14 Clever Ways To Spend The Leftover Robot Hoover Budget
The Best Robot Hoover
The most effective robot vacuum will vacuum and mop your floors without your involvement. It will also leave the floors spotless. Its price is surprisingly low and top-of-the-line features (such as dirt detection) are a plus.
Make sure you regularly inspect your robot's brushes for hair that is tangled and large debris and clean them as needed. Some models can also self-empty the dust bin on board and then deposit it in an additional bin at the base. This helps reduce the amount of fine dust that gets released into the air.
1. Roomba Q5 pro
The Q5 Pro and its sibling, the pricier Q7 Max Series, are among the most powerful robot vacuums we've examined. They feature motors that are top of the quality and can suction up to 5,500 Pascals. Like other iRobots with premium features (including the most powerful model), they use smart mapping to create detailed floorplans that avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture leg. They also feature a feature called carpet boost which boosts the robot's power when it detects a lot of dirt on the carpet to get it cleaned quickly.
The Q5 and Q7 Max Series both scored extremely well in our tests of floors with no carpet and are especially adept in cleaning hair from dogs. They do have some flaws however, which prevent them from being our first option. One of the weaknesses of the Q5 is that its navigation system doesn't feature AI-powered obstacles avoidance. It's also prone to become stuck on shoes and socks and couldn't navigate through rooms with a lot of people efficiently during our tests. robot cleaner doesn't come with a camera to look around corners.
It's still a great deal particularly if your home or office has a lot of unfinished floors and you're looking to save money. Plus, it's very quiet and you can use it while you're at work or at school. It's not equipped with the edge-to-edge floor vacuuming feature that's offered by the more expensive iRobot Roomba X30. It's also less effective in mopping, relying on disposable wet wipes, which don't stick on for long and don't take on dried-on debris. The Q5 is self-emptying cradle, however. And, if you have to, you can switch the mopping pad for dry ones in just a few seconds.
2. IRobot Roomba X30
The iRobot Roomba X30 is a compact elegant vacuum cleaner that can sweep floors. Its quick navigation and smart cleaning maps make it easy to clean and efficient at dealing with larger particles such as pet hair. It also comes with strong suction and a self-emptying bin. It's the best robotic hoover for carpets, however it's not as good as other hoovers when it comes to deep cleaning.
This top-performing mop and vacuum combination uses advanced sensor technology to avoid obstacles and pet waste and it also learns the layout of your home over time for more efficient cleaning. The app lets you customize zones and change the cleaning schedule. It has a battery life that is similar to other models.
If the X30 Ultra is in a carpeted area, you can tell it to pull back and extend its mop. This helps prevent cross contamination. Its flex arm can also be utilized to reach under low-lying furnishings and along baseboards. It doesn't offer the same washboard performance as our other Editors' Choice picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+ and the iRobot Combo j9+.
During testing, X30 Ultra was the quickest robot vacuum/mop that could complete the task of cleaning a whole home and had 66 percent of its battery remaining. It also did a good job cleaning a variety of floors and rooms that had mixed flooring types, including some area rug. Its obstacle detection was superb and it was able to avoid fake dog turds, socks, shoes and bundles of cables.
It's a bit more expensive than the iRobot Combo v9+ and iRobot Roomba j9+, but it has superior suction, a dustbin on board that automatically empties into its base, and supports voice commands using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It even cleans the floor after vacuuming, a feature that we've not seen on other robotic vacuum/mop combos.
3. IRobot Roomba X40
The robot vacuum and mop combination has a sleek, circular look that looks more like a regular Roomba unit than the boxy models from the rivals. It is one of our most appealing looking robot vacuums. iRobot's latest flagship model also is its most advanced and has advanced features like Enhanced Dirt Detection Technology and future compatibility with Matter (another company's robot that can wash its own mop pads).
It's the only robot vacuum/mop to score an exemplary 10/10 in our testing, thanks to a combination of high-tech sensors, which include cameras, a structured lighting system, and multiple lasers. The X40 Ultra was the only robot we tested that could fill and empty its basestation on its own. It also boasted an industry-leading suction of 12,000Pa as well as self-cleaning mops.
The X40 is, like the other iRobot products, is simple to operate. It comes with a simple mobile app interface that is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit. The only issue is that it's still quite a noisy unit that could be problematic if you run it in the morning before work or in the evening as you attempt to sleep.
It's also a bit costly, but not as expensive as the Ecovacs MaxV Ultra or the Roborock S8 Omni, which are equally capable and better looking. If you're willing some more volume and a little more cost, this is a very efficient two-in-one device that should delight most.
iRobot L20 Ultra
The L20 Ultra is the top-of-the high-end robot vacuum and mop. It comes with a variety of advanced features that will make you forget about your chores. Similar to Ecovacs' range-topping X2 Omni and Roborock's S8 Pro Ultra, the L20 is designed to be a hands-free cleaning machine that takes the care of vacuuming and mopping, with a multifunction dock that automatically empty the vacuum's trash bin, refills its water tank and cleans and dry its mop pads.
The smart robot employs the combination of LIDAR and structured light to map out floor plans and spot obstacles, and navigates more effectively than some of its premium rivals. It also comes with a front-mounted camera for real-time hazard detection but this was not foolproof in our testing and was sometimes confused by power cords or other obstructions.
The vacuum has a suction maximum of 7,000 Pascals which is more than enough to finish the job. It also has an option known as "Intelligent Dirt Detection", that regulates the power of the vacuum and adjusts the frequency of cleaning for different areas in the house based on how dirty those areas are.
If you own a larger home, it's worth selecting a model with a the option of cleaning zones or spots. This lets you instruct the robot on which part of your home must be cleaned with the help of an app or voice control. If you have furniture, a stair-mode is also useful. Also, a recharge and resume function that lets your robot vacuum pick up right where it left off is great for busy families.
iRobot RX3
The RX3 is more advanced than its price suggests. It is a good vacuum cleaner and picked up 55% debris in our tests. (It was second to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mopses with one pad, which uses a reciprocating motion, which cleans better than most of the other robot mop cleaners we've tried. And it's highly self-sufficient with a fully-featured app as well as a self-emptying, washable base.
The iRobot app is designed to guide you through an exercise in mapping, which gathers information on your floorplan, as well as any "no go" areas you've marked on the map. It can be used to create cleaning schedules, set up a spot clean or to prioritise your dirtiest rooms to improve performance. The app also provides access to a variety of options, including seasonal suggestions, custom maps and advanced settings for your cleaning.
It is also able to reach corners and under furniture better because its shape is more rectangular. It is equipped with a powerful 8000 Pascal suction, as well as clever combs for removing pet hair. And you can set up a spot clean that scours a specific area.
The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a sleeker and cheaper alternative to the iRobot Roomba. It's got a more attractive, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras appear like cute eyes. It's good at vacuuming, but it is more susceptible to get caught on low thresholds and is noisier than the other top robotic vacuums we've examined. It also has a less user-friendly app and a tiny base station that doesn't double as an emptying bin.