The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
No matter if you have a carpet with a high or low pile there's a robotic vacuum for you. These smart appliances automatically navigate your home, suck up debris and even clean under furniture.
Many have advanced features like mapping, which can help you navigate around your home and keep track of furniture placement. They can also increase suction power to clean up areas.
iRobot Roomba 694
The Roomba 694 from iRobot is an entry-level robot vacuum that is able to work on bare floors and low-pile carpet. It is able to suction well, but struggles with larger debris such as sand or grains of rice. It also does a good job at cleaning pet hair, but it's not immune to tangling like premium Roomba models like the j7 or I6.
The Roomba is easy to operate. It has three buttons on its top cover: 'Clean' launches the cleaning process and 'Dock' allows it to be put back in its charging station and 'Spot Clean' activates an targeted clean. It can be controlled via an app on your smartphone that lets you schedule or stop/start cycles, and also adjust settings. You can also connect the device with smart home devices like Alexa or Google Assistant to control it by voice.
This vacuum is a little slower than the others, however it is still able to reach the majority of crevices and corners. It has a huge dust bin, which is great for reducing the frequency with the frequency you have to empty it. It is compatible with digital mapping and virtual barriers which lets you make the robot avoid certain areas or stop cleaning altogether to prevent it from getting stuck.
While it's not the best model in its price range, it's better than many other alternatives. The Roborock E4 has a better cleaning performance than the Roomba 694, and it can clean both carpets with a low pile and bare. It also follows an efficient cleaning route and has longer battery life. It is also more robust, has fewer components that require regular maintenance, costs less over its lifetime and charges faster than 694.
You may also want to consider other models within the iRobot range, including the v7 or the 981. The v7 and 981 are more expensive, but they have significant improvement in cleaning efficiency, both on low and bare pile floors. They also have a bigger dirt compartment and charge faster, move more easily, and are easier to pair up with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This self-emptying robot that is budget-friendly does a decent job on hard floors and low-pile carpet. Its combination brush reaches the edges and corners and it automatically increases suction as soon as it senses carpet. It is also effective at cleaning dirt embedded in mid-pile carpet. The IQ has a tiny footprint and has a self-emptying feature. If you'd like to change the floor level or set no-go areas, you'll need to manually reset the map.
The IQ's app has some advanced mapping and automation capabilities but it's missing no-go zones which are included on iRobot models. Its smart-pathing system allows for greater maneuverability and the high-pile feature of its carpet cleaning mode is efficient but it could get caught on the tassels of the rug.
During our tests in our tests, the IQ was adept at handling pet hair effectively, clearing huge amounts of hair from floors with no flooring and fair amounts of medium-pile carpet. It was less efficient on shag carpets, which was a struggle to reach dirt and dust embedded in the fibers. It was able navigate chair legs, small spaces as well as the base of an IKEA wooden step stool. We did notice it was a bit slower on floors with no flooring however it soon recovered speed and performed better than the other robots we tried.
The IQ is a better choice for the majority of users than the iRobot Roomba. It has a bigger dust bin and lasts longer on charge, and is capable of moving itself over obstacles. It also has mopping attachments that are able to deal with sticky mess. On the other side the iRobot is more durable and has fewer components that require replacement or maintenance and has lower recurring costs and creates virtual no-go zones through its companion app. It can continue cleaning the point it started, even if the battery runs out before it finishes. The iRobot is also controlled by voice, which can be a big plus for many users.
Eufy 11S
The RoboVac 11S eufy robot vacuum isn't one of the most advanced models, but it does offer great cleaning power at a low cost. This vacuum was designed for consumers with a tight budget who don't require a complicated mapping system, or an app to control it. The robot can run for more than an hour and comes with the remote, a cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base, and additional filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek and has a tempered-glass upper deck that looks like the brushed appearance of aluminum. It's a nice change 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. However, it was unable to give high and medium pile carpets a thorough clean. The device is also prone to smack into furniture and people in its path however, it is able to detect those obstacles using sensors. If it encounters them it halts and emits an alarm so that you can manually steer it through the obstacle before getting it back to work.
Another great aspect of the eufy 11S is its BoostIQ mode that allows you to set the robot to automatically adjust the strength of its suction to match the floor type and the level of dirt. The remote control makes it easy to direct the 11S to the desired place.
Single Room Mode is a great alternative if you have a small amount of furniture in the space you want to vacuum. The eufy will take 30 minutes focusing on cleaning the area that it is assigned to.
Edge Cleaning is another option that reduces the time that is spent on each area to just 20 minutes. This will increase the battery's life. With this option the eufy moves in a spiral fashion, tackling corners and edges for an efficient clean.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 is an excellent mid-range canister robot vacuum and a top performer on carpet. Its performance on bare floors is also impressive. It can pick up rice and other fine debris easily. The suction power doesn't decrease as the dirt bin fills. Its allergy-friendly design and air-sealed body will trap allergens to keep your family healthy. It uses an onboard HEPA filter and a self-emptying dustbin, which means you don't need additional filters or a separate vacuum bag.
It's not quite as powerful as the more expensive models, but is still excellent for deep cleaning and taking on stains. It comes with two cameras in front which provide a live feed to your smartphone. It also comes with one of the most advanced obstacle avoidance systems. It has a huge bin, a long running time and an easy, bump-free clean-up.
In contrast to other robots, unlike most other robots, Complete C1 can switch between the standard powerhead and the turbo head to accommodate different types of floors. read more The turbo head is ideal for carpeting that is high-pile and low-pile, while the standard powerhead is great on unfinished floors and light rugs. It also comes with an automatic height adjustment system that enables it to adjust to different kinds of flooring without manual adjustments.
The model comes with a SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors as well as carpeting with a medium pile. The powerhead can be easily moved and reach difficult spots. It comes with five different adjustments to the surface and an off-brush switch to avoid tangled hairs.
The Classic C1 has a self cleaning brush roll, it has a UtraClean Mode that can clean the same area three times, and a self emptying dustbin that can be emptied by pressing a button. The volume of noise produced by this model is higher than other models. However, its powerful motor with 1,200 watts and sturdy construction are worth the additional cost.
If you're willing to spend 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 is better suited for all kinds of floors and is built more securely and comes with a HEPA filter.