The second type of test reveals exactly how much physical debris a vacuum is able to pick up off of the floor. To mimic dirt of small particle size, we use a mixture of play-sand and landscaping sand. For bigger particle soil, we use grains of uncooked black rice. Robots then run in straight line mode across three types of flooring (low-pile carpet, medium-pile carpet and hardwood bare floors). The RoboVac 25C’s showing on low-pile (53.5%) and medium-pile (52.2%) wasn’t bad either. It even managed to leave just one tuft of pet hair from hardwood floors.
This robot vacuum allows you to schedule cleanings and maintenance, as well as document digital cleaning maps, a feature also on the Roomba 980 model. It did show a little trouble with the sugar tests, being that the sugar particles are ultra-fine and relatively heavy, but the performance was no worse than any other competitive robot vacuum. Sugar tests seem to be one area that robot vacuums consistently have trouble with. Dyson is possibly most noted for their line of cordless stick vacuums, the V-Series stick models including the V6, V7, V8, and V10.
This is a handy position for the bin, as you can see quickly if it needs emptying without having to lift up a flap on the robot. Inside the bin is also one washable filter, with a secondary filter at the rear. You can split your home up into zones and rooms, too, using the app to select the options and vacuum power mode you want to use on each.
The cameras on these two vacuums set them apart from all the rest. The Roomba 980 uses the iHome mobile app on any Android or iOS device. The app is a free download and is not essential for using the vacuum; however, it is a lot easier. Once downloaded you just need to sync your robot to the network and then your network to the app.
Dyson appears to be readying a new robot vacuum, possibly for US release, as evident by Federal Communications Commission filings of an announced robovac. The filings even include photos that seem to show a vacuum that’s both wider and flatter than Dyson’s existing robot vacuums. A few of the less smart models use boundary strips the robot vacuum’s sensors will recognise instead, letting you mark off these areas manually as no-go zones. Of course, this also shark cordless means you may have to lay down these strips whenever you want to use the thing, depending on the layout of your home. Connecting the Heurist to our Wi-Fi took a few seconds, and, unlike the original, didn’t require the inputting of serial numbers, just our Wi-Fi password and the Dyson Link app. Once connected and charged, we could map rooms (without cleaning), assign safe zones, adjust the power levels for different floor types, and schedule cleaning jobs.
If successful it will go around the cord to prevent being tangled again. Tangle-free in this instance does not mean free from hairs or strings. A full charge from a dead battery will take three hours on a 980; however, you will get 2 hours (under optimal conditions) of run time. In a real-world test, the charge lasts about an hour and a half, which is still twice as long as the Dyson. In the end, I found that the simplest solution was to share the Roomba’s map with the Braava Jet and instruct the mop to clean rug-free areas, like the bathroom and kitchen.
Cleaning power and performance may go some way towards justifying the cost, but there are alternatives that do a good job for a lot less. For those who have the space, the time you spend with the Dyson 360 Heurist will prove worth it in the long run in terms of the quality of clean and the level of suction you get. Once up and running, the only areas of your home that the vacuum will struggle to reach are the corners of rooms. Boosting power over the original by 20%, the 360 Heurist is just about the most powerful vacuum cleaner I’ve used, easily dealing with mess on all surfaces from hard floors to carpet.
It can also be speedily adjusted to a handheld for those closer cleaning jobs. It’s the advanced controls that really prove useful, allowing you to set restrictions to control how the 360 Heurist. The Avoid Area option is basically the no-go option on other cleaners, but there are two other options alongside.
The 360 Hyperdymium is decked out in Dyson’s signature blue and nickel motif, with the Verge noting it’s equipped with a 360-degree camera with an LED lighting right for in-the-dark navigation. Derek Hales is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ModernCastle.com. He has been dyson robot vacuum featured in Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, Business Insider, Realtor.com, She Knows, and other major publications. Derek has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University. Hales has been testing and reviewing products for the home since 2014.
The soft roller head is included on any model that has the word “Absolute” or “Fluffy” after the model number. The V7 features a 30-minute run time and is slightly less expensive than the Dyson V8 model. It only powers the vacuum when your finger is on the trigger and if you stop to move furniture or do something else, the vacuum immediately turns off. Again, considering overall value and cleaning performance, I think that Roomba shows up time and time again, providing great cleaning performance at a variety of price points. The main difference between the rubberized brushroll and the bristle brushroll is maintenance. While we can’t definitively draw any conclusions regarding the cleaning performance of the Dyson 360 Eye since we haven’t personally tested it, we can say that third-party reviewers aren’t loving this machine.