The Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly magazine team put three robot vacuum cleaners to the test to find out if these high-tech time-savers measure up.
ROBOT VACUUM: LG Roboking 2.0
Tested by Karen Miles, Editor of Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly magazine
It’s perhaps a little funny to think that you’d like to give a home appliance a pet name, but such was the case with my LG Roboking 2.0 vacuum cleaner. “He” so quickly became part of the family. His loyalty to cleaning my home without complaint was unfailing. He’s quiet, industrious and unobtrusive, gracefully navigating furniture and varying surfaces — transitioning from tile to floorboards to carpet — with aplomb as he went about his work. He even docked himself back into the battery charger after his chores were done. But for the very edges of a room, my robot cleaned reliably. I never want to let this little guy go. RRP$999 (and totally worth the time-savings), lg.com
SCORE: 4½ stars
ROBOT VACUUM: Robomaid Robot Vacuum
Tested by Una, Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly magazine contributor
At RRP$399, the Robomaid Robot Vacuum was the cheapest of the three we tested by a significant margin. Also in the pro-column, it was the smallest, the docking station in particular being much smaller than that of the Samsung NaviBot S or the LG Roboking. As for the cons, it’s noticeably louder than the two more expensive models, and the cleaning pattern can seem a little erratic. It did a great job of getting under low furniture, worked well on our wood and tile floors, and picked up a truly startling amount of pet hair only two days after we’d last vacuumed. With one hour of battery time, the Robomaid might struggle a bit with large houses, but would be absolutely fine for a small apartment. robomaid.com.au
SCORE: 3 stars
ROBOT VACUUM: Samsung NaviBot S Cleaning Robot
Tested by Colin, Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly magazine contributor
Roaming the office floor, the Samsung NaviBot S thoroughly gobbled up paper and popcorn and other general carpet debris. When the NaviBot senses it has missed a spot it will spin around to give it another go before continuing to clean the room. The included virtual guard stops the NaviBot in its tracks allowing for an area to be fenced off if need be. However, the NaviBot can be a little clumsy. It easily avoids walls and yet it likes to test the stability of desks and bookshelves while also politely pushing in empty desk chairs. The NaviBot did struggle a little navigating through a pile of cords and a few times managed to get hung up on its docking station. RRP$1,299, samsung.com
SCORE: 3 stars
From Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly Vol. 20 No. 1