Robot Vacs *without* WiFi

I’ve learned something from owning many robot vacuums—the $1300 vac that refills itself using water from the air, the $1200 one that can steer around Legos…and the $80 models with button controls and no unique features whatsoever.

The advanced ones have always, without exception, been obnoxious to own. With all those advanced features and systems, there is always some issue that you need to fix before you can clean your floors. Notwithstanding the 5-star reviews on every website, and their promises that you won’t need to do any maintenance or even touch the vacuum for 180+ days, these expensive robots have always ended up being headaches. I’ve gotten rid of all of them within months.

What have actually earned a place on every floor of my house are the simple, cheap robot vacuums—the ones that have zero “advanced” features and, major point, do not require an Internet connection. I can’t tell you how liberating it is to just press a button and have the floors be clean. Yes, you have to pick up some clutter first (or sweep it all toward the wall and make a barrier), and yes, I do need to empty the dustbin once in a blue moon. But the endless hassles of ownership are just not there.

I’ve already recommended one vacuum that is like this, and look forward to recommending a couple more in weeks to come.