Robot Vacuum Cleaner 2014 Review

A robot that will clean your floors? Are you as skeptical as I was when I first heard about that possibility? Yeah, right. Well, it's true and here's the scoop.

You will easily slip into the convenience of a robotic vacuum once you start using one. You might even feel a little like one of the Jetson family. There are a few different models of vacuums to consider with a price range of $100 to over $1000.

You should first decide if you're looking for a simple robot that will clean your hard flooring of dust, or a more expensive unit that offers a host of features. If you want a vacuum that transitions more easily from hard flooring to carpet, you'll pay a bit more for one but they are amazing.

Things to Look For

Pay attention to how long a vacuum needs to recharge and how long they can vacuum on a single charge. There are some with sensing abilities that will help it determine if it needs to focus longer on a particularly dirty spot.

Check to see how large the dust bin is. If you have a larger home, you will want to get one that can collect a lot of dirt.

Shape is another factor. Most are shaped in a circular fashion but some are squarer. I have found that circular vacuums change their direction more smoothly than any other shape. I would suggest paying more for a self-adjusting robotic vacuum because otherwise, you can spend so much time adjusting it yourself that it may just be easier to vacuum yourself.

Wheel sensors will keep the vacuum from falling down the stairs. It will sense the lack of firm flooring and turn itself around. It might not seem like a big deal, but having a vacuum with brush borders will help keep dust off baseboards. Plus, this feature will keep the vacuum from marking up your walls when it bumps into them.

iRobot Roomba 620 Vacuum

One of the most popular vacuums in this category that you can find is the iRobot Roomba 620 Vacuum. This design has an even more round shape to it. The edges, instead of featuring brushes, are made with a soft material that won't mark up your walls.

It comes with iAdapt software that helps it learn the layout of the room and makes more than one pass for a good clean. It also features "Dirt Detect" which uses an acoustic sensor to determine where the dirtiest parts of the room are, and then will spend more time cleaning that area.

I love that it has three stages of cleaning - carpets, tiles, and other hardwood flooring. This version will handle more fuzz and pet hair than other models in the past.

Another technology it was made with is called "Aerovac" which includes a new brush that was designed to reduce the amount of hair that gets caught in the brush, and a better airflow to ensure the bin fills more evenly.

I've been quite impressed with how it will go over items like cords, and not suck them up. I also transitions smoothly from hard flooring to carpet, and back again.

My favorite here is the Evolution Robotics Mint Automatic Hard Floor Cleaner. This one is not meant for carpet, but will do any hard flooring you have. Not just for sweeping, it will mop as well. It cleans by moving back and forth in straight lines and will navigate easily around furniture or rugs.

You can use the cleaning cloth of your choose. Technically, this is not even a vacuum but a sweeper. I love that the navigation system helps it keep track of where to go once it has mapped your home.

Once it is done with the main job, it will go back along the walls and then will go home to the charging station by itself. This little device will clean up to 800 square feet; this can be one large space, or it will discover adjacent rooms by itself.

When you are using it in the mopping mode, only about 200 square feet at a time can be cleaned. This will optimize the cloth you have while it is still wet. This is a really easy device to use and picks up pet hair like a champ.

It runs fairly quiet as well. Charging takes longer than other devices I've used, but overall, it ends up being a pretty good little mopper/sweeper.

Take a look at the Neato XV-11 All Floor Robotic Vacuum Cleaner. I love this one because I don't have to babysit it like some others I've used.

The laser in the device will give itself a full 360 degree view of your room to create a map to use every time it cleans.

Even when you change up your furniture in the room, it will still map it out and change course when necessary. When the first room is finished, it will go through a recognized doorway to clean the next room. I love that this device easily goes under furniture like tables and beds to clean, so I don't have to.

To get it going, all you need to do is push the Start button, and it's off! I've been able to get about an hour and a half of cleaning with just one charge. It seems to run quieter than an upright vacuum but maybe a bit noisier than a Roomba.

However, if I don't have to vacuum, I don't care how loud it is. As with most robotic vacuums, it does miss little areas here and there, but that isn't too big of a deal. It cleans back and forth in straight lines methodically.

The charging station is very user friendly and when you don't need the cord anymore, you can put it into the housing. I think it's cool as well that when it detects that it can't get the job done in one charge, it will go back to the charging station to re-juice and then will start up again where it left off. I've also noticed that this little unit does not bump into things as much as other models do.

Moneual Rydis Hybrid Robot Vacuum and Dry Mop Cleaner

A lesser known brand is Moneual. This Moneual MR6550 Rydis Hybrid Robot Vacuum and Dry Mop Cleaner is a bit more affordable than many others we've listed here. This one has a round design that I seem to think moves around obstacles better than square ones.

There are different modes to choose from which include Automatic Clean which will automatically detect the best cleaning path for the space given and will automatically charge during the cleaning session. Concentrated Clean is good for those really dirty spots; it will clean until all debris is picked up.

Corner Clean will allow the device to follow a course along the walls to get to those hard to clean places. Manual Clean lets you use the remote control and direct it anywhere you need it most. Reserved Clean gives you a chance to program it to clean at the time you specify.

This is especially nice when you are out of town. Shadow Cleaning Mode will detect the areas in your home that don't get direct sunlight like underneath furniture. Aside from the vacuuming features, this little unit will also mop your floors as well.

There is a detachable microfiber pad that can clean any hard floor surface. This vacuum runs a bit noisier than other vacuums but as I said before, I don't mind just as long as someone else is doing the cleaning!

Take a look at the LG HomBot 3.0 Robotic Vacuum. It is made in a square design with rounded corners for a smooth look. The side brushes are quite long to pick up debris close the walls.

It features a top camera that takes about 30 pictures every second while the optical sensor underneath reads the surface up to 2,000 times per second for mapping purposes.

I love that there are 7 modes of cleaning, and it runs pretty quiet as well.

It has a photographic memory so that it cleans the same path every time. It also will fit under most furniture quite well. It is also kind of fun that it will tell you when cleaning is done, when it needs to be recharged or emptied and other things as well.