I Thought No Robot Vacuum Could Navigate My Tricky Furniture, Then One Surprised Me With Its Ingenious Arms

CNET’s key takeaways 

• No robotic vacuum has really solved the problem of multi-level cleansing with out requiring you to bodily transfer it between flooring.
• This robo-vac can do it, for the high-end value of $1,699 (on sale proper now for $1,360).
• You will not discover one other robotic vacuum with its options for lower than $1,000 proper now.

The entire level of proudly owning a robotic vacuum is so you do not have to do the cleansing your self. However that was by no means the case at my home — partly due to what I name my “Ikea chair problem.” I’ve seen many robo-vacs get caught on the backside of one in all my chairs, which has an unusually-shaped base. It is only one impediment amongst many in my residence, which can be crammed with pet hair, paw prints and three teenage sons who go away issues mendacity round in all places. 

Fortunately I am the product improvement design engineer who oversees operations at CNET’s testing lab, and after the Dreame X50 robotic vacuum was named CNET’s best for obstacles and pets, I bought to see the way it carried out in real-world circumstances at my place. 

Nicely, it conquered the Ikea chair. It was really fairly entertaining to observe because the Dreame X50 struggled, regrouped after which used its auxiliary climbing arms to recover from the chair’s base — simply one of many instruments it has in its arsenal. 

My expertise with the Dreame X50 Extremely robotic vacuum

Efficiency-wise, the Dreame X50 Extremely was usually stable. It began with a full deep clear, then vacuumed and mopped on its second run. Throughout the app setup, I advised it I had pets, so it emptied its dustbin a bunch in the course of the first run. I discovered it to be fairly good about lifting its mops whereas vacuuming the carpet. 

It took it 123 minutes to finish its work round my residence. The mopping perform was surprisingly efficient, tackling muddy paw prints on my vinyl plank flooring in addition to I may myself with a stick mop. And I used to be notably impressed with its object avoidance; it navigated round footwear, cords and even my two canines with out difficulty. 

Setting it up was a breeze: The app was intuitive and the standard of the machine’s construct felt strong, though with so many transferring components — like its auxiliary climbing arms and decreasing turret — I query its long-term sturdiness.

One key characteristic that basically stood out was the tangle-free curler. In my residence check, evaluating the Dreame X50 to my older Roborock Q5 after cleansing a big space rug, the distinction was putting. The Roborock was clogged with hair, whereas the Dreame’s curler was utterly clear. It is a huge benefit over opponents, which regularly wrestle with pet hair. That is one other one in all my massive exams — I name it my “Nice Pyrenees problem” — and the Dreame X50 handed with flying colours. 

My household shortly grew accustomed to it zipping round, and it turned virtually like one other member of the family — quirky and typically a bit of confused, however general very useful. In the long run, watching it conquer obstacles like the bottom of my Ikea chair, the place different robots get caught, was not simply efficient — it was really enjoyable to observe. 

The specs

• Value: Roughly $1,699 (at full value)
• Options: Tangle-free curler, climbing arms, navigation turret, mopping with base cleansing, object avoidance.
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi
• Mapping: Fast mapping, room and flooring detection.
• Navigation: Digital camera and lidar.
• App: Stay view, customizable settings, pet pictures.
• Cleansing: Vacuum and mop combo.
• Base Station: Mop cleansing and drying, tanks, cleansing answer spot.
• Cleansing Time: Slower than some.

CNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Dreame X50 Extremely is feature-rich, very best for pets, obstacles and object avoidance. It is best if you need superior navigation and mopping, and are keen to pay additional for options just like the climbing arms and decreasing turret. Nonetheless, it isn’t the best possible at pure vacuuming, particularly on carpets, and the software program generally is a bit quirky.

At its full value of round $1,699, the Dreame X50 Extremely is a really costly robotic vacuum. Should you extremely worth its distinctive options just like the climbing capacity and superior furnishings navigation, then it could possibly be definitely worth the funding. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re primarily involved with uncooked vacuuming energy or are on a tighter finances, there are more cost-effective options. It is a luxurious product, and the worth aligns with its premium options.

For higher carpet vacuuming efficiency and a lower cost level, the Ecovacs Deebot T30Sor the iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus each carried out higher on carpet and pet hair exams during CNET’s lab testing. Whereas all three have vacuum and mopping performance, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S ($1,400 with a stick vac included) or the iRobot Roomba Combo J7 ($600) are each cheaper than the Dreame X50 Extremely ($1,699). It is value mentioning although, that the Dreame X50 Extremely is without doubt one of the few robot vacuums we’ve tested at CNET with the flexibility to climb over objects, surmount areas and decrease itself beneath furnishings.