In some ways, it seems that this vacuum has been engineered too well. Other robotic vacuums operate on an efficient, hug-the-walls, cleaning-inwards spiral pattern. The Heurist has been designed as a ‘learning’ robot which means that it does not take the simplest route, because it is constantly recalculating it’s distance from walls and furniture. So rather than, say, following a wall for two metres, it will stop and start while it scans the wall every few seconds. This resulted in it taking 50 minutes to map and 35 minutes to clean our test room, a poor result compared to other robot vacuums.
I was impressed with the 360 Eye’s tread-like wheels, though; they raise up when needed so the vacuum could travel over large power cords and transitions between hardwood floors and carpet. The 360 Eye by Dyson is a very good robot vacuum, but competitors offer similar features and better performance for less. Quiet mode is a setting on the 360 Eye that will prolong the battery life by making the vacuum use less suction.
It’s also quieter and more forgiving on loose rugs than the ultra expensive S9+. An unofficial community to discuss Dyson, makers of vacuums, haircare, environmental care, and lighting. Receive support, discuss, and speculate all things James, Jake, and the Dyson brand.
We loved the ability to name each room, to define areas and restrictions on the map the robot generates, and the ability to schedule cleans. The body of the vacuum has a minimal user interface, with only a single button, so the vacuum must be controlled by the app. Our single biggest issue with this vacuum is its connectivity. We found that the Heurist’s connection to wi-fi is very poor, shark cordless disconnecting itself every few minutes, which meant we couldn’t control it for periods of time. This can occur if the robot is picked up and placed in a different location, if lighting has changed significantly or if the robot cannot see enough features to orient itself by. Your robot will initially try to identify its location by cleaning areas close to its last known position.
Finally, there’s a No Climb option, which prevents the robot from trying to lift up over obstacles, such as furniture that has support bars. For me, the latter feature proved useful for a coffee table that has an X-shaped set of legs that run across the floor. Released back in 2016, the Dyson 360 Eye has remained one of the most powerful robot vacuum cleaners to date, easily beating much of its new competition.