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Robot Vacuum Cleaners Buying Guide

Robot vacuum cleaners buying guide
Robot Vacuum Cleaners Buying Guide

Robot vacuum cleaner can be a really useful tool in order to keep your home nice and clean. It has been around for a while now but in just recent years the technology has gone affordable and efficient enough to make it a really considerable purchase.

Whether you have pets at home who always bring in dirt from the outside, you don’t want to spend time cleaning the floors or it’s just not one of your favorite activities, robot vacuum cleaners are here to help!

Generally they divide into 3 categories:

Budget vacuums

Don’t let the name fool you, they are still sufficient enough to get rid of all the unwanted dirt from your floors and carpets. They just take a little bit longer than the high-end products and the end result might not be just as good but they should cover most of your needs. Usually they have a random navigation system with some clever algorithms to assist. Some of them have remote controls, some apps but basic level cleaning scheduling and other settings are available on almost all models. Price range is generally up to 200 USD.

Mid-level vacuums

Most of the people find their match in this category. These robots already have smart navigation systems like laser distance sensors, smart cameras, gyroscopes and much more. Using these technologies they can create an exact plan of your house, reach all the nooks and corners and always know where they stopped their work if battery runs low or you get home and want to pause the cleaning. In addition most of them have a special app for controlling them, you can set virtual barriers (places you don’t want the robot to go) and quite many are also compatible with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Price range is roughly 200-600 USD.

Premium vacuums

They offer the same as the mid-level vacuums but everything just a little more better. Some of them have an excellent suction power, some emphasize on a very long battery life, there are models with top of the range navigation systems, ones that do their work very quietly and of course products that focus on design and extreme durability. Price range is 600 USD and upwards.

Things to consider when buying a robot vacuum cleaner

Size of your home

Depending on the navigation system and battery life you should definitely pick a product most suitable for your home. If your house/apartment has a bigger floor area and you would like the robot to do its job quickly then it’s reasonable to choose a model with smart navigation system and reasonable battery life. Something to also consider are barriers/elevated areas between rooms. Some robots climb them more efficiently than others.

Budget

As mentioned above for about 500 USD you have a decent variety of products to choose from. If you need something really simple but still functionable there are many products between 100-200 USD. Be advised that most of the robot vacuum cleaners under 100 USD will probably do their job not with the best level of quality. And of course there are all sorts of premium products that should fulfill all your needs but in case some of them the prices can rise significantly over 1000 USD.

Connectivity

Basic robots usually only have an IR remote control which you can use to start the robot, program specific times for cleaning, steer it manually or send it back home. Although remotes are useful as well the most common connectivity option is definitely through a smartphone app. Functionalities within apps vary a lot, some only offer basic commandments as remotes but generally besides those functions you can see your floor plan from the app, pick specific areas and rooms where to concentrate, set virtual barriers, see battery levels, track the robot in real time and much more. Quite many robots are also compatible with different Smart Home systems like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Mopping function

This is a great feature when you have a lot of hardwood/parquet areas or just floors with a smooth surface. Basically there’s a water tank and a special mop attached to the underside of the robot and just as gathering dust/dirt the robot will go on it’s cleaning session and mop all the floors for you. Some robot vacuum cleaners have the possibility to switch between a dust bin and a water tank, some are meant for mopping only.

Auto empty bin

This is a really useful function that has been added to some of the robots just recently. At the moment there are only a few products that have it but it’s getting definitely much popular. The idea is that at the docking station there is a separate bin for all the dirt and dust that the robot gathers during it’s cleaning session. Whenever the robot finishes cleaning or senses that it’s interior bin is full it automatically goes to the docking station and empties it. That way you don’t have to clean the robot after each session which gives you even more flexibility.

Navigation

Low end robots usually have a random navigation system meaning they will just keep going until they detect a barrier. Most of them are smart enough not to actually hit the barrier and will change the direction before hitting anything. Some also have clever algorithms that help the robot understand which way it would be reasonable to turn in order to cover all the parts of the floor.

More sophisticated models use lasers, gyroscopes, cameras and various other smart sensors to create a specific map of you floor. That way they will never clean the same place twice (unless it’s ordered to) and the whole floor area will be cleaned thoroughly and systematically.

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