurge for the self-emptying one.
- Sometimes I have to "babysit" it. It will vacuum for half an hour only to miss the hall (which is not blocked off) or one part of the room. (I assume this is due to its random algorithm). It's kind of annoying to have to pick it up, set it down where I want it, and turn it back on for another cycle.
- It's kind of loud. I know I know, it's a vacuum. But it's definitely not quiet enough for me to consider it peaceful, or even consider running it at night. If I choose to work while it's running, I have to put noise canceling airpods in with my audio playing and even then I can still hear it. You definitely wanna be awake while this is running -- don't run it while someone is sleeping or napping. It's also a little loud when it bumps into walls or doors; definitely a tough little machine that's gonna bonk around.
- When I send it home to the charge base, it will dock and I will check the app to make sure it is connected properly and is charging. However sometimes, the next day or a few days later when I go to run a cycle, it tells me the battery is dead even though I have not moved it. I don't know if my cats are knocking it or jumping on it and moving it off the plates, but it's frustrating to have to wait for it to charge again when I tried to ensure that it was charging in the first place.
- It's not great for deep cleaning. It's a round vacuum and it won't get into super tight cracks or corners. This is a good vacuum for every day, general cleaning but don't expect it to leave the place 100% spotless.
OVERALL:
Would I buy it again? Yes, absolutely.
Would I ever upgrade to a more expensive model? Yes, I think so.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes!
For a little less than $300, this robot is a good value. It helps make my life easier, both when I'm motivated or when I'm having a hard time. Honestly, the battery thing and the babysitting thing are what kept me from rating it 5 stars. All in all though, I recommend it!" — Lora Aliff
Get it from Amazon now: $274.99 & FREE Returns
2. RoboRock Q5+ - 180-Minute Runtime
Top-rated: 5,347 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Longest runtime.
Helpful review: "First, let me give you a little background. This review is coming from someone who works in the IT industry, so I'm very comfortable with technology. Features and settings that I say work great and are easy to set up may not come so easily to some. That said, I don't have extensive experience with robotic vacuums. I have used the same ole Roomba 670 for the past few years and haven't "upgraded" because, quite frankly, I was never really impressed with the technology.
Don't get me wrong, the 670 picks up great, but the pinball cleaning pattern just isn't conducive with whole-home use and made it, at least in my estimation, "good enough for the high spots". Coming from that, what I'm impressed with may not be so impressive to some. There's your context, so apply it to my product review and dissect accordingly.
SUGGESTIONS:
1) Make sure it's fully charged before doing anything. Download the app while you wait so you'll have that handy once it's time to begin setup.
2) RTFM. It's a pathetic little guide almost devoid of meaningful information but read it anyway. You may extract tidbits of info that you find useful.
3) Once ready for setup, open the app and begin the wireless connection to the robot. Some access points will recognize that the client doesn't support 5 GHz connections and isolate that band automatically, but if yours doesn't choose the 2.4 GHz connection NOT the 5 GHz.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Update the firmware immediately after setup is complete. This will ensure the latest fixes and features are available, potentially making for a much smoother experience. Access your robot in the app and open its settings. Click on "Firmware Updates" and apply if an update is available. Make sure the robot is fully charged before you start this process and don't touch anything until it is completed. The robot will announce that the update is complete, and the app will indicate that the firmware is up to date.
FINALLY! TIME TO CLEAN!
Well, not so fast! If you want to save the map generated by the robot, you'll need to enable that option in settings FIRST! I really debated on whether to share this information or let folks experience the same joy I experienced when the first cleaning was completed, and I went to edit the map. Only then did I learn this setting needed enabling. Once again, access the robot in the app and open its settings. Open "Manage Maps" > Enable "Map Saving (Beta)" > Set the number of levels in your home you'll use the robot in. Now that I've robbed you of that wonderful experience, start the robot and let it clean. Only pick it up or assist it if requested.
PROS:
1) Cleaning (Grade: A+): Suction is powerful on bare floors and the automatic carpet boost works great on runners and throw rugs. My floors are bare throughout the home with low-cut level loop style rugs scattered abroad. I cannot speak to the vacuum's performance on carpet, but I'd guess it would perform great on low and medium level loop carpets. I'm not so sure about shag or cut pile style carpeting. Thinking about how these robotic vacuums work, I'm not too sure any of them would do much more than tug at the long, thick fibers. You can manually adjust the power of this vacuum in its settings, so a little experimentation might make all the difference between great or poor performance on carpeting.
2) Pattern/Navigation (Grade: A+): The sensors on this robot are awesome and that means the software and engineering driving the robot is awesome. The robot cleans in a methodical back-and-forth pattern that overlaps just enough to ensure thorough cleaning, but not enough to amount to wasted energy. It calculates the cleaning area as it maps the surroundings, cleaning in small grids along its path. It does an excellent job of identifying objects and navigating around (or over) them. The cliff sensor works well, and the robot spends less time bumping into and getting stuck under objects, and more time cleaning the floor. It does a tremendous job at edge cleaning as well. This robot has true "smarts". Goodbye pinball wizard robot vacuum.
3) Mapping (Grade: A+): It's mind blowing to watch how quickly this thing maps the room and its surroundings. Once you have the damned setting enabled to save the maps, features such as spot cleaning, room/zone editing, and no-go zones seem to work great. I've seen several complaints about mapping, but I'd point out an important caveat to that feature and that would be the word (BETA) beside the setting. When software (or in this case a feature) is in beta, bugs are to be expected as it is rolled out. Because the mapping feature is disabled by default, enabling it means you are agreeing to the UAT (User Acceptance Testing). Sending a detailed email to Support about the bugs you are experiencing will help advance the development and push the software stable more quickly. Much more quickly than leaving a product review like "mapping sucks", "mapping is garbage", etc. Until it is stable, issues with mapping are on YOU as soon as you toggle that setting. They seem to be very actively updating and improving the software, so I expect this feature to be stabilized sooner than later. Unfortunately, testing takes the one thing we all hate to sacrifice...time.
4) Features (Grade: A+): To highlight a few: Manually adjust the vacuum power, Pin n Go (tap a spot on the map and deploy for spot cleaning), In-app Remote Control, Scheduling, Mapping, No-Go Zones, Room and Zone Editing, Cleaning History, Guided Maintenance Scheduling and Monitoring, Firmware Updates. This thing is packed!
5) Durability (Grade: A+): Of course, the true measure of durability is time, but you know how it is when you can tell you're holding and looking at a well-made product. This vacuum has that look and feel that is reassuring that it will last for a long time to come. I've also witnessed it climb in and out of a table stand with legs made of square metal tubing on multiple occasions, and had I not seen it, I'd have placed money against it being able to do so. The legs are black, so I guess it doesn't "see" them? I don't know, but it's tripping. If it were cheaply made there's no way the drive train would be stout enough to traverse that obstacle.
CONS:
1) Dust Bin (Grade: C+): The dust bin is tiny. I mean really tiny. I mean it's really, really tiny. Roborock has announced an automatic dumping dock is forthcoming, and I hope they have the good sense to make it compatible with a wide variety of their robots, because they'll make a fortune selling the things if the other models have capacities like this one. I'd buy one right now if it were available for the S4 Max. If they rush it or allow marketing to dictate the development and make it only compatible with the latest and greatest robot in a bid to push consumers to upgrade, they're going to miss out on a lot of revenue. They'll be severely underestimating my ability and willingness to push pause, dump the bin, and resume cleaning if they decide to go that route.
2) Documentation (Grade: C-): It's thin. It's so thin it's almost transparent. It is the weakest link in Roborock's chain. You can read the manual, in-app help, and every FAQ on the website and hardly glean a single thing of note. Sure, it mentions most every feature but elaborates on almost none of them. It's as if robotic vacuuming with Roborock is a delicacy that you must cook yourself, but they want you to prepare it without giving away the recipe or any of the ingredients. I have no idea why I'm bitching about it though. I've really had no need for it, but it's still true for those who do.
OVERALL:
Buy it. You'll love it if you're coming from an outdated model with a fraction of the features. I'm sure you'll appreciate all that it has to offer if you're coming from a slightly older model looking to upgrade, or crossing over from a rival brand in search of something better." — Jordan Hogg
Get it from Amazon now: $699.99 & FREE Returns
3. Lefant M210 - 120-Minute Runtime
Top-rated: 10,964 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Easy digital scheduling set-up.
Helpful review: "We purchased this robot to see if not having a roller brush would keep it from eating cords. SPOILER: no, it does not.
The dual front rotating brushes grab everything that isn't nailed down and if it is string-like it will get wound tightly around them. Because it can raise and lower itself a little it is VERY aggressive with placemats, rugs and curtains.
In no order here are the items that will "kill" this vacuum:
1. Shoelaces, even if just barely touching the floor.
2. USB cables of any kind.
3. Yarn
4. String
5. Leaves?? Really?
6. Nerf Darts
7. Confetti
8. Packing foam sheets
9. rugs that are not nailed to the floor
10. Every cat toy ever made anywhere.
11. May the Lord help you if your dog has an accident indoors; this robot will make your floors into a poop crime scene.
I had to remove the two front spinners just to get it to finish cleaning, most of the list above was with them OFF.
If you have ANY furniture that is low enough for it to get under it will try, and usually get stuck there. I swear it raises UP under my couch! It has no touch sensor at all, the front "face" is fixed in place, and so it relies on IR sensors to avoid obstacles, this is great unless the obstacle is black. It will plow into dark things over and over.
Once when the edge of a throw blanket was touching the floor down from a couch it tried to eat the whole thing. It does that with anything low hanging.
Almost every time the robot got stuck during cleaning I would get a notice that the job was successful. If it gets stuck it can run the battery out trying to escape! The "find my device" function is useless if the battery is dead.
If you pick it up at any point in the cleaning cycle it resets its temporary "map" and will probably not find its charging base.
I have to do so much prep work before it cleans that I might as well just sweep up myself.
On the plus side the App is much better than iRobots, even if it doesn't save maps. The ability to change suction power is great! The quiet mode is really great,
UPDATE:
Lefant support worked with us to get our issues resolved, this may not be a perfect product but the level of support makes it a good purchase.
ON TO MY FRIEND’S REVIEW:
All in all, I have been wanting to get a robot vacuum for a long time to just handle a chore that I frequently don't have the spoons or time for. During Prime week I had concerns that this one was as discounted as it was but figured I can always return it - so decided to get it.
I have the largest bedroom in the town home, I close my closet and bathroom door and move an object to sit In Front of my dresser, so it won't go under it (as my cat5 cable threads through that space). I push the button and leave and go to work. I come home and find it returned to its base and I dump its container.
When I first got it, it successfully vacuumed a considerable amount of dog hair that I didn't even realize was on the floor. My room consumes a full charge as the fan is set to high, so I tend to run it multiple times in a week to ensure that it has gotten everywhere.
Because the sweeper arms once bent are pretty much in that shape forever, I doubt its "deep cleaning" over a full size/power vacuum, but it does a really good job and simple enough to just run it a few times in a week.
Suction Power, I didn't feel was at 5 stars and admit it might be because of my carpet type. I just felt that it wasn't doing much unless the fan was set to High. But, I've kept it on High, and let it do its thing without issue; I just don't think that low or medium are very impactful for me.
The included batteries for the remote are next to useless but that is to be expected for included batteries. The remote isn't really intuitive and the instruction book is only kinda useful. I found it easier to simply ignore it and push the button.
I downloaded the app, as well as integrated with Alexa - but after a few attempts... it was still easier to just go and push the button.
All in all, I don't have any other robot vacuum to compare it to, but I definitely like this one and like the effort it puts in and saves me from doing. I may eventually save money for a more name brand model with bells and whistles - but this one works for me and has been working like a charm since I got it. Though I have been attempting to figure out where/how to get more of the sweeping arm things." — Michael Matrix
Get it from Amazon now: $265.99 & FREE Returns
4. Shark IQ - 90-Minute Runtime
Top-rated: 11,762 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Bagless, self-emptying base holds up to 45 days of dirt and debris.
Helpful review: "First time with a robot vac. Did research and read all reviews, pros and cons and decided this was best for price. Ran for the first time today and here are initial observations. Will update as I use it more.
1) This is not a plug and play item. I did have to spend time going around the house taping down extension cords, moving small items that can get knocked over, and marking where certain items of furniture are because apparently if an item moves from location it was at when robot mapped area it will get confused.
There were several reviews that mentioned that as an issue, so I just went ahead and marked items that tend to be moved like a coffee table, and chairs. I used little pieces of a tape called "gaffer tape" which is excellent because it holds well but doesn’t leave ANY residue when removed. Available on Amazon.
2) The model number used on amazon for this item is NOT the same as the model number on the robot. It's important because when calling tech support if you give this model # they don’t know what you’re talking about.
3) Had no problems setting up and connecting to wifi.
4) I ran it on ECO mode because some of the reviews said it was better while it’s still mapping the house -will map it faster because battery lasts longer. I HAVE PETS therefore endless hair and debris and was impressed with suction at the ECO level which is the least strong suction setting. I won’t try the other two modes until the robot finishes mapping.
5) there were a couple of areas where it got stuck but after a min or two it found its way out on its own, probably best not to help it unless it’s stuck for more time
6) it lasted 2 hrs and had to return to dock to empty itself twice (2nd time there was an issue described below. At times it seemed it wasn’t going to find its way back to dock but it did.
7) when it went through the living room it missed the area between the sofa and coffee table. However, after doing the kitchen it went back to the living room and found the missed area.
8) TWO BIG CONS: the previous model RV1000AE (apparently the one I bought is pretty new as of DEC 2020) has a SELF CLEANING BRUSH which is supposed to prevent long human hair wrap around the brush as was a feature I really wanted because this household has long haired humans , this model DOES NOT come with that. It has what they call a multi surface brush which is basically a regular bristle brush where my long hair got tangled and I had to tear it off. Big bummer.
ACCORDING to tech support one cannot buy the self cleaning brush to attach to this model. You would think Shark would make the bots so you could switch brushes if you wanted. Also, in the first 2 hr run an error message to empty the dust bin in the robot (not the base) came up. While the bot and bristle brush did a great job of scraping the pet hair off the carpet, it bunched up in the dust bin and the base was not able to suck it up the 2nd time, I had to manually empty the robot dust bin. Big bummer.
9) You need BOUNDARY STRIPS to keep the bot out of areas you don’t want. This model DOES NOT COME WITH THEM, whereas the previous model does. Chintzy move by Shark. OVERALL, I am happy with it. I hope the problem with the dust bin clogging to the point of not self emptying will resolve itself after continuous use.
I have both carpet and hardwood floors (on which I have area rugs) and it has no problem transitioning from one to the other. Even though it’s not perfect I can now have a daily vacuuming of my house without me having to do it. I have a very bad back and knees and there is no way I could vacuum every day. As the bot is not finished mapping I haven’t tried any of the APP features-scheduling or picking a specific room to clean.
I’m hoping the APP will work well because that was one of the major complaints I read in all the reviews.....the reviews I read were for the previous model because at time of purchase there was only one review for this model. As of now, worth the money.
UPDATE:
In the original review I had given it only 3 stars, now I give it 5. One of the CONS mentioned previously seems to have resolved, running it every day means less pet hair and debris so the dust bin has not clogged again. I still have to check brush for tangled human hair and rip/cut it off but I have to do that with normal vacs so I can live with it. The bot finished mapping house after 4.6 hrs of running (a lot faster than what reviews had complained about).
Important - it is best to have the “CHARGE N RESUME feature on, while mapping a big house. Mine is 1900 sq ft, so it completes the map faster. This feature does not mean the bot will re-start vacuuming after it charges, it just means it will resume in the area where it stopped. Final floor plan was pretty darn accurate (a lot of negative reviews about the mapping being inaccurate), and I also found it relatively easy to create rooms. Have an iPhone 11, so I don’t know if the type of phone was the issue for those who complained about difficulty with the feature.
I do wish there was an option to create CUSTOM room labels. When creating rooms I found it’s best to zoom the floor plan when creating room lines, otherwise the named room may not correspond exactly to the actual room. This feature is a must because the bot only completes 80% of the house on ONE charge. Then you have to wait 3 hrs, so if you don’t want to wait that long to get a specific room done ....... The actual run time on ECO mode is approx 1hr 40mins. Not 2 hrs as previously stated, and the charge time is approx 3 hrs.
The dust bin gets emptied at least once during that time. Many times the bot seems to be lost- it will do 1/2 the living room then go to the bedroom then go back to the missed area in living.. not a big deal as it gets it done.
Boundary strips - don’t know yet if the NO GO ZONE feature in APP can replace the use of strips- for big areas maybe, but I have strips around pet water bowl and I don’t think I can make that a no go zone so I don’t have to have the strips. Will experiment with that feature as I’m not thrilled about having boundary strips in certain areas. My silly dog was initially scared of the strips and wouldn’t walk over them to get to her bed. Dog doesn’t love the bot, she's a scaredy-cat so she goes outside when in use... it only took the cat 2 runs of the bot before she realized it’s harmless... I hope to see her riding it some day :-)
I am still impressed about the amount of stuff this thing is sucking up on ECO mode, and it is not overly noisy. I can only assume the other 2 modes are suction beasts but probably a lot noisier and drain battery faster. Though not perfect, if one is willing to spend the time setting up and understanding its quirks, it is definitely worth the $$$... I’m very happy." — Kay J Martin
Get it from Amazon now: $379.99 & FREE Returns
5. iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO - 75-Minute Runtime
Top-rated: 16,864 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Empties itself for up to 60 days.
Helpful review: "I always thought these were gimmicky. But I got one for Christmas and liked it so much I bought 2 more. I have all hard flooring, no carpets, and 2 dogs, a cat, and two birds that all contribute to mess. So I had to sweep everyday or I'd get those pet-hair tumbleweeds blowing around. Having to sweep all the time I get lazy and let it go; or when I do it I spend an hour or 2 sweeping or vacuuming.
These robots save me hours of time and get the job done better because they are relentless. I set them on a schedule and they do it everyday completely. I have one robot that I manually have to empty the cup everyday. He's in the bedroom, since I'm in that room every day. That's convenient enough and only takes 2 minutes. I bought an i3+ and an i4+, they self empty and I have to change the bag about once every 2-4 months. I don't mind the cost of the vacuum bags because they give me so many hours of my time back.
The first one I got is the little guy. The little guy's name is Finigan. Finigan isn't too smart. He vacuums in a random pattern. I started with him in the main part of the house. He did a great job but his battery usually ran out before he considered himself done. So the space is a bit more than he likes. He did a great job though. But I loved it so much I got more to cover the whole house and moved him to the smaller bedroom area.
In the bedroom suite (bedroom + bathroom~350 sq ft), he spends about 45 minutes zipping around to cover everything. When his battery is low he docks himself. I have to empty his cup everyday. At first his cup was usually about 3/4 full to full. The first day it filled and he stopped. I had to empty it and restart him. After a few months of daily vacuuming, the cup is about 1/4 full each day. So I switched him to a MWF schedule. He's still about 1/4 to 1/2 full each use. He even goes under the bed and keeps that clean. It's really great.
The i3+ is Dixie. Dixie does the downstairs. Dixie is smart. She goes in straight line patterns and covers the entire space using a very planned straight line methodical routine. The first day she poked around learning. It was about 1.5 hours. After that, the entire job was planned out and she did the whole thing in about 45 minutes. She has no problem when certain doors are opened vs closed. When it's open, she goes in and vacuums. If it's closed, she skips it. Her cleaning time varies from about 45 minutes to 1hr 15 minutes depending on whether the extra rooms are included (doors open vs closed).
She drives back to her base when done and docks. And the base sucks out what she collected. I love the base, it means I do not have to tend to her everyday. I actually only need to change the bag about every 3-4 months.
There's not a lot going on downstairs. The litter box is there and so the cat pays visits. But we aren't down there daily tracking things around. Thanks to Dixie, there's no fur balls, hair-tumbleweeds, dust, or dirt. Always a nice clean floor. It's awesome. Her map in the app shows where she found 'extra' dirt. Usually right in front of the litter box. It's so awesome not having to sweep up litter daily. I have her on a MWF schedule too and that is more than enough to keep the place clean.
I recently got Nick, an i4+ for the upstairs. He's quieter. He's like Dixie in planning and map reporting, so he's smart. It's very cool. He also gets the job done quickly. First day was like 1.5 hours learning. Now he's done in 50 minutes. The base sucks everything out so I don't have to tend to him as much as Finigan. He's in the main part of the house and it gets the most dirty. The dogs spend all their time here. The cat is up here most of the time. And we have two birds who send seeds everywhere. It's amazing how far from the cage those birds can flick seeds. And their feathers and drift everywhere too. Nick takes care of all that.
I do need to manually get under the couch and behind and under furniture which I do once every month or so. But this robot is awesome. Saves me the day in and day out sweeping and vacuuming.
Having robots spend 3+ robot labor hours each day vacuuming is an awesome human labor saver. Once they've hit the whole house for a month or two I'm able to step them back to MWF schedules. Their brushes do a great job in the corners, better than me sweeping or vacuuming; mostly because they hit those corners every day and spend the time swirling that brush to work on it.
That constant day-in day-out effort pays off over time. I really can't imagine going back to manually doing this. I look back at the hours I spent doing it thinking that it was Neanderthal days. I look forward to telling my grand kids how I used to walk to school uphill in the snow everyday, dial rotary phones, select music off of CD's I had to manually put into a machine, and now, that I spent hours sweeping the floors in the good old days." — Robert Jordan
Get it from Amazon now: $399.99 & FREE Returns
6. ILIFE V3s Pro - 100-Minute Runtime
Top-rated: 23,941 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Starts cleaning by remote or one-button touch.
Helpful review: "I have had my robot friend, Simon, for a week. First impressions upon opening the box was an “Oooo Aahhh”. The directions said to let your new robot friend charge overnight before first use, but of course, I ran him around immediately to just see how he works! He worked for about ten minutes. I couldn’t figure out how to get him to his home (charging station), but it turns out, he can find his own way home just fine. I recommend that you do take a few minutes to read the directions and familiarize yourself with the remote.
It took about 4 hours or so for Simon to fully charge, then I turned him loose. Let me just say, I thought my floors were clean, or, at least, pretty clean. As it turns out, they were not. They were not clean at all. Simon has picked up so much fur, dirt, dust, it’s unbelievable. My floors have literally never looked better! They are CLEAN. For real cleanliness. I’ve always had a hard time cleaning under the bed, but now I don’t have to worry about it at all, because my robot friend takes care of it.
I have all hardwood floors and tile. I also have a few throw rugs, some thick, some thin. Simon does a perfect job on the floors, and has no problems navigating over the throw rugs (though he might turn up a corner, but he will run back over it and still get it clean). I don’t think your robot friend would work very well if you have a lot of or mostly carpet. If you have hardwood or mostly hardwood, you will love your new robot friend.
Simon mostly gets from room to room okay – the “up” entry points he cannot do on his own. For example, he cannot get over the hump into my kitchen, but he can get down the hump. He also cannot get over the hump to get in the bathrooms. This is actually fine for me, because I prefer to control when he goes into the kitchen (so that I can shake off the rugs and/or pick up the cat food and water bowls and any shoes or other things that might be on the floor). I just put a bar stool in his way to keep him from exiting the kitchen when it’s time for him to clean in the kitchen.
Simon will clean for about 3 or 3.5 hours. He does not have a “plan” so to speak, not like a person would say go from corner to the center of the room, but he is still very thorough, and obviously, his plan is way better than mine since my floors are so much cleaner than they ever were when I was in charge.
My advice is to just trust the process and let your robot friend find his way around on his own! Just make sure that you pick up any cords, especially small cords like phone charging cords, and shoe laces or the like, so that he doesn’t accidentally grab onto something he shouldn’t. Simon also has sensors so that when he comes to a piece of furniture or a wall, he will slow down so as to gently bump it before he turns off into a new direction. I have also noticed that if he comes into contact with a chair or table leg, he will often go in a circle all the way around the leg to clean around it.
Once your robot friend is done doing your dirty work for you, he will go back home on his own. If your robot friend cannot find his way home, you may not have provided him enough space. Is that any way to treat your new best friend? Make sure that he has several feet of clear space in front of his charging station, and that there are a few feet of clear space on the sides of the charging station as well. Also, make sure to empty out his dustbin after every use.
One of the fortunate side effects of having my new robot-friend is the “give a mouse a cookie” effect it seems to have had. Give a person a clean floor, and the person may say oh, it looks so clean in here, let me pick up this shirt and put it away. The person then notices that the bathroom trash can is full; since the floors look so nice, the bathroom should be clean, too *cleans bathroom*, and so on.
The only thing about my new robot friend, which isn’t enough to bother me at all, is that he is, well, he’s not super loud, but he’s not very quiet either. So, if you are watching tv, you may need to turn it up just a bit if you are running your robot friend while you’re at home. Well worth it for the service he provides, though.
Overall, I do recommend this little robot. I am very pleased with this purchase. If you’re in the market for a robot floor cleaning wizard, don’t hesitate to click that Buy Now button." — D. Randle
Get it from Amazon now: $159.99 & FREE Returns
7. OKP Life K2 - 100-Minute Runtime
Top-rated: 14,199 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: 4 clean modes: Auto clean, Spot clean, Wall Follow clean, Manual clean.
Helpful review: "Decent vacuum but it does have some caveats. For the price, I didn't expect it to do too much. I saw a lot of reviews that complained about it not picking up stuff on the carpet. This model is meant for hardwood flooring only and maybe an extremely flat rug but other than that it's pretty basic. It has a suction port. No brush so it won't pick up anything from the carpet. It's fine for my use as I only have carpet in one room.
It took around 30 minutes to set up because it couldn't connect to my wi-fi for whatever reason. I ended up having to completely reset it to get it to find my wi-fi. It worked fine after that. For my 790 sq ft home, the cleaning cycle took about 40 minutes. The areas it cleaned in those 40 minutes were the kitchen, dining room, living room, hallway and bathroom. It doesn't seem to go in any particular order. It kind of bounces around in an area until it feels like it's cleaned the whole area then it moves to the next area.
It picks up well, but you have to make sure you have all cords and shoes put away because the vacuum will suck those right up. It did get stuck a few times and it mostly was able to get itself out from the area it was stuck in. I had to rescue it twice so far. Once from underneath the couch and once under the lamp as it happened to jump up onto a pile of cords. It actually beeps a few times to tell you it needs to be rescued. That's a pretty decent feature.
One feature I do have an issue with is once it's done with the cleaning cycle, it has a hard time finding its charging base. The instructions state that if you move the base during the cleaning cycle or start the robot from an area other than the charging station, the robot will have a hard time finding the base. I don't find this to be true because my robot has started every cleaning cycle from the base and when the cleaning cycle ends, the vacuum goes everywhere but to its base.
Sometimes it takes it a while to get docked if it finishes in another room or sometimes even nearby. It roams around lost for 10 minutes before docking itself or me self docking it. I'm not sure what the trick is to get it to dock in its place every time.
Other than that, for the price, it's decent. It's a decent vacuum to have in between cleaning. Most certainly it's not a replacement for a full size vacuum." — Ariel Gardner
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8. Shark AI Ultra - 120-Minute Runtime
Top-rated: 5,248 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: 360° LiDAR vision quickly and accurately maps your home so your robot can methodically clean, detecting and avoiding objects in its path, day or night, adapting to everyday changes in the home.
Helpful review: "This robot vacuum is awesome and worth every penny. Highly recommend this vacuum to everyone, my wife agrees! Happy wife, happy life! Might buy another for my upstairs. For a robot vacuum, it does what I expect and makes my life easier.
- I don't make it pick up large debris, robot vacuums seem to perform best with small debris.
- Large debris may get stuck or caught. Lidar works phenomenally, but with some hiccups when mapping houses (mostly human error).
- Routing around obstacles works well, slows around objects and if anything is bumped it's so light and cushioned, it's not a problem.
5 stars overall. 4 stars for deep cleaning and suction leaving room for improvement. It's a robot vacuum after all, what do you expect? Probably has Alexa integration, but I use Google assistant and it works great!
I waited some time to let the excitement die a little before posting a review, but it never really did. This is my first robot vacuum and one of the best purchase decisions I have made this year. When researching for the right robot vacuum, I found that most of the highly rated vacuums don't seem to make it past 6 months or a year. Also, manufacturers seem to make new models every year, so finding something that is reliable and lasts longer than this timeframe is hard to find. Of course, I am only into my 5th month of owning this vacuum.
When I broke the vacuum out of the box, my first inclination was to take it out and get it started. But thinking about the other reviews I have read on this vacuum and others like it, I wanted to read the instructions first.
This is not a regular vacuum that you plug in and push. It has lots of little parts that make it different and potentially not taking care of it properly could damage the device. So anybody reading this, read the instructions first. Understand how to properly take care of it and clean it. Also, compared to other reviews, clean it regularly.
ON TO MY LONGER REVIEW:
- Is it quiet? Yes and no. It is a robot vacuum, how loud do you expect it to be? You're not doing the work, but it is. It is quieter than a regular vacuum, but no idea how quiet other robot vacuums are. If a robot vacuum is loud or quiet, who cares? What matters is that it can clean stuff.
- Can you watch tv while it runs? Yes you can watch tv. Just turn up the volume a little, no need to blast it like when running a normal push vacuum.
- Can it pick up everything? No, it's a robot vacuum. Don't put too much trust in it. What I typically do is remove all obstacles (cords, bags, blankets) from the ground and any larger debris that might get caught in the motors (cotton balls left from the dog, pieces left behind from chewed up toys, strings from rope toys).
- Dog hair? My dog constantly sheds, but has short hair. I run it twice per week on thin carpet and once per week on hard floors. I don't notice the dog hair until I see what the vacuum picked up and it does a great job! The majority of stuff this picks up is dog hair, and a lot of it. For longer haired dogs or thicker haired dogs, I assume this will get the job done as long human hair doesn't get stuck at all like my regular vacuum does.
- Small leaves? It picks up small leaves and debris of similar size, but may leave some behind. It also might get caught in spinning brushes and make a slightly louder noise on hard floors. I waited for it to finish and then pulled the leaf out, no harm.
- Dog kibble? Ok this one was an accident. I didn't see it against the brown colored floor before starting the vacuum. Sounded like the robot was choking and about to die, literally. I had to stop it right away and retrieve the small rock sized (width of thumbnail) dog food from the vacuum.
- Can you run it when away from home? I read too many horror stories of vacuums cleaning pet poop, but it is not the reason I don't start it when I'm not home. Like the last two points, if something gets caught, you need to be there to fish it out. I may have spot checked the floor, but even that sometimes isn't good enough. Also, one time a week or two ago, it finally got confused and couldn't move past a futon leg. It kept spinning back and forth (maybe for 5 minutes) until I nudged the futon half an inch, then it broke free of its endless loop. This was the only time this ever happened since I got it. Every other time it does an excellent job of finding its way through, even finding its way through a jungle of table and chair legs.
- Lidar mapping floorplan? Simply amazing! I had it map 4 different rooms. The first time was great, but missed a few minor areas, of which was my fault. I left things on the floor and in the way of the robot when it mapped the floorplan. The second time, I removed the obstacles, but it didn't map another room properly. The third time, I removed a chair, which the robot vacuum had just enough clearance to fit under (1st time it went under, 2nd time it did not), so that it can map that area of the carpet and not count it as a wall.
- Lidar in general? It works great to avoid obstacles and get around legs of any sort. Only thing is if the leg is curved, like my kitchen table, it doesn't know when to properly maneuver around it. But no worries! The bumper is amazing! It lightly bumps into obstacles and the vacuum does a minor adjustment to figure out how to go around it.
- Damaging furniture? Nope! Doesn't happen. The robot is so careful around obstacles and even when it does bump something, it only lightly bumps it and doesn't scratch or anything. When it approaches obstacles (walls or furniture) it moves at a slower pace. This thing is intelligent.
- Suction? For a robot vacuum, it does everything it needs to and does it very well. There are different levels for suction in the app, I have only needed to use the normal section. The max suction I have never needed to use, but it is an option if things get too out of hand. There is also an ultra clean option, not tried it, but think it just spends more time going over stuff. If I ever try the ultra clean option, maybe I need to change the deep clean star to a 5, but I'm making the assumption that it will never perform as well as a normal vacuum.
- Battery? I run two rooms per day I run it, but sometimes do all 4 rooms when I forget to run it. It lasts easily to finish all 4 rooms with charge left over. I'm guessing the lowest percentage of battery life was 35% or 40% after doing all 4, this is a wild guess though, could've been higher. For 2 rooms it's usually at 60% after it's done, that I know for sure.
- Emptying? It has a bin that it empties into. If the robot either runs for too long (or not sure if it senses if it is full of junk) it may return to the docking station to empty itself. This system works great, but the bin needs to be cleaned out occasionally. There is also a filter in the bin system that needs to be cleaned, just like regular vacuums may have.
- App? No issues running it on my Android. Can select rooms and see the layout easily. Drawing rooms works great as well!
RATING:
I give it 5 stars because as it is a robot vacuum, it meets all of my expectations. 4 stars on deep cleaning and suction because it isn't perfect, but is excellent as a robot vacuum. I haven't used my regular vacuum in the areas that this one runs because it seems to do such a great job. Integration with Google works great! I don't use Alexa with this one. Again, this is one of the best purchases I made this year. Definitely recommend this vacuum to everyone. Don't spend $1k on something else." — Brandon Weathermon
Get it from Amazon now: $549.99 & FREE Returns