Best Robot Vacuums and Mop Combos
The best way to keep your home clean is to use a robot vacuum. It will pick up dust, pet hair and other particles on the surface.
Some robots sync with smart assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant for a hands-free experience. Find models that can be recharged and continue cleaning the area they left.
1. iRobot s8
This smart robot vacuum and mop combination is an excellent option for homes with a variety of. It features a superb navigation system that includes GPS and laser sensors. It also comes with numerous features and control options that can be accessed through the app. It also has a handy feature that lets you create cleaning zones in areas that require additional attention, and also to create Keep Out zones in areas where you do not want it to go. And, like all Roomba devices, it receives new software updates that make it more efficient over time.
It's costly, but it's also one of the most advanced robot vacuums that ZDNet has evaluated. It's got a huge battery that can vacuum the entire house in less than two hours. It can also switch between mopping and vacuuming with the press of the button. It will automatically empty the dust bin above its charging station, unlike other self emptying robots which require you to empty the bin after each run.
It also has a number of other options, like intelligent obstacle avoidance, which utilizes cameras in conjunction with processor-powered smarts in order to recognize obstacles. It rarely gets derailed or trapped during cleaning and is the best in avoiding power cables and other objects in my tests. It's not as precise in detecting pet waste, or other hazards.
2. Eufy RoboVac Hybrid X8
Eufy owned by Anker is now an iconic name in the world of robots that are budget-friendly vacuums. However, it did not provide a model that could also mop. The X8 Hybrid is a new model that comes with a variety of features that are advanced and is able to compete with more expensive models.
The laser navigation system is the most important feature of this machine. The X8 uses a laser mapping system that is more accurate than the previous Eufy devices. It takes less time to create an extensive map of your home. It can also store multiple maps. This is ideal for multi-floored homes.
The X8 is a good vacuum cleaner on bare floors. It is able to easily throw debris through the side brushes and into its 400ml dustbin. Its tyres are adept at hugging corners and edges, despite being circular. It's not a great kitty litter picker, though as our tests show it is able to remove around 90 percent of the fur off hard floors.
The basic mopping mode utilizes the same reservoir of water as the vacuuming mode. This is great for spills that are not serious, but you cannot control the amount of water that it uses. However, it does an admirable job of picking up pet hair, with a higher speed of pickup than the Roborock S7.
3. Miele RX2
The company is known for its quiet home appliances, Miele's RX2 robot vacuum is a great choice because of its cleaning power, beautiful design and great navigation. However, it has a few operational oddities that prevent it from being ranked as the top overall smart robot vacuum.
The RX2 is equipped with a dual-sensor mapping technique which uses LIDAR to map an area and a pair of 3D scanning cameras to detect and eliminating obstacles (such as furniture legs or pet waste). Once the room is defined it is possible to assign virtual no go areas and sections that you would like to be the robot. You can also initiate cleaning manually or change the cleaning mode, watch a live feed from the onboard cameras and more from the main screen.
The RX2 has excellent sensors that detect furniture and other obstructions immediately. The suction and sweeping power are top-notch, picking up surface litter from medium-pile carpeting and embedded dust in bare floors. It's not the fastest robotics available. It's not the greatest climber and has issues with transition strips made of metal.
Some people buy robot vacuums because of the ease of setting up a schedule in an app, and then forgetting about them for weeks. It's important that a robot is able to do the job, so our ZDNet staff has compared and reviewed some of the most popular models to help you select the right one for your house.
4. Shark ION
This budget robovac that looks just like the other, but it has a few more features and a better performance. Its intelligent mapping system creates 2D and 3-D maps of your house and uses them to navigate and avoid obstructions. It can even identify common obstacles like furniture legs and power cords in real-time. This combination of sensors, along with a bump sensor, and an infrared sensor for dropping that keeps it off steps is what makes it one of the fastest vacuums we've tried.
It was able to walk over carpets with thick shags and didn't get stuck (unlike the RoboVac 11s, or Roomba 690-). Its navigation skills were impressive. Its composite score for carpet and bare flooring was higher than the competition, and it was able to pick up 98.5% of dirt and embedded dog hair from our lab test samples.
Its controls are a bit more basic than the competitors. There's a round cleaning button on the top, and you can start it from the app, or by voice commands with Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also set up a schedule for your daily or weekly cleans, set no-go zones, and see the history of its cleaning. Clad in smart dark gray plastics, Ion feels sturdy and looks attractive in your home. Its rear dustbin is easily accessible for emptying, and removing the filters is also easy.
5. Eufy 11S
If you're looking for a basic, no-frills robot vacuum at a reasonable cost, the Eufy11S is a great option. This model lacks some smart features like Alexa integration and digital mapping, which are available in higher-end models. If you don't need these functions, you can save money.
This robot is easy to set up and use. It does not require a smartphone application or Wi-Fi pairing. However it does include the remote control that allows you to choose between different modes and alter the suction levels. It also allows you to manually turn off the robovac during scheduled cleaning.
In our tests during our tests, the 11S was extremely effective in removing dirt and pet hair from hard floors as well as in carpets with a low pile. Its slim profile made it possible to fit under furniture with low hanging and other items that larger robots are unable to reach. It was also able to get over thresholds for doors and change from one floor type to another.
Like other robots, the 11S can take in some objects such as cords, drawstrings for hoodies, and cat toys. The manufacturer suggests that you can keep these objects off the ground and using a cord organizer whenever possible. It also recommends that you periodically clean the dustbin, replace the filters and clean or change the brushes when required.
6. IRobot Roomba 990
The Roomba is the flagship model of iRobot's robot vacuum. It's expensive but it's the best robot vacuum you can buy. Its self-navigation as well as environmental mapping are a joy to behold. It is more sophisticated in its automation than its competitors, including the ability to set up virtual boundary website markers with its mobile app. While its app is a little sluggish and the 980 may spin out a bit when rolling over cables, it's still an extremely efficient robot vacuum.
We love the 980 because it uses its iAdapt2.0 navigation sensors and visual simultaneity localisation and mapping (or vSLAM), to memorise your home's floor plan. It then uses that information to create a consistent and efficient cleaning path for every cycle. The result is cleaner floors and a more efficient vacuum than many high-end robotics.
Other features of the 980 include dual multi-surface brushes that capture dirt on carpets and hard floors, as well as an ejector brush that spins to sweep debris into the robotic vacuum's bin. Its floor tracking sensor assists in navigating between furniture as well as along edges and stairs. Cliff Detect prevents the Roomba from falling. It will automatically return to its base station for hassle-free recharges between sessions. The bin capacity and battery life of the 980 aren't as impressive as those of other robot vacuums. However, it's an extremely reliable and sturdy machine that can keep floors clean for many hours.