The 5 Best Robotic Floor Moppers of 2019

Floor polishers are a type of household robot used for cleaning floors. They differ fundamentally from robotic vacuum cleaners: they lack a suction port and, in principle, the ability to vacuum up debris. This type of equipment is suitable for dry and wet floor cleaning, removing dried dirt, dust, and sticky stains. However, there are exceptions, or combination models: vacuum cleaner and floor polisher. In this article, we reviewed the best robotic floor polishers of 2019. However, before reading the ratings, we recommend carefully reading about how to choose the right floor polisher and which model performs best.

Tips for choosing

Important! The updated 2020 robotic floor cleaning rating is available at this link: https://robovac.washerhouse.com/en/rejtingi/robovac-top-5-robotov-poloterov-2020-goda.html.

The first thing I'd like to point out is that there aren't many floor polishers on the market that can autonomously move around a room and do their job. Overall, about 10 models are well-known and popular in the CIS.

So, let's get right to the point: which floor polisher performs better? There are two main cleaning methods: a cloth attached to the bottom or rotating discs with cloths attached. There's also a version with a cloth attached to a moving block, but only one line of floor polishers is designed this way (HOBOT Legee-668, 669, and 668).

As practice shows, rotating discs are better at cleaning floors, and here's why:

1. Larger contact patch with the floor covering.
2. The friction process is more intense and, as a result, the floor is cleaned.

I'd like to explain the second point in more detail. Floor polishers with a cloth attached to the bottom move on wheels, so the body, like the microfiber itself, doesn't press as firmly against the floor. As a result, the robotic polisher doesn't scrub away dirt, but rather wipes it away.

Models with rotating discs move across the surface using the same discs. This means the body itself (which weighs about 2 kg) presses on the rotating disc wheel, which in turn moves the robot and scrubs the floor. This is a significant advantage of this type of floor polisher.

Below are visual illustrations of all three floor cleaning technologies:

The video shows a comparison of robotic mops. One is the popular iRobot Braava Jet 240 with a cloth attached to the bottom (in the second video, the Braava 380T), and the second is the Everybot RS500, which has rotating discs:

As you can see, a polisher with discs copes better with difficult stains.

Otherwise, when choosing, consider the following points:

1. Control method: Can be a remote control or a mobile app.
2. Battery life. The longer the battery life, the longer the robot's cleaning cycle and, consequently, the larger the cleaning area.
3. Approved flooring types for floor polishers. Models with a water spray are not suitable for use on natural wood floors or non-water-resistant laminate, as they may be damaged by the large amount of water.
4. Navigation. Some new models can create a room map for cleaning large areas. Navigation can be achieved using a gyroscope, lidar, or camera.

Having determined all the nuances, you can move on to choosing the appropriate model.

Rating of the best models

So, in our opinion, the best robotic floor polishers of 2019 are represented by the following devices:

1. Everybot RS700
2. Hobot Legee-688
3. iRobot Braava 390T
4. iRobot Braava Jet 240
5. Scarlett SC-MR83B99

Let's look at the features of each floor polisher and the reasons why it ranks in a certain place in the TOP-5.

The leader of our rating isEverybot RS700, which costs $179 at the time of publication. This is the type of floor polisher with rotating discs that scrub dirt off the floor. This model is suitable for both tile and wood floors (parquet or laminate). The battery life is 100 minutes (two 50-minute cycles), and the robot covers approximately 30 square meters of space in one cycle. Gyroscope navigation is supported, and manual control is also possible with a remote control. An important feature of this model is that it has a light sensor, so after cleaning, it will stop in a well-lit area. This means you won't have to search for it under furniture or in corners.

This robot is also great because it can be used to clean vertical surfaces (windows, wall tiles, glass doors, etc.). One downside is the lack of mapping for cleaning multiple rooms. However, considering the cleaning performance of the Everybot RS700, these are minor. It's also worth noting that this floor polisher is charged on a special base, which is available as an option. Although charging is manual, placing the robot on this base is much easier than plugging in a cord. Compared to a fully automatic charging system, manual placement is no worse, as even with automatic operation, the robotic floor polisher still needs maintenance: removing cloths, emptying the tank, etc. Therefore, fully automating the cleaning process is still not possible.

Second place goes to Hobot Legee-688, which can function as both a full-fledged robotic vacuum cleaner and a floor polisher. This model is equipped with unique moving pads with nozzles located between them for surface wetting. The robot can not only scrub surfaces but also wash and vacuum them.

Round cloths are better at removing stubborn stains (if we're talking about the leader of the rating), but the Hobot Legee-688 pre-collects dust and is also equipped with laser navigation, making it capable of working on larger areas (up to 150 square meters).

Additionally, the model features mapping, multiple cleaning modes, high suction power (up to 2100 Pa), and the ability to adjust the water flow rate between the microfibers. This is a completely different type of robotic mop that performs excellently on hard, flat surfaces. Price: $300.

Third place goes to the robotic floor polisher iRobot Braava 390TThe cloth is attached to the bottom of the unit, making it less effective than the leading model (this is evident in the video above, even though the comparison is with the entry-level RS500 model). However, at around $200, the floor polisher can map the room, is controlled via smartphone, and can clean up to 54 square meters of dry space or 33 square meters of wet space in a single cycle (240 minutes of runtime on a single charge). It's also important to note that the base charges automatically.

Overall, if you want a more autonomous robotic floor cleaner, Hobot and iRobot are better options, but if floor cleaning quality is a priority, Hobot/EuryBot are a better choice. One important drawback of iRobots is that they are not suitable for use on natural wood floors, as they can damage them with the excessive liquid spray.

In fourth place is another floor polisher from iRobot - Braava Jet 240It's more compact and can not only mop but also clean the floor (by spraying a liquid in front of it). It's important to note that the iRobot 240 is not recommended for wood floors, as it may cause problems after cleaning laminate or parquet surfaces. As for tiles, the robot has no issues.

Overall, the battery lasts for 240 minutes of operation, there is Wi-Fi control, automatic charging on the base, but there is no mapping. If you need exactly washing robot, then this option is more preferable, however, as a robotic floor polisher, you have seen its higher efficiency compared to its analogue.

Incidentally, the area cleaned with dry mopping is 60 square meters, while with wet mopping, it's up to 30 square meters. The cost is lower, averaging around $150 in 2019.

And finally, our list ends with the most budget-friendly robotic floor polisher.Scarlett SC-MR83B99It costs around $50 in 2019, which is affordable for most. While its functionality and floor cleaning quality are significantly inferior to those of the competitors ranked above, the price is also 3-6 times lower, which is important to consider.

Speaking of features and specifications, we highlight a battery life of up to 90 minutes on a single charge, optical sensors for spatial orientation, manual charging, and three operating modes. The model is also available in white, calledSC-MR83B77.

So, we've reviewed the best robotic floor moppers of 2019. As you can see, you can choose an option that suits not only your desired functionality but also your budget.

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• The best window cleaning robots
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