She has been testing, speaking and writing about appliances, textiles, cleaning products and more at Good Housekeeping for more than 40 years. From end to end, you’re blessedly liberated—freed from the physical chore of vacuuming and freed from handling dyson robot vacuum your vacuum’s filthy byproduct. Just note that the Roomba i7+’s Clean Dock takes up additional space and must be placed near a power outlet. I hate to be a downer, but you’re probably still going to need a second vacuum once in a while.
Every model we’ve tested has gotten trapped or tangled at least occasionally, even the latest models with sophisticated navigation and smart-home integration. I’ve written about shark cordless robot vacuums for Wirecutter since 2013, logging hundreds of hours of research and testing in that time. We also note whether the robot cleans in a random or methodical pattern.
We measured the volume on the bot’s maximum suction setting and found that it was just 57 dBc, a full 5 dBc quieter than the Roomba 694—that’s a major difference. On its normal suction setting, it’s just 53 dBc, which sounds more like a fan than a vacuum cleaner (“traditional” vacuums are often 70 dBc or louder because of their much stronger suction). And since the 11S stops short of most obstacles, it also avoids creating many of the bonking impact noises that the rougher Roomba 694 does. Other basic Eufy models have slightly stronger suction and can be a couple decibels louder, but they are still quieter than most competitors. Using its laser rangefinder and bump sensors, the S4 Max learns your floor plan in a single cleaning session and creates an interactive map in the companion app. That map enables a bunch of cool tricks, like targeted room cleaning and no-go zones, without having to manually move the bot or fiddle with physical barriers like you would with other robots, including our other picks.
Then, you pair it with a companion app (either Xiaomi Home or Roborock’s own app—their features vary slightly, and we find the latter to be simpler). It’ll take some time to get used to the icons and sub-menus, while the imperfect border-drawing tool means you’ll be doing a little trial and error to get some of your zoned cleaning really dialed in. For a lot of people, the app’s robust controls are worth the fiddling and occasional frustration. The biggest downside compared with other bots at this price is that the Roomba i3 doesn’t have any smart-mapping features . That is, the i3 can’t remember your home’s floor plan from session to session. There are at least a couple dozen super-smart yet affordable robots that, using invisible lasers, can quickly learn the layout of any home, then clean individual rooms on command, and skip everything else.
If you’re up for fiddling with maps in a smartphone app, it’s a fantastic and flexible system. “Research indicates that robot vacuums are not meant to replace upright vacuums,” Peña-Hernández said. “That likely has to do with their smaller motor size. They’re good for touch-ups and in-between uses.” With its sub-$250 price, the Eufy RoboVac 15C Max Robot Vacuumoffers an impressive suite of features, including smart connectivity, and performs well picking up most debris on carpeting and hardwood.