The robot vacuum product category has been around for a while, but is it really “there” yet? Our robot vacuum buyers guide provides insight and information that we found helpful when buying our robot vacuum.
We are a home that has dogs. We originally had two pretty big Labrador Retrievers, but they’ve crossed the rainbow bridge and were left with a Vizsla, which doesn’t have much hair. We just got a Golden Retriever. Goldens have a lot of hair, and they shed a lot. So we started our search for a robot vacuum to help keep things manageable in our desire not to have tumbleweeds rolling down our wood floor hallways.
Do you need a robot vacuum? No. There are very few products that people need. Most products for sale are centered around whether or not someone wants to have something. In today’s hectic world, there’s not a lot of time to keep up with some of life’s necessities, and cleaning is something that, at times, can be put on the back burner. There are several things that you’ll need to consider when it comes to buying a robot vacuum, and these are the most important:
Robot Vacuum Things To Consider
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- Your Budget. In our research, we found a pretty big difference in what you do and don’t get, and it all depends on how much you are willing to spend. Entry-level products typically cost around $200-300. More advanced and feature-rich products are in the $700-1000 price range.
- Battery Life. This is a somewhat important feature because using a robot vacuum is not terribly fast. In our inaugural run with our Roomba i6, it took roughly 3 hours to run through the house’s main floor. This, along with how much dirt your battery can hold, will really determine how much of your house can be done between cleanings. Vacuums typically head back to their base when the battery is low, but the on-and-off of multiple charges can become annoying.
- Dirt Storage. This is a big factor unless you purchase a base that will dump the dirt. If your vacuum fills up, you might need to manually dump the dirt out for your vacuum to finish the job. Our i6 dumped out its load of dirt 3 times earlier today.
- Floor Coverings. What you have on the floor will determine how well your robot vacuum will work. Several vacuums have dark carpet problems because the vacuum thinks it comes across a hole and may not clean there. Some thick rugs might not clean very well with certain models. Wood floors might cause issues by just pushing dust around
- Does the Vacuum Suck. This sounds like a silly way of saying this, but if the vacuum is not strong enough to suck the dirt up, it’s the bad kind of sucking. Strong suction that will vacuum up things like dust, dirt, small items like pebbles is really what you are looking for.
See our Best Robot Vacuums To Buy
Robot Vacuum Budget
We consider this to be the most important factor when looking at the robot vacuum product category. As mentioned above, the entry-level products cost ‘around’ $200. You make some sacrifices when looking at products in this price range, but you can make them work well for most people. For example, if you find a product that has a smaller collection bin, you can create a schedule where you clean sections of the house at different times or on other days. Just because something like the Ecovac Deebot n79 costs $200 doesn’t mean buying an inferior vacuum.
The opposite of the entry-level products is what you would call the premium-level products full of features, wi-fi, and Google or Alexa compatible, among other great features. However, we felt that we needed some additional features for our needs, like the vacuum’s ability to empty itself and keep going.
This robot vacuum buying guide was created based on how we thought about buying one, what we considered, and what we decided was the best product for us.