The Shark ION Robot Vacuum includes the brand’s Tri-Brush System which is a combination of side brushes, channel brushes and a multi-surface brushroll to handle debris on all surfaces. Plus, the SharkClean app lets you start and stop cleaning and schedule your robot to clean whenever you want. In addition to being Insider Reviews’ mattress expert, James has extensively covered robot vacuums, air conditioners, air purifiers, and more within the HVAC space. He’s tested more than 20 robot vacs from brands like iRobot and Roborock over the years and is no stranger to keeping his house at a chilly 60 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks on end all in the name of testing air conditioners.
It looks dumb, but it’s basically effective, especially in smaller spaces. Roborock also makes some souped-up versions of the S4 Max—all very similar robots, just with slightly different features. You might find our writeups about extra features like mops, obstacle detection, and self-emptying docks useful, too.
In some models, the brushes are followed by a squeegee vacuum, which directs the airflow through a narrow slit to increase its speed in order to collect fine dust. A horizontally mounted “side spinner” brush on the right side of the unit sweeps against walls to reach debris not accessible by the main brushes and vacuum. In the first generation, the dirty air passes through the fan before reaching the filter, while later models use a fan-bypass vacuum. Roombas are powered by a user-replaceable rechargeable battery; older models used NiMH batteries, while newer models use lithium-ion batteries, and a few models support both.
The most essential function of a vacuum is suctioning up unwanted spills and debris. And we all judge our cleaners by how well they can get the job done. RepairabilityAs the most popular robot vacuum brand, it’s generally easier to find replacement parts for Roomba vacuums, which allows you to keep it in good repair for longer. In August 2012, the 500 series was superseded by the 600 series, which added the AeroVac Bin and advanced cleaning head as standard features. In 2017 they released the 690, which has Wi-Fi connectivity so it can be started with an app and various personal-assistant software.
The 800 series, introduced in 2013, is similar to the 700 series and its predecessors, but contains updated technology. The AeroForce Performance Cleaning System, which is five times more powerful than older series, and the iRobot XLife battery are some of the new features. The AeroForce system does away with the large rotating brush, and pulls air between two rubber rollers, thereby getting the vacuum suction closer to the floor. In 2017 iRobot released the 890 with Wi-Fi connectivity that can be started with an app and various personal-assistant software. The early generation models were noted for using a random algorithm for achieving a total room coverage.A small vacuum empties into a removable dustbin, which has rotation brushes to aid collection. It has several sensors including a bumper that detects collision and an infrared sensor on top to respond to a “virtual wall”.
There are several types of dust and debris collection bins for the 500 series models. The high-capacity sweeper bin does not include a vacuum, but has greater dyson robot vacuum debris capacity. The AeroVac Bin directs suction airflow through the main brushes instead of using a squeegee, which is thought to keep the brushes cleaner.
The vacuum cleaner covered the entire floor of our test room in an average of just 16 minutes. That’s a full 9 minutes shorter than the Roomba S9 Plus required . Among them are brand-new models that launched in 2021, flagship models from companies like iRobot, Samsung and Neato dyson robot vacuum and compelling options offered across numerous online retailers. I excluded older models that likely won’t be sold for much longer. I’ll continue to update this best robot vacuum list periodically as new models become available, so you can find the best vacuum for your home.
The Shark AI VacMop did not avoid any obstacles, nor did it even acknowledge in the app that it encountered any obstacles. We’ve also discovered that, as of late 2021, several other brands are selling near-copies of the Eufy bots. We dismantled an older Eufy RoboVac 30, and major repairs are impossible without breaking parts of the robot.