How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robotic vacuum is a steal. Beware of the maintenance costs that could be more than expected: tangles in brushes, air inlets that are blocked and emptying dust bins will quickly make your automatic cleaning dream into a burden.
For a lot of people, the best budget robot is the iRobot J7 Combo. It provides the exact hands-off experience for a fraction of the price.
Suction Power
Certain models that are priced at this level have sufficient suction for basic vacuuming, however others might require a bit of assistance from a handheld nozzle to get deep into crevices and cracks. If you live in a house with mostly hard floors, a budget robot vacuum is likely to do the trick. However, if the floors are an assortment of surfaces and there are rug, or have pets that shed, a more capable model will give you the best results for your cost.
Certain models that are priced lower come with mopping features and water tanks, which increase their capabilities. The newer Dyson R7050C for instance, has very good scores in CR's tests of navigation and a large 770ml bin, but it's louder than a lot of the other robots we've tested and does not have mopping capabilities. The smaller Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro, by contrast, is relatively quiet and has an automatic emptying dock. It has a water reservoir with a suction capacity of 5,500-pascals as well as a large bin you can fill with cleaning solutions to make it more effective. You can operate the Q5 Pro via the smart app to vac or mop in a room, a sequence of rooms or an area, and you can set no-go zones and customise suction and mopping settings for different rooms.
The Shark ION is a good choice for those looking for something that is affordable, simple and reliable. It's not as advanced as some of the other models we test that have a simple app and basic mapping capabilities, but it has solid navigation and cleaning abilities. It's also one of few robots that discern between hard flooring and carpets. automatic vacuum is only emptied once every 30 days.
Consider some of the premium models within this price range If you're looking for something more sophisticated that can vacuum, mop, and create maps to help you avoid obstacles. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 are extremely powerful suction power, clever combs for pet hair and other fine dirt, as well as 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 budget robot vacuum cleaner can be just as effective as expensive models, as long as it is able to maneuver through your home and avoid obstacles. To determine navigation efficiency our lab technicians installed a tracking device to observe a robot's move through a multiroom test house and assess its ability to identify the areas it has to clean in a specific amount of time frame, while avoiding hazards such as power cords, rugs and furniture. We also analyze how fast a robot can travel over a variety of household terrain including stairways as well as transitions between different types of floors.
The most affordable robot vacuums have efficient navigation systems that help to clean up a room without wasting time, running into obstacles or getting stuck. Most feature mapping capabilities, which are crucial for full-house cleaning. Even budget models without mapping can cover a room efficiently. It's important to weigh the cost of your device with the features that you need.
We also consider how easy it is for robots to overcome thresholds in the home, for example the thresholds of a door sill and the heights of a sofa. A budget-friendly robot should be able to pass through these obstacles, and some come with settings that alter the suction power based on the type of floor. We also look at whether the robot is compatible with smart home technology and is able to be controlled remotely through an app or voice command.
The iLife V3s Pro is a fantastic example of a robot that is budget-friendly that provides basic mapping capabilities as well as intelligent features. It's also quite affordable. It is controlled by the iRobot app, and has an auto-return feature that returns it back to its base once the battery is exhausted and then picks up where it left off.
The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance found on numerous premium robots, however it has live cameras that send an unreliable video feed to your phone so you can watch the robot as it performs. The cameras can also spot stairs and other obstacles and trigger an alert when the robot encounters them. However the iLife employs random navigation rather than a method designed to avoid objects stuck to furniture legs, therefore it may not be able to maneuver around a leg of a chair or another tight spot as easily as a robot with mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
When you're searching for a robot vacuum it is important to balance price with performance. Budget models may not feature advanced features such as mapping however, you can find some that excel at cleaning your home. It is important to be aware of the dimensions of the dustbins on robots and the amount of dirt it can hold prior to needing to empty it. You'll need enough room to accommodate all the trash that robots collect, including hair dirt, pet dander.
You'll also want a robot vacuum that is able to remove staining from carpets. We test every model on the ZDNET chart to determine if it can remove hair and dirt from carpet. The most effective models have a brush that digs into fibers to pull out dirt.
Most budget models do well in removing messes from plain floors and in low-pile carpet However, they struggle to get rid of larger pieces of debris and pet hair from higher-pile carpets. These models typically have less suction however they can be effective at cleaning up debris from tight places like corners and underneath furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro vacuum cleaner is the best vacuum for its price. It has a high rating in our tests, and it is able to remove hairs and dirt from carpets. It's also among the quieter models we test and is user-friendly. It has tiny suction openings that scoops debris rather than pushing it through the bar, and it can adjust power to be in line with the surface. It comes with a sidebrush that has 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 both vacuum and mop functions, like the Combo j9 Plus. The robot can vacuum and mop simultaneously and you can also customize the settings for each room. It's more expensive than other robot vacuums we have in our chart but has a camera on the front that allows for more precise mapping, and better obstacle avoidance for things like power cords or cat urine.
Maintenance
Robot vacuums are useful however, they come at costs. Regular maintenance is essential to empty the dustbin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also get caught in cords or drop off the stairs, which is why they need to be monitored attentively.
The best budget robot vacuums reduce these issues by requiring only minimal supervision from the user. The top models come with navigation systems that avoid objects and stay clear of hazards, such as strangling electrical cords and dropping food. Sensors are used to map rooms and create maps that tell them where they have already cleaned.
Don't let the cost of the more expensive models deter you from buying. They are still able to do a fantastic job if given a chance. Many of our top picks for budget are made by top OEMs such as iRobot, Roborock and Dreame and you can be sure that they've been created with the utmost care and are built to last.
Think about a robotic mopping machine if you are willing to pay more. They can use a moist cloth over floors to scrub them clean and remove stubborn stains and can be used with a specialized mop pad for difficult jobs such as dried coffee.
The TP Link Tapo RV30 plus is the most affordable mopping robot in our roundup. It has a neat minimalist design, and it also has all the features and capabilities of a top-rated robotvac. In our tests, the RV30 was able to navigate without hitting furniture, and also create detailed floor plans that it can reference on future runs. It's the only budget robot we've tested to have this feature, though iRobot's Roomba has similar mapping capabilities with an in-app setup that walks you through the process step by step.
Be sure to maintain your robot, whether you choose the most expensive or one that is less expensive. It's a good idea empty its dustbin after every cleaning task and to clean the filter, if it has one (check the manual of your owner or the manufacturer's website for details). Replace the battery as required and test the Wi-Fi connectivity.