Robot Vacuum Cleaner: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner UK

If you don't want to get your hands dirty then robot vacuum cleaners are the best. They can save time and effort when compared to manual cleaning and are ideal for homes with one storey or flats.

Smart features are a great benefit. This includes mapping technology that remembers the layout of your home as well as avoiding furniture and rug, and navigating those nipples beneath furniture that larger robots struggle to reach.

iRobot Roomba J7+

The iRobot Roomba J7+ is an upgrade on the previous model by the company and incorporates new technology to make it more effective at avoiding pet waste. It uses smart mapping to create maps of floors and rooms and is able to avoid obstacles such as furniture, charging cords, and shoes. It can also detect dirt and prioritise areas of cleaning that are particularly filthy. This is a significant improvement over earlier models that sometimes ignored the dirty spots or cleaned them for only an insignificant amount of time.

The robot vacuum cleaners reviews vacuum is equipped with a self-emptying base which can deposit dustbin debris into its own 2.4L dirt bag. iRobot's claims this can hold up to 60 days of debris, meaning you only need to empty and replace the sack once every three months. The base station also has a spare bag that can be used to quickly replace.

It's easy to set-up and use the Roomba, which is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and is fully controllable via the iRobot Genius app. Utilizing the app, you can select to start or end cleaning, set the amount of time it will be working on each job, and set up a schedule.

During our tests, the iRobot Roomba J7+ was able to clean the floors of area rug and hardwood without any problems in the kitchen, foyer and the family room. It listened to our instructions and did its jobs quietly, registering just 64 decibels on the decibel meter during the operation. It took 90 minutes to sweep a single room and the battery needed to be recharged afterward for an hour and 58 minutes. You can also extend your iRobot ecosystem by using the Combo J7, which lets you to pair it up with the iRobot mop m6 and let one mop while the other one moves around the room.

Dyson 360 Viz Nav

The Dyson 360 Viz Nav robot vacuum cleaner is a great choice for anyone living in a multi-floored home. This model can create maps of different floors and store them on the app, making it simple to switch between spaces without repeating the setup procedure. The robot is controlled via voice commands, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Dyson's robot vacuum employs a combination of cameras, sensors and other technologies to identify obstacles. A panoramic camera at the top of the robot hoover and mop along with 26 other sensors can help create an image of the area as it moves. This aids to avoid obstacles and furniture.

In our tests, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav was able to reach right up to edges and baseboards, and also be easily navigated around pieces of furniture with extremely tight corners. The suction of the robot is powerful and can take in every dust particle, hair strand, and dried-out piece of Playdoh we threw its way. The vacuum also took the bin away easily and quickly, reducing clean-up time by half.

However, the Dyson 360 Viz Nav didn't perform better than other robots in our tests of obstacle avoidance. It had a hard time with a drying rack that it repeatedly tried to move under, but ended up becoming stuck and disrupting the cleaning process. It also had difficulty avoiding furniture that was taller like chairs or a coffee table. The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is also not able to climb stairs, which could be a problem for many homeowners who live in multi-story homes.

Roborock

Roborock robot vacuum cleaners offer the highest quality cleaning features and are a cut above the others. Dual mops are included that spin and lift stains while pressing down. They also lift automatically when vacuuming carpets, stopping dirty streaks from appearing and re-clogging vacuums with dirt. They can suction up to 5,500 Pa which is superior in the removal of dirt and dust. They also have sophisticated water flow controls to make sure the proper amount of moisture is absorbed by every floor type.

One of the most remarkable things about Roborock is its ability to map out your entire home's layout using laser technology. The LiDAR system in a Roborock robot constantly rotates emitting laser beams and measuring the time it takes for them to bounce back against surrounding objects. This information is then used to create an accurate map of your home layout, allowing it to navigate precisely and avoid obstacles.

Depending on the model you pick depending on the model you select, you can modify your map to include No-Go zones, furniture positions, and cleaning for specific rooms. You can also choose an option to clean only mop, or mop and vacuum, and schedule regular cleaning with an app-based cleaning schedule that lets you set it and forget it.

Roborock has a wide range of options, ranging from the budget-friendly S6 MaxV up to the top-of-the-line S7 MaxV Ultra. They all come with advanced mapping capabilities, a high-performance battery life, and a huge capacity dustbin. The docking station comes with a variety of features, including charging and refilling the hot water tank. In the UK they also have a two-year guarantee.

Beko RCV 5

The Beko RCV 5 is a relative newcomer to the robotic vacuum and mopping market however, it's already making some waves with its sleek design and decent cost. The Beko RCV 5 has a few tricks in its sleeves that make it stand out from its competitors, such as self-emptying and object recognition. It's easy to set-up and use using an application that lets you customize many options.

The navigation system in this model utilizes a combination of sensors and mapping technology to guide your home and does an excellent job of staying clear of obstacles. You can even adjust the cleaning route using the app, making it easier to clean certain areas more frequently than other areas. The app can be difficult to use at first but once you get hang of it, you'll be able to organize cleaning schedules and monitor the power of your robot with ease.

The RCV 5 has some flaws despite its impressive list. First of all, it has a tiny water tank that holds up to 240 ml of water at one time. While this is enough to perform a basic wipe clean, it's not ideal for getting rid of stubborn stains. Additionally the wiping plate is quite basic and doesn't feature an ability to rotate or vibrate.

The battery life of a robot vacuum and mop at this price is not as long as one would imagine. In fact, the RCV 5 only lasts for approximately a third of the cleaning cycle before it needs a recharge. It's not a huge issue, but it is something to keep in mind when looking for a brand new robotic vacuum cleaner.

Karcher RCV 5

Karcher, a German manufacturer Best robot vacuum cleaner UK known for pressure washers, has entered the robot vacuum market with an RCV 5 model that vacuums and mop. The RCV 5 offers an impressive variety of features, including great obstacle detection (with dual lasers) and mapping that can be tracked in real-time via the smart app.

It's also able to sense carpeted surfaces, which automatically triggers wet mopping mode. There's also a handy spot cleaning feature that cleans a specific area of around 3 feet and can be scheduled for weekly repetition. The RCV 5 has a reasonable suction capacity of 2,500 psi and a good sweeping capacity for both soft and hard flooring. It can also be able to get into tight nooks and under low furniture, which can impede larger robot cleaners.

Like a lot of modern robots, the RCV 5 has a smartphone-powered app called Karcher Home Robots. It can be used to start cleaning processes and to create and manage maps of your home. It is also possible to set up virtual walls and zones within which the RCV 5 can't drive, as well as a host of other options for controlling.

The RCV 5 has a downside in that its dust container is only a litre and it will need to be emptied regularly. This is unlike other models that incorporate disposal technology into their docking station. It's also heavier than some of its rivals, making it less mobile, and thus requiring more space in the charging station. However, users found the RCV 5 easy to use and rated its app control high. It performed well on our tests, although some struggled to get the voice tech to work properly and found the docking station difficult to place in a flat position.