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How does a robotic vacuum compare with other vacuums?

Home » Gadgets » Robotic Vacuums » How does a robotic vacuum compare with other vacuums?

Robotic vacuums seem futuristic, bur are they really that much better than your current upright or canister model? In some ways, yes, but in many ways, the answer is still no. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of a robotic vacuum compared with traditional models.

Advantages:
• Convenience—Just think of the hours you’ll save; you don’t even need to be there while the robot works.
• Hard to Reach Areas—The small size of robotic vacuums allows them to clean under beds and furniture that otherwise might be impossible to reach.
• Hard Floors—For the most part, robotic vacuums are equal to traditional vacuums when it comes to cleaning hard floors.
• Cost—Roomba robotic vacuums cost as little as $100 to $300.

Disadvantages:
• Carpets—On carpets, particularly deep-pile carpets, robotic vacuums pale in comparison to traditional vacuums.
• Power Issues—Generally, you only get about sixty minutes of vacuuming per charge, and a charge takes several hours.
• Too much work—Robotic vacuums often use random patterns to vacuum rooms, so they are regularly redoing areas they have already cleaned. They can’t remember what they’ve done.
• Not enough coverage—Robots are primarily suited for home use; they do not have the power to cover large areas such as offices or hotels.
• Easily deterred—Sometimes, a robot treats any obstacle, perhaps a table leg, as if it is the end of the room, so you end up with large unvacuumed areas.
• Cost—Low-end robotic vacuums are affordable, but the most intelligent models cost close to two thousand dollars.

Will we all switch one day from our upright Hoovers or our canister Electroluxes to use robotic vacuums? Perhaps, but that day is far off. The lack of human intelligence still plagues robotic vacuums, and they do not have the cleaning power of traditional models, so even with a robot, you would still need to vacuum manually on occasion.

Next Page: What are the different types of robotic vacuums?

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