Most bots come with a tool that can cut and then brush away the fuzz. We’ve decided to make this a significant factor in our recommendations. We scouted reviews shark cordless for hints about longevity, and favored bots with easy-to-find replacement parts like filters and brushes, but also batteries, wheels, and transmissions.
In fact, it outperformed other models which came with a much higher price tag. It’s more basic in its design, lacking smart home connectivity, but it cleans very well and couldn’t be better value for money. That’s why iRobot brings you the Roomba® family of vacuuming robots.
However, unlike the Neato D7, our previous midrange robot vacuum pick, the Roborock S7 was much more effective at pulling sand away from both medium-pile (50.4%) and low-pile carpets (64.2%). 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. Generally speaking, all the vacuums on this list can handle hardwood floors and pet hair without issue.
To put its obstacle-evasion technology to the test, we intentionally placed dog toys that have tripped up other robot vacuums in its path. Without fail, the Ozmo T8 AIVI detected the toys in its way and changed directions accordingly. The iRobot Roomba j7+ might induce sticker shock, but it’s one of the smartest standalone robot vacuums you can buy.
That said, it struggles somewhat when it comes to sucking up debris that’s been embedded deeply within carpet fibers. It operates pretty quietly, making it a solid option for discrete autonomous cleaning. Dual Multi-Surface Brushes, a specially designed Edge-Sweeping Brush, and suction clean everything from small particles to large debris from your carpets and dyson robot vacuum hard floors. Some of the robot vacuum models rely on built-in camera and computer image processing to map your rooms, enabling systematic and more efficient vacuuming. Like its more expensive sibling the Roomba S9 Plus, the J7 Plus can empty its own dustbin. The robot’s CleanBase docking station both charges it and vacuums it free of debris automatically.
The D-shaped s9’s twin rubber rollers are much wider than any of its stablemates and indeed almost all of its competitors, so this is the model to choose if you have a huge floorspace. Founded in the early 1990s by a trio of MIT roboticists, iRobot is now one of the world’s most trusted domestic robot cleaner brands and arguably the most ubiquitous. The best iRobot Roomba robot vacs are much lusted after by bot fans, and tend to have the most premium fit and finish of any of the candidates in our best robot vacuum cleaner top 10. As a result they are pricier on average, but you get what you pay for to a large extent.
Roomba, the iconic robot vacuum from iRobot, is in some ways as ubiquitous a term as Kleenex. If you’re looking for your Roomba robot vacuum, here’s how to sort through the current models. Roombas are powered by a user-replaceable rechargeable battery; older models used NiMH batteries, while newer models use lithium-ion batteries, and a few models support both. First-generation models must be recharged from a wall power adapter, while all subsequent models have a self-charging homebase that the unit seeks out at the end of a cleaning session via infrared beacons. The Clean Base® Automatic Dirt Disposal takes convenience to a new level—automatically emptying into an enclosed bag that holds 30 robot bins, so you don’t have to think about vacuuming for weeks at a time.
The Roomba S9 Plus also struggled a bit cleaning sand from low-pile carpeting, earning a low average dust and sand pickup of 28%. While not the worst result we’ve seen bissell crosswave cordless (that honor belongs to the Ecovacs Deebot 600 at 18%), it’s definitely near the bottom. For all bots, you need to leave a few feet open around and above the dock.