Best Robot Vacuum For Hardwood Floors | Comparison And Reviews

Cleaning the house is gradually becoming automated thanks to robot vacuum cleaners such as the Eufy Robovac 11S. Priced at less than $250, the Eufy 11S is not the most affordable robot vacuum, but it’s fairly priced for an appliance with new tech. What you get is a low-profile vacuum that can navigate under your furniture and beds with ease.

Design

The Eufy 11S has a sleek design that comprises largely of a simple tempered-upper deck, the Eufy logo, and a chrome power button. The sleek design is attributed to its lack of features. Unlike its peers, the Eufy 11S is not compatible with smart apps; thus, it lacks some of the advanced features such as remote start or stop. It’s also not equipped with smart mapping thus will clean your house randomly only adjusting its course every time it comes across an obstacle. The robot will circle the object as it tries to find a clear path.

If you’re interested in purchasing a robot vacuum cleaner that utilizes all available smart features to clean your house, you’ll have to keep looking. The lack of feature is disappointing, but it also means that the robot vacuum is easy to use. It does not require set up and even setting a schedule is as easy as setting the timer on your microwave. 

Performance

Although the Eufy 11S is not smart, it cleans better than some of the feature-packed robots. The vacuum is fitted with two rotating whiskers that help agitate the debris before the suction inlet pulls them in. Even with fancy features, the Eufy 11S can increase suction when the need arises, especially when it is on thick carpets. However, its performance is best witnessed when cleaning hardwood floors.

Its slim profile means that it can access most areas with ease except corners. The round design makes it harder to agitate the dirt around corners.

The Coredy R500+ features a slim design that reaches hard-to-clean spaces, and it’s equipped with a dual anti-collision feature that helps it navigate the house without colliding with your furniture, kids, and pets. It’s also fitted with a bumper and a dozen infrared sensors that detect pressure changes. The R500+ is a remarkable appliance that can last for 110 minutes and will self-charge before the battery dies out. If your house comprises primarily of hardwood floors, you should consider getting one of these.

Look & Feel

The R500+ is significantly shorter than most vacuum cleaners for hardwood floors as it’s only 2.7 inches tall. It weighs 9.5 pounds and can access areas such as the couch with ease. When powered on, the R500+ uses its sensors to map pathways around your house. These sensors work best when you are vacuuming the entire house; however, you have to use Boundary Strips when you are cleaning only a specific part of the house. The Boundary strips are typically around the specified area and emit a sound that signals the robot vacuum not to cross.

Performance

The R500+ is a versatile robot vacuum that can clean, vacuum, sweep, and mop your house. It also automatically adjusts its height depending on the surface to ensure that the floor is in close contact with the brush. This facilitates a seamless performance on hard floors and medium-pile carpets. It has five cleaning modes which are not only powerful but offer a quiet experience.

The first mode is referred to as the Auto mode, which provides a remarkable experience with very disturbance. The second mode is the edge sweeping mode, which is typically used for cleaning along walls and corners. Thirdly, there is the Spot cleaning mode that provides targeted cleaning to messy areas. The fourth mode is the Max mode, which increases its suction power to 1400 Pa to facilitate for deeper cleaning. Lastly, there is the wet/dry mode that mops your floors, leaving them shiny.

Robotic vacuum cleaners are typically more expensive than the standard vacuum cleaners; however, robot vacuums such as the Ilife A4S are reasonably priced. The low price comes at a cost as you lose some of the advanced features such as Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s a perfect choice, especially if you are working with a tight budget. It has a compact design, good battery life, and offers solid performance.

Design

The A4S is slightly smaller than your typical robot vacuum as it’s 3 inches tall and 12.2 inches wide. Such a low profile allows it to access low-clearance furniture. The A4S has a dark grey color, a single auto button, and a front bumper with infrared sensors.

Underneath, there are two spin brushes, drop sensors, a swivel wheel, the main brush, two treads, and charging contacts. You will also find the usual array of accessories, spare parts, remote control, and a charging dock in the box.

Since the robotic vacuum cleaner does not have an app, you can only schedule cleans using the remote control. It will also come in handy when steering the vacuum around the house and switching between modes.

Performance

The iLife A4S tends to clean randomly, and it’s capable of traversing on different types of floors with ease. It will vacuum your hardwood floors, tiles, rugs, and carpets without issue. As mentioned earlier, the A4S has an array of sensors on its front bumper, and it uses them to move around the house without human intervention.

It might not be as smart as the Roomba models, but it offers better performance and solid battery life. The A4S can run for 140 minutes, and in some cases, it can run for up to three hours. It also has a large dirt bin thus you don’t have to worry about emptying the bin while cleaning.

The A4S runs whisper quiet, and you might even forget that you have a vacuum running in your home. However, the Maximum mode is more aggressive and louder than other modes; thus you will notice the difference. The vacuum is programmed to return to its docking station before the battery runs out of charge. You should leave a clear path to the docking station as the A4S doesn’t have smart mapping capabilities.

Roomba is a market leader when it comes to robotic vacuum, and it’s one of the most sort after robot vacuum brand. If you want to have a robot vacuum that will clean your house without leaving a speck of dirt, think iRobot Roomba 960. It’s one of iRobot’s high-end models, and it comes with numerous smart features form camera navigation to voice control and detailed cleaning reports. It’s arguably the best robot vacuum for hardwood floors.

Design

Like most Roomba vacuums, the Roomba 960 features a circular design with two wheels for traction plus a third wheel for stability. It stands tall at 91 mm and weighs 8.5 pounds thus easy to carry from one floor to the other. For easier navigation, the Roomba 960 is fitted with a camera at the front, which gives it a better view of its path.

Underneath, there is a pair of roller brushes that loosen and lift debris towards the suction inlet. On the side, you will find a side brush which, when activated helps clean along the walls and furniture legs. It also has sensors that identify areas with large concentrations of dirt. The vacuum will adjust its suction power to account for the extra dirt.

Performance

You can initiate cleaning either by pressing the clean button on the vacuum cleaner or using your smartphone app. The third option involves the use of Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa commands. Once you initiate cleaning, you can proceed to select the cleaning setting you prefer. There are three cleaning-pass settings- one-cleaning pass, two-cleaning pass, and automatic. When the one-cleaning pass is activated, the vacuum will make just a single pass over your floor. The second mode allows the vacuum to double back over the areas it has cleaned. This cleaning mode is ideal for homes with pets. The third mode, which is Automatic mode gives the vacuum-free will to choose the number of time it wants to pass over an area depending on room size.

The Roomba 960 has a decent battery life that can last for about 75 minutes before it has to return to its charging station. The dirt bin is not large; thus, you might get an alert on your phone that the vacuum needs emptying.

Neato has had mixed results in robot vacuum markets as most users preferred Roomba vacuums as they didn’t require magnetic strips to block it from accessing certain areas. Neato finally listened to the complaints and came up with the Botvac D7, which allows you to add No-Go zones in the smartphone app. These virtual magnetic strips to limit the vacuum from accessing the areas the No-Go zones. In addition, the Botvac D7 has a better navigation system than its predecessor, and it’s compatible with Google Home, Apple Watch, Amazon Alexa, IFTTT, etc.

Design

The Botvac takes on the familiar shape of a bathroom scale. It stands tall at 3.9 inches, which is taller than your typical robot vacuum cleaner. To add to the height, Neato has added a raised disc on top to cover the laser. The extra height means it will have a hard time cleaning under your furniture, and it might get stuck every now and then.

The D-shaped will come in handy when cleaning along corners, cabinets, and walls. Covering the primary section of the vacuum is an aesthetically pleasing metal plate. There is also a large paneled section which when lifted reveals a see-through bin.

Performance

Neato Botvac D7 is noisy compared to its peers even on eco mode. Despite being noisy, the D7’s performance was impressive. It managed to clean dirt even in areas that had been earlier cleaned using manual robots. The Botvac D7 was impressive on hardwood floors, but it left sweep marks on rugs. It also struggled to clean corners. The most impressive feature was power management. The robotic vacuum has a battery capacity display, and once it’s depleted, it heads back to the docking station. Instead of waiting until the battery is full, the D7 calculates the battery power it requires to complete the task. It will wait until it has sufficient power to resume operation rather than wait until the battery is fully charged.

The Roborock S5 sets itself apart by being part mop and part robot vacuum. Not only does it clean up after you, your family and pets, but it also mops up any spills and stains. It’s designed to be the best robot mop for hardwood floors. It comes with precision mapping and navigation, which makes it easy to maneuver around furniture with ease.

Design

At 3.8 inches the Roborock S5 is taller than your typical Roomba for hard floors, which is due to the addition of a laser sensor on top. This makes it a little bit difficult to go under low-clearance furniture. On top is a recharge button, spot clean button plus a power button. Under the lid, you’ll find a removable dustbin, a system reset button, a cleaning tool, and a Wi-Fi indicator light. At the front, you will find a wall sensor while at the back is a speaker and an air vent. Underneath is the main brush, cliff sensor, side brush, charging contacts and swivel wheel.

Performance

The Roborock S5 uses its laser navigation sensors to clean your house methodically without missing a single spot. Even in a small cramped apartment, the Roborock S5 will have no problem maneuvering around furniture. However, due to the laser sensor on top, it’s not able to get under low-clearance furniture. It will not fit under your cabinets and kitchen counter. But it can squeeze itself under your dresser, couch, clothing rack and bed with ease.

The S5 has very powerful suction and moves around sucking in dirt and hair. Interestingly, the hair stands rarely got stuck in the main brush. The mopping feature works better than expected, and it is easy to set up. You start by wetting the microfiber cloth, then clip onto the bottom of the Roborock S5. The only downside of activating the Mop mode is that it doesn’t detect carpets or rugs thus will continue mopping even your rugs. To prevent your rugs and carpets from being mopped, you can either remove them from its path or program no-go areas using the smart app.

When it comes to battery life, the Roborock S5 can run for up 150 minutes. It’s also very loud that you can hear it from an adjacent room.