In this publication, I will bring up one very popular question: what is better to choose for cleaning a house or an apartment: a robot vacuum cleaner or cordless vacuum cleaner? We are not talking about ordinary vacuum cleaners at all, they are in past, and can`t compare with modern models. Now I will consider the main criteria in order in this comparison, giving 1 point for each of them: cordless vacuum cleaner or a robot vacuum cleaner. Based on the results of the comparison it will be clear which cleaner is more beneficial. Here we compared Roborock H6 cordless vacuum cleaner and several different robots: iRobot Roomba i7 +, iCLEBO O5 Wi-FI and others. So let’s begin!
Price
One of the most important comparison criteria is the price of vacuum cleaners. At the time of preparing the review, the cost of cordless vacuum cleaners, according to the offers of the stores, starts from $20 and up to $1,000. The difference is huge, but from experience I can say that really powerful and high-quality cordless vacuum cleaners that collect garbage will cost you about $200 to $400. This is approximately $ 200-400. For example, the Roborock H6 price is $400.
Now I will analyze the prices of robot vacuum cleaners. There are of course models that cost $15-20, but these are toys, not real vacuum cleaners. Something like a robot vacuum cleaner will cost at least $70, and the maximum price can reach $2000. The average price for a good robot vacuum cleaners varies between $300-500. My iRobot Roomba i7+ costs $1000.
Yes, robot vacuum cleaners will obviously be more expensive, and that`s fair, because they are equipped with many sensors that allow you to automatically clean the house.
So, comparing price, point should go for cordless vacuum cleaner, but this will not objective. Because there are robot vacuum cleaners for $200 that will do a good job in terms of cleaning. A normal cordless vacuum cleaner will have the same price. For $250-300, you can choose both a functional robot vacuum cleaner and a cordless version.
Therefore, in my opinion, in terms of price, it`s a draw between a robot and an cordless vacuum cleaner.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner 0:0 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Cleaning quality
The second thing that potential buyers are interested in is the quality of cleaning. We want the vacuum cleaner to perform its main task and the house to be clean. There are many beliefs that cordless vacuum cleaners are much more powerful than robots and vacuum on a different level. This is a big misconception that maybe was true 5 years ago. Nowadays very powerful robot vacuum cleaners are developed that will effectively collect garbage not only from hard floors, but also from carpets.
I will prove my statement with a test. There is a stand with slots of different depths, from 2 to 10 mm. I put ground coffee in them, as an imitation of dust. Here’s how the Roborock H6 cordless vacuum did it. He collected litter from all the depths of the cracks. The vacuum cleaner really has high power.
And here is how the powerful robot vacuum cleaner iCLEBO O5 Wi-Fi coped with the same task:
You can see that he can effectively suck out litter from slots up to 6 mm deep. But with 8 and 10mm, it also partially sucked out the litter. In terms of power, a robot vacuum cleaner and cordless vacuum cleaner are almost the same. But this is if we are talking about a powerful robot. Most models are only able to suck out litter out of 2mm slots. But this is more than enough to keep the house clean.
When it comes to picking up other types of garbage, both cordless vacuum cleaner and a robot can effectively pick up wool, hair, and small litter from the floor. The most important is to competently choose a suitable model, which I can help you with. If you need my advice, do not hesitate to ask in comments.
Summing up, in my opinion, in terms of the quality of cleaning, cordless vacuum cleaner and a robot vacuum cleaner are almost the same. So again it`s a draw.
Amazon: iRobot Roomba i7 +
Robot Vacuum Cleaner 0:0 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Battery life
And here is an interesting approach to comparison. Cordless vacuum cleaners can work autonomously for about 10 minutes in turbo mode, this is for those who like to clean the floor as much as possible, even when it is not really necessary.
In standard mode, the average battery life is 25-30 minutes, and this is more than enough for a general cleaning of your home, even if you have a big house with an area of about 100 sq.m. In eco mode, the operating time can reach up to an hour, but at such power the vacuum cleaner will be really weak, and this is not suitable for a deep cleaning, rather more of a marketing move by manufacturers. However, many cordless cleaners are equipped with a removable battery. You can buy 1 more, charge it before cleaning and in the process change the dead one to the charged one.
At the same time, robot vacuum cleaners can work autonomously for an hour in maximum mode, about an hour and half in a standard mode, and up to 3 hours in eco mode.
This is if we are talking about models with battery with good capacity. This is enough for a deep cleaning of house up to 100 sq.m. And most of the new robot vacuum cleaners with good navigation are able to continue cleaning on their own from the place where they left off after recharging at the base. When the robot cleaned 60 squares in the maximum mode, went to recharge, returned to the same place and cleaned up the equal territory. It is very convenient.
But since we need the battery life to understand whether the battery is enough for a deep cleaning, and the cleaning speed of a robot vacuum cleaner and cordless vacuum cleaner is different, the main thing to summarize is that the battery life of the two compared vacuum cleaners completely satisfies the need in 1 full cleaning. 100 sq.m. the robot will clean in an hour and a half time, and with cordless vacuum cleaner you will do it in 20-30 minutes. Therefore, everything is very similar.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner 0:0 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Cleaning time
A small spoiler – there will finally be a gap in points. So, as mentioned earlier, cleaning with cordless vacuum cleaner takes from 20 to 30 minutes of time. In fact, the robot vacuum cleaner cleans three times longer, up to one and a half hours. But he does not require attention and can clean in your absence. When you are at work, take a bath or go out for a walk. As a result, it will take you no more than 1 minute to clean with a robot to enter the application or find the remote control and turn on the desired cleaning mode. That’s it. Maintenance, cleaning the dust collector, is the same in time, both in the case of cordless vacuum cleaner and a robot.
Therefore, of course, a robot vacuum cleaner saves your time, and better not to take into account the cleaning time at all, everything happens automatically.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner 1:0 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Operating costs
It is equally important to compare how much it costs to maintain a robot. I even compared the power consumption of cordless vacuum and a robot. Let`s have a look.
A robot vacuum cleaner needs to change a whole list of consumables in a year: at least 1 time for the side brush, 4-6 times for the HEPA filter, 1 time for the central brush if necessary, and 2-3 times for a napkin if the wet cleaning function is provided and you use it. For example, such a set of consumables for Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaners costs about $25. They are enough for a year. If we are talking about consumables for iRobot Roomba, the original ones will cost at least $40-50 per year.
There are not many consumables in cordless vacuum cleaner, mainly filters. For the same Roborock H6, a set of original filters for a year will cost about $20. Accessories for Dyson vacuum cleaners will cost even more. But nevertheless, it is enough to change the filters at least once every six months or a year and that’s it, and they are a bit cheaper.
If we talk about energy consumption, then in my case, the iRobot Roomba i7 + robot vacuum cleaner used 0.59 kW in 10 days of daily operation, which is almost 2 kW per month, and Roborock H6 used 0.49 kW in the same period of time, which is about 1 .5 kW per month. So, in this comparison, it is a bit more profitable to use cordless vacuum cleaner. But in terms of price, even for a year, the energy consumption of a robot vacuum cleaner is 24 kW, which is 136 rubles at Moscow tariffs. A vertical vacuum cleaner 18 kW is 102 rubles. The difference is minor.
Summing up, it is slightly more profitable in terms of maintenance and energy costs to give to the cordless vacuum cleaner the first point.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner 1:1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
What else?
These are the main points that I would like to compare, and the result was a draw. But there are a few more factors to consider summing up the final result and decide which cleaner is better to choose: a robot vacuum or cordless vacuum cleaner. I put them in a table:
| Cordless Vacuum Cleaner | Robot Vacuum Cleaner | |
| Versatility | + | – |
| Passage ability | + | + |
| Convenience | – | + |
| Storage | – | + |
| Functionality | – | + |
Of course, cordless vacuum cleaners are more versatile, they come with several nozzles for cleaning furniture, carpets and in hard-to-reach places with a crevice nozzle. In addition, they can be used for cleaning the car interior and collecting cobwebs on the ceiling.
In terms of passage ability, it is not clear to compare. On the one hand, a vertical vacuum cleaner allows you to clean on the steps of stairs, behind furniture in hard-to-reach places, collect litter on plinth and heating radiators, as well as in other places.
But the robot also has its advantages. He can drive under low furniture, there are models only 6-7 cm high. Clean under kitchen cabinets and under the bed, where a person rarely gets even because of his laziness. So, here, everyone has their own preferences, and, in my opinion, they are equal in comparison.
In terms of convenience, a robot vacuum cleaner has an obvious advantage. You can run it remotely from work, direct it to the right room for cleaning, and run it on schedule every day at the right time. It is very comfortable.
In terms of storage, the robot vacuum cleaner takes up less space, it is compactly placed on the base and can be located anywhere, the main thing is that the requirements for installing the charging base are met, they are written in the instructions. Cordless vacuum cleaner needs more space, ideally it should be hung on the wall, and this can ruin the interior of the home.
In terms of functionality, there is also an advantage for robot vacuum cleaners. They can self-cleaning, clean themselves at the base, vacuum and mop the floor at the same time, talk, cheer up their owners, and even act as security guards while you are not at home. This is provided in models with an active camera, which can be connected remotely from a smartphone. So, of course, if you want to organize a smart home, then the choice should be in favor of a robot vacuum cleaner.
As a result, the robot vacuum cleaner won in most points, so the result is: 2: 1 in its favor.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner 1:1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
I hope that I was able to answer all your questions and now it will be easier for you to decide what is better to choose: сordless vacuum cleaner or robot vacuum cleaner. Ideally, you need to look at personal conditions and requirements. Very often, the best option is a functional robot vacuum cleaner with high-quality navigation in tandem with a budget сordless vacuum cleaner, which will be used for spot cleaning behind the robot in places where it cannot pass.
Amazon: iRobot Roomba i7 +
That’s all for today. Happy tech shopping everyone!
