How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robotic vacuum is a great deal. Beware of the maintenance costs that could be more than expected: tangles in brushes, air inlets that are blocked and empty dust bins can quickly turn your automated cleaning dream into a chore.
For a lot of people, the best budget robot is the iRobot Combo. It provides the exact hands-off experience at only a fraction of the cost.
Suction Power
Some models within this price range offer strong enough suction for basic vacuuming, but others may need a little help by a handheld nozzle to get deep into crevices and cracks. If you live in a home with mostly hard floors or carpet, a budget-friendly robot vacuum should suffice. If you have a variety of floors, have rugs or pets who shed, you'll be able to get the best results with an advanced robot vacuum.
A few budget models include mopping and a water tank capability, adding to their versatility. The Dyson R7050C features an enormous 770ml bin as well as excellent navigation scores, but it is more loud and does not include mopping capabilities. The more compact Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro, in contrast, is quite quiet and features an auto-empty dock. It has a water reservoir, a powerful suction power of 5,500-pascals, and an enormous bin that you can fill with cleaning products to make it more effective. The Q5 Pro can be controlled by the smart app which lets you mop or vacuum a space or a sequence of rooms or a whole area. You can also establish no-go zones and customise suction settings for each room.
The Shark ION is a good option for those looking for something that is affordable and simple to use. It's not as sophisticated as the other models we've tested and comes with a basic app and basic mapping capabilities, but it offers solid navigation and cleaning abilities. It's also among the few robots we've tested which can tell the difference between carpets and hard flooring and comes with a 300ml dust bin that only needs to be cleaned every 30 days.
Consider some of the premium models that are priced at this level If you're looking for something more sophisticated that can vacuum mop, sweep, and create maps for smarter obstacle-avoidance. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 have very strong suction power and combs that are clever for pet hair and other fine dirt, and an in-app scheduling and voice control with your smart home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that provides outstanding cleaning performance for the money.
Navigation Efficiency
A budget robot vacuum can be as effective as the more expensive models, provided that it can navigate your home and avoid obstacles. To assess the effectiveness of navigation our lab technicians set up a tracking device to observe a robot's move through a multiroom test home and evaluate its ability to locate the areas it has to clean in a given time, avoiding pitfalls such as rug power cords, power cords and furniture. We also examine how fast the robot can move across a variety of household terrain including stairways as well as transitions between different types of floor.
The most affordable robot vacuums have effective navigation systems that can help them clean a room without spending time, running through obstacles, or getting stuck. Most feature mapping capabilities, which are essential to complete house cleaning. However, even budget models with no mapping can be used to effectively clean a room and it's crucial to consider the cost and features you need for your home.
We also consider the ease with which robots can get over common thresholds in the home, such as the height of a door sill or the height of the sofa. A good budget-friendly robot must be able to pass over these obstacles, and a few provide settings to adjust suction power for different flooring types. We also consider whether the robot is compatible with smart home technology and is able to be controlled remotely using an app or voice commands.
The iLife V3s Pro is a fantastic example of a robot that is budget-friendly that offers basic mapping capabilities and other clever features. It's also incredibly affordable. It can be controlled using the iRobot app, and has an auto-return feature that will return it to its original location when the battery has run out, then resumes where it left off.
The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance that you find on numerous premium robots, however it has live cameras that stream a grainy video feed to your smartphone so that you can keep an eye on the robot as it performs. The cameras can also detect stairs and other obstacles and elicit an alert if the robot comes across them. However, the iLife utilizes random navigation rather than an approach designed to avoid objects that are stuck against furniture legs, so it might not be able to get around a leg on a chair or any other tight spot as a robot equipped with mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
When you are looking for a robot vacuum, it is important to consider the price and performance. The cheapest models might not have advanced features like mapping, but they will still do an excellent job of cleaning your home. Also, be aware of the size of a robot's dustbin and how much dirt it can hold before having to empty it. You'll need to have enough space to hold all the garbage that a robot accumulates, including dirt, pet dander and hair.
You'll also need a robot vacuum that removes stains from carpets. We test every model on the ZDNET chart to determine whether it is able to remove hair and dirt from carpet. The top models come with a brush that digs through the fibers to remove dirt.
The majority of budget models are successful at picking up messes on plain floors and carpets with low piles however, they struggle to remove larger chunks of debris and pet hair from carpets with higher pile. They typically have less suction power than models that are more expensive however they can do a an excellent job of cleaning up debris from tight spaces like corners and underneath furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro vacuum cleaner is the best vacuum for its price range. It has a good rating in our tests, and it's able to remove hairs and dirt from carpets. It's also among the quieter models we test and is easy to use. It comes with a suction hole that scoops up debris instead of pushing it through the bar. It can also adjust the power to match any surface. It has a sidebrush that comes with three bristles to push hair and other debris into the path of the robot. However, it's not as effective in picking fine dust.
Look for a model with mop and vacuum functions, like the Combo j9 Plus. It is able to simultaneously vacuum and mop, and define specific vac/mop setting for each room. It's more expensive than other budget robot vacs in our chart, but it has the advantages of having a forward-facing camera, which allows for more precise mapping and better obstacles to avoid for things like power cords and cat poop.
Maintenance
The ease of use robot vacuums provide is great, but the technology comes at a price. Regular maintenance is required for everything from emptying the dust bin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also become tangled in cords or fall off the staircase.
The best budget robot vac uums ease the burden as they require little management by the user. The best models come with navigation systems that enable them to avoid obstacles and avoid dangers like electrical cords and dropped foods. They use sensors to map rooms, and create maps that inform them where they've cleaned.
Don't let the price of the more expensive models deter you. They can still do an excellent job if given a chance. Many of our top budget choices are made by top OEMs like iRobot, Roborock and Dreame, so you'll be assured that they've been designed with the utmost attention to detail and built to last.
If you're willing to invest more, consider a mopping robot. These machines can scrub floors using an aqueous cloth and get rid of staining that is difficult to remove. They can also be used conjunction with a mop pad to tackle tough jobs like dried coffee.
The TP-Link Tapo RV30 plus is the best value mopping robot we've reviewed in our roundup. It has the sleek elegant, minimalist design of a home hub but the performance and features of a top-rated robot that includes LiDAR navigation. During our tests, the RV30 was able to navigate without bumping mindlessly into furniture and build precise floorplan maps that it could use on future runs. This is the only robot in the budget that we tested with this feature. iRobot Roomba also has mapping capabilities, however the app's setup guides you through the entire process.
Remember to maintain your robot regardless of whether you pick a costly robovac or one that is more affordable. You should empty the trash bin and clean the filter after every cleaning session (refer to the owner's manual or the website of the manufacturer for more details). Replace the battery if required and test the Wi-Fi connectivity.