How to choose a robot vacuum cleaner for home and apartment - expert reviews

A few years ago robotic vacuum cleaners were considered a technical toy, sold at a fairly high cost. Many people mistakenly believed that such a technique is useless and has absolutely no utility from a practical point of view. Only with the advent of vacuum cleaners, which have much more power and intelligence, people gradually began to change their minds. At the moment, the number of owners of this gadget continues to grow, and the Internet is updated with new positive feedback and recommendations. When choosing such complex devices it is necessary to take into account not only the characteristics of the technical kind, but also many other equally important factors. It is about them today that we will speak.

The best companies producing vacuum cleaner robots

A large number of manufacturers of robotic vacuum cleaners are represented on the domestic market. In order not to fall on a substandard product, pay attention to whether the firm gives a warranty period for its goods. The more it is, the less risk of premature failure of the device. For greater safety, try to purchase products only from official representatives. Large companies always provide after-sales service.

For all those who do not wish to continue reading, we offer to pay attention to several popular brands:

1. iRobot

2. Neato Robotics

3. xRobot

4. DeeBot

5. LG

Each of the above companiescontributes to the production of individuality, along the way introducing all new technical developments. Let's understand which of them are important and which are not. Those who are interested in finding a specific model, we recommend to go to our rating of the best robotic vacuum cleaners.

Principle of operation and device of the robot vacuum cleaner

A robot cleaner is an electronic device having a household purpose. His main task is cleaning the floor in the room. The device works completely autonomously, so the name has a prefix "robot".Built-in programs allow him to control the operation of all options and functions, as well as coordinate the trajectory of the movement. Of course, in terms of power and volume, this unit will play a normal vacuum cleaner, but its task is different than cleaning a lot of garbage and dirt. Robots-vacuum cleaners are ideal only for maintaining cleanliness. Every day they are able to collect dust, crumbs, hair, etc., thereby prolonging the result of a full cleaning.

Autonomous vacuum cleaner is most often performed in the form of a small circle. It is equipped with two side and central brushes. The goal of the side is to collect the garbage and send it to the central ones. Those, in turn, catch all the dirt, passing it to the cracks, which sucks dirt in and rushes through the turbine into a special waste basket. The device works with the help of preset programs. All the obstacles that occur along the way, he travels around thanks to special sensor sensors located in different parts of the hull. The more such sensors, the more maneuverable the robot will be. After the cleaning is finished, the vacuum cleaner returns to the charging device on its own to replenish the spent battery energy.

Kinds of robotic vacuum cleaners

Wet cleaning

In fact, on the shelves of shops it is very rare to find a robotic vacuum cleaner with the function of wet cleaning and there are a number of reasons. This vacuum cleaner is arranged almost the same way as for dry cleaning, only a wet cloth is fixed behind the brushes behind the brushes. Such devices usually refer to the initial price category and are produced by Chinese firms, apparently to stand out against the background of competitive models.

The main disadvantage of this device is that the moistened napkin gets very dirty and dries up, because it stops coping with its task. To continue high-quality cleaning, many times you have to remove and rinse a rag, which is clearly not very popular, because it contradicts the main thing - the robot cleaner was created to automate the process, not its complication. In addition to low-cost options, there is only one really clean floor cleaner from iRobot. But it also has many limitations.

Advantages:

• floor cleaning with various kinds of dirt,
• low cost.

Disadvantages:

• is rarely available on sale,
• requires frequent rinsing of the napkin,
• impossibility to clean the carpeting, the
• does not perform a dry cleaning( it needs to be done by hand).

Dry cleaning

The best option, according to experts, and ordinary users. Due to rotating brushes it perfectly sweeps all debris off the floor, selecting different particle sizes. On the market there is a huge range of models at very different prices. The device is able to remove dust, wool, crumbs and much more from various coatings, for example, from tile, linoleum, parquet, laminate. Easily copes with the cleaning of carpets, which have short pile.

Advantages:

• wide range of models,
• large price range,
• completely autonomous work,
• cleaning of carpets and any other flooring,
• leaves no traces.

Disadvantages:

• depends on the particular model.

Selection parameters of robotic vacuum cleaners

Volume of the dust collector

This parameter is one of the most important. Choose it is necessary, based on the area that will be subjected to cleaning. It is also necessary to consider accomodation in the premises of small children and domestic animals, since the amount of accumulated debris depends on this. For small rooms up to 20 square meters.m. perfectly suit dust collectors from 0.3 to 0.5 liters. Premises from 20 sq. M.m. and above need a robotic vacuum cleaner with a volume of a 0.5 liter dust bag. Remember that a small dust bag can not cope with cleaning even a small area if it is heavily soiled.

Battery capacity

On one charge, the robot vacuum cleaner, in a good way, should clear the entire area of ​​the apartment or house. To choose the model with the optimal value, before going to the store, make sure to take measurements. The more rooms and their quantity, the more capacious the battery is required. Note that the manufacturer specifies this parameter, taking into account the maximum time, which in fact can be significantly reduced, for example, in the case of carpet cleaning. Given this, select the device with some margin. To an average apartment of 60 square meters.m. robot-vacuum cleaner will spend at least an hour, and even a half. Do not forget also that the number of obstacles that the device will go around also affects the discharge.

Orientation systems

For owners of standard apartments with one or two rooms you can not be afraid to buy almost any model of the robot vacuum cleaner. But those who have an apartment complex layout or a lot of rooms, as often happens in private homes, then you need to choose devices with special orientation systems in space.

To date, there are three orientation technologies:

1. Coordinators

Such robots have been tested for a long time by vacuum cleaners. In the process of harvesting, they need a landmark, which is served by special beacons installed in the room. Such sensors divide the space into zones, allowing the vacuum cleaner to take out each one in turn, without getting confused in them. Similarly, you will be able to coordinate the movements of the robot through the rooms so that cleaning is quick and quality. These robotic vacuum cleaners are considered the best, because they are able to clean the rooms more carefully than others. The main thing is not to move the installed beacons, otherwise the device will be destroyed. Of the minuses, you can note the additional costs for the sensors, if they do not go in the kit, and on the batteries to them.

2. Lasers

At the moment the technology is one of the most innovative. It is implemented in a very small number of models and not all manufacturers. Lasers are installed on the upper part of the robot vacuum cleaner body, allowing it to read the necessary information about objects, their sizes and remoteness. The received data are processed by the program to more accurately map the room. Thanks to it, the device is able to identify the cleaned and uncleared areas. Cleaning is usually characterized by high speed and the lack of a person's need to interfere with the process. However, there is a significant drawback in this system: the lack of sensors on the bumper leads to the fact that the vacuum cleaner does not reach the obstacle, leaving a contaminated zone a few centimeters in size.

3. Cameras

Instead of lasers, cameras with a wide viewing angle are used here, they are also installed on the upper part of the case of an autonomous vacuum cleaner. Removing information about the surrounding space, a map of the room is built up, allowing the robot to navigate correctly. The cleaning process goes a little quicker than when equipped with beacon sensors, while the device reaches up to obstacles, leaving no uncleared zones. But here the orientation of such models is not always unmistakable, so often this reduces to zero all of the above advantages.

Brush size

Powerful wool turbo brushes will be useful in the premises where pets are kept. The more wool, feathers and fluff appear on the floor, the better the cleaning mechanism of the brushes. Optimal brushes that are suitable for these tasks should have a medium softness of the pile, which is located with sufficient density to easily attach, for example, wool. Note that it is more preferable to give preference to models with two central brushes, as this will improve the quality of garbage collection.

Filters For allergy sufferers or families with young children, a robotic vacuum cleaner with filtration is an ideal option. During harvesting, the unit blows air that has passed through the dust collector, if it is not cleaned through special filters, then the health of people in the room is likely to worsen. It is best to choose multi-layer filters, which are usually installed in more expensive models.

Which robot cleaner to choose

1. From robotic vacuum cleaners with wet cleaning function should be discarded. Prefer to them quality models that provide a good dry cleaning.

2. When choosing a device, first of all look at the volume of the dustbin, as this will determine whether the robot will cope with the area that needs to be removed. It is also important to pay attention to the battery capacity of the product: for large areas, a device with high values ​​is required.

3. Of the three orienteering systems, we recommend choosing the tested beacon sensors, because the laser and the cameras to date have a number of imperfections, which often overlap all the available advantages.

4. Pet owners should buy a machine with two special brushes designed to easily clip hair, wool, feathers and down. At the same time they are cleaned too simply and quickly.

5. Robotic vacuum cleaners with multi-layer filters will be the best option for families with children or for people suffering from respiratory diseases.

How much do the robots-vacuum cleaners

1. From 10 to 20 thousand r have to give for the devices of economy class. Such devices are made of simple materials and have a minimal functional set. The capacity of the batteries in these robotic vacuum cleaners is designed for a small amount of working time.

2. From 20 to 30 thousand r are better versions of devices. The package includes usually a charging station and an extended functional.

3. For models of premium class will have to pay from 30 thousand r and more. The devices for such a high price are equipped with a large number of options, have a good battery capacity, which ensures a long work.