The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
Whether you've got carpet with a high or low pile There's a robot vacuum for you. These machines are intelligent and can automatically navigate your home, suck up dirt and clean under furniture.
Many have advanced features like mapping, which allows them to navigate around your home and keep track of furniture place. They can also boost suction power to clean up areas.
iRobot Roomba 694
The iRobot Roomba 694 is a robot vacuum for entry-level use that works well on bare floors and low-pile carpet. It has a decent suction and can clean most debris, however it struggles with larger particles like rice or sand. It also does a decent job of cleaning pet hair, but it's not immune to tangling like high-end Roomba models, such as the I6 or j7.
The Roomba 694 is simple to use. It has three buttons on its cover: 'Clean' launches an entire cleaning cycle and 'Dock' places it back in its charging station and 'Spot Clean' activates an targeted clean. It can be controlled via a smartphone app which lets you schedule or stop/start cycles, as well as adjust settings. You can also connect it with smart home devices such as Alexa or Google Assistant for voice-controlled operation.
This vacuum cleaner is slower than some others, but it is able to be able to reach the majority of corners and crevices. It has a huge dust bin that is ideal for reducing the frequency which you must empty it. It's compatible with digital barriers and virtual barriers which let you set it to avoid specific areas or stop cleaning altogether when you want to stop it from getting stuck on something.
Although it's not the top model for its price but it's far superior to other alternatives. The Roborock E4 is more advanced than the Roomba 694, with a much better cleaning performance on both bare and low-pile carpets. It also has a more efficient cleaning path and has a longer battery life. It also feels better-made and has fewer components that need regular maintenance, costs less to own over the course of its life, and charges faster than the 694.
It's also worth taking a look at other models that are more expensive within the iRobot line, such as the 981 or the v7. The 981 and v7 are both more expensive, but they have significant improvements in cleaning performance both on low and bare pile floors. They also have a bigger dirt compartment they charge faster, can move more easily, and are more a breeze to pair with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This self-emptying robot that is budget-friendly does an okay job on hard floors as well as low-pile carpet. Its combo brush reaches into edges and corners, and it automatically increases suction when it spots carpet. It also excels at cleaning dirt that is embedded in mid-pile carpet. The IQ has a small footprint and also a self-emptying function. If you wish to alter the floor level or set areas that are not allowed to be used, you'll need to manually reset the map.
The IQ's app has some advanced mapping and automation capabilities however it doesn't have no-go zones that are available on iRobot models. The smart-pathing navigation system provides greater maneuverability, and its high-pile carpet mode cleans well, but it does have a tendency to get caught up in rug tassels, and its iHome speaker lets you control the robot using voice commands.
During our tests, we found that the IQ was able to handle pet hair effectively. It was able to get rid of the majority of hair on floors that were unfinished and a good amount on medium-pile rug. It was less effective with shag carpets, where it struggled to get at dirt and dust embedded within the fibers. It was capable of navigating chair legs and tight spaces as well as the bottom of an wooden IKEA step stool. It was a bit slower on floors that were not paved however, it was able to recover speed and did better than other robots we have evaluated.
The IQ is a more suitable choice for the majority of users than the iRobot Roomba. It has a larger dustbin, a longer battery life and is more adept at navigating around obstacles. It also comes with mopping attachments that are able to tackle sticky mess. On the other hand, the iRobot feels better-built and has fewer parts that require maintenance or replacement, incurs lower recurring costs and creates virtual no-go zones through its companion app. It is able to even resume the cleaning process from where it left off in case it runs out of battery before it has completed the task. The iRobot can also be controlled using voice commands, which is a major benefit for many users.
Eufy 11S
The eufy RoboVac 11S isn't the most feature-rich robot vacuum available, but it does offer great cleaning power for the price of. The RoboVac 11S is made for those who are budget conscious and don't require a complicated mapping system, or even an application to control it. The robot is capable of running for up to an hour and includes the remote, a cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base and extra filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek, with an upper deck of tempered glass that is covered with plastic, which is finished to appear like brushed aluminum. It's a nice departure from the industrial and utilitarian designs of Roomba, Samsung and Neato.
In our tests, the eufy 11S was very effective in removing large particles and fine dust on hard flooring. It was unable to thoroughly clean carpets with high and medium piles. It is also prone to hit furniture and people that are in its path however, it is able to detect these obstacles using sensors. When it encounters them, it ceases to move and emits a loud beep so you can manually guide it through the obstacle before getting it back to work.
The BoostIQ mode is a great feature of the eufy11S. It allows you to configure the robot to automatically adjust suction strength based upon the type of floor and the amount of the mess. The remote control makes it simple to direct the 11S to best self-emptying robot vacuum the desired place.
If you don't have many furniture in the area you want to vacuum, Single Room Mode is an excellent alternative. The eufy is capable of spending up to 30 minutes cleaning the area it is assigned.
You can also choose Edge Cleaning which limits the amount of time in each area to 20 minutes for optimal battery life. With this option the eufy moves in a spiral, tackling corners and edges for an efficient clean.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 canister robot is a great mid-range vacuum cleaner that excels on carpet. Its performance is also excellent on bare floors. It can remove fine debris like rice with ease and doesn't lose suction performance even as its dirt bin gets full. Its design is a breathable one and its air-sealed body captures allergens to keep your family healthy. It comes with an onboard HEPA filter and a self-emptying bin, so you don't have to buy additional filters or a separate vacuum bag.
It's not as powerful as pricier models, but it's excellent for dealing with stains and deep cleaning. It has two cameras on the front which provide a live feed to your smartphone. It also comes with one of the most advanced obstacle avoidance systems. It comes with a large bin, a long runtime and the ability to clean up quickly and without bumps.
The Complete C1 is unlike most robots in that it is able to switch between a standard head and a turbo for different types of flooring. The turbo head works best with high-pile or low-pile carpeting while the standard powerhead is good for floors with no flooring and light rug. It also has an automatic height adjustment system that enables it to adapt to various types flooring without manual adjustments.
The model comes with an SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors and medium-pile carpeting. The powerhead can also be easily maneuvered and get into difficult areas. It has five levels of surface adjustment and a switch that lets you turn off the brushroll to help prevent tangled hairs.
The Classic C1 has a self cleaning brush roll and it has a UtraClean Mode that can clean the same area three times, and a self emptying dustbin that can be emptied with a single button press. The sound level of this model is more pronounced than other models. However its powerful motor with 1,200 watts and robust construction make it worth the extra cost.
If you don't mind spending some extra money, the Miele Complete C3 canister robot vacuum is an excellent all-around robot vacuum. It is more effective on carpets than the Classic C1. It performs better on all types of floors, feels more solidly built, and includes a HEPA filter.