Best Self-Empting Robot Vacuums and Mops
The Eufy 11S robotic vacuum is among the cheapest self-emptying vacuums that are available. robot vacuum with self emptying sucked up dry oats from hard floors and carpets with a low pile during our tests. Its dust bin is simple to empty and openit's much simpler than other models in the same price range.
It charges at its base and then it resumes cleaning when it's done. Its obstacle-avoidance technology gets caught in socks and cords, and it is unable to reach low thresholds.
1. iRobot 11S
The 11S is among the cheapest self-emptying robots and a lot of people seem to adore it. It's good at scooting under furniture and seems to be a smart option for people with hard floors or those who want to perform light daily cleaning. The suction might be less powerful than the suction of our top picks, however it's still able to get the job completed. It has a big dust bin as well as a long-lasting battery. The app lets you schedule your daily cleaning or select a particular room. You can also create a map of your home to help the device stay clear of areas you don't want it visit.
The app is easy to use and has an intuitive layout. It's not a feature-rich app however, it's simple to use and lets you keep track of the robot's activity. It comes with a tutorial that will guide you through the basics.
Bounce Navigation's cleaning pattern isn't always rational. Sometimes it follows straight lines while other times it focuses on the edges of the space. However, it cleans the entire floor. It is not the best at navigating obstacles, it struggled to get under our pet food bowls and piano pedals, and got caught in our 2.25 inch shag carpet a few times.
While it's a good option for light daily cleanings We believe there are better robot vacuums than the 11S. The iRobot Roomba 694 is more robust, easier to maintain, incurs lower recurring costs, and is less time-consuming to charge. It also has a bigger dustbin and is more effective on all surface types and is able to climb over low-lying obstructions (like electrical cords) more easily.
The eufy RoboVac 11S is another good alternative for regular vacuuming. It has a very similar design to our top pick and is excellent in removing fine dust and larger debris from hard floors. It is able to do a great job on carpets with medium or low pile. Similar to the Roomba from iRobot Roomba, it has a huge dirt compartment and utilizes BoostIQ to automatically adjust suction power. It also comes with a remote control that's easy to operate, and you can program daily cleanings using the app. The battery can last for around an hour, and the dustbin can be emptied without removing it from the dock.
2. Roborock S7 maxV Ultra
The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is a fantastic robot vacuum and mop, with a surprisingly wide array of features for automation. It comes in three versions that include the basic S7, the S7 MaxV Plus and the S7 MaxV Ultra. The S7 MaxV Ultra is the only model equipped with an Empty Wash Fillet Dock (or an alternate Auto-Empty Dock). These docks allow the robot to return to its base, empty the collected debris in a dust bag, or reservoir, drain the dirty water tank and wash its mopping pads.
The S7's sensors work together to eliminate obstacles and clean floors. It can recognize floor types, save maps of rooms and zones, and even detect dirt levels. It can also schedule and execute spot cleaning sessions. It was able to perform well in our tests, though it couldn't exactly match the Roomba j7+ in the carpet deep clean test.
You can program the S7 with the companion app to run a cleaning cycle according to your schedule. You can choose a cleaning mode like automatic or eco, and a day, week or even a time. You can also select whether the robot will stop when its power runs out or if it encounters an obstruction.
If you don't own a smartphone however, you can still utilize the S7 by connecting a remote control to the dock that charges it. The controls are a bit difficult at first however they are very effective once you get used to them. The power button also functions as an 'Cleaning' button and the Spot Clean button instructs the robot to clean up an area around it. The 'Spot Clean" button also triggers the child lock.
In addition to the new mapping capabilities, Roborock improved its mobile application, including live view that lets you observe what the S7 is doing at home. You can activate this feature by pressing a specific sequence of buttons on the S7 and creating an unlock pattern within the app to use whenever you want to check out what the robot is doing.
3. Shark IQ XL
Shark's robot vacuums aren't as a hit than those from iRobot or Roborock. But our hands-on tests have shown that this model is one of the most efficient self-emptying vacuums available. It is simple to set up, comes with an enormous bin that is easy to empty (albeit slightly loudly) into a trash can when full, and can easily be programmed to complete a home clean on a schedule or as required.
The IQ XL is able to connect to your WiFi at home which allows you to keep track of its progress on cleaning from the Shark app. The app lets you create cleaning schedules, receive push notifications about its status, pause and resume cleaning, or set it to a single room. You can also control it using voice commands with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The app will inform you the power mode it's currently in--Eco, Normal, or Max. We didn't discover that any of these modes made a huge difference to cleaning performance.
The IQ XL will automatically empty the trash bin at the end of each cleaning cycle into the base, which will automatically empty itself. The bin can hold up to 60 days of debris, so you won't have to empty it more than once, unless your pets have hair that is long. If you must empty it, all you need to do is detach the side bin, hold it up to a trash can, and press a button to eject its contents.
There's not much to dislike about the Shark IQ XL, although it feels a bit less well-built than the Roomba 694. It is able to remove many messes on bare floors and does a decent job of moving itself around however it's not close to matching the iRobot Roomba i7 in regards to performance on carpeted surfaces. The i7 is also better-built and feels more durable. It is robust, has lower maintenance requirements, incurs lower costs for recurring expenses, charges faster, while offering similar battery performance, and offers far more advanced automation features such as no-go zones as well as the ability to pick certain rooms to be cleaned.
iRobot j7+
This robot vac/mop combo is a rarity as it does both jobs very well. iRobot's Combo j7+ offers all the features of its j7-based counterpart, including self-emptying and LiDAR mapping, but with additional features for both mopping and vacuuming.
The j7+ utilizes the new acoustic sensor to detect the type of floor which allows it to mop or vacuum the room during its initial pass. It also uses this info to prioritize cleaning rooms with carpet and rugs over those with hard floors.
Like many robotic vacuums, the j7+ is quiet when running and it's even less noisy when it's mopping. The maximum reading of 64db on our decibel meter is similar to office chatter.
It's easy to set an appointment to clean and alter the way that the j7+ operates when its dust container is full. The j7+ can also be controlled with voice assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.) for a hands-free approach and the app lets you create and view maps of your home.
In our tests, the j7+ performed well on both hard and carpeted floors, cleaning most of the dirt we tossed at it. It has a hard time with pet hair, large debris and sand. But it can clean them with more effort. It also has good navigation capabilities, as well as a set of cliff sensors to keep it from falling down the stairs or stumbling on furniture legs.
The j7+ has a few minor flaws. One of them is that it can be stuck on cords or rugs and it doesn't always turn off the mopping function once it is done vacuuming. This is a fantastic model that ticks all the boxes.
iRobot J7+ is one of the best auto-emptying systems we've ever tested. It drops its 14oz/0.4-liter dust canister into the base station, where it automatically emptys itself. This helps to reduce the amount of garbage you have to throw away and you'll need to change the reusable dust bag from the dock around every 60 days or so, based on how often you use the j7+.