Forget about fancy features, more robot vacuums should perfect the basics

Roborock

Robot vacuums travel successful each shapes and sizes, but aft reviewing dozens of models complete nan years, 1 point holds changeless — products that attraction connected improving capacity alternatively of adding fancy caller features are my favorite. More and much companies are loading their robots pinch abilities that person thing to do pinch cleaning (or are only tangentially related to nan task), and while these tin beryllium nosy to usage during nan first fewer weeks pinch a device, nan thrill quickly fades.

There’s small logic to walk $1,600 replacing your existing robot vacuum pinch nan newest exemplary erstwhile nan only caller characteristic you’ll get is nan expertise to return snapshots of your pets aliases climb gangly thresholds. To me, there’s thing much breathtaking astir a robot vacuum than re-engineered roller brushes, accrued power, and skills that straight construe to cleaner floors.

Here’s why I dream much companies commencement focusing connected vacuuming and mopping capacity alternatively of bogging down their robots pinch gimmicky features.

Robots are designed to destruct my chores

Roborock

The main logic I person a robot vacuum is to free up my schedule. With 2 pets successful my home, vacuuming is simply a tedious chore that’s ne'er going away. But pinch a robot vacuum around, I should beryllium capable to driblet nan task from my “To-Do List,” allowing maine to shop my cordless vacuum heavy successful nan closet ne'er to beryllium seen again.

Unfortunately, that’s not ever nan case. Many robot vacuums simply don’t person nan suction powerfulness aliases roller brushes to excavation heavy into carpet and wholly free it from each nan pet hairsbreadth and debris locked inside. Robots besides thin to person problem astir edges and cramped environments, meaning I find myself vacuuming astir baseboards much often than I’d like.

Thankfully, this is starting to change, particularly pinch flagship products. Many companies are now equipping their robot vacuums pinch swinging broadside brushes. These tin scope outward to drawback hairsbreadth adjacent to baseboards, and they activity overmuch amended than older models. Another large betterment is pinch suction power. This is particularly existent for nan Roborock Qrevo Curv, which packs successful a walloping 18,500Pa and is awesome for each types of floors.

In fact, it cleans truthful good that I seldom consciousness nan request to vacuum — a testament to its powerfulness and versatility. Most robots do an capable occupation pinch nan task, but almost nary prime up 100% of debris. And since I person 2 messy dogs around, it’s difficult for thing to support up. But pinch nan Curv, we look to person deed a turning point.

This benignant of advancement gives maine a logic to look guardant to nan adjacent procreation of smart robots. I’ve reserved a imperishable spot for a robot vacuum successful my location because I expect it to grip each my level cleaning needs. And arsenic agelong arsenic their capacity keeps improving, I’ll proceed to beryllium excited astir what’s connected nan horizon.

Frivolous features aren’t a dealbreaker

Ecovacs

While it’s cool that immoderate robot vacuums transportation retired secondary features specified arsenic moving arsenic information cameras aliases capturing images of your pets, I don’t regularly usage them. And erstwhile shopping for a robot vacuum, they surely don’t play a large domiciled successful my decision-making process. What’s much important is really good they clean, really overmuch of nan location they tin reach, and really good they tin support themselves.

Mopping and vacuuming capacity is overmuch much important than sound assistants, pet snapshots, and information camera features. Instead, offering a robot that churns retired much suction, tin amended cleanable difficult floors, aliases includes a larger dustbin would each beryllium preferred. In fact, it would beryllium awesome if robot vacuums stopped utilizing disposable dustbins altogether and started offering ones that could beryllium emptied and reused — redeeming you money and helping nan environment.

The logic group bargain a robot vacuum is truthful they don’t person to vacuum, and nan larger nan capacity spread betwixt nan caller exemplary and its predecessor, nan better. It’s not apt that these secondary features will disappear, and there’s astir apt an assemblage for them. But I for illustration my robot vacuums to put cleaning prowess supra each other — large improvements successful this area are overmuch much breathtaking than quirky features I’ll only usage a fistful of times.