Best Robot Vacuums and Mop Combos
A robot vacuum is the best tool to maintain the cleanliness of your home. It can pick up dust, pet hair, and other surface debris.
Some robots are able to sync with smart assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free environment. Find models that can be recharged and continue cleaning where they left off.
1. iRobot S8
This smart robot vacuum and mop combination is a great choice for many homes. It features a superb navigation system with GPS and laser sensors. It also has a lot of features and controls accessible via the app. It also comes with a useful feature that allows you to add cleaning zones to certain areas that need extra attention and Keep Out zones where you do not want it to be. And, like all Roomba devices, it receives new software updates that make it even better over time.
It's expensive however, it's also among the most advanced robot vacuums ZDNet has evaluated. It's got a huge battery that can sweep an entire home in less than two hours. It also switches between mopping and vacuuming with the press of one button. It will automatically empty the dust bin above its charging station, in contrast to other self-emptying robots that require you to empty it after each run.
It comes with a variety of other features that make it an excellent choice for homes with a lot of space, including intelligent obstacle avoidance that uses both a camera and processor-powered smarts to see obstacles. It rarely gets derailed or entrapped during cleaning, and it's the best at avoiding power cables as well as other objects in my tests. It's not as precise at detecting pet waste or other hazards.
2. Eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid
Although Anker-owned Eufy has earned its name in low-cost robot vacuums it's never offered an all-in-one model that could also mop. The X8 Hybrid is a new model that comes with a variety of features that are advanced and can compete with much more expensive models.
Laser navigation is the most important feature of this machine. The X8 utilizes a laser mapping system that is more precise than the previous Eufy devices. It takes less time to build an accurate map of your home and can store multiple maps. This is ideal for homes with multiple floors.
The X8 is still a good vacuum on floors with no dust and can sling debris over its side brushes and into its 400ml dust bin with relative ease. Its tyres are adept at hugging corners and edges, despite being circular. It's not a great kitty litter picker, though as our tests show it is able to remove around 90 percent of the fur from hard floors.
There's a mopping mode that uses the same water tank as the vacuuming one. While this is great for spills that are not too large but you cannot regulate the amount of water it is using which can limit its effectiveness for more serious staining. That said, it does an admirable job of picking up pet hair, with a better pickup rate than the Roborock S7.
3. Miele RX2
Known for quietly effective home appliances Miele's RX2 robot vacuum is a great choice because of its cleaning power, stunning design and excellent navigation. However, it has a few operational oddities that prevent it from being ranked as the top overall smart robot vacuum.
Similar to the latest models of iRobot like the RX2 has dual-sensor mapping technology which uses a LIDAR sensor to map out a room and three 3D scanning cameras to detect and avoid obstacles (like furniture legs or pet waste) in real-time. Once mapped, the app lets you create virtual no-go zones as well as preferred areas that the robot will clean automatically. You can also initiate a manual clean or manually change the cleaning mode, see a live feed from the onboard cameras, and more from the main screen.
The RX2 has superior sensors that can identify furniture and other obstructions in a flash. The suction and sweeping power are top of the line and cleans up surface debris from carpets of medium pile and dust on floors that are unfinished. However, it's not exactly the most efficient robot available. As with many others, it's not a good climber and has trouble with things like metal threshold transition strips.
Some people buy a robot here vacuum for the ease of setting a schedule in an app and forgetting about it for weeks at one time. It is essential that a robot is able to do the job and that's why our ZDNet staff has tested and reviewed some of the most popular models to help you select the best one for your home.
4. Shark ION
This budget robovac that looks like any other, but it has some extra features and is more efficient. Its smart mapping system generates 2D and 3D maps of your home, and uses them to navigate around obstacles and avoid them. It is able to detect common obstacles such as furniture legs and power cords in real-time. The combination of sensors with a bump detector, and an infrared sensor to keep the vacuum from stepping on steps makes it one our most agile vacuums.
In our tests, it effortlessly moved over large shag rugs and didn't get stuck on them (like the RoboVac 11s or Roomba 690). Its navigation capabilities were impressive. Its composite score for flooring and carpet was higher than the competition, and it was able to pick up 98.5% of pet hair from our laboratory test samples.
The controls are more basic than those of the competitors. There's a round cleaning button on the top, and you can access it via the app or via voice command with Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also create a schedule for weekly or daily cleans, create no-go zones, and see its history of cleaning. Clad in smart dark gray plastics, Ion feels sturdy and is attractive in your home. The dust bin on the rear is easy to access for emptying and removing the filter is equally easy.
5. Eufy 11S
Eufy 11S is a good option if you're looking for a vacuum cleaner that is easy to use and doesn't have any frills at a reasonable price. It's not equipped with some advanced features like Alexa integration and digital mapping, which are available in more expensive models. If you don't require these features, you could save money.
The robot is easy to setup and use. It does not require a smartphone application or Wi-Fi connection, however it does come with a remote control that lets you choose between different modes and alter the suction level. You can also set the robotvac to an cleaning schedule.
In our tests, we discovered that the 11S was extremely effective at removing dirt and pet fur from carpets and floors with low pile. Its slim profile helped it get under furniture and other low items that larger robots could not reach. It was also able to pass over doorway thresholds and change between floors and another.
The 11S, like other robots, can also eat some objects, such as cords and cat toys. The manufacturer suggests that you can prevent this from happening by keeping these objects off the ground and by using a cord organizer whenever possible. It also recommends cleaning the dustbin on a regular basis, replacing the filters and changing or washing the brushes when needed.
6. iRobot Roomba 980
The Roomba is iRobot’s flagship robot vacuum. It's expensive, but it's a top performer and arguably the most advanced robot vacuum you can buy. Its self-navigation feature and environmental mapping is a marvel to behold. It is more sophisticated in its automation than the majority of its rivals, for instance the ability to set up virtual boundary markers using its mobile application. While its app is a little sluggish and the 980 can spin out a bit when crossing cables, it's still an extremely efficient robot vacuum.
We really like the 980 because it uses its iAdapt2.0 navigation sensors and its visual simultaneity mapping and localisation (or vSLAM), to memorise the floor plan of your home. It will then use the information to create an efficient and consistent cleaning path for every cycle. The result is cleaner floors and a more efficient robot vacuum than many high-end robotics.
Other features include dual multi-surface rubber brushes, that pick up dirt from carpets and hard floors and a spinning brush that sweeps debris into the bin of the robotic vacuum. The floor tracking sensor helps it navigate through furniture, along edges and on stairs. Cliff Detect prevents the Roomba from falling. It will automatically return to its base station for hassle-free recharges between sessions. The bin capacity and the battery life of the 980 aren't as impressive as some other robot vacuums. However, it is a solid and reliable machine that can keep floors clean for a long time. hours.