I was thinking about the Narwhal as I needed a replacement unit and it reduced in price.
I was walking in store yesterday and I saw a Dreame GoVac 405 on sale for the same price ($499CAD) and nabbed it. It was perfect since it was an upgrade for me.
Not sure if you also want to switch to the GoVac 405 (rebranded Dreame L40 Ultra CE)
Been running the exact same setup with a refurbished unit from that seller and it's been brilliant - the integration through HACS works seamlessly and you get proper local control without the cloud dependency nonsense most newer models force on you. The self-emptying dock is genuinely useful rather than just marketing fluff, especially if you're doing regular scheduled cleans throughout the week
That video breakdown is spot on about the newer "features" mostly being gimmicks - I've had mine for about 8 months now and the core cleaning performance is still excellent, plus the refurb warranty actually proved useful when I had a minor sensor issue early on. The local control through HA means you can set up proper automations without worrying about some random cloud service going down or changing their terms
One thing worth noting is that the zone cleaning works really well once you've mapped everything properly - I've got mine set to hit the kitchen after dinner prep and the living room before guests come over, all triggered through HA sensors rather than relying on their app scheduling
None of those options.
Buy a certified refurb L40 from Dreame's eBay store for $300.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/356930402616
Certified refurb products are basically brand new and come with a free 2 yearextended warranty. The L40 and Mova p10 pro ultra are identical robots (Mova and Dreame are sister companies) and both perform better than the QX revo, especially at obstacle avoidance.
Certified refurb L40 ultra for $252
https://www.ebay.com/itm/356930402616
Comes with 2 year extended warranty and Dreame's certified refurbs are practically brand new products. The L40 was one of the flagships of 2024 so you are getting a $1000 robot for a fraction of the price. Overall cleaning performance hasn't really improved in robots released in 2024 versus now, most manufacturers have been adding gimmicks or other QOL features like threshold climbing.
Depends on the price. For ~$279 the L40 ultra certified refurb from Dreame's eBay store is probably the best choice for the money right now.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/356930402616
Also make sure you are looking at the Mova p10 PRO ULTRA, the p10 pro ultra is identical to the L40 ultra.
Both the l40 and p10 pro ultra will be fine for your case. Just keep in mind robot vacs/mops do best at maintaining your floors. The robot will need to do a few deep cleans and then it will be able to maintain your floors provided you run it regularly. I run my robots daily or every other day.
In my opinion I would wait for another generation or two of roller mops before considering one. I have a Mova z60 and after working through some of its quirks, it's been a decent robot. The roller mop designs definitely have more maintenance and are less reliable than spinning mop designs which have been on the market for years now. My main issue right now with the z60 is how loud it is at max suction and the poor battery life, outside of those issues it cleans well and has good obstacle avoidance.
If you are dead set on roller mops, check out the Narwhal flow 2 and Mova z60. Both perform well and have great obstacle avoidance. I would recommend the Qrevo curv 2 flow if it weren't for Roborock's still horrible obstacle avoidance.
If you are willing to go spinning mop,
Check out the Dreame L40 certified refurb from their eBay store, it's $279 and cleans as well as the other flagships out right now and let's tou save money so you can get a roller mop robot later in the future when the designs are more refined.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/356930402616
I'm not an independent tester, I just have bought a few robots and research options since I find these robots facinating
I've had a wyze robot vacuum, Eufy x10, dreame x40, Qrevo slim and now a Mova z60 and v50.
For the best value, if you don't need threshold climbing and retracting lidar, I would 100% recommend the Dreame L40 Certified refurb deal on dreame's eBay page. Both of my x40s were certified refurbs and they worked very well, I would say even better than my z60. The spinning mops work well and it's a steal at $279.
The absolute best right now is likely the Dreame X60, probably put the Dreame L50 and Mova v50 (basically identical robots) after that and then the Qrevo CurvX
It's gotten better since the s7 maxv but it's not nearly as good as the competition currently. I tested a Qrevo slim for a while and it had their latest star sight navigation and obstacle avoidance. It was fine on hard floors but still ate cables on hard floors and was horrible on carpet.
Even their newer offerings are the same, tests well on hard floors but abysmal on carpet.
I have a Saros 20 and it's decent. Not worth the price roborock is asking because it's obstacle avoidance is abysmal. Worse than my old dreame x40 which can be had for around $300 now. I would instead get the dreame X60 or L60 as they are from the same generation of robots the Saros 20 is from. Dreame's obstacle avoidance is significantly better and cleaning performance between roborock and dreame is about equal.
In my opinion, unless you need threshold climbing and all the other gimmicks, I would just save my money and get a L40 ultra certified refurb for $270: https://www.ebay.com/itm/356930402616
Cleaning performance is about equal with the mid to high end robots of today while having good obstacle avoidance. Should be fine for an apartment of your size.
Dreame L40 Certified Refurb ($279)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/356930402616
This used to be a $1000 robovac back in 2024. Flagship level cleaning but now it's at the price of new entry level robots. It works as well as the new flagships but is missing some of the new features such as retracting lidar and threshold climbing.
Certified refurb is practically brand new and comes with a 2 year extended warranty through squaretrade. I've had two certified refurb Dreame x40s and they were brand new when I opened them.
Probably blows both of your current choices out of the water.
Because roborock has garbage obstacle avoidance, especially on carpet. Very few reviews test obstacle avoidance on carpet and the ones that do, clearly demonstrate the trend that roborocks obstacle avoidance is far worse than the competition.
If you want good obstacle avoidance look at Dreame/Mova , Narwhal and Eufy.
Return the roborock, save your money and get the L40 certified refurb. It will perform as well, at a fraction of the price and has good obstacle avoidance: https://www.ebay.com/itm/356930402616
Dreame x40/L40 certified refurb is the best robot for the money right now at $319 for the x40 and $280 for the L40. Basically identical robots but the x40 has a larger battery and marginally better obstacle avoidance.
Both are significantly better than anything on the market for the $500 price point and are about equal to performance of robots in the $500-1000 range. Both were flagships back in 2024 and cleaning performance has not improved meaningfully since then other than roller mop robots and cyclonic dust bins (Eufy s2). Real world obstacle avoidance is top notch, significantly better than anything from roborock, even their current flagship, the Saros 20 which I own.
If you aren't shopping for a $1000+ robot, you are better off saving your money and getting the certified refurb x40/l40 and wait a few years for the current flagships to become certified refurbs. The certified refurb models from Dreame are basically brand new and come with a 2 year extended warranty. I had two certified refurb x40s and they were great.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/358554971565
If you are getting an l40s ultra AE for around $350 that's a really good deal. L40s is a major downgrade in navigation and obstacle avoidance since it lacks the RGB camera. The X40 and L40 certified refurbs are the best value for money at $300 and $270.
I would go for the X40 at $300.
L40 ultra and P10 pro ultra are identical robots. The QX Revo is significantly worse than both the L40 and P10, especially when it comes to obstacle avoidance and navigation.
Keep the L40 Ultra and maybe buy an extended warranty from square trade for it. I usually buy from Dreame/Movas eBay store since buying an extended warranty through there is only like $35-70 extra
Mova V50 for homes that are primarily carpet. Mova z60 for mostly hard floors. Dreame also makes great robots such as the L40. The l40 ultra goes on sale for around $300-400 frequently, it was one of the flagship robots back in 2024 and it still cleans as well as the flagships today. The Mova p10 pro ultra is also a great option and comes in around $300-400 as well and is identical to the L40.
The l20 and l10 from Dreame are really old at this point and aren't great options.
What's your price range?
There are the fancy flagships with all their features like threshold climbing, roller mops, multiple mop pads, retracting lidar and made up pressure numbers. I've got a Mova v50 and z60, happy with both of them but had two certified refurbished Dreame X40 ultras before.
The x40s were basically flawless even though they were certified refurbs and ran daily on a schedule for over a year and a half before the front wheel broke and sent both in for warranty repairs through the extended warranty that you get with certified refurbs. Both were deemed unrepairable and I got a check for $1000 per robot. I bought my x40s for $800 through eBay.
Even with the issues I had, I still recommend the x40, the L40 and the Mova P10 pro ultra 1st gen (identical to the l40, mova is a sister company of Dreame). These bots have flagship level cleaning performance and obstacle avoidance but are just missing the over the top bells and whistles that frankly cause more issues such as battery drain.
Right now the certified refurb x40 is on sale through eBay for $319 which is an insanely good price considering it's a 1 year old flagship that performs better than any robot you can get even up.to the $500 price range.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/357118449793
Why? Just get the l40 certified refurb from Dreame's eBay store for $300 and don't use the mopping function. You get all the other flagship level features but don't have to use the mop.
Get the L40 ultra certified refurb from Dreames eBay store. It's practically identical to the x40 in cleaning performance only differing in it's battery size. It's on sale right now for $252. You could buy two of them and have one for downstairs and one upstairs if you really wanted to. Pair it with the tricut brush and you won't have to worry about hair tangles.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/356930402616
I had an x40 for two years before upgrading to a Mova v50. The x40 was excellent and the v50 isnt really better other than being quieter when on max suction and just quieter overall. I have three cats and my x40 did a great job picking up their hair and avoiding eating their cat toys.
Don't put much emphasis into the pascal ratings. They are all bullshit and don't really tell you how well the robots clean. Cleaning performance is a function of alot more variables than just pascals and the way each manufacturer tests isn't comparable.
Save your money, get the L40, it will be perfectly fine for your use case. If you really need special features like retracting lidar for better clearance and threshold climbing, check out the Mova V50, it is much better than the L40 gen 2, heck even the old L40 is better than the gen 2 since it has an actual obstacle avoidance system.
Dreame x40/L40 certified refurb is the best robot for the money right now at $319 for the x40 and $280 for the L40. Basically identical robots but the x40 has a larger battery and marginally better obstacle avoidance.
Both are significantly better than anything on the market for the $500 price point and are about equal to performance of robots in the $500-1000 range. Both were flagships back in 2024 and cleaning performance has not improved meaningfully since then other than roller mop robots and cyclonic dust bins (Eufy s2). Real world obstacle avoidance is top notch, significantly better than anything from roborock, even their current flagship, the Saros 20 which I own.
If you aren't shopping for a $1000+ robot, you are better off saving your money and getting the certified refurb x40/l40 and wait a few years for the current flagships to become certified refurbs. The certified refurb models from Dreame are basically brand new and come with a 2 year extended warranty. I had two certified refurb x40s and they were great.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/358554971565
If you are getting an l40s ultra AE for around $350 that's a really good deal. L40s is a major downgrade in navigation and obstacle avoidance since it lacks the RGB camera. The X40 and L40 certified refurbs are the best value for money at $300 and $270.
I would go for the X40 at $300.
Check this video out:
https://youtu.be/Pv9_2D_Xc5k?t=1362&si=fvDK2ObYibJ-bT3A
He goes through the local smart home integrations. Most brands right now have cloud control extensions such as Dreame, Mova, Eufy, Roborock. The newer models have local control.
Right now the best value for money is the Dreame L40 Certified Refurb for $279 https://www.ebay.com/itm/356930402616
I used to have two X40 (basically identical other than larger battery) certified refurbs and they were practically brand new and had no issues with them until the front wheel cracked. The certified refurbs come with a 2 year extended warranty through squaretrade, so I filed a claim and got refunded for each robot.
The L40 has been around since 2024 and was one of the flagships from then. Cleaning performance has not improved meaningfully since then. Instead the newer models have introduced new features/gimmicks such as threshold climbing, mop pad switching, dual solutions docks, and other small but not super meaningful changes in core cleaning performance. The only real leap has been roller mops, but they have their own issues such as leaking and extra maintenance.
The L40 is controllable through the Dreame HACS extension and it works really well through that. I used it for my Dreame x40 certified refurb and on my Mova V50. Exposes all the features into home assistant.
I would push you towards either Roborock or dreame as they both have the best robots in the game and some of the best apps. I would also suggest you to consider using the mopping feature as a lot of new vacuums now are able to smart detect carpet and other things to keep your floors safe. IF you’re not using the mopping feature then it’s super easy to keep you probably under $1500 for three of them without even thinking about it. The other thing I’m going to suggest is keeping all three of them in one ecosystem so you can set up smart schedules through your app and let it handle almost everything.
What I would do personally (if I had to buy 3)
X1 [Dreame L40 Ultra AE](https://a.co/d/13v1INz) ($999 each): put this in your highest traffic area and you will be blown away by how clean your floors get. [Review](https://youtu.be/0tDHbOp-WjY?si=igaZKjPZlbNyogeJ).
x2 [Dreame L40 Ultra](https://a.co/d/gHy9S4I) ($599 each). You could also just get three of these and be very happy. The L40 Ultra a phenomenal robot tha will do anything you could possibly think of asking it while also being able to handle tougher situations. [Review](https://youtu.be/51YlbWSDGDs?si=IoUXFZaR8w-rV58i). This is a steal at $599.
Personally, I would just buy two of the L40 ultra AEs and put the Rooma in that unfinished space you were talking about. I would also consider two [Roborock S8 ultra maxes](https://a.co/d/5n5nCQq). I have the S7 ultra and I would die for it.
I have the Dreame L40 ultra and am very happy with it. It looks like right now it can be had for $400 in the US. https://www.dreametech.com/products/l40ultra-robot-vacuum
I recommend the Dreame L40 Ultra with 11,000Pa suction. I run mine daily and it has been excellent. The mapping is reliable, the suction is strong, and the Leap Tech handles thresholds really well.
About baby gates: the robot will treat a closed baby gate like a wall. If it is closed, it will not pass. You can pause the vacuum, pick it up, place it on the other side, and restart.
Even if you do not plan to use the mop feature often, this model is still worth it. The base washes and dries the mop pads at the end of a mopping task. You can run vacuum only if you prefer. The mopping is optional and you never have to touch it unless you want to.
You cannot buy this model at Costco, but Amazon usually offers a 30 day return policy. I have purchased 4 of these for different homes and they all run perfectly in the same app.
Maintenance is very ADHD friendly. I spend about 5 to 20 minutes a week checking the robot and checking if anything needs attention. It auto empties, replacement parts are easy to order on Amazon, and the obstacle avoidance is extremely good. It works very well in homes with kids, pets, toys, or general clutter. I also found that once I started using the robot, it actually helped me clear my little clutter doom piles because I wanted it to be able to reach those areas and keep them clean.
For the $399 USD or $599 CAD, the value is really impressive! If you want something that can run daily without constant maintenance, this is the one I recommend.
Please update us on which one you get!
I am very pleased with our Dreame L40 Ultra (11,000Pa). Our was $600 CAD including taxes. For the amount you're looking to spend I think this is a great robot. They say robots don't replace regular vacuuming and mopping but for us, it does. All robots struggle with shag/high-pile rubs and fringe. But if you're rug is low pile, no problem. I bought the tri-cut brush ($29 CAD Amazon) to deal with long hair. No complaints. This robot has change my life. I am legit obsessed with it.
Best of luck to you and the robot you choose!
Laminate, even when labeled waterproof, can still be susceptible to warping from excess water. If you go with a Dreame robot, I’d keep the water saturation set to medium or lower.
We love our Dreame L40 Ultra (1st gen) and paid under $600 CAD. I’d recommend running it on CleanGenius mode. It usually takes about 1 to 3 weeks for it to learn the space and dial in the best cleaning pattern.
For a yoga studio, I’d definitely choose a model that washes mop pads with hot water and dries them after each run.
You’ll want one person responsible for running the robot through the app and checking that it’s operating properly. I do maintenance once a week, mostly checking the roller for hair and cleaning the base station, tray, and dock. Keep lots of extra replacement supplies on hand so you’re not caught short.
Also, upgrade to the tricut brush. It handles long hair far better and will save you a lot of frustration in a shared space like a studio.
If your cats are eating raw meat and it’s potentially getting on the floor, I wouldn’t run your robot near or over it. It’s just going to track that around your apartment and contaminate everything, including the base station
You’ll want to set a no-go zone around their eating area so it hopefully stays contained, or have them eat in a space the robot doesn’t enter (With only 45 square feet to work with though, that’s going to be tough /s)
You should search this sub for a combo of keywords like pets, long hair, hardwood. Posts that ask what the best robot is don't seem to get them many replies, cause there isnt a best robot. There's so much information in this sub just search keywords to get valuable info. Otherwise you're just gonna get info from the few people that happen to see and answer this thread.
I have purchased 4 Dreame L40 Ultra (First Gen)robots that I run in 3 households through the app. I'd recommend it but I don't think they're available anymore and the L40 Ultra Second Gen robot has downgraded some features and it's currently on sale for more than we paid.
For long hair, you’ll want a robot with a tri-cut brush or anti-tangle brush design. I added a tricut brush to all the robots I operate. They are about $25 CAD on Amazon.
Hey! We have tumbled travertine tile with holes and wide grout lines. We have the Dreame L40 Ultra (Gen 1), which does a decent job, but isn't perfect. We had low expectations due to the rustic and chaotic nature of our natural flooring but we are quite happy! We don't use the mopping as frequently but we run the vacuum nightly to help with any crumbs we may have missed
We didn't want to mop often as we didn't want the tile treatment to wear off soon, but our vacuum only uses water on the floor so we mop about once a week
Edit: since you don’t need mopping, look into the SwitchBot K10+ or SwitchBot K11+. If you buy through Amazon, you can usually take advantage of their return policy if it doesn’t perform well on your tile. We previously had the K10+ and I was really happy with it for the price. The only downside was that third-party replacement parts weren’t widely available, so replacements were a bit more expensive. The K10+ robot is so small it would actually fit between our barstool legs and in to small areas!
Happy with all 4 of the Dreame L40 First Gen robots that run on my app. Amazing obstacle avoidance.
https://preview.redd.it/e0j2kl46a0xg1.jpeg?width=1320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e93d85cfadad65449f45c5cadfcc704040ff9fa5
We love our Dreame L40 Ultra (11,000 suction). I've bought 3 units, one for a senior family member. It's been a game changer. I maintain the maintenance on the robot by checking on it when I visit and then I operate it through the app. It's been so amazing! I got it on sale in Canada for less than $600.
They say robot vacuums don't replace regular vacuuming but with mostly LVP, tiles and rugs, I haven't pulled out the regular vacuuming in 3 months.
No pets or kids in our homes.
It's not about finding the best vacuum, it's about finding the best one for you.
Buy it now. You'll get two months out of use before the next sale which is worth more than if it drops in price a little. We ordered ours and it arrives this Saturday!
I've bought 4 Dreame L40 Ultras (11,000 suction power) for me and two other people. They used to be the flagship model for $1499 and recent we bought ours for less than $600. Great value for the price. We are very happy
I think the Switchbot k10+ pro or the new K11 woudk be good options. They are cheap and relatively efficient if the floors are clear from debris.
If you need good object avoidance I'd go for the Dreame L40 Ultra and don't use the mopping feature.
The app is better on the Dreame as you have more control and you can use the camera when it gets stuck and it takes photos of items it avoids.
I'm saying this assuming your photo is a smooth concrete.
I find if I really want your robot vacuum to work optimally, I need to rearrange some furniture to give it more room. So in the first photo I'd leave more space between the rug and the terracotta, I'd move to terracotta to another spot, or I'd manually maintain that spot if the plant pot was dear to me. But I've learned overtime is I'd rather rearrange my furniture or get rid of some little accessories that get in the way so that my robot can work the best.
This all being said the Dreame L40 has been great with the brushes they spin and they flare out to clean around chair, legs, and plant pot bases. But no vacuum is perfect. Everyone is gonna leave a little bit of room for improvement. But see if rearranging some things around your home might help your robot navigate and clean better.
I run 4 Dreame L40 Ultras on my app. 3 of the vacuums, I manage for seniors, that do not live in my household.
Basically, I bought 1 robot for a friend and got used to the app and I really liked the level of clean it brought to their home (especially for the value). At the time the robots were $699 CAD.
Then I wanted a unit for my mom, and I knew I liked my friend's robot and I was familiar with the app so we went for it. My friend wanted another robot for the second floor and after looking around we decided to stay with Dreame and the price had dropped $100 so I bought them another L40 and finally bought one for myself.
I talk with them about the best time for cleaning and set up the cleaning schedules for their homes, through the app.
You can even set the robot up that you can push a button to start it or they can talk to it (but that might feel weird for them if they aren't used to using technology).
Anyways, the robot and the app have become a hobby for me and I genuinely enjoy using it! So if you're open to assisting with the tech, this might be an option for you. They can also have the app on a phone or a tablet.
Robots do not manage well on high-pile or shag carpets so you may have to set it up to avoid those areas depending on the length of the pile.
Setting them up on a daily or every other day cleaning schedule may work. You'll also need obstacle avoidance to be a priority with the robot you choose for them.
100%. I love our Dreame L40 Ultra with 11,000Pa. It was less than $600 CAD and is even less on Amazon USA. The mop pads are removed through the app so you can choose which setting to use. I originally bought a robot without mapping and then upgraded to the mop, initially thinking I wouldn’t use it. Even if you only run the mop occasionally, it feels so freeing to not have to vacuum and mop!
As for the tanks being cleaned out I bought 200 denture tablets and drop one in the dirty tank each time I empty it. It keeps it from stinking and it keeps the biofilm from growing and sticking to the sides.
Also, I've bought the Dreame L40 and love it !
Please correct me if I am wrong, but this actually looks like Berber carpet, not high-pile. Think of high-pile like a shag rug. It's long and can get tangled or damaged by beater bars and the long shag pieces can stifle the suction of vacuums.
Berber is thick and dense but this kind of rug would be good with any mid range robot. We love our Dreame L40 ultra!
Yes, we have travertine floors with wide grout lines. Our robot cleans the tile good but the grout lines are wide and deep so it doesn't get down in there. Once a banana got smooshed in the grout and I cleaned it by hand.
The robot is louder on tile, but we run it at night or when we are out at appointments so it doesn't bother us.
You can see what our floor looks like by searching "travertine tile wide grout lines" and ours is the staggered pattern.
I don't think any robot will clean grout great, but I'm interested to hear what others have to say.
We have the Dreame L40 Ultra, 11,000 Pa
You can buy a threshold ramp to help the robot get over this threshold. I have the Dreame L40 Ultra and it does get over higher thresholds but 1 inch is quite high. As another commenter mentioned give it 6-18 months and more robots that have leap and climbing technology will be available in the market. For now try searching for “threshold ramp” to see if this will fix your problem for now.
For 2 of the vacuums we bought a $30 tricut brush because long hair gets tangled. Now long hair isn't a problem.
Buy the MOVA cleaning solution if it's cheaper because it is literally the exact same packaging and product with the same item # just a different name on the bottle.
Other than that I am very happy with the object avoidance.
Oh it's not great at recognizing the exact edges of rugs and I am picky so I go in the app and adjust the sizes to make it more accurate
That's all I can think of so far.
The first L40 Ultra we bought was during the July prime sale and it currently has 31,000 minutes of cleaning minutes without issue. It's run daily (no kids and no pets).
I am not an early adopter when it comes to tech. I went with an older model and we are very happy with it. We went with the Dreame L40 Ultra for less than $600 CAD including taxes.
The Shark and Roombas are behind in technology and rarely get recommended in this sub. Also, I think companies purposely try to confuse buyers with confusing names and similar models with a combination of letters and numbers. Also, robots and AI are booming now and a lot of growth is happening in this niche and that's a big reason why new models keep coming out. Typically when a new flagship is released the older models retail prices get reduced.
I've found that doing weekly maintenance keeps me on top of any potential issues before they happen. I rinse the filter every few days and clean the dustbin weekly. I purchased a "tricut brush" so that I don't have to cut off long hair from the brush. I also give all the sensors a dry wipe once a week and I dust clean the exterior.
For households your robot will operate best if you clear clutter from your floors and make picking up (toys, cords, shoes, laundry) a regular part of your day before running the vacuum. AI obstacle has come a long way since my first Roomba and I rarely have my robot get stuck or vacuum up a cord.
Basically it sounds like your old robot is old so I think you'll be happy with a mid-range model. There is no need for you to spend $1000+ to be very happy.
PS: all vacuums have quirks that you learn and there isn't a "best vacuum" only a "best vacuum for you, your home and your budget". So don't get super stressed about a decision.
For example start reading reviews on the Dreame L40 Ultra (11,000 suction power) and see if it's the right fit for you. If not, then find another recommendation and do that same thing until you find one that you want to purchase. Amazon has a good return policy (read the details before purchasing) so if you buy a defective model you can return it.
Edit: clarity
I guess if the goal is to point out all the negatives with robot vacuum shopping, then I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. But if you’re looking for real-world, hands-on experience from someone who also felt completely overwhelmed by all the choices and mixed reviews, I’m just trying to share how I personally worked through it.
Thousands of robot vacuums get purchased every week. Some people have bad experiences, others end up really happy. If every time someone recommends a model you go straight to the worst reviews or the handful of people who had failures, you’ll never find a robot that feels “safe” to buy. Every single model has bad reviews. That’s just the reality.
You can stay paralyzed by all the possibilities of what could go wrong, or you can pick one, see how it performs in your home, and if it doesn’t meet your expectations, just return it to Amazon
I agree that “more expensive” doesn't mean better and like you said every “best” vacuum will still has plenty of negative reviews. I was stuck choosing between the different versions of the Dreame L40, and I ended up going with the cheapest one because a higher price didn’t guarantee a better robot. Even the more premium L50 had too many consistent problems that I didn't want to take a chance on.
VacuumWars actually gave the Dreame L40 Ultra favorable carpet performance reviews at least twice the most recent one was in October. Vacuum Wars tends to review based on obstacle course type of testing though versus actually using it in their homes. And for what it’s worth, our oldest L40 Ultra has cleaned over 10,000 m² and logged over 28,000 minutes of runtime, and we’ve genuinely been very happy with it.
If your main point is that this industry is intentionally confusing, deceptive, and premium models don't preform better and too many new robots are released to add to the confusion, I agree and I think most others in this sub would as well. I held back on buying a robot for a long time before reading threads and reviews for months.
Once I got our current vacuum it was so far ahead of our old Roomba that I wished I'd pulled the trigger sooner. And that I could get this kind of automationfor less than $600 was mind blowing. If you do decide on buying one I'd love an update. I'm curious how long it'll take you to decide on one, if you'll be happy with it and which model you end up choosing. So please, update this thread to let us know if you buy one, or not
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Reliable, great mopping (lifts pads), but poor cable avoidance.
asdfer1235
