The Eufy 11S is one of the most affordable self-emptying robot vacuums that are available. It ably sucked up dry oats from hard floors and low-pile carpeting in our tests. Its dust bin is open and empty easily, making it easier to use than other models at its price range.
It recharges at the base and then resumes cleaning when fully charged. Its obstacle-avoidance tech gets tangled in cords and socks and it is unable to reach thresholds that are low.
1. iRobot Roomba 11S
The 11S is one of the cheaper self-emptying robots available, and a lot of people seem to like it. It is good at getting under furniture and is a good option for people with hard floors or daily cleaning. The suction is weaker than our top picks but it's still effective. It comes with a huge dust bin and a durable battery. The app allows you to schedule your daily cleaning or choose a specific room. It's also possible to create a map of your home, which will aid in avoiding areas you don't want to visit.
The app is simple to use and has a clear layout. It doesn't have any advanced features, but it's straightforward enough to use and makes it easy to monitor the status of your robot. It also has a tutorial which will walk you through the basics.
Its cleaning pattern doesn't always look like logical - at times it goes in straight lines, and other times it focuses on the edges of a room, but Bounce Navigation ensures your entire floor is cleaned. It is not the best at climbing over obstacles. It was unable to get under our pet food bowls and piano pedals, and got caught up in our 2.25 inch shag carpet multiple times.
While it is a good option for light cleaning however, we believe t here are better robot vacuums that are better than the 11S. The iRobot Roomba 694 is stronger, easier to maintain, has lower recurring costs, and charges faster. It also has a larger dustbin and is more effective on all surface types and is able to get over obstacles that are low (like electrical cords) more easily.
The RoboVac 11S from Eufy is another good alternative for regular vacuuming. It's design is very similar to our top pick, and it is great in removing fine dirt and larger debris on hard floors. It does a good job on low-pile or medium-pile carpet. Similar to the Roomba from iRobot Roomba it also comes with a large dirt compartment and utilizes BoostIQ to automatically adjust suction power. It comes with a simple remote control, and it is possible to organize daily cleanings with the app. sources can last for about an hour and the dustbin is easily emptied by removing it from its dock.
2. Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra
The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is a great robot vacuum and mop, with a surprisingly wide array of automation options. It comes in three options including the standard S7, the S7 MaxV Plus and the S7 MaxV Ultra. Only the latter has an Empty Wash Fill Dock (or an alternative Auto-Empty Dock). These docks allow the robot to return to its home base and empty the debris it has collected in a dust bag or reservoir, empty the dirty water tank, and wash its mopping pads.
The S7's sensors work to stay clear of obstacles and clean floors. It can detect floor types, save the map of rooms and zones, and even detect levels of dirt. It's also capable of scheduling and running spot-cleaning sessions. It was able to perform well in our tests, though it couldn't exactly match the Roomba j7+ during the carpet deep clean test.
Utilizing the companion app, you can program the S7 to perform a cleaning cycle in accordance with your schedule. You can select a cleaning mode like eco or automatic, and a weekday, day, or time. You can also select whether the robot will stop if its power goes out or if it encounters an obstruction.
You can still make use of the S7 even if you don't have a smartphone by connecting a charging dock to the remote control. The controls on the remote are a bit confusing initially, but once you've got the hang of them, they function well. The power button acts as a 'Cleaning' button, and the Spot Clean button instructs the robot to clean the area around it. The "Spot Clean" button triggers the child lock.
In addition to the new mapping features, Roborock improved its mobile app, adding a live view feature that lets you see what the S7 is doing at home. You can activate it by pressing a certain sequence of buttons on your S7 and then creating an unlock pattern in the mobile app, which you can use whenever you wish to see what the S7 is doing.
3. Shark IQ XL
Shark isn't as well-known for robot vacuums as iRobot and Roborock However, our tests on this model has proven it to be among the best self-emptying robot vacuums available on the market. It is simple to set up, comes with an enormous bin that is easy to empty (albeit slightly loudly) into a trash can when it's full and can be programmed to complete a whole-home clean on a schedule or as needed.
The IQ XL is able to connect to your WiFi at home and allow you to track its progress on cleaning from the Shark app. The app lets you create a cleaning schedule and receive push notifications about its status in cleaning, pause it and then clean up, or set it to one specific area. It can also be controlled using voice commands through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The app will show you what the current power mode is - Eco Normal, Normal, or Maximum - however, we discovered that none of these modes made a noticeable difference in cleaning performance.
The IQ XL will automatically empty the dustbin at the end of each cleaning cycle into the base, which will then self-empty. Its bin can hold up 60 days of debris It won't require emptying more often than that, unless you own many pets with long hair. If you do have to empty it, all you need to do is remove the side bin, put it over a trash container, and press a button to empty its contents.
There isn't much to dislike about the Shark IQ XL, although it does feel slightly less robust than the Roomba 694. It's effective at cleaning carpeted floors, however, it isn't as efficient as the iRobot Roomba i7 in terms of the performance of bare floors. The i7 also feels more sturdy, is more durable, requires less maintenance, has lower recurring costs and charges more quickly, and offers comparable battery performance. It also comes with more advanced features for automation, like no-go areas and the ability choose specific rooms to be cleaned.
4. iRobot J7+
This robotic mop and vacuum combination is a rare machine that can do both tasks well. iRobot Combo j7+ has all the features and smarts of its j7 equivalent, including LiDAR map and self-emptying. It also comes with additional features for vacuuming and mopping.
The j7+ makes use of the latest acoustic sensor to identify the floor type and allows it to vacuum or mop the room during its initial pass. It also utilizes this information to prioritize cleaning rooms that have carpet or rug flooring over rooms with hard floors.
As with most robotic vacuums the j7+ is relatively quiet when it's running, and much quieter when mopping. The maximum reading of 64db on our decibel meter is comparable to general office chatter.
It's easy to set a schedule for cleaning and change the way that the j7+ operates when its dust bin is full. The j7+ can be controlled with voice assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.) The app lets you create and view maps within your home.
In our tests, we found that the j7+ performed admirably on carpeted and hard flooring, removing the majority of the dirt we threw at it. It has a difficult time dealing with pet hair, large particles and sand. But it can remove them with a bit more effort. It has excellent navigational capabilities and two cliff sensors to keep it from falling down stairs or becoming caught on furniture legs.
We did discover some minor issues with the j7+, mainly that it could snag cords and carpets, and it doesn't always turn off its mopping once it's finished vacuuming. In all other respects, it's an excellent model that ticks all the right boxes.
iRobot J7+ is one of the most efficient auto-emptying systems we've tried. It dumps its 14oz/0.4-liter dust canister into the base station, and it automatically emptys for you. This helps reduce the amount of trash that you have to dispose of. You will only have to replace the bag at the dock once every 60 days, depending on how frequently you use the J7+.
