Best Robot Vacuums and Mop Combos
The best method to keep your home clean is with a robot vacuum. It will remove pet hair, dust and other particles from the floor before it causes a bigger problem.
Certain robots can connect to smart assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free experience. Look for models that recharge and pick up the area they left.
1. iRobot S8
This smart robot vacuum and mop combo is a great option for homes with a variety of. It features a superb navigation system with GPS and laser sensors. It also has many features and controls that are accessible through the app. It also has a handy feature that lets you add cleaning zones to certain areas that require more attention and Keep Out zones that you don't want it to move. And, like all Roomba devices, it receives new software updates that make it even better over time.
It's expensive but it's also among the most advanced robot vacuums that ZDNet has evaluated. It's equipped with a powerful battery that can clean an entire home in less than two hours. Additionally, it can switch between vacuuming and mopping at the touch of a button. It will automatically empty the trash bin that is above its charging station, in contrast to other self emptying robots which require you to empty it after every run.
It's got a range of other features that make it a good choice for homes with a lot of space, including intelligent obstacle avoidance that utilizes the camera as well as processor-powered smarts to see obstacles. It rarely gets derailed or stuck during cleaning and is also the most effective at avoiding power cables and other objects I've tested. However, it's not as reliable at detecting pet waste and other hazards.
2. Eufy RoboVac Hybrid X8
Eufy owned by Anker It has become an iconic name in the world of robots that are budget-friendly vacuums. However, it didn't offer an option to mop. That changes with the X8 Hybrid, which has an impressive suite of advanced features and can compete well with more expensive models.
Laser navigation is the most important feature of this machine. Previous Eufy devices have built up an outline of your home by using infrared sensors and bumping into objects, but the X8's laser mapping system is much more accurate. It also takes a lot less time to create a comprehensive picture of your home and can store multiple maps, which is ideal for multi-floor homes.
The X8 is still a good vacuum for floors that are not clean and can sling debris over its side brushes and into the 400ml dust bin with relative ease. The Tyres of the X8, despite their circular shape, are very efficient at grabbing edges and corners. Our tests revealed that it was able to remove 90 percent of the fur on hard floors.
The basic mopping mode utilizes the same water reservoir as the vacuuming mode. While this is good for spills that are not too large however, you aren't able to limit the amount of water it is using, which will limit its effectiveness for more severe stains. It is effective at picking up hair from pets. It has a higher pick-up rate than the Roborock S7.
3. Miele RX2
The company is known for its quiet home appliances, Miele's RX2 robot vacuum comes with outstanding cleaning power, gorgeous design and great navigation. There are a few niggles in its operation, which prevent it from being considered the best smart robot vacuum.
Like the latest models from iRobot, the RX2 comes with dual-sensor mapping technology that utilizes an LIDAR sensor to map a room and three 3D scanning cameras to identify and avoid obstacles (like furniture legs or pet waste) in real-time. Once the room is defined, you can assign virtual no go areas and sections that you would like to be the robot. You can also start cleaning manually or change the cleaning mode, view a live feed from the onboard cameras and more from the main screen.
The sensors of the RX2 work well in registering furniture and other obstructions in real-time. Its sweeping and suction powers are excellent, getting rid of surface litter from carpets of medium pile as well as embedded dust on floors. But it's not the most efficient robot available. Like many other robots it's not a great climber and has issues with things like metal threshold transition strips.
Many people purchase robot vacuums due to the ease of setting up a schedule using an app, and then forgetting about them for weeks. But it's important that a robot is able to accomplish the task and that's the reason our ZDNet staff tested and reviewed several of the most well-known models to help you find the perfect one for your home.
4. Shark ION
This budget robot is just like a typical robot, but it's upgraded in terms of performance and features. Its smart mapping system generates 3D and 2D maps of your home and uses those to avoid obstacles and navigate. It's even able to spot common obstructions such as furniture legs and power cords in real time. This combination of sensors along with a bump sensor, and an infrared drop sensor which keeps it from falling down steps make it one of the fastest vacuums we've tried.
It was able to climb over the thick shag carpets and didn't get stuck (unlike the RoboVac 11s or Roomba 690-). Its navigational skills were impressive as well as its score for composite tests on carpet and bare floors was better than the competition and it picked up 98.5 percent of the surface litter and embedded pet hair from our laboratory test samples.
Its controls are a bit more basic than those of the competition; there's an oblong cleaning button at the top. You can access it via the app or via voice commands with Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also schedule weekly or daily cleanings, set up no-go zones, and look up the history of cleaning. Ion is clad in a stylish dark gray plastic that feels and looks attractive in your home. The dust bin on the rear is easily accessible to empty, and the removal of the filters is also easy.
5. Eufy 11S
If you're looking for a simple, no-frills robot vacuum at a reasonable cost, the Eufy 11S could be a good choice. The model isn't equipped with smart features like Alexa integration and digital mapping found in more expensive models. If you don't require these functions, you can save money.
The robot is simple to use and set up. It does not require a smartphone application or Wi-Fi pairing. However, it does come with an remote control that allows you to choose between different modes and alter the suction level. It also allows you to manually send the robovac off during scheduled cleaning.
In our tests, the 11S was very effective at getting rid of pet hair and dirt from hard floors as well as in carpets with a low pile. Its slim profile allowed it to get under low-hanging furniture and other items that bulkier robots could not reach. It was able to go effortlessly over door thresholds and switch from one type of floor to another.
Like other robots, the 11S can take in some objects such as cords, hoodie drawstrings, and cat toys. The manufacturer states that you can prevent this by keeping such objects off the floor and using an organizer for cords if you can. It also suggests cleaning the dustbin regularly by replacing the filters and changing or washing the brushes as needed.
6. IRobot Roomba 980
The Roomba is the flagship model of iRobot's robot vacuum. It's costly, but it's the best robot vacuum you can purchase. Its self-navigation feature and environmental mapping is a marvel to behold. It is more sophisticated in its automation than most of its competitors, including the ability to set up virtual boundary markers through its mobile application. It's a dependable robot vacuum, even if its app isn't the most responsive and the 980 spins out when it is pushed over cables.
One thing we love click here about the 980 is the fact that it utilizes its iAdapt 2.0 navigation sensors and its visual simultaneous localisation and mapping technology (or vSLAM) to memorise the floor plan of your home. It will use this information to create a consistent and efficient cleaning path through each cycle. The result is cleaner floors, and a cleaner vacuum than most competing high-end robot vacuums.
Other features of the 980 include two multi-surface rubber brushes which grab dirt from carpets and hard floors as well as an ejector brush that moves debris into the robotic vacuum's bin. Its floor tracking sensors help it navigate across furniture and along edges, and Cliff Detect helps to prevent the Roomba from falling down the stairs. And it automatically returns to its base station to ensure hassle-free recharges between sessions. The bin capacity and battery life of the 980 aren't as good as those of other robot vacuums. However, it is a solid and reliable machine that can keep floors clean for many hours.