We all could use a little help keeping our homes clean, and now we live in an age where robots are capable of lending a hand. Robot vacuums are some of the most ubiquitous smart home gadgets available today with their circular shapes and propensity for bumping into walls. They provide convenience, but can also be expensive. It is not uncommon for a high-end robo-vac to drop close to $1,000.
There are more budget options for robot vacuums today than there were a few years ago. You may be surprised to see how many there are at that price point, because we consider anything under $300 to be cheap in this space. If you are new to the world of robot vacuums, you may find that one of these budget gadgets does everything you expected.
When it comes to robot vacuums, friends and family often ask me if new gadgets are worth it. autonomy is the most important thing they have going for them. A semi-autonomous robot is a great investment if you want to spend less time in your home and more time outside.
There are a lot of good things about them, but before we dive in, we should consider the biggest trade-offs: less power, less capacity and less flexibility. The first two go hand in hand because robot vacuums are smaller than upright vacuums. They hold less dirt because their built-in bins are a fraction of the size of a standard vacuum canister or bag. While cord-freevacs are slaves to their batteries and will require regular recharging, they are not.
When it comes to flexibility, robot vacuums do things differently than standard ones. You can use your phone to set cleaning schedules, but they are primarily used to clean floors. On the flip side, uprights can come with a variety of cleaning tools that can be used to clean couches, stairs, light fixture and other hard-to-reach places.
One of the first things you should consider is the internet connection. It isn't a given on all smart home devices. Some of the cheapest modes don't have the option to connect to your home network. You won't be able to control it with a phone app or voice commands if you choose one like this. Scheduling is a feature that is usually reserved for robots that are connected to the internet, but most of them use a mobile app to set cleaning schedules.
The remote controls on the vacuums have all the basic functions that companion mobile apps do, including start, stop and return to dock. If you're worried about the possibility of hacking, vacuums with no access to your network are the best option.
You should think about the floors in the house. Do you have a lot of different types of flooring? Carpets want vacuums that can collect debris that gets pushed down into nooks and crannies. There isn't a universal metric for measuring suction. The higher the Pa, the stronger. Other companies don't rely on Pa levels and simply say their robot vacuums have more suction than other vacuums.
How can you make sure you get a robot vacuum that will adequately clean your floors? The product description should be read. Look for details about its ability to clean hardwood and carpets, and see if it has a max mode you can use. If you have carpeted floors, look for 2000 Pa.
Clearance and dirt storage are important reasons for size. If the robot can get underneath the furniture in your home, you should check the height of the robot. Some can get under entryway tables and the like, but most of the time they won't be able to clean under a couch. The bigger the robot's dustbin, the more dirt it can collect before you have to empty it.
Key features to look out for are object detection and cliff sensors. The latter helps the robot vacuum navigate around furniture while it cleans, rather than pushing its way into it. The cliff sensors prevent robot vacuums from falling down the stairs, making them a must-have for multi-level homes.
Both iRobot and Shark have affordable robotvacs. iRobot's Roomba 649 will be best for most people because of its good cleaning power and easy-to-use mobile app. The Roomba 694 is the same vacuum as it was a year ago. The new all-black design makes it look similar to some of the more expensive Roomba models. You can control it with the iRobot app, but it has three physical buttons on it. If you need a replacement filter or brushes, you'll have to pay up immediately, because your $274 gets you the vacuum and its necessary parts.
Buy Roomba 694 at Amazon - $274Follow the instructions in the companion app to set up the Roomba 694. You can use the app to control the vacuum whenever you want, even if you don't feel like using the physical buttons. The spot-clean function is only available as a button, which is a bit disappointing.
iRobot's app is one of the most popular selling points. Even someone with no prior experience will be able to quickly master the robot's basic functions.
Setting cleaning schedules will help you get the most out of the device. Why not make it so you don't have to interact with them? It will ensure that the Roomba runs through your home on a regular basis, so you are always left with clean floors. Dirt and debris on my carpets, as well as the tile flooring in my kitchen and bathroom, were sucked up by the Roomba 694. The only thing I try to do before a cleaning job is get charging cables off of the floor because the Roomba will stop if it sucks something up and it's relatively easy to extract a cable from the machine.
The 694 ran for 45 minutes before needing to dock and replenish its battery. 45 minutes may be enough for the robot to clean most rooms in my apartment, but those with larger homes may have to wait for the robot to come back.
iRobot has made a name for itself in the vacuum market. Its machines are easy to use and the accompanying app is excellent. Many will be willing to pay a slightly higher asking price for that ease of use and reputation of the iRobot name. There are a lot of solid options that weren't available just three years ago.
The Shark RV765 is an updated version of the RV761. The Shark RV765 has a slightly different design and a longer run time than the RV761, but they are the same vacuum. The RV761 is still available, but it's difficult to find it now that the latest model is available. We found the previous version to be a great robot vacuum, so we feel comfortable recommending the RV765.
Buy Shark RV765 at Target - $250The ugly bowling-shirt design of the previous version was fixed by the RV765. The new model has a sleek black look with buttons for docking, cleaning and max mode. You can use the Shark Clean app if you rely on the buttons. The longer run time is just a bonus. The RV761 ran for 90 minutes before needing to be plugged in, which gave me plenty of time to clean my apartment. The extra 30 minutes of battery life on the RV765 will allow it to clean larger spaces more efficiently.
We liked the RV761's spot-clean feature, as well as the fact that it has an intuitive companion app that allows you to start and slop clean.
The EufyVac 11S was one of the cheapest vacuums I tested, but it was also one of the most versatile. The robot vacuum doesn't have internet, but it comes with a remote that gives you most of the functions you'd find in an app. There are additional brushes and filters in the box.
Buy Eufy RoboVac 11S at Amazon - $230The robot's name stands for slim, and it's roughly half an inch thinner than all of the other vacuums I tested. It makes the 11S lighter and it was the only one that could clean under my table. The 11S has a button on its top that you can use to start a cleaning. You can use the remote to select different cleaning modes, like spot and edge clean, when it begins in auto mode.
The 11S has three power modes, and I kept my BoostIQ on most of the time. It provided enough force to adequately clean my carpeted floors, missing a few crumbs or pieces of debris in corners or tight spaces around furniture. It ran for about an hour and fifteen minutes when it was in BoostIQ mode. It bumped into walls and some large pieces of furniture, but it was the only budget vac I tried that avoided my cat's play tunnel in the middle of our living room floor.
You can definitely hear the difference between BoostIQ and Max, but none of the settings is loud. I could barely hear the 11S when it was on the opposite side of my apartment. The 11S accidentally getting tripped up by a rogue charging cable only happened a couple of times, but the error alert beeps loud enough to let me know when something went wrong.
The Eufy RoboVac 11S impressed me with its smarts, despite its lack of internet. The lack of wireless connection is the worst thing about the robot. You can grab the next model, the RoboVac 11S Max, which will give you 2000 Pa, even though it is rated for up to 1300 Pa. You can argue with the value of the 11S when it is on sale for less than $150.
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