Robot vacuums have come a long, long way from their early days. When I was a kid, my mom got our first robot vacuum, and I remember it being somewhat of an investment—it was pretty expensive and required us to set up little boundaries all around the house.
These days, robot vacuums are cheaper and much smarter. They make little maps of your home and avoid obstacles all on their own. If it's been a while since you surveyed the robot vacuum market, or if you're just in need of an upgrade, there's no better time to get shopping than right now. Here are some early deals ahead of the official Black Friday shopping holiday to get your cleaning on track.
I used to nanny for a couple that had a Roborock like this one and, after tucking the kids into bed, I would watch it automatically undock and clean, idly marveling at how efficiently they had managed to outsource so many of their responsibilities, both to people like me and devices like that.
I hope they're doing well now, but I know their floor is still spotless because these things work; it was fast, pretty quiet, and always put itself back on the dock when it was done. The Roborock Q5 Max+ is down to $299.99 from $449.99, which is a good deal when you consider it has a docking station, self-empties, and can clean for up to seven weeks without you ever needing to manually dump out any dust.
Another option in the Roborock family is the Qrevo S. Yes, even with a Black Friday deal, it still costs $459.99—but it's usually almost $800. For all that money, you'll get not just a robot vacuum, but a mop, too, plus all the other great features the brand is known for, like self-emptying and long life. Vacuum/mop combos are, in my opinion, the future of cleaning, so take that future a step further by making yours automatic.
For some reason, I trust companies that make both vacuums and air-based hair tools, since they clearly have a good understanding of suction. That is to say, I trust Shark and Dyson. Shark's AV2511AE AI, a very smart robot vacuum, is down to $299.99 from $599.99, which is a major deal, especially considering all it can do: After cleaning in a pattern that enables it to go over the same area more than once, it empties itself and even cleans its own brush roll. It also creates a map of your home and doesn't need to be emptied for 60 days.
I would be remiss not to include a Roomba here because these things are the veterans in the game, and they've withstood the test of time. What I especially like is that with this Black Friday deal, a sturdy Roomba is as cheap as the off-brand ones usually are: The Q0120 is $149, down from $249. While the off-brand ones will do the job and everything, there's something comforting about knowing you have access to real customer service and clear instructions for fixing any issues that come up, which can't always be said about the random brands all over Amazon. This one uses three different cleaning modes, depending on your floor type, and vacuums in straight lines, easily mapping your home over time.
Finally, there's another Roomba with a great deal for Black Friday—and this one is one of those vacuum/mop combos I love so much. The Combo i5+ is $299.99 instead of $549.99. It cleans in rows, empties itself, and uses patented technology to detect dirt so it can focus on cleaning exactly where that is.
