How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum
A bargain robotic vacuum is a great value. Beware of maintenance costs that could be more than expected: tangles in brushes, blocked air inlets and emptying dust bins will quickly turn your automated cleaning dream into a burden.
The iRobot J7 Combo is the most affordable robot for a lot of people. It offers the same hands-free experience for only a fraction of the cost.
Suction Power
Certain models in this price range have strong enough suction for basic vacuuming, but others might require a bit of assistance by a handheld nozzle to reach into the smallest crevices and cracks. If you live in a house with mostly hard floors and a low-cost robot vacuum should suffice. If you have a mix of floors, rugs or pets that shed, you will get the best results with the most powerful robot vacuum.
Some budget models come with mopping capabilities and a water tank, increasing their capabilities. The more recent Dyson R7050C for instance, has very good scores in CR's tests of navigation and a generous 770ml bin, but it's louder than most of the other robots we've tried and doesn't have mopping features. Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro is smaller and quieter and comes with an automatic dock. It also comes with an water tank, powerful suction power of 5,500pascals and a large bin that you can fill with cleaning solution to make it an effective mopping machine. The Q5 Pro can be controlled through the app's smart function, that lets you vacuum or mop a room or a sequence of rooms or a whole area. You can also set up no-go zones, and customise suction settings for each room.
The budget Shark ION is a great option for those who want an affordable, basic device that is reliable. It's not as advanced as the other models we test that have a simple app and basic mapping capabilities, but it does have excellent navigation and cleaning capabilities. It's also among a few robots that can distinguish between hard flooring and carpets. The 300ml dustbin is only emptied once every 30 days.
If you're looking for a more advanced model that can vacuum, mop and create a map of your house to avoid obstacles more effectively take a look at the top models within this price range. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 are extremely powerful suction power and combs that are clever for pet hair and other fine dirt, and in-app scheduling and voice control with your smart home assistant. Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 offers a great cleaning performance at a reasonable price.
Navigation Efficiency
A budget-friendly robot vacuum could be just as effective the more expensive models, provided that it can navigate your home and avoid obstacles. To assess the effectiveness of navigation our lab technicians set up a tracking device to watch a Robot vacuum Cleaner quiet's movement through a multiroom test house and evaluate its ability to locate the rooms it must clean in a specific amount of time, avoiding pitfalls such as rug cords, power cables, and furniture. We also look at the speed at which a robot is able to move through different terrains of a home, such as stairways and floor transitions.
The most affordable robot vacuums feature efficient navigation systems that aid in helping them clean a room without spending time, crashing into obstacles or getting stuck. The majority of robot vacuums have the ability to map which is essential to complete a thorough house clean. However, even models that do not have mapping can be used to effectively clean a room and it's crucial to balance cost with the features you need for your home.
We also look at the ease with which robots can overcome thresholds in the home, for example the heights of a door's sill or sofas. A good budget robot will be able to negotiate these obstacles, and some have settings that can adjust the suction power depending on the type of floor. We also take a look at whether a budget robot is compatible with your smart home configuration and can be controlled remotely via an app or via voice control.
The iLife V3s Pro is a excellent example of a budget robot that comes with basic mapping capabilities and other intelligent features. It's also very affordable. It is controlled by the iRobot app, and has an auto-return feature that returns it back to its base once the battery is exhausted and then picks up where it was when it left.
The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance features found on many of the top robots, but it does have live cameras that stream a grainy video feed to your smartphone so that you can monitor it as it works. The cameras are also able to detect obstacles like stairs and other steps and elicit an alert if the robot comes across them. However the iLife employs random navigation rather than an approach designed to avoid objects stuck to furniture legs, therefore it might not be able to maneuver around a chair leg or another tight spot as easily as a robot that has mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
When you're searching for a robot vacuum, it's crucial to balance cost with performance. Some budget models don't have features such as mapping, but they will still be effective of cleaning your home. Also, pay attention to the size of a robot's dustbin and how much dirt it can hold prior to having to empty it. You'll need enough space to accommodate all the garbage that a robot accumulates, including pet dander, dirt, and hair.
You'll also want a robot vacuum that is able to remove stains from carpets. We test every model in the ZDNET chart to determine whether it is able to remove dirt and hair from carpet. The top models come with a special brush that digs through the fibers to remove dirt.
Most budget models do well in cleaning up spills on plain floors and in low-pile carpet, but struggle to clear larger pieces of debris and pet hair from higher-pile carpets. They usually have less powerful suction than more expensive models however, they still do a well at cleaning up obstructions from tight spaces like corners and under furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro is the most affordable vacuuming model and has scored high marks in our tests due to its ability to lift dirt and hair off carpets. It is also among our quieter models and easy to use. It has a small suction opening that scoops debris rather than pushing it through the brush bar, and it has the ability to adjust the power to be in line with the surface. It also has a side brush with three bristles that push debris and hair into the path of the robot, but it's not as effective at in removing fine dust.
Look for a model with mop and vacuum functions, like the Combo j9 Plus. This robot can simultaneously vac and mop, and you can set specific vac/mop settings for each room. It's more expensive than the other robot vacuums on our list, but it has a camera on the front that allows for more precise mapping and better obstacle avoidance for things like power cords and cat poop.
Maintenance
Robot vacuums are handy however, they come at price. Regular maintenance is required, from emptying the dustbin to changing filters and cleaning their brush bar. They can also get caught in cords or drop off the stairs, which is why they should be monitored carefully.
The best budget robot vacuums ease these problems through requiring minimal oversight from the user. The top picks have navigation systems that steer clear of objects and stay clear of hazards, such as tangled electrical cords and dropped food. Sensors are used to map rooms, and create maps that tell them where they've cleaned.
Don't let the price of the more expensive models deter you. They can still do an excellent job if given the chance. A majority of our top picks for budget are from top OEMs, like iRobot, Roborock and Dreame and you can be sure that they've been developed with the utmost attention to detail and built to last.
If you're willing to invest more, think about a mopping robot. These machines can clean floors using an aqueous cloth and get rid of stubborn stains. They can also be used conjunction with a mop pad to tackle difficult jobs, such as dried coffee.
The TP-Link Tapo RV30 plus is the best budget mopping robot we've reviewed in our roundup. It has the sleek, fussless appearance of a home hub but the features and performance of a top-rated robot that includes LiDAR navigation. In our tests it proved that the RV30 was able of navigating without hitting furniture and building detailed maps of its flooring, which it could use in future runs. This is the only robot in the budget that we have tested with this feature. iRobot Roomba also has mapping capabilities, however the app setup guides you through the entire procedure.
Be sure to maintain your robot regardless of whether you pick a costly robovac or one that is less expensive. It is a good idea to empty its dustbin after every cleaning task and to clean the filter if one is present (check the manual of your owner or the website of the manufacturer for more information). Replace the battery as required and test the Wi-Fi connectivity.