The main thing you’re sacrificing for the lower price of this bot is less effective vacuuming. The Q Revo uses one rubber brush compared to the S8’s dual roller brushes and requires multiple passes to get everything up compared to just one or two with the S8 or J7. The Q Revo uses the Roborock app, which is easy to use and mostly reliable. I’ve only needed to rebuild my map once while using it in the last year, and there’s now a backup option to restore maps. You can set no-go zones, clean per room, and create specific zones to clean.
In fact, I could barely hear the 11S when it was on the opposite end of my apartment running in BoostIQ mode. IRobot has made a name for itself in the autonomous vacuum market for good reason. Its machines are polished, dead simple to use and the accompanying app is excellent. That ease of use (and the reputation of the iRobot name) comes with a slightly higher asking price, which many will be willing to pay.
In our cleaning tests, this robot vacuum picked up an average of eight grams per run, slightly lower than our standard of 10 grams. This robot vacuum does its predecessor proud, offering excellent suction and improved navigation. The slimmer design allows the Robovac 11S to get its brushes into more places. With these smart irobot vacuum cleaner maps, you can designate the areas for it to clean or avoid. That means you can have this robot vacuum your hallway twice while avoiding your dog’s bed completely. The 3 Stage Cleaning system & Dual Multi-Surface brushes grab dirt from carpets & hard floors, while the Edge-Sweeping brush takes care of corners & edges.
But there are plenty of solid options now that didn’t exist even just three years ago. Robot vacuums are complex machines with more moving parts, electronics and software than ordinary vacuums. Still, with regular maintenance and replacement parts such as batteries, brushes and filters, these devices can last just as long as traditional vacuums. A feature I love on the Q Revo, which I’ve not seen on any other dock that washes mops, is a removable mop-washing area.
You can get it with an auto-empty dock for a list price of $550 (i.e., probably lower). The physical design is also very similar to the j7 under the hood, with two multi-surface rubber roller brushes to get more dirt up. These rubber brushes don’t get tangled by long hair the way bristle brushes can. If you are looking for the best clean for your buck and want to avoid the possibility that the robot won’t finish its run because of stray clutter, the Roomba j7 is the one to go with. Its cleaning prowess is largely unmatched thanks to the decades of experience iRobot has in this space, and it’s one of the easiest robot vacuums to use.
If you want a robot mop and a robot vacuum, but don’t want to purchase two different devices, you should check out a robot vacuum-mop hybrid. These floor cleaners typically have a smaller dust bin to accommodate a water tank that wets the mop pad. To find the best bots dyson robot vacuum for your buck, we’ve spent the last several years torture-testing the top robotic vacuums in our lab and in our homes. While the Roomba j7 is the best bot if you want all the bells and whistles, the Roomba i3 Evo is the best pick for a more affordable robot vacuum.
However, you want at least 120 minutes of runtime (180 is the best). Noisy robots that are constantly running will get shut off by annoyed family members. In my testing, the brush is the big factor in how well a robot will clean your floors. A large rubber roller brush is much better than a small bristle brush at picking up debris. Save when you bundle robot vacuums and mops that automatically work in perfect sequence, giving your floors a comprehensive clean.
In the past few years, no ther product I’ve tested has advanced as quickly as the humble robot vacuum. Long ago, they were mostly annoying, expensive devices that fell off steps and got stuck on rugs. Now you can find robot vacs at every price point with an incredible array of features, including mapping capabilities, self-emptying bins, and even cameras. So how can you ensure you’re getting the best robot vacuum to clean your floor type?
There’s a mopping version, the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1, or you can buy it as a stand-alone bot. Greenworks puts a lot of features in its GRV-5011 robot vacuum/mop combo, and many of these do a good job, even if the mop feature lags our desires a little. The Samsung JetBot A.I.+ is our pick for best robot vacuum for pet owners because of its ability to suction up hair and avoid messy pet accidents. Using this feature turns the X1 into a mobile security camera that you can control remotely.