Unlike more traditional canister or stick models, robot vacuums are autonomous and intelligent. The vacuums we’ve tested use lasers, motherboards, sensors, and even Wi-Fi to navigate around your home without assistance. With a few exceptions, you barely have to interact with them at all.
Since we first tested this model, iRobot has added smart mapping, which allows the i3 EVO to run through the house, without cleaning, in order to create a single floor plan that is saved in the app. We’ve concluded that the Roborock Q5’s smart mapping works better, but this new addition to the i3 EVO makes it slightly smarter than it was previously. For every robot vacuum, we run at least two regular cleaning cycles across about 1,000 square feet, with lots of obstacles and thresholds. None of the rooms have any wall-to-wall carpet, but the space does have several area rugs, with styles ranging from lightweight doormats to rubber-backed, medium-pile rugs that take up half a room. The test house also has cats, kids, and other family members, all of whom leave plenty for each robot to pick up. Robot vacuums never get bored or distracted, and they don’t mind cleaning every day.
Aside from not pushing poop across your floors, the Roomba J7 Plus excels at other things, too. It doesn’t feature a built-in mop, but it’s a semi-affordable self-emptying option, and an exceedingly well-rounded cleaner, boasting top three averages on both hardwood floor and low-pile carpets. It fell short on plush, midpile carpets, so go with the Roomba S9 Plus if your dog is well-trained and you’re more worried about its fur than its waste, but that’s really the only weak spot here.
The Clean Base is shorter and shallower than Samsung’s emptying bin base, taking up less space in a room or under a table. It also has a hidden storage area where you can stash your extra bags. The height, rounded up to the nearest half-inch, of the shortest vertical space the robotic vacuum could enter while operating. Bare floorsIndicates the vacuum’s ability to remove surface debris from a bare laminate floor. For a dependable, versatile, and affordable cleaner, we prefer a bagless upright, but we have recommendations for other types of vacuums as well.
Currently selling for $279 (or $179 for the mopless version), it lacks smart mapping features, has no smart obstacle avoidance, and only runs for 90 minutes. If you are looking for the best clean for your buck and want to avoid the possibility that the robot won’t finish its run because of a stray piece of clutter, the Roomba j7 is the one to go with. Its cleaning prowess bissell crosswave cordless is largely unmatched thanks to iRobot’s decades of experience in this space, and it’s one of the easiest robot vacuums to use. The app is simple and uncluttered, with new features added frequently. In 2016 iRobot launched a series of automated mops under the Braava name. Like a Roomba, a Braava mop will clean your floors for you, using a spray-and-wipe method.
But the Roomba bot can easily pay off in the long run because it’ll last longer. In fact, several Wirecutter staff members have owned Roomba 600-series bots for several years and have found them to be sturdy and reliable. Like its predecessor , the now-discontinued Roborock S4 Max, the Q5 shines with its smart-mapping feature. Using its laser rangefinder and bump sensors, the Q5 learns your floor plan in a single cleaning session and creates an interactive map in the companion app. It also allows you to create and store maps for up to four levels, which is a nice perk if you want to use the bot on different floors of your home.
However, I test them in one of the most challenging environments possible—a carpeted, two-story family home with messy kids and a shedding dog—and personally, I find them indispensable. Whether you’re choking on cat hair, need to lighten your chore load, or just want to spend more time with your family, we have a pick that will help. That means you’re looking for a robot that can traverse different floor types or maneuver around furniture without your help.
The real benefit here is that you don’t have to tidy up before you run your vacuum (although cluttered floors won’t get as clean). It also means it rarely gets stuck during a job, so you won’t come home to a beached bot and a half-clean house. If you like the idea of a self-emptying robot vacuum but not the high price tag of the iRobot Roomba j7+, then we recommend the Shark IQ XL. It has smart features such as linear navigation, in-app mapping, scheduling and voice control.