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I am lucky enough to have a huge new place that's all on one floor, and I'd like a robot vacuum that can keep it clean. I was shocked by how many of these there are out there and how poor the consumer information is about them. I'd really like one with LIDAR so it doesn't bounce against stuff in my place, but the cheaper ones all seem to have bad customer reviews. Interested in what goons think is the best option, preferrably under 400.
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Dec 1, 2021 02:47
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Definitely spring for a robot vacuum with a self emptying station! I feel without one you really miss out on a big chunk of that quality of life improvement. Roombas still reign supreme both in quality and unfortunately also in price, so I got Ecovacs Deebot T8 for less than half that iRobot wants for their combo. I let it clean everyday on a schedule and it's great, but it can get tangled up in USB cables and stuff laying around, which I guess newer models which combine LIDAR, which the T8 has, with cameras manage to avoid. Just keep in mind that your vacuum will likely livestream all of your dirty floors into the cloud. There's that Vacuum Wars dude on YouTube who reviews all of them, and I watched a few of his videos before deciding on a model.
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Dec 1, 2021 21:05
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Grim Up North posted:There's that Vacuum Wars dude on YouTube who reviews all of them, and I watched a few of his videos before deciding on a model.
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Dec 2, 2021 16:55
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After doing research, the best one(s) are the iroomba ones. The top of the line for those are what you want. I tried one for a couple weeks and sent it back. I found it was faster to do the vacuuming myself and I did a better job. The roomba will do it while you are gone, but you might have to do a bunch of maintenance to make it work. I had to move chairs and put things in the way of certain couches to prevent it from getting stuck. Plus, depending on what it is picking up, you will have to clean it fairly regularly, even beyond the auto emptier. It needs to be partially disassembled and cleaned once a week or more if you have pets. I think they are probably great if: you don't have pets you don't have much furniture you don't have any thick rugs you don't have plants The ideal situation is a bare, hardwood floor with no furniture. Finally, you can buy amazon warehouse deals for much lower than retail. That's probably a good way to go to see if it works for you.
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Dec 7, 2021 12:57
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I just bought this little guy a couple weeks ago: Eufy 11S. It's $150 and was a recommended Wirecutter pick. It's not a smart device so your robovac isn't mining crypto or whatever and you don't need to bother with updating firmware or downloading an app. Pretty quiet. It does the random pattern thing so it might take a bit longer than a more expensive one, but I use it daily and it does a really good job of not only picking up the cat hair, but very fine dust as well. I usually let it roam for 30-45 minutes and then send it back to base, but it does have a timer you can set if you want it to run when you're not home. Overall I'm really satisfied with it and it seems a good option for someone who doesn't want to spend a ton.
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Dec 8, 2021 07:15
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SubponticatePoster posted:I just bought this little guy a couple weeks ago: Eufy 11S. It's $150 and was a recommended Wirecutter pick. It's not a smart device so your robovac isn't mining crypto or whatever and you don't need to bother with updating firmware or downloading an app. Pretty quiet. It does the random pattern thing so it might take a bit longer than a more expensive one, but I use it daily and it does a really good job of not only picking up the cat hair, but very fine dust as well. I usually let it roam for 30-45 minutes and then send it back to base, but it does have a timer you can set if you want it to run when you're not home. Overall I'm really satisfied with it and it seems a good option for someone who doesn't want to spend a ton. I've had two Eufy Robovacs (both model 11) and swore to go a tier or two higher for my next ones. They are OK and just as you describe them, but the first one developed a fault (loud error beeps that didn't match codes in manual while charging) a week after going out of warranty. The second was a refurb I got from Eufy for the cost of shipping after nagging their support for weeks. It has been going strong for 2 years now, but the roam cycles are becoming notably shorter now and even though you can supposedly buy replacement batteries, shipping them internationally in Europe is a pain. It may be different in the US.
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Dec 14, 2021 09:59
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Haven’t tried anything else but the Xiaomi Roborocks work perfectly for us. The sensors work well and the robot doesn’t miss anything as far as we can tell. Usually we just make it do two cycles around the house while we’re out. Robot vacuums really changed our lives. Whatever brand you get, as long as it’s a semi-intelligent one you’re already winning. We have a fancy dyson vacuum but have never found the need to use it.
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Dec 16, 2021 05:35
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Even the dumb ancient roomba make a huge difference if you just let it roam every few days. The Xiaomi and some other Chinese vacuums seen like a pretty good deal too though for what they can do E.g. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd27rg2Mb6s E: lol didn't notice how autocorrect hosed up mobby_6kl fucked around with this message at 23:50 on Dec 24, 2021 |
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Dec 17, 2021 17:26
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One thing I have had issues with is that our Roomba really struggles with long hair. My partner grew out her hair during the pandemic and now it's all getting trapped in the wheel-wells of our vacuum.
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Dec 24, 2021 13:34
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a podcast for cats posted:I've had two Eufy Robovacs (both model 11) and swore to go a tier or two higher for my next ones. They are OK and just as you describe them, but the first one developed a fault (loud error beeps that didn't match codes in manual while charging) a week after going out of warranty. The second was a refurb I got from Eufy for the cost of shipping after nagging their support for weeks. It has been going strong for 2 years now, but the roam cycles are becoming notably shorter now and even though you can supposedly buy replacement batteries, shipping them internationally in Europe is a pain. It may be different in the US. We had an 11 that lasted for ~4 hrs with various service (replaced the battery, took it apart and cleaned it a couple times). Ultimately one of the drive motors died, and Eufy doesn't sell replacements (and it's a custom made one for them). I picked up the Roomba i3+.. the self-emptying bin is nice, but everything about it is way louder then the Eufy one. It seems like the suction is much weaker too, but it compensates with better brushes?
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Dec 24, 2021 23:01
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We have a deebot, it works fine but it sometimes tries to eat a cable and cannot cope with obstacles of a certain height, the Ikea rocking chair has to be removed before it cleans or it just rattles around underneath it.
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Dec 28, 2021 10:44
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At the risk of necro-ing, does anyone know if there's a vacuum/general home appliance megathread? I'm actually about ready to give up on my Roomba and move back to a traditional vac and am looking for recommendations. The biggest benefit of the Roomba was that it would vacuum under our couch, but given we have a new couch that sits almost flush with the floor and our current Roomba is dead/dying, I don't think it's worth a new one.
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Jan 24, 2022 16:57
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pastor of muppets posted:At the risk of necro-ing, does anyone know if there's a vacuum/general home appliance megathread? I'm actually about ready to give up on my Roomba and move back to a traditional vac and am looking for recommendations. The biggest benefit of the Roomba was that it would vacuum under our couch, but given we have a new couch that sits almost flush with the floor and our current Roomba is dead/dying, I don't think it's worth a new one. Wirecutter loves the Shark Navigator and has for many years at this point. I picked one up about five years ago and it's been fantastic and remains as good as new. I don't know what's wrong with your Roomba, but I'd suggest a thorough cleaning of the wheels, sensors, brushes, and storage if you haven't already. I pull an amazing amount of my partner's hair out of mine on a bi-weekly basis. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-vacuum-cleaner/
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Jan 24, 2022 17:22
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Thanks! That actually sounds like a perfect solution for us. RE: my Roomba, I think the battery is going bad. I'm already used to having to clean the contacts/wheels/brushes after basically every use, but it just doesn't seem to hold a charge anymore (bought it in 2018). I may try to get a replacement battery and keep it around for cleaning under our bed, but it's getting frustrating keeping it functioning for daily use.
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Jan 24, 2022 17:29
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pastor of muppets posted:Thanks! That actually sounds like a perfect solution for us. Fair enough. I could definitely see that as being an issue with Roombas. In general I've been a little surprised at how much cleaning and maintenance the little guy requires. It's fun and it's great for keeping dust down, but I doubt that it's really saving me that much time.
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Jan 24, 2022 17:31
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I have this bad boy and it’s amazing. If you have anyone with long hair in the house, the anti hair wrap is like magic. The fluffy first brush does a great job keeping crumbs from scattering away on hard floors.
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Jan 25, 2022 00:23
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It may be too late but I'm going to go against the grain and say 1.) don't buy a bagless vacuum and 2.) don't buy a Shark. What's your budget?
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Feb 16, 2022 00:17
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Previa_fun posted:It may be too late but I'm going to go against the grain and say 1.) don't buy a bagless vacuum and 2.) don't buy a Shark. Any particular explanation? I'm sure there's reasons but I don't know what they are.
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Feb 16, 2022 01:11
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Kaal posted:Any particular explanation? I'm sure there's reasons but I don't know what they are. autism incoming: Bagless vacuums are sold as a convenience item, i.e., you don't have to worry about bags getting full and the cost of replacement bags, etc. In reality to properly maintain a bagless vacuum you really have to stay on top of cleaning and replacing filters at regular intervals. Dirt cups really should be emptied every use (more often for vacuuming large areas) and emptying a bagless canister is extremely messy in my experience. A lot of bagless systems tout they never lose suction but as soon as the filters start to get clogged they absolutely do. Modern HEPA bags in a sealed system filter as well as or better than bagless designs, and most bags these days are self-sealing, meaning when you go to remove them from the unit they have a flap that seals the hole shut to prevent dust going everywhere. Bags also can be run for several weeks before they get full, and I think a lot of people really overestimate how often they will need to replace bags. Bagged vacuums often have pre-motor filters as well that need replaced, but they're usually small and cheap and last a lot longer because the bag itself does your filtering. For general home use ~$200 USD will get you a decent performing bagged upright or canister-style vacuum cleaner. You can of course spend a lot more and I've heard good things about the Sebo Felix and various Miele uprights. They're a lot more expensive but are tools designed to be used and maintained over years instead of thrown away.
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Feb 16, 2022 03:34
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Thanks for the explanation! I've always had success with my bagless Shark, but I would definitely agree that you need to empty it every time (which can be dusty, but not too bad for my small apartment), and clean the filters regularly. I know that my parents have always preferred a bag or canister-style vacuum, and I could certainly see that maintenance tolerance and house size could play a big factor there.
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Feb 16, 2022 04:06
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I like bagless because I empty it every time I use it and cleaning the filters is very easy so I do it about once a month. Contrast that to a bagged vacuum where every time you clean, you have to judge whether or not it’s full, figure out if you have bags, buy new ones, and puff dust everywhere when you pull the bag out anyway. I don’t care about HEPA filtration, I’m not trying to live in a lab clean room. I just want to suck up the cat hair and toast crumbs and my own long hair’s tumbleweeds.
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Feb 16, 2022 05:17
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For sure, if you have a smaller area to clean the downsides of a bagless system are diminished a little. I'd argue bags still will last longer with less maintenance overall and almost all modern vacs have full bag indicators. V VI have pretty bad allergies so I'm all about better filtration and not having dust and poo poo fly everywhere though, YMMV. this thread sucks 
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Feb 16, 2022 07:02
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Hmm I don't think these are robot vacuums unless you have Bender vacuum for you. That said last year I got a cordless Makita vacuum and all the downsides of the bagless systems are correct. It has a washable outer filter which is pretty easy to clean and an inner fabric or paper that gets clogged up pretty well and is actually somewhat expensive to replace ($5/each? i think). So far I just hit it with a brush that got most of the dust off. That said overall I'm pretty happy with it since I just clean up whatever the roomba missed or if I dop some crumbs or something.
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Feb 16, 2022 10:13
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Yeah way too late on the "don't get a bagless Shark" advice lol. I bought the one featured in Wirecutter and here's my three-week-out impressions so far. I live in a ~1600sqft house with mostly hardwood floors and a few area rugs. I have a short-haired dog, a long-haired cat, and I myself have long hair. - The lack of on-board storage for all of the accessories is annoying. There's always at least one attachment that has nowhere to go. - Maneuverability is excellent. - It converts from one mode to another extremely easily. The "carry-away" mode is really nice for doing stairs. - The upholstery attachment has worked better than anything else I've tried at cleaning hair off of my West Elm "performance suede" sectional. - Easily the biggest drawback for me is the lack of adjustable brush height in floor mode. I have a Ruggable area rug in my living room which gets sucked up into the head on a normal vacuum if the deck height isn't set to the highest setting and with no way to do that, it's impossible to use with the Shark. Not really a deal breaker since I can and do machine-wash the rug every other week or so, and use the brush hose attachment to spot-clean as needed. - I already use a standalone HEPA filter in each of our main living spaces and clean out the dirt cup every time I vacuum. Overall I'd give it a 3.5/5. Previa_fun posted:this thread sucks
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Feb 16, 2022 17:11
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Too bad about the accessories and the difficulty with the rug. My Shark has room for the main brush, the crevice device and the small brush on the vacuum, but not the pet brush or the duster. I might use them more if they could attach. For my thicker rugs I need to reduce suction by opening up the valves, or else they will choke the main brush even on carpet mode.
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Feb 16, 2022 17:28
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mobby_6kl posted:Hmm I don't think these are robot vacuums unless you have Bender vacuum for you.  someone upthread asked so I was simply offering advice dogg. sorry to use up your bandwidth
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Feb 16, 2022 18:54
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