The best robot vacuums of 2021 CNN Underscored

Its smart-map feature is as robust as any that we’ve used, letting you tell the bot which specific rooms to clean, places to avoid, and when to do it all through a smartphone app and Wi-Fi connection. It also moves faster and bonks into fewer things than other robots at this price, particularly the Roomba i3 EVO. It won’t clean carpets or hair as well as the Roomba i3 EVO and may not last as long, but owners generally seem satisfied with this bot’s performance. But unlike most of its competitors, the Roomba i3 EVO is actually a sturdy, repairable appliance—and while longevity is never guaranteed, you can reasonably expect to own and use it regularly for years. It’s also better at cleaning rugs than most bots, and hair doesn’t get tangled in its brushes as quickly. With the companion app and a Wi-Fi connection, you can turn the robot on or off, and optionally set an automatic cleaning schedule.

irobot vacuum cleaner

Clean the bearings on the brush roll, caster, and side brushes every few weeks. You might need a screwdriver for this job, but many bots let you pop out the parts with no bissell crosswave cordless tools. If you have thicker rugs, or you just feel like owning a stronger bot, then go ahead and spend a little more on a bot with better brushes or stronger suction.

While not the worst result we’ve seen (that honor belongs to the Ecovacs Deebot 600 at 18%), it’s definitely near the bottom. We provide a detailed analysis of each of these vacuums in our reviews, and you can see our vacuum product guide for the latest models. When you find the right one for you, be sure to read up on our simple robot vacuum tips.

The Roborock S7 has a rubber brush, a side-sweeper, and a detachable mopping unit. For $300 , this is the least you can spend on a bot and get a decent experience. Yes, there are cheaper options, but those are mainly what are known as “bump and roll” bots. They roll until they bump into something, then trundle off in another direction. The Roborock E4 uses a dual gyroscope and OpticEye sensor system to navigate your home by “feel.” It moves in a somewhat methodical pattern that covers all the ground it can reach.

It vacuums in neat rows using floor-tracking sensors to navigate and dirt-detecting sensors to clean up dust and debris. To accomplish this, the Roomba uses Adapt 2.0 Navigation with visual localization. Some models will work more effectively with shark cordless darker floors, most likely due to the cliff sensors mistaking the dark for a drop-off. For hard surfaces, the company also manufactures mopping robots that also include smart features to work in conjunction with their vacuuming counterparts.

According to the Wyze customer support forums, a beta version of the Wyze app supports multiple maps, and it’s supposed to be released widely at some point. If that doesn’t matter to you, or you’re willing to believe that they’ll actually release the multi-level update soon (I wouldn’t, but I’ve been wrong before), the Wyze seems like a decent-enough option. As for cleaning, we’ve found over and over bissell crosswave cordless again that basic Eufy bots are capable of picking up all the most common types of debris off bare floors and low-pile rugs. It’s actually kind of surprising how effective they are, since the advertised suction is so modest, and the single brush roll is small. If you have plush carpets and a lot of hair to deal with, though, you’ll want a robot with better brush action and possibly stronger suction.