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

Robot vacuums come in all shapes and sizes, but after reviewing dozens of models over the years, one thing holds constant — products that focus on improving performance instead of adding fancy new features are my favorite. More and more companies are loading their robots with abilities that have nothing to do with cleaning (or are only tangentially related to the task), and while these can be fun to use during the first few weeks with a device, the thrill quickly fades.

There’s little reason to spend $1,600 replacing your existing robot vacuum with the newest model when the only new feature you’ll get is the ability to take snapshots of your pets or climb tall thresholds. To me, there’s nothing more exciting about a robot vacuum than re-engineered roller brushes, increased power, and skills that directly translate to cleaner floors.

Here’s why I hope more companies start focusing on vacuuming and mopping performance instead of bogging down their robots with gimmicky features.

Robots are designed to eliminate my chores

Roborock

The main reason I have a robot vacuum is to free up my schedule. With two pets in my home, vacuuming is a tedious chore that’s never going away. But with a robot vacuum around, I should be able to drop the task from my “To-Do List,” allowing me to store my cordless vacuum deep in the closet never to be seen again.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Many robot vacuums simply don’t have the suction power or roller brushes to dig deep into carpet and completely free it from all the pet hair and debris locked inside. Robots also tend to have trouble around edges and cramped environments, meaning I find myself vacuuming around baseboards more often than I’d like.

Thankfully, this is starting to change, especially with flagship products. Many companies are now equipping their robot vacuums with swinging side brushes. These can reach outward to grab hair next to baseboards, and they work much better than older models. Another big improvement is with suction power. This is especially true for the Roborock Qrevo Curv, which packs in a walloping 18,500Pa and is great for all types of floors.

In fact, it cleans so well that I rarely feel the need to vacuum — a testament to its power and versatility. Most robots do an adequate job with the task, but almost none pick up 100% of debris. And since I have two messy dogs around, it’s hard for anything to keep up. But with the Curv, we seem to have hit a turning point.

This sort of progress gives me a reason to look forward to the next generation of smart robots. I’ve reserved a permanent spot for a robot vacuum in my home because I expect it to handle all my floor cleaning needs. And as long as their performance keeps improving, I’ll continue to be excited about what’s on the horizon.

Frivolous features aren’t a dealbreaker

Ecovacs

While it’s cool that some robot vacuums carry out secondary features such as working as security cameras or capturing images of your pets, I don’t regularly use them. And when shopping for a robot vacuum, they certainly don’t play a big role in my decision-making process. What’s more important is how well they clean, how much of the home they can reach, and how well they can maintain themselves.

Mopping and vacuuming performance is much more important than voice assistants, pet snapshots, and security camera features. Instead, offering a robot that churns out more suction, can better clean hard floors, or includes a larger dustbin would all be preferred. In fact, it would be great if robot vacuums stopped using disposable dustbins altogether and started offering ones that could be emptied and reused — saving you money and helping the environment.

The reason people buy a robot vacuum is so they don’t have to vacuum, and the larger the performance gap between the new model and its predecessor, the better. It’s not likely that these secondary features will disappear, and there’s probably an audience for them. But I prefer my robot vacuums to put cleaning prowess above all else — big improvements in this area are much more exciting than quirky features I’ll only use a handful of times.