Eufy makes several RoboVac models built on the same base as the 11S, plus extra features. The following table is a cheat sheet of the most popular Eufy bump bots as of November 2021 (though it’s not a full list of all their models). The 11S is quiet enough that you could easily forget that it’s running if you’re home while it’s working. We measured the volume on the bot’s maximum suction setting and found that it was just 57 dBc, a full 5 dBc quieter than the Roomba 694—that’s a major difference. On its normal suction setting, it’s just 53 dBc, which sounds more like a fan than a vacuum cleaner (“traditional” vacuums are often 70 dBc or louder because of their much stronger suction).
The suction power doesn’t stand up to these larger devices, and the collected debris is pulled into a small internal bin with limited dustbin capacity. After I determined there was no chance I could clean the pet waste off my robot vacuum, I reached out to the manufacturer. And, even though the warranty states explicitly these accidents aren’t covered, they still provided me with a bissell crosswave cordless replacement unit for free. I plugged in the dock to charge the vacuum, connected the app, updated the firmware, and set a schedule for cleaning. After two cleanings, the vac created a map of my layout so I could set no-go zones to keep the T8 AIVI away from sensitive areas. The 240mL water tank was large enough to complete at least two passes over the 500-square-foot test floor.
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. “You’d be surprised at how many types of poop there are,” said Hooman Shahidi, iRobot’s vice president of product development, in a conversation with Wirecutter. He noted that they’ve curated a large learning library of different “shapes and configurations” of pet waste.
It methodically ran around the rim of the room before vacuuming it in rows, navigated neatly around kitchen chairs, didn’t fall off the step in front of the fireplace, and marked everything accurately on the map. It can save and customize up to four separate maps, which means I can simply pick it up and carry it upstairs or to the basement. Adding Siri voice commands is simple, and I can yell at it to start from over 50 feet away. “Research indicates that robot vacuums are not meant to replace upright vacuums,” Peña-Hernández said. “That likely has to do with their smaller motor size. They’re good for touch-ups and in-between uses.”
Perhaps it’s something to do with the shorter dimensions, but the j7+’s Clean Base makes an unholy racket that will have you covering your ears. There are currently five models in the iRobot Roomba catalogue and they vary wildly in price from around £270 for the basic 600 Series model to £1,500 for the flagship s9+. All iRobot Roomba models are low profile in design and, bar the s9+, circular shaped with a single side-mounted spinning bristle for collecting debris near floor edges. They are all equipped with a raft of navigation sensors, including cliff-detection sensors for steep drops like stair cases plus automatic floor-type recognition. If and how the robot vacuum integrates with mobile apps, smart home platforms and other technologies.