Best Bagless Self Emptying Robot Vacuums
This robovac is equipped with impressive AI-powered obstacles avoidance, powerful mopping, and a convenient automatic emptying dock. It also has a HEPA filter that seals in allergens.
It’s not quite as effective at cleaning pet hair or other small mess as our top picks, but it’s a great option for those on a budget. It also offers the most apps features, such as virtual no-go zones and zone cleaning.
1. iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO
The iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO is a sturdy and well-built machine that does an excellent job at vacuuming floors. It comes with a large dirt compartment on the outside that automatically empties when full into docking stations. It then cleans up after it has been recharged. It is effective at removing small and medium debris, but it has a difficult time dealing with hair of pets.
The robot, just like the i3 EVO uses iRobot’s iAdapat navigation software to understand and remember your home. It has a feature which automatically adjusts the suction power and the height of the head according to the kind of floor it’s working on.
It performed admirably in our tests on both hard floors and low-pile surfaces, getting rid of the majority of the smaller, less difficult debris we put on each surface, and the larger crumbs of cereal that we placed on the floor. It’s a little less adept in handling pet hair than some of the best models we’ve tested however, and it might become stuck on cords or toys in the event that you don’t clean them up before you send the robot to clean.
In our tests, it was clean for about 90 minutes before the battery went out and it returned to its base. This is more than the i7+ and s9+, which ran for just 60 minutes in our tests. The i3+ EVO has a solid track record of remembering its previous run, which we haven’t seen on other robots.
The i3+ EVO dustbin measures 1.5 quarts in size, which is smaller than the majority of robots we have evaluated. It has a release button on one side of the bin, which you press to empty it. You can also empty it using the docking station’s Clean Base Automatic Dirt disposal system, which sucks up the dustbin’s contents before emptying it into the docking station’s external dirt bag.
2. Eureka Q5 Pro
The Q5 Pro is a powerful mopping machine with an suction of 5,500pa. It can be set up in just a few minutes. The integrated 770ml tank of water and dustbin reduce the frequency of emptying and its large capacity allows longer mopping sessions. The 240-minute runtime makes it a great choice for larger homes. The robot’s intelligent navigation technology, built on PreciSense LiDAR mapping, ensures it covers the entire space and is able to navigate around obstacles.
The Q5 Pro is unlike some other robot vacuums which require Wi-Fi to work. The battery isn’t very long-lasting, and you’ll have to recharge frequently if you plan to use the robot over more time. It is simple to maintain thanks to an easy-to-clean dirtbag which can be easily replaced and also a simple schedule of maintenance. It is also cheaper than its more expensive counterparts.
The Q5 Pro can be a little finicky when it is dealing with pet hair and larger debris, but it’s a great product overall. In our tests, it cleared more debris on bare floors and carpets with low pile than the Dirt Devil Endura Max, but it was unable to get into the tight corners and receding areas of carpets with high pile. It is also more manoeuvrable, and the filtering system does a fantastic job of capturing allergens. The straight suction floorhead of the vacuum is too small for large or heavy debris. There are other minor drawbacks that include its lack of features that are more advanced and its limited remote control capabilities. Despite these limitations however, the Eureka Q5 Pro is a solid option for those who are looking for a basic budget robot vacuum with mopping capabilities.
3. SwitchBot K10 Plus
If you’re looking for a powerful vacuum cleaner with the ability to also mop, then the SwitchBot K10 Plus is a fantastic option. The small Shark RV2320S Matrix Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum in Black has a compact form factor that lets it get into small spaces such as corners and under furniture that larger robots cannot reach. It also comes with a LiDAR sensor that can detect obstacles and avoid collisions.
In our testing the K10 Plus vacuumed up pet hair, crumbs and other debris quickly and efficiently from our carpeting. It also did a fantastic job of getting into tight spots like under our beds and around chair legs. It can mop with a separate cloth, or use a wet wipe. There’s a small pack of wet wipes with the K10 Plus to get you up and running.
The application for the K10 Plus is intuitive and straightforward to use. It offers several customization options including setting a zero disruption time, changing the layout of the map and setting a timer to determine when you’d like it to clean. The app tracks the lifespan of your accessories such as the side brush, sensor, and bin filter. This helps you know when it’s time to replace them.
The battery life of the K10 Plus is also pretty good. After a full charge, we were able get three hours of cleaning. It also recharges fairly quickly. When it’s done with its task it will empty the dirt into a massive dustbin located in its base station. It can be deafening when it occurs, but at least it’s not as loud as some of the other self emptying robot vacuums we’ve tested.
4. iRobot Roomba S9+
The iRobot Roomba S9+ is part of the top-end S Series of the manufacturer that is above models like the iRobot Roomba J7 or iRobot Roomba i3. It’s extremely adept in maneuvering around furniture and is able to work well on various surfaces. Its main brushroll has counter-rotating rubber scrapers which effectively remove most dirt including pet hair from bare floors and carpets. The suction power in real-world use is impressive for a robot vacuum but doesn’t quite match that of premium alternatives like the Roborock S8.
The design of the Roomba S9+ is a premium. It features an oval-shaped frame that looks more modern than its competitors circular bodies. The shape makes it easier to reach corners and along edges easier. It can still leave dust behind in these areas if you don’t turn the corner brush quickly enough. However its powerful motor makes up for it.
In iRobot’s tests, the S9+ was able to remove kitty litter and pet hair easily. It also performed exceptionally on hard floors, where its powerful motor could power through most types and corners and edges with ease. Its vSLAM technology is the most advanced. Imprint Smart Mapping technology also made it one of the Best bagless Self emptying robot vacuum navigators we’ve tested, with a rock-solid grip on its floor space that can even locate its way through sofas or beds with draped valances over them.
The iRobot App makes it easy to set up and operate. You can choose which functions you want to enable when you set up the robot, or you can hold off until you’ve had a feel for it. The internal bin needs to be empty manually when it is full however, the process only takes 15 seconds and is relatively quiet.
5. Roborock S8
The most recent version of the Roborock S Series is a powerful robot vacuum and mop combination with a robust feature set. Like its predecessors, it makes use of the LIDAR sensor and camera system to aid in navigation and obstacle avoidance. The application’s mapping engine creates an interactive 3D map of your home which allows you to define certain rooms for spot cleaning or create no-go zones. The app lets you control your robot’s schedule and set different suction and mopping modes for each room.
The S8 features improved HyperForce suction, which is able to remove fine hair and particles with ease. The app lets you alter the power of suction. The device can automatically switch between energy efficient ‘Quiet ‘Balanced’, and ‘Turbo” modes based on the type of surface it is cleaning. There’s also a carpet Suction Boost’ mode that increases suction when the Shark RV912SCA EZ Robot Vacuum with Self-Empty Base is positioned on rugs.
The S8 can be controlled by one button that serves as a ‘Cleaning’ button for the entire robot or an ‘Spot’ Clean button to direct it to a specific location. Press the ‘Dock/Home’ button to send the robot to its base station. The app is surprisingly dense features and is simple to use. It also lets you select off-peak times for charging to lower the cost of using peak-time electricity.
The only downside to the S8 is that its battery isn’t as long as it could allow for, with only 130 minutes of use when I left it on its default settings with both mopping and vacuuming enabled. This is still a lengthy time and was enough to wash my apartment.
