That might feel like overkill, but if you're planning to use the L40 Ultra regularly then it's going to save you a significant amount of time and effort.

If your priority is size, though, this is a solid choice. Our reviewer felt it would be a great choice as an 'upstairs' robot vacuum, away from the tougher challenges of kitchens and living rooms.

Not all handheld vacuums can tackle pet hair well, but the Shark Ion W1 WV201 nails that task, earning an excellent rating. It’s also a champ at cleaning bare floors and getting into hard-to-reach places, and it’s not too shabby at cleaning carpets, either. The vacuum and all of its attachments can be stored on the charging base, making it a real space-saver.

The lack of a camera also means its navigation is spotty, and sending it to clean specific rooms wasn’t always successful. But if you’ve got a lot of hard floors to keep clean, it will do an excellent job.

Deciding which vacuum to buy can be a complicated process. Everyone wants a powerful cleaner that’s effective and convenient to use, but without firsthand experience, how can you tell which models will perform well?

The X40 also features an extending side brush arm to reach corners — like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra — and its dual oscillating mop pads are more effective than Roborock’s thin microfiber pad.

I watched the X40 spread its mops wide apart and swing behind my TV console, allowing it to access the dust wedged a good inch under it. That’s impressive.

The app is very hard to follow, making it tricky to access all of the bot’s features. Mapping was fast, but it didn’t recognize all my rooms on the first go. It did better the second time, although splitting up rooms and naming them in the app was painful.

They also can't really match manual vacuums for suction power, so while they can help you stay on top of dust build-up, most people will want to supplement their work with the occasional deep clean with a manual vacuum.

Dustbin Emptying: If you select a manual dustbin model, establish a routine to empty the bin after each Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners full cleaning session. Self-emptying bases can extend intervals.

Plus, the addition of a side mop and flexi-arm brush that extends from the bot helped with cleaning edges and corners.

If your pet occasionally makes a mess on the carpet, look for models that are designed to recognize and avoid poop.

The Narwal has some innovative features, including dirt sense — which analyzes the dirt level in the water and prompts it to remop — and an ability to adapt the pressure of its mop based on the type of floor, applying more pressure to tile and less to hardwood.

The Freo X Ultra's mopping capabilities are not quite as impressive as its vacuuming, but still good. On test, it cleared up spillages well, but the mop pads couldn't get close to the edges of rooms.