A quality robot vacuum should help you get rid of dust and pet hair with minimal effort. I tested 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 Combo i5+ - 180-Minute Runtime
Highlight: Empties itself.
Helpful review: I never thought I’d be the person to own one of these but alas, I hit thirty and I guess I’m an adult now. And well, look at that, I loved it so much, I bought an extra one lol. I have a small farm of dogs and cats, and knew I needed some help with cleaning.
These things are life savers, mainly because they’re time savers, and I now have so much free time to do things that matter to me, other than just sweeping pet hair all the time. I can set it on a schedule and then just let it do its job.
The one I keep in my bedroom, I have to empty manually, and it takes like two minutes to do it, no biggie at all. I got the i3+ as my second one and it self empties, which is freaking awesome.
There’s definitely a difference between the two. The one I keep in the bedroom is kind of aimless, but the i3+ is so freaking smart. She has a pattern and a method to how she cleans and only took about an hour and a half of moving around the area to figure out where she was going. She can take anywhere from forty five minute to an hour and a quarter to clean, and she does such a good job. Yes, she’s a she :).
Then she just drives straight back to her base and empties herself into the bin and then she’s good to go. She knows where to go because of the map, and she even picks up cat litter!
I have to get under the couch manually, but honestly not a big deal at all, and I only have to do that like every other month, but some people might want to do it more if they like the house extra clean. You can set a pretty solid schedule and it works well. I love it so much, I can’t say that enough! — Robert Jordan
Get it from Amazon now: $549.99 & FREE Returns
2. RoboRock Q5+ - 180-Minute Runtime
Highlight: Extended run time ensures extra cleaning.
Helpful review: I work in IT, so I have a pretty good grasp on how technology works. Settings and features are awesome, but it’s not super intuitive if you aren’t tech savvy.
SUGGESTIONS:
– Double check that it has a full charge before getting started.
– Before set up begins, download the app first.
– Instruction manual is pretty bland, but still helpful to read.
– When setup is ready, all you have to do is open the app to start the the wireless connection, but if yours doesn’t support 5GHz, make sure you pick 2.4GHz.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
– After set up is done, make sure you update the firmware.
– Open the app and go to settings; go to ‘Firmware Updates’ and check it if there is an update ready.
– Again, double check that the robot has a full charge, and it will tell you when the update is complete.
FINALLY! TIME TO CLEAN!
Almost! The robot generates a map, so to save it, you’ll need to go into settings and enable that first. In the settings, go to manage maps, hit enable, then map Saving, (it will say beta). And from there you can program the levels in your home. Now your robot is ready to clean! You’ll only need to move it if it asks.
PROS:
– Cleaning (5 stars): Suction is strong on both hardwood and carpet, throw rugs, and runners. I love that you can change the vacuum’s power in the settings, and this helps making a difference when it comes to the overall performance.
– Pattern/Navigation (5 stars): The robot sensors are great, meaning the engineering and software is too. Its pattern goes back and forth in an overlapping pattern that ensures really great cleaning, without wasting energy. It has zero issues spotting objects and moving around them. The Cliff sensor is great, and the robot doesn’t bump into things or get stuck under stuff, meaning it has more time to clean the floor. You can tell it's actually a smart robot.
– Mapping (5 stars): It can map the room so easily once you get the settings enabled to save the map of your room. Without that, it’s going to be difficult. You can play around with features like room or zone editing, spot cleaning, and even add no go zones. Keep in mind that this is in the BETA stage and bugs happen, and because you have to enable it, you’re essentially agreeing to a user acceptance testing. In other words, instead of complaining about it not working, send in an email and help explain how it can be better. It’s essentially what you’re agreeing to with this thing.
– Features (5 stars): You can manually adjust the power, you can have it go out for spot cleaning by clicking a spot on the map, you can control with a remote, schedule things, map your area, add a no go zone, look up cleaning history, access updates, and make schedules. Really endless!
– Durability (5 stars): Time will tell, but so far, you can tell that this thing is a beast and one that is likely to last! Drive train looks strong and durable
CONS:
– Dust Bin (3 stars): Tiny dust bin is tiny. Very, very tiny. They said eventually there’s gonna be an automatic dumping dock, and thank god, because at this point, I’m changing this thing way too often. Personally, I feel like automatic dumpsters should be the standards for these things.
– Documentation (3 stars): Lacking. Not much elaboration on what the machine can do.
OVERALL:
Just do it. You won’t regret it. This thing is a life changer! I'm not kidding. It's not cheap. I mean you can find less expensive options, but this toy really does an unbelievable job. I'm serious. My best friend got one and she's just as satisfied as I am. I might get a second one if they lower the price. — Jordan Hogg
Get it from Amazon now: $699.99 & FREE Returns
3. Shark IQ - 90-Minute Runtime
Highlight: Self empties into a compartment that holds up to forty five days of debris.
Helpful review: First time robot user here. I'm pretty satisfied with it. It works well and it's really nice-looking. I've been using it for a while, and this is what I have to say:
– Lots of prep work to get this going. You’ll need to tape stuff down, and move smaller items that could get in the way.
– Model number is different from the one listed on Amazon which is a pain when dealing with tech support.
– Set up and connection to WI-FI was easy.
– ECO mode means that battery lasts longer which is better for mapping.
– Can get stuck, but often unstuck itself.
– Over two hours it docked itself twice.
– Missed a few areas first time around, but ended up going back and doing it again
THREE BIG CONS:
– RV1000AE, my previous model, had a self cleaning brush which stops hair from wrapping around it, and this model doesn’t have that, which I thought it did. The multi service brush isn’t the same thing.
– Furthermore, the self cleaning brush can’t be attached separately to this model. Without this, I had to manually empty the dustbin a few times because all the hair got bunched up.
– You’re also going to need boundary strips to delineate the area of where the robot should and shouldn’t go. And they’re not included. LAME.
Yeah, I’m happy with it, but there are problems, and I feel like there shouldn’t have been.
UPDATE:
Originally, I gave this three stars, but now I’m changing it to 5. Why? Well, running it daily means less pet hair, and the dust bin isn’t getting so full and tangled. It also finished the mapping of my house in under five hours, which was faster than other reviews had said. Make sure you put the ‘charge and resume’ feature on, especially when you’re mapping the house, so that way it can recharge and go back to redoing it. I’m not sure yet if the no go zone in the app is going to be a good enough alternative for the boundary strips, but I’m still going to play around with that. It’s really sucking up so much stuff, even when it’s in ECO mode, and it’s not that noisy either. The other modes are just louder and go through more battery faster. It still is worth it to me. — Kay J. Martin
Get it from Amazon now: $372.00 & FREE Returns
4. iRobot Roomba 694 - 90-Minute Runtime
Highlight: Three stage cleaning process removes debris, dust, and dirt.
Helpful review: I get overstimulated really easy! And when that happens, I kind of just buckle down and sit in my mess, not wanting to clean anything at my home, even though I know it will make me feel better. I knew I needed a solution to make my life easier, and to clear out my mental health some, and so I decided to finally invest in this Roomba. After six months of using this thing, I feel like I can finally give a fair review.
PROS:
- Extra filter included.
- Effortless set up.
- Automatic vacuum with a mind of its own!
- Convenience.
- Hour and a half of battery life.
- Fits under my bed.
- Can spot clean on its own or under instruction.
- No hassle to take apart to clean.
- Effortlessly goes over uneven surfaces.
- Great cleaning across hard wood, carpet, and linoleum.
- Even vacuums cat litter.
- Rarely gets stuck.
- Sings when it goes back to its home base so you know where it is.
CONS:
- Dust bin is on the smaller side, meaning you’ll have to empty it frequently.
- Occasionally need to babysit it to make sure it gets everything I need cleaned.
- On the louder side. I work remote so it can be challenging having it running while I’m working, and definitely would not want to run this while I’m asleep.
- Battery occasionally dies even though it’s on charger; essentially it’s getting knocked off the base.
-Designed for surface cleaning and not deep cleaning in cracks or corners.
OVERALL:
Without a question, I would buy this thing again, hands down. But I think I would still update to a more pricier model. I’ve definitely recommended it to everyone I love. For under three hundred bucks, it’s a steal if you ask me, but the babysitting and the battery stop me from giving it a full five stars. — Lora Macgregor
Get it from Amazon now: $274.99 & FREE Returns
5. Lefant M210 - 120-Minute Runtime
Highlight: Schedule is effortless and digital.
Helpful review: I hoped that this thing would stop eating cords if it didn’t have a brush. Negative. Still ate the cords. But I wanted to write a longer review anyways. The two rotating brushes in the front eat everything that isn't nailed down. Especially those string like materials. Here’s some stuff it will eat, that will likely kill it:
– Shoelaces
– Yarn
– All the string
– Leaves
– Hair ties
– USB cables
– Rugs that aren’t nailed down
– Every toy my cat has
– Dog poop
It will also slide under your couch, and then raise up, essentially getting stuck. gets stuck under your furniture. I’m fairly certain it lacks a touch sensor. Has even eaten my throw blankets, and even tried to eat my low hanging vine of my plants.
If the battery dies, you can’t use the find device option, so it's pointless lol. And don’t you dare pick it up during a cleaning cycle, or else you’re going to reset the map and forget where its charging base is. The prep work is not worth it. I’m cleaning for the cleaner at this point.
Maybe the one pro is that the app is pretty good, even though it forgets to save the maps. I like that I can change the suction power, and it’s the quiet mode is a nice touch. But as you can see, it needs a lot of improvements.
UPDATE:
Lefant reached out and offered amazing support to help resolve a lot of these issues. It’s not perfect, but the customer support is really helpful.
ON TO JACKIE ROBERTS' REVIEW:
I’ve needed help with my chores for a while, and being single, I said why not. It was on sale during Prime Day. All I have to do is push the buttons and leave for work and when I come home, I toss out what is in the container and then I’m good to go. I didn’t even know how much dog hair I had on the floor until I saw how much this picked up! It does a great job running it a few times a week, and while the suction power wasn’t a full five stars, I think it was more my carpet that was the issue. The batteries are kind of useless, and though the remote is hard to figure out, the manual helped, but really the app is what I liked best. I don’t have much to compare this to, but honestly I like it and think it’s worth it. — Michael Merrick
Get it from Amazon now: $199.99 & FREE Returns
6. ILIFE V3s Pro - 100-Minute Runtime
Highlight: Starts cleaning either with the remote or with the touch of a button.
Helpful review: It’s only been a week and a half since I’ve met my new robot friend Laurel, but man, am I happy! Felt like Christmas morning when I unwrapped this thing! I did follow the directions that said to charge Laurel overnight before testing them out, and despite my excitement, I did that! Only after I tested him out first haha. I had to at least see how he worked! Even without a full battery, it was still so freaking cool.
It was also so cool that Laurel knew how to get back to his little home charging station all on his own. It’s probably a good idea to review the instruction manual to get comfortable with how to use the remote first. I’m glad I spent the time to figure that out because it was a little tricky.
Definitely read the directions, first. You’ll thank me later.
Laurel charged in about four hours and then I released him to the world, and woweeee! Turns out that the floors I thought I kept clean, are in fact, not lol. There’s so many spots and crevasses where dirt, dust, even fur can accumulate.
After one trip around the ol’ abode, my floors are shiny and spotless. Squeaky clean if you will. And now my back is thanking me. I used to have to clean under the bed and it was a whole pain in my butt, and now I don’t have to even think twice about that. Mr. Roboto Laurel does it for me! I know a lot of people hate robots, but if they’re making my life easier, I’m all for it!
I have a combo of hardwood, tile, and then use a variety of throw rugs over everything for decorations, and believe it or not, Laurel has no issue cleaning all of these! Now, that being said, I don’t think these things are designed purely to clean carpet. They’re definitely better on wood or tile than rugs, but I would say it still does a pretty fair job on the rugs.
There are some humps and bumps that Laurel can’t climb over, and honestly I don’t mind, because I like being able to pick up things like the dog water bowls to make it easier so Laurel doesn’t bump into anything.
I’d say it takes under three and half hours to clean my house, sometimes closer to three. He sometimes goes back over the same spots, but honestly I kind of like it, cause I think it makes sure everything is covered. Really if I have any advice, just believe in your friend. They know what they’re doing. However, organizing things in advance is never a bad idea. I would definitely recommend picking up all those leftover chords, cat toys, hair ties–you get the idea.
Laurel’s sensors slow him down as he’s approaching furniture so he won’t bump into anything super hard. After he’s done cleaning, he goes back to his home base, and my only real advice for that is to make sure that you keep a few feet of space clear around the charging spot–oh, and definitely clear out that dustbin after every use.
I find that having this thing do most of the work for me, lets me clean more in general. I kind of have to pick up after myself to begin with, so overall, it’s just made me cleaner. I will warn ya–Laurel isn’t super loud, but he’s also not silent either. You’re going to hear him. But that doesn’t bother me! I’ve come to associate the sound with a clean house, and what more can you ask for? Yep, so there you have it. Love my new friend Laurel, and I’ll take a hunch and guess that you will too! — D. Randle
Get it from Amazon now: $159.99 & FREE Returns
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