How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robotic vacuum is a steal. Beware of maintenance costs that may be higher than anticipated: tangles inside brushes, clogged air inlets and emptied dust bins will quickly transform your dream of automated cleaning into a chore.
The iRobot J7 Combo is the best value robot for a variety of users. It offers the same hands-free experience, but at a fraction of its price.
Suction Power
Some models in this range offer enough suction for basic vacuuming. Others may need an nozzle that can be held in a handheld for more thorough cleaning. A budget robot vacuum is likely to complete the job if you have an apartment with primarily hard floors. If you have a mix of floors, carpets or pets that shed, you will have the best results using a more capable robot vacuum.
Some budget models come with a water tank and mopping capability, adding to their flexibility. The Dyson R7050C has an oversized 770ml bin and excellent navigation scores, but it is louder and doesn't have mopping capabilities. The more compact Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro, in contrast, is quite quiet and has an auto-empty dock. It also has a water tank, a powerful suction capacity of 5,500pascal and a large bin you can fill with cleaning solution to make it an efficient mopping machine. You can operate the Q5 Pro via the smart app to mop or vacuum in the room, or a series of rooms or an entire area as well as create no-go zones and customize suction and mopping settings for different rooms.
The budget Shark ION is a great choice for those seeking something simple, affordable and reliable. It's not as advanced as some of the other models we've tested that have a simple app and basic mapping capabilities, but it offers solid navigation and cleaning abilities. It's also among the few robots we've tested which can differentiate between carpets and hard flooring and has a 300ml trash bin that only needs to be cleaned every 30 days.
Take a look at some of the top models that are priced at this level If you're looking for something more sophisticated that can vacuum, mop, and create a map for more effective obstacle-avoiding. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 are extremely powerful suction power and combs that are clever for pet hair and other fine dirt, and an in-app scheduling and voice control using your smart home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that provides excellent cleaning performance for the price.
Navigation Efficiency
A low-cost robot vacuum cleaner can be just as effective as expensive models, so long as it is able to maneuver through your home and avoid obstacles. To assess the effectiveness of navigation, our lab technicians set up a tracker to watch a robot's movement through a multi-room test house and assess its ability to locate the rooms it must clean in a specific amount of time frame, while avoiding hazards like rug power cords, power cords, and furniture. We also examine how fast a robot can traverse different terrains in the home, like stairways and floor transitions.
The most affordable robot vacuums come with efficient navigation systems that help to clean up a room without having to waste time, crashing through obstacles, or getting stuck. Many robot vacuums come with maps that are essential to complete a thorough house clean. However, even budget models with no mapping can efficiently cover a room, so it's important to balance cost with the features you need for your home.
We also consider the ease with which robots can traverse thresholds within the home, like the heights of a door's sill or sofas. A good budget robot should be able to transition over these obstacles, and a few offer settings that alter suction power according to flooring types. We also consider whether a budget robot is compatible with your smart home setup and can be controlled remotely using an app or voice control.
The iLife V3s Pro is a excellent example of a budget robot that provides basic mapping capabilities as well as smart features. It's also very affordable. It can be controlled via the iRobot app, and comes with an auto-return feature that will return it to its base when the battery has run out and resumes where it was when it left.
The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance found on many premium robots, but it does have live cameras that stream an unreliable video feed to your phone so you can keep an eye on it while it is working. The cameras can detect obstacles like stairs and other steps and alert the robot if it encounters them. However, the iLife employs random navigation instead of a method designed to keep objects from getting stuck against furniture legs, therefore it may not be able to get around a leg on a chair or other tight spot as well as a robot that has mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
When shopping for a robotic vacuum, you should balance the price and performance. The cheapest models might not include advanced features such as mapping, but you can find many that perform very well at cleaning your home. Be aware of the dimensions and capacity of the robot's dust bin. It should be able to fit all the debris that robots accumulate such as hair dirt, pet dander.
You'll also require a robotic vacuum that is able to remove the stains that carpets have. We test every model on the ZDNET chart to determine whether it is able to remove dirt and hair from carpet. The most effective models have a brush that digs through the fibers to pull out debris.
The budget models are great at cleaning up small messes from plain floors or low-pile floor carpets, but they struggle to get rid of bigger debris and pet hairs from carpets with higher pile. These models typically have less suction power however, they can be effective in removing particles from tight spaces such as corners and under furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro is the most affordable vacuuming model and has scored high marks in our tests with its ability to remove dirt and hair from carpets. It is also among our quieter models, and is simple to use. It features a suction opening that collects debris instead of pushing it through the bar. It also has the ability to adjust the power to match any surface. It has a sidebrush with three bristles to push hair and debris into the robot's path. However, it's not as effective at picking up fine dust.
Look for robot vacuum cleaner cheap with both vacuum and mop functions, like the Combo j9 Plus. This robot can simultaneously vac and mop, and you can define specific vac/mop setting for each room. It's more expensive than the other budget robot vacs in our list however it comes with the advantages of a forward-facing camera which enables more precise mapping and better obstacle avoidance for things like power cords and cat piss.
Maintenance
The convenience robot vacuums offer is wonderful, however the technology comes at a price. They require regular maintenance, from emptying their dustbin to replacing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also get caught up in cords or fall off the staircase.
The best budget robot vacuums ease the burden since they require only minimal management by the user. The top picks have navigation systems that avoid objects and are free of hazards, such as the tangled electrical cords or dropped food. Sensors are used to map rooms and create maps that inform them where they have already cleaned.
Don't let the price of the more expensive models deter you from buying. They can still do a great job if given the chance. Many of our top budget choices are from top OEMs, such as iRobot, Roborock and Dreame and you can be sure that they've been designed with attention to detail and built to last.
If you're willing more, think about investing in mopping with a robot. They can use a moist cloth across floors to scrub them and remove stubborn stains and they can be used with a mop pad that is specifically designed for difficult jobs such as dried coffee.
The TP Link Tapo RV30 plus is the best budget mopping robot in our roundup. It has a sleek and uncluttered design, but it also has all the features and performance of a top-rated robovac. During our testing the RV30 was able to navigate without hitting furniture, and constructing detailed maps of its flooring that it can refer to on future runs. This is the only robot in the budget that we tested with this feature. iRobot Roomba also has mapping capabilities, but the app setup guide you through the entire procedure.
Be sure to maintain your robot, whether you choose a costly robovac or one that is less expensive. It is important to empty the dustbin and clean the filter after each cleaning session (refer to your owner's guide or the website of the manufacturer for more information). Replace the battery when necessary and verify the Wi-Fi connectivity.