You can schedule cleaning sessions or use a voice assistant to start one, but even though it’s connected, you can’t map your home or target areas to be cleaned. We don’t think the extra connected features are worth the extra money, so for $50 less, we found the Eufy 11S to be a better vacuum. Like other self-emptying robot vacuums, the Shark IQ XL returns to the base and empties its contents. The Shark, however, is the only vacuum we tested that features a bagless self-emptying base.
The Roomba s9 series available with or without a dirt disposal base, but to really get the most of Roomba’s smart vacuum, opt for the s9+, which can automatically empty its contents into a vacuum bag housed within the base. The bag can hold the dirt and debris from up to 30 cleaning sessions, and the unit will alert you within the app when it’s time to change the bag. This is Roomba’s most independent vacuum yet, meaning you don’t have to frequently empty the small, onboard dust bin. If you don’t mind emptying the dustbin after every cleaning run, a standard robot vacuum will work for you. If you’d prefer never to touch the dirt, opt for the self-emptying models that automatically empty themselves into a bag or bin.
And while the 11S will get your floors much cleaner than if you didn’t vacuum at all, this bot just isn’t built to dig up much debris from rugs, especially softer, thicker types. Like the Roomba 600 series , the 11S is a semi-random navigator and works best in small spaces. The Neato Robotics Connected series of robot vacuum cleaners has been hit and miss. Thankfully, they got all the connectivity features of the D4 model just right.
You might even prefer the simplicity of leaving everything to the bot, and never having to think about an app. And again, we think the Roomba i3’s rug-cleaning ability and expected sturdiness are very good reasons to consider this robot at this price. Then I sprinkle a 2-ounce mixture of cat litter and coffee grounds around my dining room, which has a mix of bare wood and a low-pile rug as well as a big table with three dinner chairs and a bench underneath it. I run each bot for 25 minutes or until it stops on its own, whichever comes first. In another test, I pour out about an eighth of a cup of all-purpose flour across an area rug and bare floor and let the bot try to suck it up for a couple of minutes.
We keep finding deals on bots from no-name brands like Coredy, Goovi, Onson, and Amarey, all of which have product dimensions that are barely distinguishable from those of the Eufy RoboVac 11S that we recommend. The Eufy 11S doesn’t have Wi-Fi or any smart-home connectivity, but you can still set a daily cleaning schedule with the remote control. The Roborock S4 Max has a single, relatively small brush roll , so it’s not as effective on carpets as Roomba’s dual-roll design.
We don’t often hear about Roomba bots completely breaking down, even after a couple of years of regular use . To ensure your Roomba’s battery lasts as long as possible, keep it plugged into its charger or charging base when it isn’t actively vacuuming and don’t let it sit out, away from its charger, after it finishes cleaning. Make sure to clean the charging sensors once a month, empty its dust bin before it reaches bissell crosswave cordless maximum capacity, and address clogs as soon as you notice them. If you want the best Roomba for smart homes, check out the full-featured and high-tech Roomba i7. This smart robot vacuum doesn’t cost as much or run as long as Roomba’s top model, but packs in all the smart home integrations you’re looking for. IRobot uses what it calls Dirt Detect, focusing more cleaning effort when it detects a concentration of dirt.
If you’re a pet parent who needs help keeping hardwood, tile or low-pile carpeting fur-free, the iLife V3S Pro is the right vacuum for you. If getting pet hair out of high-pile carpeting is a priority, you should step up to the iRobot 694, which has two brush rollers that work great on higher-pile carpets, but that will cost you about $100 more and the iLife does a better job overall. Like the Eufy 11s, this vacuum uses random, or bump and run navigation, so while it does take time to clean the house, it covers every room. Again like the Eufy, it returns to the charging base if it runs out of battery before the house is finished and then resumes the job once fully charged.
It’s like the developers left in a bunch of code that makes it think it’s still round. We watched it stubbornly try to shove itself into spaces where it obviously couldn’t fit, roughing up some furniture in the process. This would be annoying in a $400 robot, but it’s especially frustrating in a robot that costs more than our favorite dishwasher. Hooman Shahidi, iRobot’s vice president of product development, told Wirecutter that it’s more difficult to get a D-shaped robot like the Roomba s9 to navigate smoothly.
You can also control the vacuum with your voice, by pairing it to home assistants like Alexa and Google Home. This Roomba is also smart enough to empty its own dustbin if you spring for the self-cleaning base. It’s available as an add-on, so you can opt for the smart vacuum only or purchase the base separately at any time.