Mopping the floor should be on my list of things I hate.
Have you ever wished you could outsource survey duties at home?
No, I’m not talking about hiring an assistant because that would be very expensive. I’m talking about a robot mop that does it for you any time you want it without complaint.
In this article I will reveal 5 of the best robotic wipers on the market. They all have various features and prices to suit your needs.
Table of Contents
Specifications comparison
| Rank |
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model |
iRobot Braava 380t |
iRobot Braava Jet 240 |
ILIFE V7S |
ILIFE X5 |
ILIFE V5 PRO |
| the show length |
150 – 210 minutes
|
3 hours
|
140 minutes
|
90 minutes
|
140 minutes
|
| diameter (inch) |
15th
|
13.39
|
13.39
|
12.2
|
11.81
|
| length in inches) |
4.5
|
3.15
|
3.62
|
2.99
|
2.76
|
| Cleaning radius |
350 to 1000 square feet
|
up to 200 square feet
|
150 – 200 square meters.
|
180 square meters
|
90 – 150 square meters.
|
| Scan Modes |
(1) dry sweep
(2) wet mop |
(1) dry sweep
(2) wet mop (3) wet mop |
(1) wet mop
|
(1) wet mop
(2) Vacuum + dry mop |
(1) wet mop
(2) Vacuum + dry mop |
| HEPA filter |
 |
|
|
 |
|
| Water tank capacity |
Unavailable
|
150 ml
|
.45 liters
|
0.3 liters
|
0.3 liters
|
| battery |
2,000 mAh NiMH
|
Li-Ion
|
Li-ion battery with a capacity of 2600 mAh
|
Li-ion battery with a capacity of 2600 mAh
|
Li-ion battery with a capacity of 2600 mAh
|
| Shipping time |
2 hours
|
2 hours
|
Apox. 300 minutes
|
Apox. 300 minutes
|
Apox. 300 minutes
|
| Guarantee |
1 year.
|
1 year.
|
12 Months / 45 Days Money Back Guarantee (Read Warranty Details Here)
|
12 Months / 45 Days Money Back Guarantee (Read Warranty Details Here)
|
12 Months / 45 Days Money Back Guarantee (Read Warranty Details Here)
|
| price |
Why do you need one?
The market for robotic vacuum cleaners is growing every year due to the increasing preoccupation of people.
There are a lot of double income families which means that both husband and wife have a job. This means less time to do hard chores like scanning.
Increased disposable income means that couples can afford such luxuries. The good news is that spending more than $200 isn’t a requirement thanks to Chinese brands like ILIFE.
How to choose a robotic mop?
You have a few options when it comes to choosing a job.
In my opinion, the best of the bunch is still the iRobot Braava which combines true back-and-forth scanning with efficient navigation. But these bots cost over $200 and have absolutely no timeline.
Another option would be Scooba, another iRobot product. This is the only robot that deep cleans bare floors such as tiles using hard bristles and then absorbs excess water.
Unfortunately, iRobot has discontinued production of the Scooba. The ones you see for sale are mostly used robots.
If you can get one in good condition, you’ll get a tool that deep cleans textured floors but it won’t come cheap.
The last option would be a hybrid robot and scan that can vacuum and scan – sometimes at the same time! Some of the brands that offer this include Moneual Rydis, ILIFE, Jisiwei, and Ainol to name a few.
Unlike the Braava, these vacuum and mop hybrids don’t have a true back-and-forth mopping motion.
These robots use the same pattern when cleaning as they do mopping so they don’t do well in terms of arousal. But if your goal is maintenance, scanning these machines will do the job.
Our pick: the iRobot Braava 380t
The iRobot Braava 380t is our pick because it has 5 real sweeping motions. With this machine you can wipe dry or wet mop but it doesn’t have any vacuum function and no pad. So you will have to pick this up after each scanning cycle.
iRobot Braava will provide consumers with the best scanning functionality out of the 5 robotic mops on this list.
Unlike the hybrids I mentioned in the previous section, the Braava 380t doesn’t have any vacuum function. This is a robotic mop in the truest sense of the word.
Comes in box with 2 holders and 1 cleaning cloth – dry wipe / sweep and wet wipe.
Hit the wet wipe mode and it will go in an efficient scrubbing pattern (similar to Neato) then go in the same short sweeping motion back and forth. It is a sweeping process similar to what you would do with a hand squeegee.
Watch this video to see what I mean…
This robot uses the “NorthStar Navigation Cube” that acts as the 380t’s eyes to help it track its location, build a map of the area, and avoid obstacles and cliff points such as stairs when it encounters them.
iRobot recommends placing this cube on a raised area such as a work surface.
But all is not well with this scanning bot. It does not have a docking station where you return to it after the cleaning cycle.
What it includes is a charging stand where you will have to physically pick up the robot and charge it manually.
Another downside is the inability to schedule which means this is not completely hands free. The space you can mop is limited because the mop is small. Multi-room scanning is not possible.
But if you only want wet or wet wipe, this is the best option.
The best way to use this is a warm or hot water soak from the tap, wring out the excess water and then attach it to a wet mop bracket and let it run in the wet mop position.
By doing this, you don’t need to wait for the mop to get wet because you may already have soaked it. Another tip is to spray a cleaning solution (iRobot sells this by the way) on the mop to take full advantage of the mopping action this brings to the table.
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This is the best real robotic mop on the market right now excluding any mop. It’s efficient, gives you good thrills with the sweeping action and doesn’t cost as much as a scuba. Remember that this device does not have any vacuuming function, so you may want to consider investing in a device like the Roomba 980 or 960.
2: iRobot Braava Jet 240
The Braava Jet 240 is a cheaper version of the Braava 380T. This type does not have any water tank, so you will use wet or dry disposable pads. It has a sprayer in the front that sprays water in front of the robot while it is mopping. Reusable pads are also available but at an additional cost.
Most of the robot mops I’ve tested on this blog use a built-in gravity-based water tank system for water to reach the pad underneath.
This is where the Braava Jet 240 is unique. Instead of water slowly dripping toward the mop underneath, there’s a mist up front that automatically jets water in front of the robot before it goes through the mop.
It has three cleaning modes – dry mop, wet mop and wet mop mode.
In dry erase mode, the robot simply moves in a straight pattern back and forth.
Let me put the question this way. Think of a dry sweep mode like mopping the floor with a microfiber towel. Small particles of dirt like dust stick to the towel and are effective in cleaning this towel.
Even things like hair will stick to the towel. The downside is that it won’t be able to clean up a large area. It will only cover an area as small as 200 square feet.
When you switch to the wet mop mode, it travels in a similar back-and-forth pattern as in the dry mop mode but will spray water and vibrate which provides some excitement.
In wet wiping mode, you spray water, shake and go into wiping motion. iRobot says that this mode offers the best excitement and can clean up relatively fresh coffee stains.
iRobot has also designed it in such a way that you don’t have to press a separate button for each cleaning mode.
It only has one button at the top. Sensors under the robot will read the cut section on the mop and automatically select a cleaning mode based on that.
As a disposable mop says, what if I wanted reusable pads?
Yes, this robot uses disposable pads and can be quite expensive if you use this every day.
The good news is that you can buy reusable blue pads (which are washable, by the way) for about $20 for a 2-pack. Each of these ingredients will last for about 150 to 200 uses – much longer than disposables.
iAdapt 2.0
Unlike the Braava 340t which uses the “Navigation Cube”, this robot does not need a separate device to help it navigate.
It comes integrated with the iAdapt 2.0 navigation algorithm which is similar to navigating the best bots like the Roomba 980.
This simply means efficient navigation without going over the same area twice. It doesn’t have any docking station, so wet your scan, you’ll need to carry it and plug it in to recharge.
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The Braava Jet 240 is a newer and cheaper version of the Braava 340t that uses a spray mechanism to spray water. It has the same effective cleaning pattern as the 340t but without the need for a mobility cube. They mainly use disposable pads but reusable pads are also available for sale.
3: ILIFE V7S Pro
ILIFE V7S Pro is a hybrid robotic vacuum and mop. It has a random navigation pattern similar to iRobot but unfortunately keeps that random pattern in mop mode. So basically, this robot will drag a damp mop across the room. Not a problem if you’re cleaning relatively clean floors, but it’s not very useful on dirty surfaces.
Over the past couple of years, one brand has been making waves in the robotic vacuum market with its polished yet affordable products.
I’m talking about ILIFE and the V7S Pro is one of their best products to date.
It combines excellent vacuum function and scanning capabilities that make it a popular choice among consumers, especially in Europe.
The V7S Pro has one of the largest mops and water tanks on the market today. Its water tank is capable of holding 450 milliliters of water which is enough to flush a large room without refilling it.
Here’s the mop in action…
Like most robotic mops on the market, this robot also relies on gravity to move water from the tank to the mop, which is also one of its biggest downsides.
Since it is solely based on gravity, the water will continue to drip even after the robot is turned off. Leave it long enough, the mop will get wet and leave a big wet spot.
Another downside is that this robot simply pulls the mop around and doesn’t have the mopping motion that the Braava has a bit of agitation.
But this issue has been resolved with the latest version named V7S Pro. It has an upgraded water tank and is equipped with a valve that regulates the water flow.
This valve closes when the robot is turned off so no water drips out. Air passes through the valve only when the robot is running.
This system would theoretically allow you to leave the water tank inside the robot without making a mess of a puddle.
One technique I like to use is to pre-soak the microfiber mop in distilled water and then spray it to clean it with less water inside the tank.
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The V7S (and later the V7S Pro) has the largest water tank in the group. This allows it to scan more space. It doesn’t have the sweeping action that the Braava does but makes up for by returning to the curb by itself when you’re done mopping. The newer V7S Pro also gives you the option to schedule a scan – this is a feature I haven’t seen yet in other robotic wipers.
4: ILIFE X5 and V5 Pro
The ILIFE X5 and V5S Pro are a similar product because these robots do not have a motorized brush. This makes these robots very usable on the bare floor. Like the ILIFE V7S Pro, these robots are a broom and mop that uses a random cleaning pattern.
While V7S has sweeping and sweeping functions, it cannot do these functions at the same time.
Just in case you need a bot that can do both, you need to check out ILIFE X5 and V5 Pro.
In terms of product design, both products work like the V7S. It uses a gravity water tank to slowly drip water into the microfiber mop.
The biggest difference will be the size of the mop. Instead of covering a third of the robot, the squeegee on the X5 and V5 Pro barely covers half.
This design feature will allow consumers to use the robot as a mop and vacuum cleaner simultaneously but without the water tank.
If you want to wet the mop and the vacuum cleaner at the same time, you will have to soak the mop in water and a cleaning solution before plugging it in.
Here’s the scan view of the V5 Pro…
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X5 and V5 Pro are capable of dry mopping and vacuuming at the same time. This is great for cleaning areas with a lot of dust, such as under furniture. Both devices are the same except for some scheduling improvements found in the V5 Pro.
Conclusion
These five motorized wipers are the best on the market in my opinion in terms of value and performance.
If you want a true robotic mop, I suggest you use either of the two featured iRobot Braavas. But if you’re not willing to spend more than $200, any of the ILIFE bots will do.
They will all do a decent job of mopping any enclosed floor surface.