How Good Are Robot Vacuums?
Robot vacuum cleaners have quickly gone from interesting but expensive gadgets to indispensable cleaning assistants in many homes. As with any relatively new technology they seem to be evolving fast which leaves plenty of choice in the market.
But how good are robot vacuums? The short answer is robot vacuums are generally very good offering plenty of benefits though there are drawbacks to be aware of. Just like any product it will also depend on the model you opt for.
Below we’ll take a closer look at the question of how good are robot vacuums by looking at:
- Benefits of Robot Vacuums
- Drawbacks of Robot Vacuums
- Best Robot Vacuums Available
How Good Are Robot Vacuums?
So, how good are robot vacuums? Let’s now take a look at some of the main advantages of robot vacuums that demonstrate how good they are.
Benefits of Robot Vacuums
They Do The Work For You
Let’s start with the most fundamental reason why robot vacuums are so good; they do the work of vacuuming for you. If like most people you find vacuum cleaning a necessary but unrewarding task then you’ll appreciate why the idea of a robot vacuum cleaner is so appealing.
By taking care of an important but mundane and time-consuming task, robot vacuum cleaners can quickly establish themselves as critical in a home.
The whole point of household appliances is to make your life easier and robot vacuum cleaners tick this box big time.
They Work Well
It might seem like an obvious benefit but the best, of which there appear to be many options, robot vacuum cleaners on the market not only offer convenience but also do a great job of actually cleaning.
When looking at the user reviews for the best vacuum cleaners available on the market, it is clear to see that they typically offer great cleaning performance across multiple floor types (carpets, wooden floors and hard floors). Of course this depends on entirely on the actual model you end up choosing but at a high level it’s clear that the best available robot vacuums are very good at their main task – cleaning.
Some of the best available models have suction power of up to 2000Pa and crucially they some of them also know when they need to vary the suction power depending on the type of surface their own and the messiness of the job.
Easy To Keep Your Home Clean Regularly
A major advantage of robot vacuum cleaners that makes them so appealing is that they make it easier to keep your home clean. It’s often recommended to vacuum your home daily especially if you have pets and children. By vacuuming often it helps to keep dust and debris from building up. This is even more important in times when you spend more of your time at home.
Vacuuming regularly or daily is a great idea but it can be difficult to fit it in especially if you do have a busy household. That’s why robot vacuum cleaners can be so helpful as they allow you to clean daily without having to actually do the work meaning vacuuming daily can easily become the standard.
Clean When Its Convenient For You
With a lot of robot vacuum cleaners you can schedule in cleans every day at specific times that you want them.
Indeed a lot of users state how pleased they are that they can now schedule cleans whilst they are doing something else entirely.
The very best models will also send themselves back to their charging base automatically once they are done cleaning so you don’t have to worry about putting them back when you’re not around.
Can Be Voice Commanded
Typically robot vacuum cleaners can be activated via the main unit and in many cases via phone apps. There are some that also come with separate remote controls. In addition however, there are also a number of models available these days that will allow you to use a home assistant (like Amazon’s Alexa) for example to operate them.
This is another great advantage of robot vacuums as it means if your hands are tied up or you’ve dropped some floor whilst making some food but don’t have the time to sweep it up you could just send a command to your home assistant to call in your robot vacuum to quickly clean it up.
Between your home assistant and your robot vacuum you have another pair of hands effectively who can provide help when you need it,
Operate Them When You’re Out of Your Home
Another appealing reason why robot vacuum cleaners are so good is the fact that some of them can be operated whilst you are out of the home. Whilst many have wifi connectivity that means you need to be at home, there are some that can be operated via apps on a mobile connection.
This could be highly appealing to many especially if you need your home cleaned before you get back for whatever reason (e.g. guests coming over).
It’s also helpful if you happened to forget to set cleaning instructions before you leave.
Same Model Can Continue To Improve
With most appliances whatever comes out of the box is what you’ll get until its done. With robot vacuum cleaners however, as many are operated via apps they effectively have the capacity to improve on their way of working.
Indeed operational improvements made via app software updates is something that often comes across in user reviews of robot vacuum cleaners.
Drawbacks of Robot Vacuums
As with any product category there are some drawbacks to robot vacuums at a general level that you should keep in mind.
Can Be Expensive
One of the most quickly obvious drawbacks of robot vacuum cleaners is that they tend to be quite expensive for the best ones. They can easily go from around £200/£300 all the way north of £1,000.
This is not uncommon with new technology but it still means that when compared to other types of vacuum cleaners (e.g. cordless stick vacuums and cordless) robot vacuum cleaners tend to be more expensive.
On the other hand, there are no other vacuum cleaners that will offer automated cleaning which is a major advantage and a game-changer for many.
Nonetheless, robot vacuums are still relatively expensive in their own right. What is quite helpful though is that there are plenty of options in the low (£200 – £300), medium (£400 – £600) and high-end (£700+) of the market.
Limited Dust Bin Capacity
Another fairly common drawback of robot vacuums is the relatively limited dust bin capacity.
This is indeed one of the most cited drawbacks from users of robot vacuums as it means that they have to empty out their dust bins quite regularly, sometimes after every clean.
Dust bin capacities are typically around 0.4 – 0.6Litre which depending on the size and frequency of cleaning, means they can fill up after a few cleans. Even if they don’t completely fill up, a number user manuals recommend emptying the compartment at regular intervals.
To get around this issue there are now models available which will empty out the dust bins themselves into a much larger bin which will need emptying at far longer intervals. Though these are more expensive than their counterparts, they do offer even more convenience.
Conclusion: How Good Are Robot Vacuums?
So, after all is considered how good are robot vacuums? There are clearly some great advantages which we believe mean robot vacuums are a great choice if you want convenient and mostly hands-off cleaning. As with any product category, there are some drawbacks to be aware of but if you pick the model that works best for you, you could have a cleaning game-changer in your hands.
Best Available Robot Vacuums
Let’s take a brief look at some of the best available robot vacuums around.
Roborock S6 – Robot Vacuum And Mop
Our pick for overall best available robot vacuum cleaner is the excellent Roborock S6. It comes with many of the features you’d expect to see from a far more expensive model as well as a heap of highly rated user reviews.
Roborock S5 – Robot Vacuum and Mop
For those who like the look and features of the S6 but want something less expensive then its predecessor, the Roborock S5 is the worth a look. Offering many of the same features as the S6, the Roborock S5 is a great all-round option offering mapped cleaning as well as powerful 2000Pa suction.
eufy RoboVac 15C Max
The eufy RoboVac 15C Max is our pick for best budget robot vacuum cleaner for its great performance, sleek design as well as range of features all for a reasonable price. From the same people who brought us the excellent ANKER bluetooth speaker range, the RoboVac 15C Max is another excellent offering that comes highly rated by users.
iRobot Roomba 671
Another excellent option if you’re in the market for a budget robot vacuum cleaner, the iRobot Roomba 671 is highly rated by users and comes from a brand with a stellar track record in this space.
iRobot Roomba I7+
If a robot that does the vacuuming for you is not enough convenience then perhaps one that does the cleaning for you then goes on to empty itself will do the trick. That’s exactly what you get with the high-tech iRobot Roomba i7+ which comes with an automatic waste disposal system.
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