For most of us cleaning our home is well...a chore. While some people enjoy giving their home a once, many of us would rather spend our free time reading a good book, watching a movie, and evening seeing friends and family.
This is where one of the best robot vacuums can help - they let you outsource floor cleaning completely, as the robovac will pootle around your home collecting dust and dirt from your floors automatically. Some can even empty their own dust canisters too, ensuring you really don’t have to lift a finger. So it’s no surprise that the number of US households with a robot vacuum grew by 11% to 14.2 million in 2018, according to market research firm Statista.
iRobot’s Roomba and Eufy are two of the biggest names dominating the robot vacuum market right now, and if you’re considering kitting your home out with an automated floor cleaner, it makes sense to plump for one of these brands.
iRobot is arguably the most well-known of the two robot vacuum brands, having launched its first Roomba in 2002. In fact, the brand claims that 20% of all robot vacuums sold are Roombas. While its robovacs are expensive, they are load with cutting-edge technology, making them the supercar of the suction world, if you will. You can also always take advantage of the best Roomba Black Friday deals so you can get them for less.
Eufy, meanwhile, is a relative newcomer to the world of robotic vacuums, but its wallet-friendly models offer solid cleaning performance with some smarts. However, it can be hard to decide which is best suited to you.
It really depends on how you plan to use a robot vacuum in your home - are you looking for an appliance that will take care of every aspect of your floor cleaning, so you really can put your feet up without worrying, or you after a simplistic device that will regularly collect dust and dirt meaning you don’t have to spend hours through cleaning your floors - as to which one of these robot vacuum brands you choose.
Best iRobot Roomba and Eufy deals
Read on to discover how these two robot vacuum brands compare – or, if you’ve already decided which of the two you wish to buy, check out the best prices right now:
Range
iRobot offers seven different models of robot vacuum, with its top-of-the-range design, the iRobot S9, offering 40x more suction power than its entry-level robovac, the Roomba 694, which is known as the Roomba 698 in the UK.
The iRobot Roomba i3, i7, and the S9, which are available worldwide, and iRobot’s newest robot vacuum, the J7, all come with rubber brush rollers rather than the bristled brushes found on the more affordable model, and various levels of smarts that mean it cleans in neat rows rather than taking a random path around your home. Depending upon which model you choose, some also offer voice control, the ability to map your home so you can schedule cleans for specific rooms as well as the whole hours, and even create no-go areas the robovac won’t enter.
The J7, which is currently only available in the US and the UK, can also identify obstacles on the floor, such as a charging cable or even dog poop, and navigate around the obstacle rather than it getting tangled in the vacuums brushes, or, in the case of dirt, further spreading it around the home.
All of these models are available as a self-emptying version that comes with a base station. Known as the + models, the robot vacuum will deposit the contents of its dust canister into a disposable bag in the base station, which iRobot says can hold around 30 days’ worth of dirt.
In the US, iRobot also offers Combo, which is both a mop and a vacuum in one, while in the UK and Australia, iRobot Roomba e6 (known as the e5 in Australia) sits slightly above the entry-level model and builds on it with 5x the suction power and a high-efficiency filter designed to trap allergens.
Eufy on the other hand has a wider array of robot vacuums with 17 models to pick from in the US, although in the UK only 12 of these are available, and Australia has just five to choose from. Its mid-range and highest tier designs are available as a robot vacuum or a version that can mop floors as well as vacuum then, which carries the Hybrid moniker.
The brand’s top-of-the-range robot vacuum is the X8, which has recently launched in the US and the UK, offers the most powerful suction of any Eufy automated cleaner, along with mapping technology that means the robot vacuum knows exactly where it is cleaning in your home, and lets you schedule cleans of specific rooms and floors. It also comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and voice control.
The G series is Eufy’s mid-range offering, and while the robovac can map your home, they’re not stored so you can’t schedule cleans of certain areas. Meanwhile, the entry-level models are more affordable because they take a random path around your home, rather than a logical route. The different designs vary in suction power and if you want app and voice control, choose a model that has C (for connected) in the name, for example, the Eufy 15C Max.
Price
So just how much will you have to spend if you want to outsource the vacuuming? iRobot Roomba’s range is more expensive than Eufy when it comes to the price of robot vacuums, but they can clean more efficiently than Eufy’s robovacs, and also offer more smart features, which in our eyes makes them worth the extra investment.
The iRobot Roomba 694, which as we’ve already mentioned is known as the 698 in the UK and 692 in Australia is priced at $274.99 / £269.99 / AU$499, while the i3 Series will set you back $399.99 / £449.99 / AU$999.99 for the standard version and $599.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,399.99 if you want the self-emptying feature included.
The recently-announced J7 costs $649.99 / £699.99 / (around AU$900), while the J7+ version, which can empty its own dust canister is priced at $849.99 / £899.99 (around AU$1,175). iRobot’s top-of-the-range model, the S9+, costs an eye-watering $1,099.99 / £1,499.99 / AU$2,899.
In comparison, Eufy’s vacuums are certainly easier on the eye when it comes to prices, with the entry-level Eufy RoboVac 11S costing $219.99 / £189.99 / AU$229 and the most affordable model that has Wi-Fi connectivity, the Eufy 15C Max, priced at $259.99 / £269.99 (around AU$350) although this isn’t currently available in the US.
The mid-range G series starts at $319.99 / £319.99 / AU$499.95 for the RoboVac G30 and rises to $369.99 / £369.99 for the G30 Hybrid, which can mop as well as vacuum - once again this isn’t available in Australia. Finally the top of the range X8 will set you back $599.99/ £449.99 (around AU$825) and if you want a mop and vacuum in one, the X8 Hybrid costs $649.99 / £499.99 (around AU$900).
Features
When it comes to the most basic functions, these robot vacuums brands are pretty evenly matched. No matter which design you opt for, the appliance will make its way around your home sucking up fine dust and larger debris from carpets and hard floors. Both brands offer a range of suction levels on their robot vacuums, too, and they’ll automatically increase the power when cleaning carpets over hard floors, ensuring all the dirt and debris is collected.
However, it’s their smart features that really set the two apart - iRobot’s models are loaded with functions that ensure you really at outsourcing the vacuuming. For example, all of iRobot’s range, including the entry-level models, have the Dirt Detection feature, which will automatically spend more time cleaning a section if the robot vacuum identifies there’s more dust than usual. The majority of models use a neat, logical path to clean your home and also have voice control, too.
Meanwhile, the i7 series and above let you set virtual no-go areas, schedule cleans of certain rooms or areas, and even be set to only clean when it has detected you’ve left home, using the geolocation from your phone, so it doesn’t interrupt you. They’ll even return to the charging station when the battery is low to ensure they never run out of juice. And as we’ve already mentioned, they can empty their own dust canisters, also this does come with a hefty price tag.
Eufy’s range is more simplistic, and certainly for the entry-level devices, not as efficient as iRobot’s models. Only the mid-range and highest tier models take a logical path around your home when cleaning, with the other models employing a random route that may result in a longer cleaning session.
However, this is reflected in a much lower price tag. We also love that there’s a much wider choice from Eufy if you want a robot vacuum that can also mop too. For those that aren’t interested in bells and whistles and prioritize an easy-to-use device, Eufy’s offering is ideal.
Verdict
Both iRobot and Eufy offer robot vacuums that can clean your home unaided and do a good job of collecting dust and debris from carpets and hard floors. iRobot’s models are loaded with smarts that mean they take care of every aspect of floor cleaning, from identifying areas that are dirtier than usual, to ensuring they never get in your way when they clean. For those looking at ensuring they have no input when it comes to vacuuming, this is the brand to opt for.
Meanwhile, Eufy is a more affordable option and is more simplistic to set up and use. It’s a great choice for those investing in a robot vacuum for the first time or those that don’t want to customize a plethora of settings.
- Check out these great robot vacuum deals
