Since CNET began testing robot vacuums within the early days of the primary Roomba, we have labored onerous to craft complete testing procedures to guage each robotic vacuum for the issues that matter for patrons. Our lab specialists have examined over 100 robotic vacuums and counting, evaluating them for cleansing efficiency, navigation skill, object avoidance and extra. Value and particular options additionally play a task in our total ranking and shopping for recommendation.
Under, we have laid out our complete set of lab checks that we run on each robotic vacuum that will get despatched to the lab. Our checks are additionally all the time being tweaked and refined to generate probably the most constant and dependable outcomes, however the present testing procedures are correct as of this writing.
Awarding the best performers
We weigh the outcomes of our rigorous lab testing for cleansing efficiency, navigation and impediment avoidance with our many years of editorial experience reviewing robotic vacuums. Then we consider the whole shopper high quality by factoring retail value and further options to evaluate the general worth of every robotic vacuum.
There are a variety of awards we could bestow on high performers. Editors’ Choice represents the perfect of the perfect merchandise we’ve examined. These robotic vacuums symbolize our top-tier selections for most individuals. We could provide an Editors’ Alternative for a premium mannequin and a unique award for the perfect funds mannequin.
We may additionally designate a Lab Award, which acknowledges a single product that had the best efficiency in a particular and repeatable metric or benchmark that’s significant to customers. For instance, the Dreame X50 gained the Lab Award for finest cleansing protection. Lastly, we’ll highlight top-performing merchandise in our best lists.
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Our take a look at room in Louisville lab
Our vacuum testing room options simulated furnishings, various kinds of flooring and different obstacles. (We not use tape to mark out ground sections to keep away from interfering with robotic vacuum efficiency.)
Every robotic vacuum we take into account for suggestion is put via its paces in our take a look at lab in Louisville, Kentucky. The primary trial is to determine how well a robot covers the floor whereas cleansing and the way properly it really works to keep away from obstacles. We constructed an industry-standard testing room, as specified by the International Electrotechnical Commission, only for this objective. The IEC is a world requirements physique accountable for managing robotic vacuum testing procedures, amongst different issues, for vacuum producers.
Inside this room are objects designed to simulate typical obstacles a robotic vac encounters for navigation because it cleans. These obstacles embrace wall edges, desk and chair legs, couches, free cords, simulated animal poop, different furnishings and so forth, plus naked tile and hardwood flooring, in addition to carpet.
Our take a look at room is considered from an overhead digicam and is being monitored by lab skilled, Gianmarco Chumbe. Our software program will analyze the room protection and generate a warmth map.
Past that, we consider every robotic vacuum’s skill to gather pet hair with out getting clogged or leaving free strands behind. We additionally take into account its mopping capabilities and the way properly it navigates (pretend) pet messes.
We’ll dive into extra of every of the sections beneath.
Robotic vacuum pickup/cleansing energy
In terms of vacuuming prowess, we need to understand how efficient every robotic is at cleansing widespread crumbs and different particles, and in addition the way it fares towards a lot smaller particles like mud, filth and sand on all flooring sorts.
Sand and pet hair
We unfold a measured quantity of sand within the outlined areas for every of the flooring sorts. (We not use tape to mark out ground sections to keep away from interfering with robotic vacuum efficiency.)
To search out out, we use play sand as an analog for finer particles, whereas pet hair we get from a groomer. In every case, we scatter a managed quantity throughout three take a look at ground patches. We weigh every of the flooring sections earlier than and after every take a look at run with a excessive precision scale to see how a lot sand and different particles had been eliminated. This lets us get particular person pickup measurements for every ground sort since we weigh the sand earlier than including it to the ground.
For pet hair, we do not weigh the pet hair after the take a look at, however we take earlier than and after footage of our take a look at ground patches for subjective visible analysis. The robotic vacuums that take away probably the most pet hair from the carpeting and onerous flooring are those we suggest for pet homeowners.
Flooring sorts we take a look at on
We repeat our checks one every flooring sort a number of instances to generate a mean rating.
To check every robotic vacuums skill on totally different ground sorts, we place sand and pet hair on three totally different ground sorts:
- Low-pile carpet: Sometimes shorter fibers and fewer plush than mid- or high-pile carpet. Robotic vacuums have a neater time choosing up from it (although not all the time). Low-pile and midpile carpet are usually more difficult and our scores can range from a excessive of 60% or extra (glorious) to as little as 10%.
- Midpile carpet: Softer and extra plush with taller fibers. It tends to be more difficult for robotic vacuums (although once more, not all the time). To make sure the sand is correctly distributed, we use a brush to unfold the sand out evenly. Robotic vacuums particularly begin to differentiate themselves in midpile carpet efficiency, with our present best-scoring robotic vacuum, the Mova V50 Extremely Full, getting 47.54%.
- Hardwood flooring: We use hardwood flooring that may replicate any flat floor, corresponding to tile or vinyl flooring. Typically, most robotic vacuums rating properly on the onerous flooring, with lots of our high picks scoring above 80%.
How we measure pickup efficiency success
We ensure to weigh the robotic vacuum’s dustbin to see how a lot it is picked up.
Earlier than every take a look at, we take the robotic vacuum, totally empty its mud bin, ship it to scrub the affected space and at last measure the burden of no matter it managed to select up. That offers us a pickup share of the complete quantity.
From there, we repeat every 4 extra instances for a complete of 5 checks and common the outcomes. If there’s an apparent outlier, corresponding to a take a look at with an unusually excessive or low pickup share, we rerun the take a look at cycles. We take into account an uncommon end result that requires a retest to be roughly two commonplace deviations exterior the common. We then calculate the person common pickup for every flooring sort and get an total common.
We measure out a exact quantity of pet hair to guage the pickup efficiency, however we use a subjective earlier than and after to see how properly it did quite than weighing the dustbin.
This offers us a body of reference for a way efficient a robotic vacuum is at cleansing.
Our total common pickup scores run the gamut, with the underside performing robotic vacuums scoring as little as 20%, to the perfect ones scoring above 60%.
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Robotic vacuum navigation expertise: Warmth mapping
Our software program analyzes the actions of the robotic vacuum and generates a warmth map that reveals how successfully it lined the room.
Your robotic vacuum will solely clear your own home as totally because it’s able to navigating it. The best cleaner will make simple work of discovering its approach from room to room and mechanically avoiding obstacles alongside the best way, all of which makes for correct, low-maintenance automated cleansing.
To check navigation effectivity, we document the robotic vacuum in our take a look at room with an overhead digicam and use video evaluation software program to assign the robotic vacuum a mean protection share primarily based on the whole portion of the accessible room it is noticed to go to throughout three commonplace take a look at runs. The warmth map that is generated is then analyzed to supply the end result. The take a look at room contains dummy furnishings, low-hanging furnishings, totally different flooring sorts (tile, hardwood and carpet), lamps, cables and different obstacles.
We even have packing containers with broad holes reduce out of them, between 3 and 4 inches tall, to check threshold clearance by simulating low-lying furnishings. This helps us see if the robotic vacuum is able to getting underneath this furnishings to scrub. Those which are capable of obtain it are robotic vacuums with thinner profiles or the power to retract their sensor.
Warmth map colour legend:
- Blue/cyan: Only a few passes — gentle protection
- Inexperienced: Occasional passes — low to reasonable protection
- Yellow/orange: Frequent passes — excessive protection
Our two finest performers could be seen beneath, the Mova V50 and Dreame X50 Extremely. Each provide a excessive share of cleansing protection with only a few missed spots. There’s some variation in how ceaselessly they go over sure components of the room. The X50 Extremely centered closely on the middle by the simulated desk association, whereas the Mova V50 distributed its consideration a bit extra evenly. Notably, each had been capable of get underneath most items of furnishings.
This is the Mova V50’s warmth map.
The X50 Extremely’s warmth map, for comparability.
In distinction, our worst-scoring robotic vacuum on this class was the Eufy E28, with quite a few missed spots — particularly round edges and corners — and lightweight protection within the outer components of the room. It additionally missed each items of low clearance furnishings. For you, which means this robotic vacuum will present much less complete cleansing protection.
And the Eufy E28’s unimpressive warmth map.
Object avoidance
We take a look at object avoidance on the very finish of our process by utilizing six distinct widespread gadgets positioned within the setting to see if the robotic vacuum is ready to acknowledge and keep away from them on its cleansing route. This stuff are positioned at totally different levels of method, giving the robotic vacuum kind of restrictive methods to navigate across the impediment. These levels of method embrace pet waste at 360-degree, 180-degrees and 90-degrees utilizing a lamp, pet toy and sock.
We take a look at pet waste in several spots of the room, giving the robotic totally different quantities of room to maneuver.
For the pet waste classifications, we distinguish between the pretend pet waste primarily based on the angle of the obstacles round it that restrict the potential approaches from the vacuum.
We use pretend pet poop to see if a robotic vacuum is able to recognizing and avoiding it. You would be stunned what number of run proper over it.
Meaning:
- The 90-degree trial is within the nook of the room, often stopping the vacuum from accessing that portion of the room if it efficiently avoids the impediment.
- The 180-degree trial is alongside a wall, permitting extra choices to scrub round it.
- The 360-degree trial is in the course of the room and must be simple for the vacuum to scrub round.
The extra objects prevented, the higher we take into account the robotic vacuum’s impediment navigation. Presently, no robotic vacuum has efficiently prevented all six of our obstacles, with the best-performing ones avoiding 5 and the worst avoiding none of them. We additionally distinguish totally different failure states, noting that a number of robotic vacuums endure from a important failure in impediment avoidance, by sucking within the sock, as with the Roomba DustCompactor Combo 205, or operating proper over the pet waste, as with the Narwal Circulate.
Noise stage
We measure the noise stage of every robotic vacuum utilizing a sound stage meter to get dBA, which represents the common noise over time. We then use analytics to derive the LAeq, with an adjustment for human listening to. The information above displays common noise ranges in decibels recorded all through your complete take a look at whereas the unit was working. A decrease rating signifies a quieter vacuum, which is mostly preferable. The distinction of 10dB from the highest to the underside of the chart is 10 instances, that means that the loudest vacuum is roughly 10 instances as loud because the quietest vacuum on this chart. Nevertheless, noise doesn’t weigh closely in our scoring presently, as all of the robotic vacuums fall inside the same vary to the human ear. As we proceed our testing of extra vacuums, we’ll reevaluate our noise stage testing.
Value, options and different elements
We set up and use the app every robotic vacuum comes with, evaluating its ease of use and setup.
Value and options do not require goal testing, however we do take into account them in our total analysis and ranking. Robotic vacuum fashions can price anyplace from $200 to just about $2,000. We attempt to consider a robotic vacuum in response to its value vary by evaluating it to different fashions that price about the identical. That approach, we will present suggestions for a funds mannequin and a high-end mannequin with all of the bells and whistles, in addition to every thing in between.
Options like mopping, self-emptying base stations and the usability of the app and software program are all different issues we take into account. A number of of those options, like base stations and mopping, have gotten extra widespread throughout all costs. We’re at present within the technique of crafting a take a look at to guage, and we’re planning on implementing this take a look at within the close to future.
Correction, Jan. 9: An earlier model of this text misidentified the lab outcomes for one of many robotic vacuum fashions. We now have up to date it to mirror the right mannequin title, which is the Mova V50.
