A robot vacuum makes your life a lot easier. These great devices take the hassle out of vacuuming and do the job even when you don’t want to.
If you think you could benefit from having a robot vacuum cleaner in your home, but aren’t sure where to start, then keep reading.
We’ll list the top models on the market in Australia and then provide some tips on what to look for when making your selection.
1. iRobot Roomba e5 iRobot Vacuum (Top Pick)
The iRobot Roomba e5 is one of the most popular on the market worldwide and with good reason. It has great suction and a high-efficiency filter, so dust and pet hair is sucked up and trapped immediately.
It cleans a whole room in very little time and picks up a lot of dust. Emptying the unit is quick and easy too.
The mapping ability is good and it has little trouble navigating obstacles. It also has dirt detection technology, so it’s able to concentrate on the areas that need the most cleaning.
Scheduling the vacuum to clean is easy to do with the app, and the battery life is around three hours, so it won’t be interrupted in the middle of cleaning.
Overall, this is probably the best robot vacuum around. The price is on the high end, but it makes up for it in convenience and reliability.
What We Like:
- Great suction
- Easy to use
- Clever technology makes it more efficient
- Good navigation
What We Don’t Like:
- Expensive
2. Roborock S5 MAX Robot Vacuum
The Roborock S5 MAX is a great option for handling every day mopping needs. It has a 290ml electric water tank and you can easily adjust the water flow using the app.
You can create virtual no-go and no-mop zones so that the robot vacuum does not try to mop carpeted areas or rugs. The precision LiDAR mapping system helps to provide better coverage with precision navigation and selective room cleaning.
The S5 Max robot vacuums can be used for vacuuming and mopping and you can set the water flow and suction levels to suit each room. You can control this model using Alexa voice control as well as the app. When it comes to battery life, the S5 Max will calculate how much space it needs to clean and will recharge itself enough to cover the area required.
What We Like:
- Create virtual no-go zones
- Easily adjust the water flow and suction levels
- Intuitive charging
What We Don’t Like:
- Some users have experienced software glitches relating to the mapping function
3. Eufy RoboVac 11S Robot Vacuum
The Eufy 11s is another great robotic vacuum cleaner. It cleans very well and has excellent suction. It is not too loud – about as loud as a microwave in operation, which is pretty good.
The body is extra slim, which may help with getting under furniture and storage, but the dust capacity is also decent and it won’t fill up before the cleaning is done for most homes.
One nice feature is the Boost IQ which increases the suction power when it senses a dirty spot. This makes the unit especially good at cleaning effectively and consistently. It also comes with a remote control and is easy to use.
Overall, this is a really good unit that does a great job of cleaning.
What We Like:
- Slimline design
- Quiet operation
- Good performance
What We Don’t Like:
- Not wifi enabled
4. iRobot Braava Jet m6 – Robot Mop
The Braava Jet m6 performs mopping actions rather than vacuuming. Use it to clean up sticky messes in the kitchen, or have it clean hardwood floors and tiles. It can perform a wet clean or a dry clean so there’s no problem with the type of surface you can use it on. Note that this is not for carpet though, so check out this option if you have hardwood or tile floors.
The mapping and navigation ability is excellent, and it is wifi enabled with app support so you can control it from your phone. It also integrates with Alexa or Google Assistant, so you can control it by voice.
The price tag is quite high, but this is a quality unit with loads of great features. If you want your life to be a lot easier, then this is the unit to go for.
What We Like:
- Cleans kitchen and hardwood floors
- Cleans wet messes
- Cleaning modes include wet mopping and dry sweeping
- Lots of features
What We Don’t Like:
- Expensive
5. iRobot Roomba 670 Robot Vacuum
The Roomba 670 is everything you expect from a high-quality robotic vacuum.
It picks up pet hair from carpets without a hitch and the cleaning heads automatically adjust their height to match the surface they are on, so it can transition from carpet to hardwood floor without slowing.
It also has a three-stage cleaning system that gets smaller particles, medium particles, and larger dirt and debris, all in one pass.
Like the higher-end model, it has a dirt detection sensor, so it will spend extra time on a dirty spot. It lacks some of the features and precision of the more expensive models, but overall, it’s a very reliable unit that’s easy to clean and easy to use.
What We Like:
- Good cleaning ability
- Reliable unit
- More affordable than other options
What We Don’t Like:
- Lacks some features
6. Coredy Robot Vacuum Cleaner
The Coredy Robot Vacuum Cleaner has powerful suction but still manages to operate fairly quietly. It has long battery life and good navigation ability, although it may have some trouble in a large house.
It does a great job of cleaning and is surprisingly good for the price. It lacks any app support or wifi, instead, it is controlled via remote control. It also has an improved anti-collision sensor and a soft bumper around its circumference, so it won’t get damaged easily.
It’s easy to clean and can be disassembled and put back together in minutes. Operation is easy too. For this price range, it’s an excellent unit and you should definitely give it a go.
What We Like:
- Powerful suction
- Quiet
- Improved Anti-collision ability
- Good value
What We Don’t Like:
- No smart features
7. Roborock S6 Smart Robot Vacuum Cleaner
The Roborock S6 is an impressive robot vacuum cleaner that can map rooms and calculate the quickest way to clean each space. It operates quietly with a soft sound that won’t disrupt the rest of the house.
This is one of the best robot vacuum models for navigation around the house as it uses SMART navigation maps to plan routes and schedules. It is able to cross obstacles lower than 2cm and avoids falling down the stairs or hitting furniture.
The Roborock S6 has a long-lasting battery and self-recharges so you don’t need to worry about it. The dust box is 480ml which is large enough for most cleaning requirements. The cleaning brush has dense bristles that are soft so they collect dust without damaging your floors.
What We Like:
- Excellent cleaning performance
- Great navigation and mapping abilities
- Soft sound
What We Don’t Like:
- The app is not as user-friendly as other options
8. iRobot Roomba 614 Robot Vacuum
The iRobot Roomba 614 is a simple to use robot vacuum that offers a 3-stage cleaning system which automatically adjusts to all floor types. This is one of the best robot vacuums thanks to its simple controls and excellent cleaning performance.
The iAdapt Navigation uses sensors that allow the robot to navigate and adapt to your home. It agitates, brushes and vacuums floors to deliver the best results and it can handle anything from pet hair to spills to dirt from shoes.
If the system detects an area that is dirtier it will deliver a more powerful clean to make sure no spots are missed. It also has an edge-sweeping brush so the edges aren’t neglected either. The cliff-detect sensors stop the cleaner from falling down stairs or ledges and the automatic recharge function makes maintenance easy.
What We Like:
- 3-stage cleaning
- Easy to use
- Automatically adjusts to the floor type
What We Don’t Like:
- Needs to be emptied frequently
9. Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaner
The Xiaomi Mi Robot Cleaner is an intelligent option that is able to tackle dirt on hard floors as well as carpets. It is thorough in its cleaning performance and you can sit back and relax without needing to worry about it getting stuck or running out of battery.
This cleaner uses 12 sensors to map out the interior of your home and has a 360-degree laser distance sensor that allows the robot to scan its surroundings. The Xiaomi Mi determines the best route in real-time and once it has finished vacuuming the floors it will automatically return to the charging dock.
The height of the main brush adjusts to suit the surface it is cleaning to ensure all surfaces are properly cleaned. This vacuum also offers smartphone connectivity, you can sync your phone and remotely control the cleaner as well as adjust schedules.
What We Like:
- Determines the best route in real-time
- Smartphone connectivity
- Effective on carpets and hard floors
What We Don’t Like:
- Limited battery life
10. ECOVACS DEEBOT N79T Robotics Vacuum
The Ecovac Deebot N79T is one of the best robot vacuums if you are looking for a lower price that still offers great functions. You can direct the vacuum using voice commands as this unit works with Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also control it via the Ecovacs App or directly.
There are 4 cleaning modes including automatic which is best for general cleaning, edge mode for corners and edges, single room mode for cleaning a specific area and max power mode for handling more intensive needs.
The battery runs for 120 minutes and the Deebot returns to the charger when necessary. The vacuum has anti-drop and anti-collision sensors as well as durable protective bumpers and an anti-scratch finish. The sound level is low to avoid disturbing your family as it cleans and the large wheels improve the robots manoeuvrability and climbing ability.
What We Like:
- Great value for money
- Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
- Different cleaning modes
What We Don’t Like:
- Setting up the wi-fi can be a bit of a process
11. Neato Botvac D7 Connected Laser Guided Robot Vacuum
The Neato Botvac D7 Connected is an intuitive and easy to use vacuum robot that offers excellent navigation abilities and simple wi-fi connection set up. This is one of the more pricey robot vacuums but is worth the cost.
Unlike the round robots that struggle to clean corners, the D shape of this vacuum makes sure the robot never misses any spots. The laser-guided mapping technology navigates and maps your home and delivers a better performance by cleaning in straight lines rather than cleaning a room randomly.
Capable of cleaning all surfaces including tiles, hardwood and carpets, the cleaning power of the Botvac D7 Connected is effective no matter what the surface is. The large brush of the Neato Botvac helps to get rid of pet hair with ease. This model can integrate with smart home systems and is able to work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The battery life is 120 minutes and the dustbin capacity is 0.7 litres which should be enough for the whole house.
What We Like:
- Never misses corners
- Smart home integration
- Effective against pet hair
What We Don’t Like:
- High price
Robot Vacuum Buyer’s Guide
Now that you’ve read our run-down of the best robot vacuums in Australia, it’s time to dig deeper into the key considerations for your selection process.
It’s no surprise that robot vacuums are so popular, nobody really enjoys vacuuming the house and these clever devices can take care of it while you get on with other things. There are lots of different robot vacuums available and there are a few key features that can help you decide which model is best-suited to your home.
The best robot vacuum is simple to use, cleans effectively on all floor types and has a long enough battery life and dustbin capacity that the whole house can be cleaned in one go. This buyers guide will help you to find the best robot vacuum for your home:
Mapping Technology
The mapping ability of robot vacuum cleaners is the most important feature. Your vacuum should be able to scan an entire room to make sense of the floor plans, clean it, and return to its docking station with no trouble. It is a good idea to choose a vacuum that can scan a room larger than the ones in your home to ensure it can perform its tasks well.
Make sure the vacuum has good avoidance abilities as well. It should be able to clean a room while using sensors to avoid all obstacles (including walls and corners) without any problem.
If a robot vac doesn’t have a good mapping and avoidance system it can get stuck and won’t be able to do its job until someone manually picks it up and moves it. Having a low profile can also help prevent the vacuum from getting caught underneath furniture.
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Battery Life
When a robot vacuum cleans, it starts from it’s charging dock and proceeds to clean the room. If its battery starts to run low, it will cease cleaning and return to its dock to recharge. This can be inconvenient if half the house still needs cleaning as it can take three hours or more to charge.
Some robot vacuums also offer an intuitive charging feature where it will return the charger and wait until there is enough battery power to complete the cleaning schedule rather than waiting until the battery is fully charged. The average cleaning times will vary between models.
Look for a unit that has a decent battery size to avoid problems. Generally, batteries that have at least 160 mins of charge are good.
Capacity
Generally, robot vacuum cleaners don’t hold a lot of dust and have to be emptied frequently. That said, you don’t want to have to stop your robot vacuum so you can empty it in the middle of cleaning. You may be surprised at how much dirt, dust and pet hair is collected with each cleaning cycle.
Choose one that has a large dust capacity. You may not need it to be too large if you live in a flat, but generally, the larger the better.
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Remote Control And App Support
Many robot vacuums come with a remote. This is convenient if you want to clean the house outside of the robots programmed schedule. You can also use the remote control to adjust the cleaning area and set areas to avoid.
Some robot vacuums connect to wi-fi and can integrate with a smartphone via an app. This way you can tell the robot to start cleaning even when you aren’t home. Other connectivity options include smart home integration where the robot and your smart home system (such as Amazon Alexa) communicate meaning you can use voice commands to control the cleaner too.
Brush Type
The brushes will play a significant role in determining how effective the vacuum is going to be. The best brush type will mostly depend on the type of floors e.g. a hardwood floor and a low pile carpet will respond to brushes differently. Some common options include a brush bar with beaters that lift the dirt before vacuuming it, a wide brush bar that covers more surface area and side brushes to sweep around the edges of the robot.
Cleaning Mode
The best robot vacuums tend to offer a couple of different cleaning modes. A lot of robots have the ability to automatically adjust depending on the floor type and some are also able to detect dirtier areas and will increase the cleaning power accordingly. Some of the different cleaning modes you may see being offered include:
Automatic Cleaning Mode
Auto is where all you need to do is turn it on and the robot does the rest for you.
General cleaning mode
This is best for everyday use when there is nothing in particular you need the machine to focus on.
Single room or spot cleaning mode
If you want the robot to intensively focus on a certain room or area, this would be the mode to select.
Edges mode
Sometimes the wall edges and skirting boards are neglected by even the most expensive robot but edges mode dedicates time to cleaning the edge of the room so no areas are missed.
Intensive mode
This is best if you haven’t vacuumed in a while and you want the robot to deliver a high-level clean.
Robot Vacuum FAQs
Using a robot vacuum is not a completely automated process. You have to empty the dust bin and make sure the cleaning area is free of obstructions. But it’s easier to let the robot do a top-up vacuum on a regular basis than to have to do the vacuuming yourself. With smart technology, robot vacuums are even easier to use.
It can be an expensive purchase, but if you want to avoid a lot of manual vacuuming, then it is well worth it.
The Coredy Robot Vacuum Cleaner has powerful suction with a max of 1400pa to provide the deepest cleaning. In spite of this, it runs super quietly and won’t bother you while it’s running. The suction power can be adjusted at any time via the remote control.
Most robot vacuums don’t empty themselves, however, there are some models that do. The first self-emptying robot vacuums came out in 2012 and there have been several models since then.
Self-emptying robot vacuums return to their docking station when they are full, and the dust is offloaded into a container on the docking station. Then the robot returns to cleaning. You still have to empty the dust from the docking station when it is full, but this is not as frequent as emptying the vacuum itself.
