We’ve tried several Eufy models, including the RoboVac G30 Edge, the RoboVac G30, and the RoboVac G20. The last is the newest model, but it’s our least favorite of the trio, and none are better than our top picks. We like the G30 models best since they include very basic mapping, a 110-minute run time , a Cleaning History in the app, and more push buttons on top. The G30 Edge package adds boundary strips to avoid certain areas, which work but are a little ugly.
The S7 MaxV Ultra has the same sonic, vibra-rising mopping action of the S7, so it mops very well. But it also has AI-powered obstacle recognition, so it won’t get caught out by clutter and can avoid stepping in dog poop. There’s also the option of using the onboard camera as a security camera, with two-way talk built-in.
If the dock is in a cluttered area or under a piece of furniture, there’s a good chance the bot will not re-dock. Before you start a cleaning session, you should pick up any laundry, charging cables, or lightweight mats—most bots will get stuck on them. And you should expect a few hiccups during the first handful of sessions. But then you’ll figure out the pain points and get into a routine, and it won’t seem like a big deal. The biggest problem with the RoboVac series is that these bots don’t last as long as Roomba models do.
This is not going to do much to mop your floors, but it does help with fine dust and debris. A mapping robot, the Shark has room-specific cleaning and app-enabled keep-out zones. It also has a handy Zones feature that lets you select areas of your house — say, half the living room and the hallway — to clean on a schedule. This is useful for regular, quick cleans in high-traffic areas, and it doesn’t need to be set up every time you run it, as with some clean zone options.
The mapping feature allows you to set a schedule to clean only certain rooms or send it off at any time to clean just the kitchen or living room. This helps make it less intrusive since it doesn’t try to clean the whole house on every run — meaning you’re less likely to find it sitting silently in a corner because an annoyed family member shut it off. However, it does take a long time to map your home initially , because iRobot uses its own navigation irobot vacuum cleaner tech and not lidar, which most other mapping bots use to map in minutes. This is a good option if you need a basic bot that will get the job done and don’t mind ditching the fancy features of the higher-end models. It’s a powerful robot that rarely got stuck in my testing, even on my high-pile, fluffy, tasseled living room rug I’ve nicknamed the robot killer. Your robot vacuum will only clean your home as thoroughly as it’s capable of navigating it.
This model also included a newer version of the navigation software, now called iAdapt. IRobot has been praised for the availability of replacement parts for Roombas, with official parts still being sold for every model including the first-generation Roombas, almost 20 years after their release. The iRobot limited warranty shall not apply to failures or problems which are caused by products or equipment not authorized by iRobot Corporation. However, we couldn’t get it to complete the mapping process despite several attempts and a call to customer service. The base itself stands about 15 inches tall and has a window so you can see how full it is. The iLife V3S Pro’s bin is easily accessible from the top of the robot.
We found the best robot vacuum options with rave reviews—and which one is right for you. If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our robot vacuum reviews. While there’s no single best option irobot vacuum cleaner that’s perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them. Most have multiple suction levels and will adjust when they sense carpet.
Even setting aside the smart maps, the Roborock Q5 is still one of the best navigators we’ve tested. It rarely misses any accessible areas of a home, as random-navigation robots sometimes do. In our tests, even when it did bump into an object its lidar turret didn’t detect, it course-corrected more quickly and more accurately than other bots. Bots work on almost any kind of bare flooring and on most kinds of carpets and rugs—though there are some exceptions, such as high-pile rugs and some very dark flooring (which can impede the bots’ infrared sensors). Bots can reliably pick up most kinds of common floor debris, including hair, crumbs, dust, and cat litter.
Again like the Eufy, it returns to the charging base if it runs out of battery before the house is finished and then resumes the job once fully charged. Infrared sensors keep it off the stairs, though like other bump bots, it can’t avoid obstacles like lamp cords. This ends up in surprisingly good overall coverage, but you may find that some areas that trap the robot get lots of attention, and more open areas just get one quick pass. Finally, for peak convenience, consider a robot vacuum that comes with a clean base. These are basically garbage bins that are attached to the machine’s charging base.