Roomba J7 Plus (Out of stock): Roomba may still be the most recognized name in robot vacuums, and that's not only because it was a pioneer in the space, but because it continues to make very good robot vacuums. The Roomba J7 Plus may not be the newest model on the block from iRobot, but it still offers solid performance. During our lab tests, the Roomba J7 Plus swept up all the sand in our hardwood floor testing. It also does so efficiently with its RGB camera and 3D sensor for navigation and obstacle recognition. This comes in clutch when there is the ever-fear-inducing pet defecation that tends to end up in the path of a robot vacuum. While the Roomba J7 Plus lacks a built-in mop, the docking station will automatically empty the debris picked up by the vac. This way, the next time your floors are ready to be swept, your Roomba J7 Plus will be fully charged, empty of dirt and ready to go.
Dreame X40 Ultra: Replaced by the Dreame X50 Ultra, the X40 Ultra is still a very capable robot vacuum. While it didn't top the list, when cleaning up messes on hardwood floors, the X40 Ultra nabbed over 95% of the sand in our tests. The impressive robo vac has a side brush that will extend out to reach into corners and right up against baseboards to ensure the entire floor is cleaned. In addition to the swing-out brush, the spinning mop pads can also extend to reach hard-to-reach areas. When mopping, the X40 Ultra collects dirty water and returns it to the base station to empty it, clean the mop pads and get more clean water. At the end of the entire cleaning task, the base empties the dust from the vacuum and dries out the mop pads with 158 degrees Fahrenheit water and air. The reason it doesn't make our primary list is that at $1,500 MSRP and around $1,000 on sale, it's still a very expensive model compared to competitors that perform better for less.
Roomba Combo J7 Plus: The Roomba Combo J7 Plus is the mopping-capable model of the Roomba J7. At $599 MSRP, it's not too expensive, delivering excellent hardwood floor results by picking up 100% of sand. It does pretty well on carpet, getting 61.9% of sand from low-pile and 59.86% from mid-pile. However, this is one of iRobot's older models, with a somewhat outdated navigation system and no lidar. While there is a base station, there's no water tank included, which holds it back compared to cheaper options from Yeedi and others.
Dreame X50 Ultra: The Dreame X50 Ultra is a robot vacuum we liked for its ability to get over obstacles as tall is 2.36 inches by deploying a pair of legs. It also has strong navigation chops and can do vacuuming and mopping with its all-in-one base station. Hardwood performance is OK at 62% sand pickup, but nothing special compared with other robot vacuums on our list, which can get as high as 90%. At $1,700 MSRP and sometimes on sale for $1,400, it's one of the most expensive robot vacuums we recommend. The high price tag and average hardwood performance keep it from earning a spot on this list, but we still like it for those with challenging transition strips.
Eufy Robovac 25C: You might not expect sufficient cleaning power from a budget-priced robot vacuum, but that's precisely what the Anker Eufy Robovac 25C delivers. For instance, its ability to scour sand from hardwood floors (78.9%) wasn't too far below some of our midrange robot vacuums. On low- and mid-pile carpets as well, the RoboVac 25C managed to suck up averages of 54% and 52% of sand from them, respectively. To keep costs down, it uses a simple bump-and-change direction navigation method, which extends cleaning time to about 91 minutes in testing to clean a single room. Despite the longer time, the cleaning performance makes it a great value. However, it doesn't earn a spot on our list due to the lack of navigation capabilities, making it hard to use it solely for hardwood floors or vary suction strength for carpet.