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 navigate your home automatically and pick up dirt and clean under furniture.
They are equipped with advanced features, like mapping, which help you navigate around your home and remember where furniture is. They can also boost suction power to clear dirtier areas.
iRobot Roomba 694"
The Roomba 694 by iRobot is a robot vacuum for entry-level use that performs well on both carpets with a low pile or bare floor. It has a good suction however, it struggles with larger debris like grains of rice or sand. It is effective in cleaning pet hair, but is not as resistant to tangling as premium Roomba models like the j7 and I6.
The Roomba 694 is simple to use. It has a trio of buttons on its cover: 'Clean' starts the cleaning process and 'Dock' places it back in its charging station and 'Spot Clean' activates the targeted cleaning. It can be controlled via an app for smartphones which lets you program or stop/start cycles and also adjust settings. It can also be paired with smart home devices such as Alexa or Google Assistant for voice-controlled operation.
This vacuum cleaner is slower than some others, but can still get into the most crevices and corners. It has a large bin, which makes it easier to empty. It's compatible with digital maps and virtual barriers, which allow you to make it impossible to clean certain areas or stop cleaning altogether in order to prevent it from getting stuck on something.
It's not the top in its price, but it's better than the majority of other options. The Roborock E4 has a better cleaning efficiency than the Roomba 694, and it can clean both carpets with low pile as well as bare. It also has a more durable battery and a cleaner route. It is also more durable, has fewer components that require regular maintenance, is priced less over its life and charges faster than 694.
It is also worth considering other models from the iRobot range, including the v7 or the 981. The 981 and v7 are more expensive but have significant improvements in cleaning performance both on bare and low pile floors. They also have a larger dirt compartment, charge faster, move more easily, and are easier to pair with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This budget self-emptying robotic vacuum cleaner does a good job on carpets with a low pile and hard floors. Its combination brush gets into corners and edges and it automatically increases suction when it spots carpet. It also does an excellent job of cleaning dirt off carpets in the middle of the pile. The IQ has a tiny footprint and has a self-emptying feature. However, if you wish to change floor levels on the map or create no-go zones, you'll need to manually reset it to do so, which is quite a hassle.
The IQ's app comes with advanced mapping and automation features but it's missing no-go zones, which are available on iRobot models. The smart-pathing navigational system gives you greater maneuverability, and its high-pile carpet cleaning mode cleans well, but it is prone to get caught up in rug tassels. Its iHome speaker lets you operate the robot by voice commands.
In our tests, the IQ was adept at handling pet hair effectively, clearing huge amounts of debris from floors that were not bare and fair amounts of medium-pile carpet. It was less effective with shag carpets. It was unable to reach dirt and dust that was embedded in the fibers. It was able to navigate chair legs, small spaces and even the base of an IKEA wooden step stool. It was a little slower on flooring that was not fully covered but it was able to recover speed and did better than other robots we have test.
The IQ is a better choice over the iRobot Roomba 694 for most uses. It has a bigger dustbin, a longer battery life and is more adept at navigating around obstacles. It also comes with mopping attachments that are able to handle sticky mess. The iRobot however, is better constructed and has fewer parts that need maintenance or replacement, incurs less ongoing costs, and can even create virtual no-go zones using its companion app. It is able to continue cleaning where it left off even if the battery runs out before it finishes. The iRobot is also controlled by voice commands, which is an enormous benefit for many users.
Eufy 11S
The RoboVac 11S eufy robot vacuum isn't among the most feature-rich models, but it does offer powerful cleaning power at an affordable price. It's designed for budget-conscious buyers who don't require a complicated mapping system or an app to control the device. The robot is capable of running for a long time and comes with an remote, cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base, and additional filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek with an upper deck of tempered glass that covers plastic finished to appear like brushed aluminum. It's a nice aesthetic departure from Roomba, Samsung, and Neato designs that are more industrial and utilitarian.
The eufy11S performed well in our tests at removing larger debris and fine dust from flooring. It struggled to deep clean carpets with high and medium piles. It is also prone to hit furniture and people that are in its path however, it is able to detect these obstacles using sensors. It stops and emits a loud noise when it comes across an obstruction. You can then manually steer the device around it and restart it.
The BoostIQ mode is another fantastic feature of the Eufy11S. It lets you set the robot up to automatically adjust suction force based on the floor type and the amount of dirt. It's also simple to use the remote to direct the 11S in the direction you'd like it to go.
If you don't have a lot of furniture in the space where you want to vacuum, Single Room Mode is an here excellent alternative. The eufy can spend up to 30 minutes cleaning the area it is assigned.
Edge Cleaning is another option that can limit the time spent on each surface to just 20 minutes. This will maximize battery life. This feature allows the eufy to move in a spiraling manner, cleaning corners and edges.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 is an excellent mid-range canister robotic vacuum that is a top performer on carpet. Its performance on floors that are not bare is also exceptional. It can pick up small particles such as rice effortlessly, and it doesn't lose suction performance even as its dirt bin fills. Its air-sealed, allergy-friendly design snuff out allergens and keep your family healthy. It has an onboard HEPA filter and a self-emptying bin, so you don't need additional filters or a separate vacuum bag.
It's not quite as powerful as the more expensive models, but is still excellent for deep cleaning and fighting the toughest stains. Two front cameras provide live feeds of images on your smartphone, and it features one of the most effective obstacle avoidance systems we've seen. It has a large bin, an extended runtime and a quick, bump-free cleanup.
Contrary to other robots the Complete C1 can switch between two powerheads, a standard one and a turbo head to accommodate different flooring types. The turbo head is best on low-pile or high-pile carpeting, while the standard powerhead is good for bare floors and light rugs. It also has an automatic height adjustment system that enables it to adapt to various kinds of flooring without manual adjustments.
The model comes with a SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors and carpeting with a medium pile. The powerhead is also easy to move and can reach tough spots. It comes with five different surface adjustments as well as a switch that stops the brushroll to prevent hairs getting caught in knots.
The Classic C1 also has a self-cleaning brush roll and an UtraClean mode that cycles across the same area three times for the best possible clean and a self-emptying bin which can be filled with the touch of one button. The noise level is slightly higher than that of other models however, its powerful 1,200-watt motor as well as robust construction make it worth the extra cost.
If you're willing to pay an extra amount it is the Miele Complete C3 canister robot vacuum is a fantastic all-purpose robot vacuum. It performs better on carpets than the Classic C1. It is more efficient on all floors and feels more sturdy and comes with an HEPA filter.