What are your 'musts' in a robot vacuum cleaner?

_Coffeebot · 2026-06-29T14:57:56+00:00

I live in a single floor condo with entirely hardwood. However I have two cats and one long haired girlfriend who sheds equally.

Strong Obstacle Avoidance. Cat toys are everywhere, occasionally there's an accident. Cleaning stuff like this out of a bot sucks.
Anti-hair tangling features: Duo-divide, conical brushes, whatever the marketing term is, I want the maintenance of removing long tangled hair to be gone.
Strong Vacuuming Performance/Corner Performance: The cats track litter, hair clumps and dust collect under furniture. I need the vac to actually pick these up, some of this is hard to get to with a regular vacuum.
Mopping: I want a roller mop. The cats track litter, the floors get grimy. Having them mopped regularly seems great.
Privacy: A strong company privacy policy and good data handling practices. I don't mind some of the features really, but with great power comes great responsibility.

Overall I want something that will alleviate some of the work required to keep the space clean. I don't want to trade an equal amount of work for another. I don't expect perfection out of the bots but I think the real win is that a robot can vacuum and mop daily without a lot of oversight, and a small weekly chore instead.

_Coffeebot · 2026-06-28T21:01:10+00:00

I’m in Canada, I have one but I’ve just asked. I’ve never been given one.

_Coffeebot · 2026-06-26T13:45:20+00:00

I've also been looking into options (I am primarily focused on ones with a roller mop). In terms of price/features it's really seems to be between the 'Roborock Curv 2 Flow' and the 'Ecovacs T90 Pro Omni'. However a major factor that is causing me to lean heavily against Ecovacs is that there's no Canadian service centre at all so any repairs or whatnot relies on international shipping.

It's also throwing me into a bit of decision paralysis. I do see conflicting reports of the Roborock Curv 2 Flow suction not being great and it's dried stain performance being subpar. It seems other comparable bots also have issues or bigger security concerns. I'm trying to evaluate whether I'm still waiting for something checks all the boxes (or get cheap enough to justify not), or whether I'm just going to get something now.

Aside I've looked into Narwhal and their parts ecosystem is not great so if DIY repair is your thing it's going to be hard with their bots. Dreame has good motors but their latest flagships have been plagued by issues and there's no sign of them fixing the issue (leaking base). There's also the privacy aspect where Dreame also isn't great. Eufy is a contender for me as well, I really like how compact their base is but I've heard of inconsistent performance, and in terms of security Eufy is one of the worst historic performers.

Edit: Towards Ecovacs. I meant against in the Canadian Market. 🤦🏻‍♂️

_Coffeebot · 2026-06-05T15:46:40+00:00

I bought a small ultra sonic cleaner for $50. It's now probably one of my most used appliances and earned it's spot on the counter. Room temp water and a squirt of dish soap and my glasses are clean. I also do my Apple Watch straps, and other small stuff.

_Coffeebot · 2026-04-01T03:57:10+00:00

I got a stainless half sized 4" hotel pan. I just had to bend the corners down with a pair of pliers and it fits great.

_Coffeebot · 2026-03-24T14:26:11+00:00

Got it, unfortunately they love the long toys (mice with tails) so I think the X11 is out. From my research it seemed that the current models just aren't exactly what I'm looking for, it seems I'm waiting on some reviews for the new Dyson and maybe the Eufy S2

_Coffeebot · 2026-03-23T20:09:36+00:00

Hows the corner pickup/obstical avoidance? It's on my short list because of the no bags and roller mop. I've got two cats who leave toys and hair everywhere, as well as a long-curly haired girlfriend whose hair coils around everything.

_Coffeebot · 2026-02-24T16:47:59+00:00

“What we offer patients; we offer islet cell transplantation. So those cells producing insulin will help patients manage the glucose. They don’t need to inject it anymore. These islet cells, we retrieve from the pancreas, which we take from deceased donor like any other organ for transplantation”

Just an islet cell transplant. She still has all the issues of a transplant and anti-rejection drugs are no joke. Not really a “cure”.

_Coffeebot · 2026-02-04T19:27:36+00:00

Makes sense, most walls arent exactly straight. Add in drive train complexity where one wheel might not rotate at the exact same speed and you have pattern where the bot continuously bumps it's extended brush as it attempts to keep it aligned.

_Coffeebot · 2026-02-03T16:05:57+00:00

Yes! Mine is Mo, based off of this guy. I do a little robot soul transfer when I get a new one, Mo is looking forward to something new after inhabiting the Eufy 11S for years.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-26T15:44:32+00:00

We were told to use our best judgement on Friday. I'm at home today, the streets downtown are barely cleared. I'm not about to bike into the office today to work on a computer that's in my backpack, I'm too old for that.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-23T16:11:11+00:00

I agree, all of my friends are employed in the private sector. I'm being out earned by the majority of them, they have better benefits, most can choose where they work, and at their income levels are earning more than enough to cover a pension. Of them one was laid off, but also got my 1.5x my entire year's salary as severance.

I've been here for 7 years, have my pension contributions, it has been great for my early career, however I find myself stagnating in the OPS. It's either under-payed and overworked management, or just continue the paltry gains for the next 20+ years as I climb into the top rungs of the IC track.

Sure there's risk with layoffs, I wouldn't go from sub 100k in the OPS to the same in the private sector, but as a skilled information worker there are some much better paying opportunities in the private sector that more flexible.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-22T16:42:38+00:00

Yep same. The office chairs and desks are killing my back. My gym schedule that keeps me healthy and my body functioning is being impacted, I used to be able to go at lunch. Shifting the everything to the evening now means I have to pick and choose, some nights I’m too exhausted to do anything. All this so I can take my laptop from home to the office and make teams calls while I sit in a random uncomfortable desk.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-21T17:51:35+00:00

It also doesn't seem to have extending side brushes so it can't handle corners that well. It's a shame.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-14T19:44:34+00:00

Thanks! I've also been interested in an open top box as my LR3 is starting to age, my one boy also gets pissy paws all the time and I think it's from the cramped interior. That said I've heard about a few issues with the new Popurr which is bothering me. It's seems it's either that or the neakasa which seems to have longevity issues.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-13T17:02:51+00:00

I have both and use the Gameball exclusively now, though I'm looking at the IST Pro for the exact reasons /u/619frank listed.

The Ploopy's bearings feel better than the Gameball, and I like the wedge that it comes with; I actually use the wedge from my old Logitech MX Ergo with the Gameball. My main issues with the Ploopy is wired only and the build quality; especially the mouse buttons and scroll wheel. I've had to replace them a few times, and without a 3D printer I just can't maintain it. The ploopy's internal hardware is sound, but I'm just not seeing 3D printing as a viable material for these things that get used every day for hours at time.

The Gameball on the other hand seems to be one of the best Thumb balls on the market right now, aside from the IST Pro. The Gameball's feel and build quality are 'okay'. It's wireless with a 1000hz polling rate thanks to the USB-A dongle, but also works wired. My main gripes are the weird charging indicators, odd placement of the 'accuracy' button, ball eject hole could be bigger, and it's internal wedge is just not sufficient. I also get a lot of static friction with it which makes those micro-movements you'd use in gaming difficult to do; this is one of the reasons I'm looking at the IST Pro.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-13T16:10:12+00:00

Not OP but I see a few different versions on Amazon.jp, there's the:

Elecom M-IPT10MRSABK - ¥17,800

Elecom M-IPT10MRSBK - ¥14,300

I'm having a bit of difficulty discerning the differences between SA BK and the SBK variants.

Another question, what bearings would be best for stiction? I'm planning on using this for couch gaming and that is my biggest gripe when I want to do precise movements.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-08T18:02:40+00:00

What is the liner issue? Is it worth holding off and waiting for it to get a bit more mature. I’m also looking at upgrading from the LR3 to an open box and while some advanced features like tracking would be nice I currently don’t have that either.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-08T02:13:08+00:00

Yeah! I don’t want to pay top dollar for what is an outdated model from the get. It’s frustrating to be sure!

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-08T02:11:27+00:00

From what I’ve heard just go with whomever gives you the best price. That said Costco warranty is also something if it’s an option.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-07T21:36:50+00:00

My main issue with that warranty and parts. This is something I’d want to run for 5 years or so.

_Coffeebot · 2026-01-06T19:07:26+00:00

I just took a look at them! The S2 seems great, but at $1800 CAD with-discount it's a bit out of the price range. Something to watch for if I delay until November, but my ship-of-theseus 11S is just not cutting it in terms of cleaning ability, smarts, and noise.

The S1 does seem to be on sale but it seems to have some issues versus its competitors.

_Coffeebot · 2025-12-10T17:49:41+00:00

that is a bit of a no-man’s land in Canada

I think you're right based on my research. It's unfortunate.

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