How to Choose the Best Robot Vacuum?
Table of Contents
Top Best Robot Vacuum Based on Reviews and Price
Why You Need a Good Robot Vacuum?
The development of new technologies has made our lives much easier in so many ways. But if people are given to choose one recent high-tech invention that they like the most, that is practical, and directly makes their lives easier, then most of them will say it is a robot vacuum.
These little bad boys have quickly become a staple in people’s homes due to their advanced technology, design, and the job they do. Now, you can throw away the wheeled canister and its unwieldy plastic hose to the garbage, and let a robot vacuum take its place.
However, not all robot vacuums are as good as advertised and share the same excellent features. Plus, there is an abundance of robot vacuums on the market, which makes choosing even more difficult.
That is where our robot vacuum buying guide comes to place. This article helps you make the best possible choice by providing the information you need before buying a robot vacuum.
Top 8 Factors to Consider When Buying a Robot Vacuum
1. How Big is Your House?
One of the first things to consider when buying a new robot vacuum is the size of your house. To be more precise, how much square foot the robot vacuum needs to clean on a regular base. The thing is, some robot vacuums perform better in small to medium townhouses and apartments, while other models can cover larger areas of up to 2,000 square feet featuring multiple rooms.
In this regard, you need to take into consideration the size of the battery. The rule here is simple; the more capacity the battery has, the more area it can cover. In most cases, that makes the difference when it comes to the size of the covered areas.
Most models come with a docking station where the robot vacuums are recharged. Some of them automatically return to their docking station when they need to recharge, while others need to be manually plugged. That means when you’ll come home, you’ll see that the little cleaner has ran out of juice and stopped halfway cleaning the room.
Then you also need to consider the area under your furniture so that the robot vacuum can pass through. Here, the robot height matters a lot. So, before you start considering some models, make sure they can fit under your furniture and can clean there as well.
2. Consider the Type of Floor in Your House
Almost all models are designed to handle both hardwood and carpets. But some models are better at cleaning one or the other. The most advanced models can sense when there is a rapid surface and ramp up their power. Then when a carpet is detected, they automatically switch to another, a better-suited mode for that type of surface.
Many low-end models have an issue with rugs that can be found in many houses. Very often, they tend to find themselves caught up in the tassels. If you have rugs, make sure to remove them if you buy a low-end model.
3. Do You Have a Pet? (Cats or Dogs)
Thankfully, most manufacturers know how important this is for many homeowners. As a result, most robot vacuums can clean up after a dog’s fur and cat hair. But “most” and “almost all” means that there are still some models that are not good at that. That is why you need to check this before making any purchase decision.
Furthermore, if you have allergies, make sure that the robot vacuum you are considering uses a HEPA filter. A HEPA filter can effectively eliminate all allergens hanging in the air.
4. Consider Dust Capacity
Sometimes, it is easy to get blinded by the many fancy features and forget about one, super important detail – the dust capacity. The simple truth is that robot vacuums, on average, can hold way less grime than an old-fashioned vacuum.
Unless you want to empty the canister too frequently, you need to look for a robot vacuum with a big capacity. Again, this comes down to the size of your place – the bigger the place, the bigger the dust capacity needs to be. Of course, you also need to consider how frequently you clean your place and how dirty it gets.
5. Consider the Sensor Technology
Almost all robot vacuums rely upon smart sensor technology to guide their way throughout their home. The basic models depend on infrared sensors to identify obstacles, change direction when there is something on their way, and also to avoid falling off edges. The more sophisticated models feature laser-guided scanners and cameras to map out the cleaning area, as well as dirt sensors that detect whether they have removed all the dirt.
Robot vacuums featuring laser-guided scanners, cameras, and dirt sensors offer superior performance compared with models featuring infrared sensors. But newer technology also draws a higher price, so you also need to consider that, too.
On the other hand, if your rooms are rather simple and the cleaning area is not that big, then there is no need for an advanced mapping of your place. In that case, a robot vacuum featuring infrared sensors will do just fine.
6. Consider the Noise Level
Even though most robot vacuums are way quieter than the standard type of vacuum cleaners, some of them have a high-pitched whistle, which can be pretty annoying. Also, some tend to make a grinding noise, which is evenly annoying.
This is not an issue if the robot vacuum cleans while you are mainly out of the house. But if it is too loud, it can scare the pets or annoy the neighbors.
This is an issue with only some lower-end, early models that are not produced anymore. However, some of them are still sold on websites like eBay. This is important to consider if you are looking to buy a second-hand robot vacuum rather than e new one.
7. Consider the Brush Type
The brushes are essential in the cleaning process and determine how clean the place will be after the robot vacuum has covered the area. Some robots come with a brush bar that lifts the dirt and sucks it up, while other, more sophisticated robots use full-width turbo bars that can provide excellent floor coverage. Sweeper brushes rotating on the edge of the robot vacuum are also known to be effective as they can easily direct the dirt into the vacuum.
8. Important Features
So far, we have listed the most important features of robot vacuums, and now we will list some of the secondary ones. The types of features that are not so essential when choosing a robot vacuum, but for many people, they matter a lot.
- Robot Vacuum Smartphone App
Except for the most basic robot vacuums, all others are smart-home connected. They can connect on your Wi-Fi network and can be controlled by a smartphone app.
The level of their sophistication can vary from one to another model. However, most of them allow you to turn off and on, pause the cycle, or clean the house at a certain frequency and time. The most sophisticated include functions such as a map with the area that needs to be cleaned, spot cleaning, notifications about the progress, and when the robot is done cleaning, battery status, and so on.
- Remote Control
Having a remote control is excellent as you can use it to direct the robot around the house or change its settings. But on the other hand, if the robot needs that much overseeing, it loses its point, and maybe it is better to go with a standard vacuum cleaner, which is cheaper.
- Webcam
Some of the high-end robot vacuums also come with a web camera that can double as a security camera. The web camera is connected with the app, and it can be accessed remotely. That way, you can check whether your kids are doing their homework as they said they would, or they are hitting their Nintendo.
- Programmable Times
This way, you can set the robot vacuum to clean whenever you are at work, or there is no one at home. That way, it can run without human interference or you worrying that you will accidentally step on it.
- Stair Detection
This is no more a thing as stair detection is a standard feature with all new models. But again, some older models don’t come with stair detection, and some of those models are still sold. So, if you intend to buy a low-end robot vacuum, make sure you don’t end up with one of those models. At the same time, if your place doesn’t have any stairs, this feature won’t make any difference.
- Virtual Wall
This is an accessory that acts as an invisible barrier that stops the robot vacuum from going into places where you don’t want it to enter.
Wrapping It Up
The demand for robotic vacuum cleaners has never been greater. As a result, manufacturers are trying hard to deliver as many models as possible and are making them smarter. Therefore, it is hard to say how the new generation of robot vacuums will look like or what features it will have.
If you are scouting the market for a robot vacuum, all you need to know to make a great choice can be found in our mini-guide.
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