The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
If you have carpet with a high or low pile there's a robotic vacuum for you. These smart appliances automatically navigate your home, suck up dirt and clean under furniture.
Many have advanced features like mapping, which allows them to navigate your home and remember furniture positioning. They can also boost suction power to clean up areas.
iRobot Roomba 694"
The iRobot Roomba is a budget-friendly robot vacuum that performs well on both bare flooring and low-pile floor carpet. It has a good suction however, it struggles with larger debris such as grains of rice or sand. It also does a decent job of removing pet hair however it isn't resistant to tangling like the high-end Roomba models, such as the j7 or I6.
The Roomba 694 is simple to use. It has a trio of buttons on its top cover: 'Clean' launches a cleaning cycle, 'Dock' puts it back in its charging station, and 'Spot Clean' initiates an targeted clean. It can be controlled via an app on your smartphone that lets you schedule cycles, stop/start the cycle and change settings. It is also possible to pair the device to smart home devices like Alexa or Google Assistant to control it by voice commands.
This vacuum cleaner is slower than others, but can still be able to reach the majority of corners and crevices. It has a large dustbin which is ideal for reducing the frequency which you must empty it. It is compatible with digital mapping and virtual barriers, which allows you to program the robot to stay out of certain areas or stop cleaning altogether to prevent it from becoming stuck.
While it's not the best model for its price but it's far superior to other alternatives. The Roborock E4 has a better cleaning performance than the Roomba 694 and it can clean both low-pile and bare carpets. It also has the most efficient cleaning method and has a longer battery life. It also feels more durable, has fewer parts that need regular maintenance, is less expensive to own over the course of its life and charges more quickly than the 694.
You may also want to consider other models in the iRobot range, such as the v7 or 981. The 981 and v7 are both more expensive but have significant improvement in cleaning efficiency, for both bare and low pile floors. They also have a larger 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 robotic vacuum cleaner does a great job on carpets with a low pile and hard floors. Its combination brush reaches corners and edges, and automatically boosts suction once it spots carpet. It also is effective in cleaning dirt embedded in mid-pile carpet. The IQ's compact footprint for docks and its self-emptying feature are both nice features. However, if you want to change floor levels on the map or create no-go zones, you'll need manually reset it to do this, which can be a bit of trouble.
The IQ's app has some advanced mapping and automation features however, it's not able to access no-go zones that are available on iRobot models. Its intelligent-pathing navigation system provides greater maneuverability and its high-pile carpet mode is clean well, though it tends to get caught up in rug tassels, and its iHome speaker lets you control the robot with voice commands.
During our tests, the IQ was adept at handling pet hair well, clearing huge amounts of debris from bare floors and fair amounts of medium-pile carpet. It was a little less effective on shag carpets where it struggled to reach dirt and dust that was embedded in the fibers. It was able to maneuver the legs of a chair, tiny spaces as well as the base of an IKEA wooden step stool. It was a little slower on bare floors but it quickly recovered and performed more thoroughly than the other robots we tried.
The IQ is a better option than the iRobot Roomba 694 for most uses. It has a bigger dustbin and a longer battery life and is more adept at navigating around obstacles. It has a mopping tool that can remove sticky debris. The iRobot on the other hand feels more sturdy and has less components that need maintenance or replacement and has lower cost per year, and can create virtual no-go zones with its companion application. It is able to even resume cleaning from the point it started if it is unable to recharge its battery prior to having completed the task. The iRobot can also be controlled using voice, which is a major benefit for many users.
Eufy 11S
The RoboVac 11S robotic vacuum isn't among the most feature-rich models, but it does offer great cleaning power at affordable prices. This vacuum was designed for budget-conscious consumers who don't require a complicated mapping system, or even an app to control it. This robot can run for a long time and comes with a remote, cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base, and additional filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek, with a tempered glass upper deck that covers plastic and is made to appear like brushed aluminum. It's a nice departure from Roomba, Samsung, and Neato designs that are more industrial and utilitarian.
In our tests, the eufy11S was excellent at picking up large particles and fine dust on hard flooring. It was unable to thoroughly clean carpets with high and medium piles. The device is capable to bump into furniture and people along its path. However, it is able detect these obstacles using sensors. It stops and emits a loud noise when it encounters an obstruction. It is then possible to manually guide the device around the obstacle and restart it.
The BoostIQ mode is a great feature of the eufy11S. It allows you to set up the robot to automatically adjust suction strength based upon the floor type and the amount of mess. The remote control makes it simple to direct the 11S to your desired area.
If you don't have much furniture in the room you're looking to vacuum Single Room Mode is an excellent alternative. The eufy can spend up to 30 minutes cleaning the website area it is assigned.
You can also opt for Edge Cleaning which limits the time spent in each area to 20 minutes to ensure optimal battery life. By selecting this option, the eufy will move in a spiral, tackling corners and edges for a thorough clean.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 canister robot is a top mid-priced vacuum cleaner that performs well on carpet. Its performance on carpets with no floor is also exceptional. It is able to remove rice and other fine debris easily. The suction power doesn't diminish as the dirt bin fills. Its air-sealed design and allergy-friendly design traps allergens to keep your family safe. It has an onboard HEPA filter and a self-emptying bin, so you won't need to purchase additional filters or a separate bag for your vacuum.
It's not as effective as the more expensive models, but is still great for deep cleaning and tackling staining. The two cameras on the front of the unit provide live images to your smartphone, and it comes with one of the top obstacle avoidance systems we've seen. It also has a large dustbin, a long running time and a quick clean-up that is free of 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 comes with an automated height adjustment system, which allows it to easily adapt to various kinds of flooring, without manual adjustments.
This model is bundled with the SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead, which can be used on both carpets with a hard surface and carpets with a medium pile. The motor can also 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, the UtraClean Mode that will clean the same area up to three times and a self-emptying dustbin that you can empty with a single button press. Its noise level is slightly higher than other models, but its powerful 1,200-watt motor and robust construction make it worth the extra cost.
If you're willing a little more then the Miele Complete C3 is an excellent all-round robot vacuum that is more effective on carpet than the Classic C1. It has a better performance on all floors and is more solidly constructed, and includes a HEPA filter.