How We Test

Our testing is designed to answer one question: how will this robot vacuum fit your real home and routine? We measure navigation, pickup, noise, and upkeep across open and chopped layouts, with pets and mixed flooring. Every review includes three core outputs: a Home Fit Map, an Autonomy Score, and a 3‑Year Cost of Clean.

Test Environments

Open-plan and chopped layouts with narrow hallways, thresholds, chair legs, and cable clutter mockups.
Floor mix stations: sealed hardwood, tile, low- and medium-pile rugs, and transitions.
Pet hair scenarios: controlled deposits of short and long hair across surfaces, plus synthetic dander.
Multi-floor memory tests with map swapping and staircase “no-go” boundaries.

Navigation & Mapping

Map stability: create/save/edit rooms and zones; evaluate drift, splits/merges, and re-mapping frequency after moves.
Edge and corner coverage: measured passes along baseboards and into internal corners.
Obstacle handling: socks, cables, toy blocks, chair rungs, threshold climbs, and low furniture clearance.
Recovery behavior: how often it stalls, needs rescue, or gracefully retries.

Cleaning Performance

Hard floor pickup: rice, sand, and hair on hardwood/tile with visual residue checks.
Carpet pickup: fine debris and hair on low/medium pile; roller hair wrap inspection.
Auto-adjust suction and brush engagement: consistency and reactivity.

Noise & Living With It

dBA measurements at 1m on Quiet/Standard/Turbo; tonal character notes for meetings/naps.
Dock behavior: approach reliability, bag/bin capacity checks, and dust plume observation.
App usability: initial setup, map tools, zone/room cleaning, routines, DND windows, child/pet lock, and offline resilience.
Voice/home integration: Alexa/Google/Shortcuts routines, including failure handling.

Autonomy Score (Hands-on Minutes/Week)

We log all touches: detangling, bin/bag interactions, map fixes, spot cleans, and rescues. The score is the average weekly hands-on time over a multi-week trial. Lower is better; it reflects how little you have to think about the bot.

3‑Year Cost of Clean

We total expected consumables (bags, filters, side brush, main roller), battery replacement probability by year, and energy consumption. Prices are averaged across reputable retailers. We list assumptions and replacement cadence so you can adjust for your home.

Home Fit Map

A visual summary showing:

Edge coverage completeness and corner reach.
Obstacle tendencies (what it avoids vs. what tangles it).
Zone priorities for daily vs. deep-clean schedules, including apartment quiet hours.

Repeatability & Updates

We re-run key tests after firmware updates and major hardware revisions. If results materially change, scores and recommendations are updated with a change log. We keep raw notes and photos/video snippets for internal verification.

Independence & Sample Handling

We buy many units at retail. When samples are provided, we disclose it and apply the same tests. We do not accept paid editorial placements. Loaners are returned or donated; we do not sell samples. Affiliate relationships never influence scores or coverage.