The iRobot Roomba 980 wirecutter robot vacuum robot mop vacuum Cleaner

Cheap Robot Vacuum Cleaner vacuums remove pet hair, lint and cheap Robot Vacuum cleaner dust from the floor before they can settle. They also help avoid obstacles like stairs and other obstructions such as furniture that is tippy.

Most robotic vacuums require maintenance, like emptying (and occasionally rinsing) the bin, and wiping sensors and cameras. Also, they have to be plugged into a power source. A lot of them have apps for smartphones for scheduling, setting and more.

Roomba 960 by iRobot

The iRobot Roomba 980 is the latest model in the line of top-of-the-line robotic 360 robot vacuum cleaners that are a staple of every modern household. This model is incredibly powerful suction and it comes with a HEPA filter that will aid anyone who is concerned about allergies. It also has a powerful battery which can clean for two hours, and return to its dock automatically once the bin is full.

Smart mapping is a different feature that assists in identifying areas in your home that require attention, and then creates a path for cleaning around them. We've seen this technology in action and it does an excellent job of moving around toys left scattered on the floor or furniture legs that are sticking out from under the furniture. It also comes with a sensor that can snap Roomba to reality if it begins to wander away from its initial location.

iRobot has also included a set of rollers underneath the Roomba that don't have bristles, which makes them more likely to avoid knots than earlier models. These are also a little taller than previous rollers and cheap robot vacuum cleaner can better fit under low couches and beds and are designed to help this model navigate more easily on varying flooring types.

The Roomba 980 differs from other high-end models by its brand new dirt detection feature that makes use of a camera in order to detect embedded dirt. This is a significant improvement over the previous model that relied on an algorithm that was driven by sensors to bounce around the room, and then clean the area three times, at different angles.

The Roomba 980 performed well in our tests on carpets and hard floors. Its score on the low pile carpet was impressive, and it got a very excellent score on mid pile too. It did a fair job of picking up pet hair, but it struggled with very long and thick pet fur that was clumped together.

Despite these slight limitations, the Roomba 980 remains one of our best-performing robots, and isn't even far from being as costly as the other top-of-the-line models in this list. It comes with many of the features you would expect from a top model, but doesn't come with all the fancy apps and smart home integrations you'll find in other top contenders.

The iRobot Roomba can be set up in a matter of minutes and is available for use right away. After removing the pull tab for the battery and yellow bin insert from the undercarriage, all you need to connect it to its Home Base docking station or a wall socket, hit its large "Clean" button, and let it get to work. It will return to its dock when its battery is out or is full of debris, and it has indicators at the top for when its bin is full, it requires recharging or if its Wi-Fi signal has gone out.