When it launched way back in 2015 the Roomba 980 (£849) was iRobot’s top-of-the-range Wi-Fi connected design, and while it now somewhat eclipsed by the i7+, it has more enough cleaning smarts to deserve a place on this list. One final hangover from the original remains; its unwillingness to successfully dock and charge after a clean. Frequently, just like a drunk sleeping in his own doorway, the Heurist gets so close to the charger and seems to think, ‘that’ll do’ and just stops. The self-emptying bin is our favourite feature for sheer convenience, but its smart maps come a close second. You know which rooms need cleaning and which are too cluttered. Simply tell it where to clean as you go out, then leave it to do the housework.
The best robot vacuum for deep cleaning is Dyson’s 360 Heurist (£899). It’s a big improvement on the original Dyson robo vac with increased suction power, the ability to see in the dark and it’s a great performer, especially on carpets that need a deep clean. Control of the 360 Heurist vacuum cleaner is through the Dyson Link app, which is true of all Dyson’s smart products, from its air purifiers to its Lightcycle task lamps. There’s a little more to using this vacuum cleaner than its predecessor, starting with a requirement to map an area before the robot can clean it. You can store maps of multiple floors, moving the 360 Heurist around your home to clean everywhere.
Choose additional tools absolutely free with auto-registration on select vacuums. To choose your free tools, see the accessory selector page after you add to cart. Well it’s set to launch in Japan initially in Spring shark cordless 2015 and then to the rest of the world later next year. This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service.
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. Today, the 360 Heurist is even more powerful, with its upgraded V2 motor delivering 20% more power. Most robot vacuum cleaners are short and wide, but Dyson has opted for a taller, narrower design with the 360 Heurist. Here, the vacuum cleaner can squeeze through gaps, such as chair legs, which stop other cleaners, yet the height means that the 360 Heurist can’t always fit underneath furniture. While the majority of robot vacuum cleaners make do with wheels, the Dyson 360 Heurist has a pair of tank tracks, designed to propel the robot over obstacles and through longer-pile rugs, for example. The 360 Eye design is functional, too; the clear dust tray shows you at a glance when the bot is full and needs emptying, and the ‘eye’ resides up high, giving it the best possible view of its surroundings for mapping efforts.
The 360 Eye’s filter is located on the front of the vacuum underneath a flimsy-feeling sliver of plastic. The trick is to slide the cover down from the top, very close to the vacuum, but it takes some getting used to. Long-exposure shots of how Dyson’s 360 Eye , iRobot’s Roomba 980 , and Neato’s Botvac Connected steer around a space. Dyson’s bot is very systematic about its movements, as it travels out from the dock in concentric squares throughout your entire house. The first thing I noticed when I saw Dyson’s 360 Eye was that it was ridiculously tall.
Placement of the cleaning brush is also a key part of the design, since it allows for a full width component, where most robot vacuums use smaller brush bars that mean the bot needs to make more passes to finish the job. There’s no doubt that Dyson is planning a return to the arena of robot vacuum cleaners. But how will its next robot vac – which seems to be known as the RBO3 at the moment – improve on previous models? It tends to be the more expensive models that have room-mapping. It’s the advanced controls that really prove useful, allowing you to set restrictions to control how the 360 Heurist.