A robot vacuum cleaner has long ceased to be considered an innovation and for many has become a familiar attribute of home appliances.
It’s convenient when someone cleans your apartment of trash without any reminders or scandals instead of you.
Modern design projects sometimes even mention the mandatory requirement for accessibility of cleaning using robot vacuum cleaners!
Just don’t forget that, first of all, this is a device for MAINTAINING cleanliness, and its presence in the apartment in no way eliminates the need for general cleaning.
Of course, your so-called accumulative garbage will disappear, but you still won’t be able to forget about the mop.
In this article we will look at how good models should differ from not so good ones, and what parameters should be emphasized first when purchasing.
Manufacturer
Which manufacturer should you choose?
Mistake #1
The manufacturer does not matter; the more expensive the device, the more effective it is.
Not really. There is a universal rule here that applies to other areas of our lives.
Really good vacuum cleaners come from SPECIALIZED robotics manufacturers.
Because a robot vacuum cleaner must first of all be a ROBOT. A striking example is the products of the company IRobot.
Here are typical reviews from real users.
Other well-known companies, which are famous primarily for their refrigerators, hobs or ovens, do not have the same level of resource base, experience and, most importantly, specialists in this particular field.
Yes, they also produce worthy specimens, but this does not make them the best. You are simply overpaying for the brand.
Manufacturer's choice
There are many manufacturers of robotic vacuum cleaners on the market, but it is advisable to give preference to well-known brands. A budget option will not provide good quality cleaning.
Mid-price devices guarantee effective cleaning and have improved characteristics; they are reliable in operation and will serve you for many years. Premium robot vacuum cleaners are designed for cleaning large rooms and provide excellent cleaning quality, but in some cases they are unreasonably overpriced.
We talked about the main characteristics, pros and cons of most models and hope that this information will help you make an informed choice and purchase a reliable “helper” for your home
Power
How powerful should a robot vacuum cleaner be? In the characteristics you can find two values.
Mistake #2
Do not confuse power consumption with suction power.
Power consumption tells you how much electricity the device “eats” after each charge and how many kilowatts the electric meter will generate at the end of the month.
Mistake #3
There is no direct relationship here - the more powerful the device, the better the cleaning.
But suction power (or volumetric air flow rate) is a completely different matter. It is she who is responsible for how well the vacuum cleaner will draw in air and all the dust along with it.
The optimal value of suction power is 35-40 “aero” watts. 20-25W is still not enough.
In order to easily cope with wool and hair in rugs and carpets, more than 40 W will be required.
In some specifications, this parameter is indicated in Pascals. They show the inlet pressure drop.
- up to 1000 Pa – weak vacuum cleaner
He will no longer be able to get sugar or salt from the carpet. It won't even be able to clean the deep seams between the tiles and the laminate.
- 1500-1600 Pa is more or less an option
- 2000-2500 Pa – a good robot cleaner
Traditional giant vacuum cleaners have suction power from 200 to 500W. It would seem, what is a baby with 40W on board capable of?
And here, for some reason, everyone forgets about the height of the garbage lift. The fact is that a small “pancake” does not need to drive dust through a long corrugated tube.
Therefore, 40W will be more than enough for him to lift the debris a couple of centimeters from the floor and pull it inside.
Have you tried this vacuum cleaner yourself?
Certainly! For a test drive, we chose a Soviet apartment, which had not been cleaned for a very long time. The ECOVACS T8 AIVI robot vacuum cleaner spent two days cleaning it from dust, washing the floors and getting to know the interiors. The results are excellent - it managed to collect dust from under all the furniture and hard-to-reach corners and even cleaned up some serious stains on the tiles in the bathroom. When encountering carpeted flooring, the robot automatically increased its power. It worked independently and quietly enough, so it was possible to prepare this material right during cleaning. Sometimes the vacuum cleaner got tangled in bundles of wires under the table, but in most cases it got out of them safely on its own. In the most difficult situations, he stopped working and honestly asked for help. But his help was much more - the same thorough cleaning by hand would have taken many times longer.
Shape - round or square?
All traditional models were originally round in shape.
Mistake #4
But many are sure that a round robot copes with its duties much worse than the newfangled D-shaped (square) vacuum cleaners.
Yes, indeed, the square one cleans the corners a little more efficiently. After it, the debris remains within a radius of no more than 1 cm from the inner corner. The round one is a little more than 2cm.
Here are the test results of three round robots and one square robot, carried out under ideal conditions (garbage scattered around the corners and edges in a closed rectangle).
D-robot won with an enviable advantage.
However, look around your rooms and wonder if the robot can reach those very corners? Most often they are filled with some kind of furniture, household items, battery pipes, etc.
Therefore, in 90% of cases, no robot will simply get there, which means there is no point in focusing on the square shape. In addition, round has a number of advantages:
- it is more passable
After driving into a corner, he does not need to back up to turn around.
- it hits objects less when turning
The effectiveness of cleaning in corners is solved in simpler ways:
- enlarged side brushes
- moving them to the front of the body
- more suction power
Advantages and disadvantages
Any robot vacuum cleaner has its pros and cons. On the Internet on popular resources you can find enough consumer reviews about different models. Users usually highlight the following advantages of a robot vacuum cleaner:
- work autonomy;
- the ability to set your own cleaning schedule;
- remote control;
- compactness of the device;
- ease of use;
- multifunctionality;
- quiet operation;
- versatility of tasks;
- wet cleaning function;
- saving time and effort.
Like other household devices, the device also has its drawbacks. Among the disadvantages of robotic vacuum cleaners, owners note:
- high price;
- small volume of waste bin;
- low suction power;
- poor cleaning in corners;
- the need for periodic recharging.
Everyone decides for themselves whether it is worth buying a robot vacuum cleaner. First, you should look at user reviews, for example, on popular resources on the Internet. Having studied the pros and cons of the robot vacuum cleaner model, knowing what types of these devices are on sale and why they are needed, you can decide on the feasibility of the purchase.
Brushes
There are two types of brushes that the device uses to capture debris.
- lateral
- turbo brushes or suction hole
How many side brushes should a good robot vacuum cleaner have?
Mistake #5
The bigger, the better.
Not at all. Leading manufacturers usually limit themselves to just one! First of all, it is needed when cleaning along the baseboards and corners of the room.
Those who put two at a time explain this by the need to cover more of the area being cleaned in one pass. In fact, with good navigation this does not play a big role.
When moving with a snake, the surface is cleaned equally with both one and two brushes. The most important thing to pay attention to is the DESIGN of the side brushes.
Mistake #6
It's bad when the bristles occupy almost the entire length of the brush.
The fact is that such brushes turn out to be less elastic, quickly deform and begin to collect debris in the corners worse. The pile should occupy a maximum of half the length.
The best option for wear resistance is silicone five-ray ones.
Mistake #7
However, on smooth floors, they scatter debris more to the sides rather than sweeping it under themselves.
On carpets they are definitely inferior to pile.
Features of choosing robot vacuum cleaners
Like any complex equipment, robot vacuum cleaners offer different functions, which determine the cost. Here are the features offered by robotic vacuum cleaners:
- Dry cleaning;
- Wet cleaning;
- Washing floors;
- Carpet cleaning;
- Window cleaning;
- Removing stains.
Of course, not all models can do this. Most often, functionality is limited to the first two or three points.
Other features include different housing designs. Thus, models with a round body do a worse job of cleaning the corners of the room. However, this is all also very individual, because each model has its own characteristics of brush placement, suspension and much more.
Among the capabilities of robotic vacuum cleaners, we note:
- the ability to build a map of the room to avoid obstacles during subsequent cleanings;
- installing a virtual barrier to deny the unit access to a certain place/room;
- inspection of the premises with an optical camera and transfer of the received information directly to the owner;
- control some models from the remote control or iPhone;
- Control via smartphone or tablet (new models only).
Of course, price also plays a role, which depends not only on functionality, but also on the brand.
Turbo brush or rollers?
At the bottom in the middle of the robot body there is either an air suction hole or a turbo brush. She is the main cleaner.
The side brushes simply scatter and direct particles of debris in a given direction. All the main work is done by the central air intake or a roller with bristles.
The air intake is only suitable for working on hard floors - tiles, linoleum, parquet.
The roller is good at collecting garbage, pet hair and long hair on any surface. Even from your head if you accidentally fell asleep on the floor
