On its normal suction setting, the 11S operates at just 53 dBc, sounding more like a fan than a vacuum cleaner . And since the 11S stops short of most obstacles, it avoids creating many of the bonking impact noises that the rougher Roomba 694 makes. Other basic Eufy models have slightly stronger suction and can be a couple of decibels louder, but they are still quieter than most competitors.
Here’s some tips on what to look for when picking your next house cleaner. In addition to spot mode and the standard back-and-forth cleaning mode, you can opt for edge-only cleaning to get all that pet hair off your baseboards. The Deebot U2 also comes with a tangle-free silicone brush you can swap out with the standard bristle brush. In my testing, bristle brushes work better on carpet but are prone to getting tangled with fur.
If you’re choosing between the two most premium robot vacuums money can buy, the S7 MaxV Ultra and the X1 Omni, go with the former if you have a lot of hard flooring and you’re mainly concerned with mopping performance. Roborock’s bot uses sonic vibration technology to scrub your floors 3,000 times per minute, while the X1 Omni’s circular mopping pads spin at 180 revolutions per minute. Both robots left our test floors streak-free and shiny, but the S7 MaxV Ultra is slightly better at deep cleaning. The iRobot Roomba j7+ might induce sticker shock, but it’s one of the smartest standalone robot vacuums you can buy. It uses a built-in camera and machine learning technology to recognize obstacles in its cleaning path in real time, and automatically reroute itself around them.
These sensors can detect the presence of obstacles, particularly dirty spots on the floor, and steep drops (e.g., to avoid falling down stairs). Unlike almost every other vacuum here, Eufy’s latest and most powerful robot vacuum utilizes twin turbines. Each turbine generates up to 2,000 Pa of suction energy, meaning that it can suck up twice as much dirt in one pass.
The main reason we don’t recommend the Wyze bot is that the app can’t currently remember maps for multiple floors of a home—it learns one level, whereas Roborock bots can remember up to four levels. 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 if you’re willing to believe that Wyze will actually release that multi-level update soon, the Wyze robot seems like a decent-enough option. Another advantage is that the Roomba 694 has two counter-rotating brush rolls, mounted in a suspension system, whereas every other bot at this price has a single brush sitting at a fixed height. Even the cheapest bots we’ve tested do a good job of picking up the most common types of debris from bare floors and short rugs, but the Roomba 694’s design helps it work better on rugs, especially when it needs to pick up a lot of hair. The Roomba 694 also has a dirt-detection system, which helps the bot reliably clean the most obvious piles of debris as long as it encounters those piles on its semi-random travels.
The emptying process isn’t as simple as an automatically opening flat that shakes dirt from one garbage can to another – the base actually sucks the dirt from vacuum. This was the case for all of the machines I tried that came with clean bases; they’re all quite loud, but the Roomba j7+ was the loudest of them irobot vacuum cleaner all. The whooshing sounds last for only five to 10 seconds, but it was shocking the first time it happened. Just keep that in mind if you ever decide to run the robot at night when others are sleeping. Overall, we’re not convinced that obstacle avoidance is really the holy grail of robot-vacuum technology.
You do need to tidy up a bit before you set it free, but it does better with large cables and rug tassels than many other robots. (iRobot has an anti-tangle tech that makes the bot reverse course if it starts to get tangled.) This works pretty well for bigger items but, sadly, not phone charging cords. It costs extra and, with a small 180ml reservoir, it’s not an effective substitute for a proper mop. But it will help get up any fine dust the robot’s suction action missed. Aided by multiple sensors and lasers, efficient navigation is the S7’s other strong suit.
It’s an even more tempting choice if you can snag it when it’s discounted. Replace filters and side brushes a few times per year, the brush roll about once a year, and the battery as needed—probably every second year, though that depends on how often you use the bot. 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 tools. Most bots come with a tool that can cut and then brush away the fuzz.
The Roombas’ speed is also increased, which is possible in part because of the sensors to avoid bumping into obstacles too hard. Later models introduced several additional operating modes, such as “Spot”, which cleans an area of a few feet, and “Max”, which cleans endlessly until the battery is depleted, this mode was only available shark cordless on older Roombas. “Dock” mode, introduced with the third generation, instructs the Roomba to seek a charging base for recharging. Many second- and third-generation Roombas come packaged with infrared remote controls or special control panels, allowing a human operator to “drive” the Roomba to areas to be specially cleaned.
And it doesn’t include basic protections like two-factor authentication. If you have the cash, this is one of your best options for a clean kitchen floor, but if it creeps you out, you have other options. Whether you’re up against pet hair or you want to splurge on a high-end laser-guided bot, we have the perfect pick for you. If the S7 MaxV Ultra is out of your price range, the S7+ is an excellent alternative. It can’t refill its own water tank, clean its own mopping cloth, or function as a home security camera, but it offers all the other perks of the S7 MaxV Ultra for $400 less.