They work and they’re useful, though fall a little short of life-changing. A self-emptying (or auto-emptying) robot vacuum comes with a big charging dock, which sucks debris out of the robot through a trapdoor in the dustbin, and stores it in a disposable bag or bagless bin . Instead of emptying your bot’s bin after every cleaning session, you only have to empty the dock every month or two. Shark’s non-laser robots are reasonably priced and look great on paper, but are just okay in the real world. They’re also pretty loud on bare floors, sort of like a two-stroke lawn mower puttering in the distance.
Designs that offer a Boost or Turbo mode are ideal if you have thick-pile carpets or rugs as they ensure you can temporarily increase the suction power, ensuring no fur remains after cleaning. There’s nothing worse than having to dash around your home collecting dyson robot vacuum items that have been left around before you set a robot vacuum on a cleaning spree. If you don’t, there’s a chance they will get tangled in the brush roller and cause lasting damage, not to mention the time you’ll need to put in to remove the item.
The shell has a ribbed texture, which looks modern and great and there is a leather pull tab on the lid too, adding to its aesthetic. Our review model of the Roomba J7+ has grey metallic detailing on top, which is a little more subtle than the rose gold lid found on the S9+. It is also purely for decorative purposes as it doesn’t lift up to reveal the bin, which the S9+’s metallic lid does. Instead, the bin is accessed by pushing a button at the front on the edge of the J7+.
The Shark IQ Robot XL offers an impressive host of innovative features that help it stand out among previous and competing machines. It comes with deep cleaning capability thanks to improved suction and a self-cleaning brushroll. Shark’s IQ Navigation technology intelligently maps out your floor plan as it cleans, while row-by-row cleaning offers better coverage than previous models. It is compatible with the SharkClean app, as well as both Alexa and Google Assistant. The Roborock S7+ is a vacuuming and mopping combo machine with a dizzying array of features that’ll appeal to anyone who’s sick and tired of manually cleaning floors. Leading-edge LiDAR mapping, seamless integration with an intuitive app, and innovative mop-lifting capabilities make it a cinch to keep your floors sparkling clean at all times.
We’re more uneasy about what companies may do with collected information in the future, like selling it to third parties. The makers of our current picks don’t sell data for now, but privacy policies are always changing. Otherwise, our main concern is that the little amount of sensitive data on a vacuum, like your Wi-Fi network password, is stored securely (if it’s stored online at all), in case there are data leaks or breaches in the future.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab has been testing all kinds of vacuum cleaners for over 100 years. In addition to performance testing, we tested ease of use, including how easy it is to use the model’s controls, whether the initial setup is clear and whether it’s simple to remove and clean all parts of the robot after use. As of 2021, iRobot markets models of their 600, i3, j7, and s9 series, while continuing to provide support and sell accessories for their previous series.
This innovation allows it to clean corners and along walls far better than other models. It’s fairly tall at 3.9 inches, which includes the height of the bissell crosswave cordless turret where the sensors are housed. Technophiles will appreciate the smart home integration as well as the advanced mapping and navigation features.