My German Shepherd, German Shorthaired Pointer, and kitty do an incredible job of dirtying my house, and it’s exhausting trying to keep up with the dirt and hair. I’ve tested several robot vacuums that I love, along with others that failed to impress me. Below are the highlights of my extensive testing. Also: The best robot vacuum and mop combos: 2-in-1 cleaning machines The Roomba j7+ is one of my favorite robot vacuums to use throughout my house, whether on carpet, tile, or rugs. After a few initial runs, the j7+ can map a home’s layout. Next, you can go to the iRobot app and choose your cleaning method. You can select which rooms you want to be cleaned, in what order, and how many times you want each room cleaned. There aren’t many robot vacuums that I trust to remove ingrained pet hair from my carpet, but the j7+ is an exception to that rule. It gets a full run of my house, and it does a great job on different floor surfaces. What sets Roomba vacuums apart from others is intelligence. The j7+ uses PrecisionVision Navigation to recognize and avoid common household objects like socks, cords, shoes, and pet waste. Review: Roomba j7+ review: A life-changing robot vacuum If you’re a new pet owner, iRobot’s P.O.O.P. (Pet Owner Official Promise) guarantee will make you feel comfortable enough to leave your Roomba j7+ and pet in the same area. I love knowing that, no matter what my house looks like, I can send the j7+ out to clean and it won’t suck up something that it shouldn’t. The peace of mind is worth every single penny. The Roomba j7+ doesn’t have mopping capabilities, but it does pair beautifully with the Braava Jet m6. The two iRobot products use the same technology to tag team your vacuuming and mopping needs. I tested both of these robots out, so be sure to check out my full reviews. Review: Braava Jet m6 review: A must-have robot mop The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is a two-in-one device where you get what you pay for, and with a hefty price tag I can assure you that your floors will shine after every use with this robot. ZDNET’s Matthew Miller tested the S7 MaxV Ultra and says it “is clearly the most powerful robot vacuum I have ever tested.” Once you receive your S7 MaxV Ultra, you’ll assemble the hefty docking station and begin letting the robot understand your home’s layout. The Roborock will develop a 2D, 3D, or matrix layout so you can tell the robot specifically which rooms or areas you want cleaned. Because it is a two-in-one machine, you may be worried about your rugs or carpets, but the S7 MaxV Ultra is an impressive piece of equipment. The VibraRise Mopping System lifts the mop head up completely to keep your rugs and carpet dry. You’ll know when the S7 MaxV Ultra is mopping or vacuuming by the LED color on top of the robot, it’ll illuminate white when it’s vacuuming and blue when it’s mopping. I mentioned that hefty docking station earlier, but there’s a reason it’s large. Not only does the Empty Wash Fill dock charge the S7 MaxV Ultra, but it auto empties the robot after vacuuming, washes the mop pad in the middle of a cleaning job and after a job is completed, and even refills the water tank during cleanup for a mopping range of up to 3230 square feet. Once the robot leaves the docking station, the vacuum has a 5100PA suction power to vacuum up all of your dog hair, dirt, and more while the VibraRise sonic vibration technology scrubs your floor up to 3,000 times per minute. The vibration technology is what sets this two-in-one machine apart from others. It truly scrubs your floors clean just like you would with a manual mop. ZDNET’s Matthew Miller tested the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra out so be sure to check out our full review below. Review: Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra review: Most trustworthy robot vacuum and mop ever If you’re wanting a robot vacuum that has LiDAR technology, an auto empty base, high suction power, but don’t want to spend a ton of money, the DreameBot D10 Plus sits at $500 but you can usually catch a sale to get all of this technology for $400. Once you order and receive your unit, you’ll send the D10 Plus on a mapping run. The LiDAR navigation had a solid map and understanding of my house after one run, which is almost never the case for other vacs I’ve tested. There aren’t many robot vacuums I let clean my carpets, but the 4,000PA suction does a great job of getting that ingrained dog hair out of my carpet fibers and leaves some very satisfying carpet lines. After the D10 Plus completes a job, it will navigate back to its auto empty base where it will quietly suction out the dirt and debris from the vacuum into a bag. And when I say quietly, I mean quietly. This is the quietest auto empty base I have tested to date. ZDNET’s Matthew Miller says that he “continues to be amazed by the reliability and effectiveness of the DreameBot D10 Plus.” At $400, you’ll be giving up some features that other higher-end robot vacuums offer. For starters, the mopping functionality of the D10 Plus is subpar and not a feature that I would recommend using. The vacuum alone is worth the price though, so don’t let that deter you from going with this unit. The DreameBot D10 Plus also doesn’t come with object detection or avoidance, so if you’re someone who doesn’t have time to pick up shoes, cords, or other items each time you turn the robot on, you may want to look in another direction. But for me, taking a couple of minutes to pick things up not only benefits the D10 Plus, but makes me tidy up my home as well. ZDNET’s Matthew Miller tested the DreameBot D10 Plus so be sure to check out our full review below. Review: Dreamebot’s self-emptying robot vac comes with a dreamy price tag If you’re like me and have a lot of dog hair laying around, I promise if you invest in the Roomba s9+ you won’t be disappointed. This is Roomba’s most powerful robot vacuum to date and comes in a D-shaped design, allowing the robot to fit in the corners of your home. Once the s9+ gets going, the dual multi-surface brushes suck up everything in their paths. Even on carpet, the ingrained dog hair and dirt gets sucked away and into the robot. As an iRobot vacuum, you can rest assured knowing the AI inside the s9+ can recognize shoes, socks, cords, and more. And Roomba does a great job keeping your devices up to date, so they’re always learning and getting smarter through continued software updates. The s9+ comes with an auto empty base that doubles as a charging station, so once the robot picks up all of your dirt and debris, it’s sucked right into an enclosed bag so it stays trapped away. The s9+’s auto empty base is much smaller than the j7+’s, making it easier to be tucked away and blend in with your home decor. Because this is an iRobot device, the Roomba s9+ will pair with the Braava jet m6 to completely clean your floors. If you’re someone who is overwhelmed by all of the technology and features that come with several of the new robot vacuums, this Shark ION is a great option for you. You don’t even need the app to get this robot vac going, you can simply press the Clean button and it’s off. The tech inside is minimal – this Shark doesn’t map where it’s been or have the AI capabilities to avoid cables or shoes, but it makes up for it with its suction power. You’ll want to keep in mind by not having mapping capabilities, it quite literally just drives around and may clean the same room over and over. From my experience, though, running the AV751 daily kept my entire house clean. One day it may clean my kitchen and living room and the next day it may clean my laundry room and bathroom. The important thing was the Shark was able to keep up with my two dogs and cat, which is a massive task. The Shark ION Av751 does not come with an auto-empty base, so you will manually have to dump the dirt and debris into the trash can. But, that means the charging station is significantly smaller than a lot of other robot vacs on the market. Shark is a brand name most know and trust in the cleaning industry, so you can rest assured that this budget-friendly option will be a safe one. Review: Shark ION Robot Vacuum AV751 review: Great suction for a cheap vac When choosing which devices to review, I like to pick robot vacs from all price points to be inclusive to every budget. I know the newlywed couple may not have $800 to spend on a vacuum, but are still needing a budget-friendly option to keep up with their new furry friend while the busy, on-the-go family of five may have a little more budget room to invest in a robot they don’t have to worry about. You also want to make sure the robot comes with the AI technology that can differentiate carpet from hardwood flooring. It is not worth guarding your favorite rugs every time you use the machine to keep the robot from ruining them. Both Roomba and Roborock do an excellent job of this.
