The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
If you have low or high-pile carpet, there's a robot vacuum for you. These machines are intelligent and can automatically navigate your home, suck up debris and even clean under furniture.
They are equipped with advanced features, like mapping that help them navigate through your home and help you remember where furniture is located. They can also boost the suction power in order to tackle dirtier surfaces.
iRobot Roomba 694
The Roomba from iRobot is a basic robot vacuum that works well on both plain flooring and floor carpets with a low pile. It has good suction however it has trouble with larger debris like sand or grains of rice. It is effective in cleaning pet hair but isn't as resistant to tangling as the premium Roomba models such as the j7 and I6.
The Roomba is easy to operate. It has three buttons on its top cover: 'Clean' launches a cleaning cycle and 'Dock' places it back into its charging station, and 'Spot Clean' initiates a targeted clean. You can control it via a smartphone application that allows you to schedule cycles, stop and start the cycle and change settings. It is also possible to pair the device with smart home devices like Alexa or Google Assistant to control it via voice commands.
This vacuum cleaner is slower than some others, but it is able to reach most corners and crevices. It has a large bin, which makes it easier to empty. It is compatible with digital mapping and virtual barriers, which allows you to set the robot to avoid certain areas or stop cleaning altogether to avoid it from becoming stuck.
Although it's not the most efficient model for its price, it's better than many other alternatives. The Roborock E4 has a better cleaning efficiency than the Roomba 694 and it's able to clean carpets with a low pile and bare. It also has a more efficient cleaning path and has a longer battery life. It also feels better-made, has fewer parts that require regular maintenance, is less expensive to own over its lifetime and charges faster than the 694.
It's also worth taking a look at other models that are more expensive from the iRobot range, such as the 981 or the v7. They're more expensive but they offer significant improvements over the 694 in terms of performance on both low and bare floors, follow the most efficient cleaning method and have a larger dirt compartment, are quicker to charge, maneuver themselves more easily, and are easier to connect with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This self-emptying robot that is budget-friendly does a good job on hard floors as well as low-pile carpet. Its combination brush gets into corners and edges, and it automatically boosts suction when it senses carpet. It is also effective at cleaning dirt embedded in carpets that are mid-pile. The IQ's compact footprint for docks and the self-emptying feature are both nice features. If you want to change the floor levels or set areas that are not allowed to be used, you'll need to manually reset the map.
The IQ's app comes with advanced mapping and automation capabilities however it doesn't have no-go zones that are available on iRobot models. The smart-pathing system of the app allows for superior maneuverability and the high-pile feature of its carpet cleaning mode is effective but it could get caught in rug tassels.
During our tests, the IQ was adept at handling pet hair well, clearing an impressive amount of debris from bare floors and moderate amounts from medium-pile carpet. It was less effective on shag carpets, where it struggled to get at dirt and dust buried within the fibers. It was able to navigate the legs of chairs, small spaces, and even the base of an IKEA wooden step stool. It was a bit slower on floors that were not paved however, it was able to recover speed and performed better than other robots we test.
The IQ is a more suitable option for most users than the iRobot Roomba. It has a bigger dust bin, lasts longer on a charge and does a better job of maneuvering itself around obstacles. It also has a mopping attachment that can handle sticky mess. On the other side the iRobot is built better and has fewer components that require replacement or maintenance, incurs lower recurring costs and creates virtual no-go zones through its companion app. It is able to click here continue cleaning where it left off even if its battery runs out before it has finished. The iRobot is also controlled by voice commands, which is an advantage for many users.
Eufy 11S
The eufy RoboVac 11S isn't the most feature-rich robot vacuum available, but it does offer great cleaning power for an affordable price. It's a budget-friendly option for buyers who don't need a complicated mapping system or app to control the device. The robot can run for up to an hour and includes the remote, a cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base, and additional filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek with a tempered glass upper deck that covers plastic and is made to look like brushed aluminum. It's a nice contrast to Roomba, Samsung, and Neato designs that are more utilitarian and industrial.
The eufy11S performed well in our tests to remove larger particles and fine dust from hard floors. However, it was unable to provide medium and high pile carpets a thorough clean. It also has a tendency to bump into furniture and people in its path, but it's able to detect these obstacles using sensors. If it encounters them it ceases to move and emits a loud beep so you can manually steer it through the obstacle before getting back to work.
The BoostIQ mode is another fantastic feature of the eufy11S. It allows you to configure the robot to automatically adjust suction strength based upon the floor type and the level of mess. It's also easy to use the remote to direct the 11S where you'd like it to go.
Single Room Mode is a great option if you have little furniture in the room you'd like to vacuum. The eufy will spend up to 30 minutes cleaning the area it is assigned.
You can also opt for Edge Cleaning, which reduces the time spent in each area to 20 minutes to ensure optimal battery life. This feature allows the eufy to move in a spiraling fashion, cleaning corners and edges.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 is an excellent mid-range robot vacuum and a top performer on carpet. Its performance is also excellent on bare floors. It can remove rice and other fine debris effortlessly. The suction power doesn't decrease when the dirt bin is full. Its design that is allergy-friendly and sealed with air will trap allergens to keep your family healthy. It comes with an onboard HEPA filter and a self-emptying dustbin, which means you don't have to buy additional filters or a separate vacuum bag.
It's not as effective as the more expensive models, but is still excellent for deep cleaning and taking on staining. It comes with two cameras in front that provide a live feed to your smartphone. It also comes with one of the most advanced obstacle avoidance systems. It has a huge bin, a long runtime and a quick, bump-free cleanup.
The Complete C1 is unlike most robots in that it can switch between the standard head and turbo for different types of flooring. The turbo head is best on low-pile or high-pile carpeting, while the standard powerhead is good for bare floors and light rug. It also features an automatic height adjustment system which allows it to easily adapt to various kinds of flooring, without manual adjustments.
The model comes with an SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors and carpeting of medium-pile. The motor can also be easily moved and reach difficult spots. It comes with five levels of surface adjustments and a brushroll off switch to help prevent tangled hairs.
The Classic C1 also has a self-cleaning brush roll, an UtraClean mode that cycles around the same area three times to give the best possible clean and a self-emptying bin that can be empty at the touch of a button. The noise level of this model is more pronounced than other models. However, its powerful motor with 1,200 watts of power and robust construction are worth the extra cost.
If you're willing to spend some extra money then the Miele Complete C3 canister robot vacuum is an excellent all-around robot vacuum. It performs better on carpets than the Classic C1. It performs better on any type of flooring and is more robustly built and comes with an HEPA filter.