If you’re choosing between the two most premium robot vacuums money can buy, the S7 MaxV Ultra and the X1 Omni, go with the former if you have a lot of hard flooring and you’re mainly concerned with mopping performance. Roborock’s bot uses sonic vibration technology to scrub your floors 3,000 times per minute, while the X1 Omni’s circular mopping pads spin at 180 revolutions per minute. Both robots left our test floors streak-free and shiny, but the S7 MaxV Ultra is slightly better at deep cleaning. The iRobot Roomba j7+ might induce sticker shock, but it’s one of the smartest standalone robot vacuums you can buy. It uses a built-in camera and machine learning technology to recognize obstacles in its cleaning path in real time, and automatically reroute itself around them.
It also has four times more raw suction than the already-strong Roomba i3 EVO, i7, and j7. That helps it consistently pick up larger debris such as cat litter or yard waste better than most robots, though it still doesn’t come close to deep-cleaning dust from a rug like a traditional vacuum does. But when we tried the s9 in 2020, it was one of the clumsiest navigators we’d ever tested. We watched it stubbornly try to shove itself into spaces where it obviously couldn’t fit, roughing up some furniture in the process.
The big downside is that the RoboVac 11S and other bots like it don’t seem to be built to last for more than a couple of years on average, and we’ve heard about plenty of unrepairable breakdowns that happen even sooner. And although the 11S can 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. We chose the best robot vacuum models based on their design, capabilities and overall value—but also their longevity and durability. A good robot vacuum should last at least three to five years without any worries, sometimes far longer.
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. Also consider the Eufy RoboVac 11S, which is so quiet and nimble that it blends into the background like no other robot . This basic, bump-and-run bot sounds more like a desk fan than a vacuum—even if you’re home while it works, you’ll barely notice it running. It’s shorter than most bots, which lets it glide under more furniture, picking up plenty of hidden debris.
It also did a good job of staying away from a power strip, a power cord, and a USB cable. But it didn’t recognize (or at least didn’t try to avoid) our other obstacles, including toys, a sock, a shoe, and a water bowl. We like this bot for a lot of other important reasons , and the obstacle recognition is almost like a toss-in feature, so it isn’t a bad buy. The company has a good history of following through on those kinds of promises, but you should expect the improvements to trickle out over several years, not months. IRobot doesn’t claim that the Roomba j7 can avoid most kinds of obstacles yet.
The suction on this unit is 10 times higher than models in the 600 series and can be automatically increased to clean deep into carpets. The 981 Roomba vacuum cleans with pet-friendly features, including multisurface brushes and power-lifting suction with five times the air power of traditional vacuums. It will run for about 75 minutes before returning to the charging dock to power up and then resume cleaning.
Bare floorsIndicates the vacuum’s ability to remove surface debris from a bare laminate floor. In future testing, we plan to assess whether those models offer any real improvements on the mopping process. We’ll also be interested to see how they do at obstacle recognition compared with their predecessors. We’ve decided to make this a significant dyson robot vacuum factor in our recommendations. We scout reviews for hints about longevity, and we favor bots with easy-to-find replacement parts such as filters and brushes but also batteries, wheels, and transmissions. We also fully disassemble some popular bots to get a sense for the build quality and how straightforward they might be to repair.
IRobot has been praised for the availability of replacement parts for Roombas, with official parts still being sold for every model including the first-generation Roombas, almost 20 years after their release. It’s no small investment, but the iRobot Scooba 450 is a very effective way to keep your floors sparkling without reaching for a mop and bucket. Keep in mind that manufacturers typically cover their robots with one-year limited warranties that include parts and labor. You will get digital access to reviews and ratings for over 8,500 products and services to help you make better choices for life’s big moments and the everyday ones in between.
If you’re looking to upgrade from a basic robot vacuum to one with self-emptying abilities, the Shark IQ Robot XL is an excellent choice. Thanks to its bagless self-emptying system and self-cleaning brushroll, it’s one of the lowest-maintenance robot vacuums we’ve tested. That said, allergy sufferers might prefer the comparably priced Roomba i3+ EVO, which empties its bin into an AllergenLock bag so you’re not exposed to dust. The iRobot brand earned a Very Good rating for predicted reliability based on data from our member surveys. Maintenance and repairs are easy to perform at home, and iRobot has a track record for keeping spare parts available for every Roomba model it has sold.
Roomba models are the only robot vacuums that employ two brush rolls that rotate toward each other, an arrangement that works well on all surfaces but offers its biggest advantage over other robot vacuums’ brush rolls on rugs. In fact, the “brushes” on the i3 EVO are really rubber-nubbed extractors, which are particularly good at picking up pet hair, especially from thicker and higher-pile rugs, without much hair getting wrapped around the roller. All Roomba bots, including the i3 EVO, also have a dirt-detection shark cordless system—another feature you can’t find in other brands’ bots. When a Roomba model senses that it’s passing over an area with a lot of debris, it stops and makes a few passes back and forth to pick up as much as possible. It also has smart mapping, so you can tell it to clean or avoid specific rooms. But unlike most of its competitors, the Roomba i3 EVO is actually a sturdy, repairable appliance—and although longevity is never guaranteed, you can reasonably expect to own and use it regularly for years.