Samsung VR7000 Powerbot
The Samsung VR7000 Powerbot looks better in real life than in pictures, next to the other utilitarian-looking bots, I’d rate it the second-best looking next to the LG Hom-Bot Turbo+. It doesn’t just possess good looks though; the VR7000 Powerbot is thoughtfully designed.
Instead of simply being round or square, the VR7000 Powerbot has a straight edge that juts out from the front (Samsung calls this ‘Edge Clean Master’). This unique feature allows the VR7000 Powerbot to clean right to the edges of walls, which the other bots have trouble doing.
The bin is also thoughtfully designed. A button pops it out, and it’s easily emptied without making much of a mess. It’s transparent too, so you can simply glance at the bot to see whether or not it needs emptying.
I was doubtful about the VR7000 Powerbot’s cleaning ability when I saw that it was the only bot not to have brushes, which the other bots use to ing dust into the vacuum. But it surprised me with very good suction.
The VR7000 Powerbot is good at avoiding obstacles; it avoided dropping down the small ledge into my toilet. And right out of the box, it also avoided going into the bot-trap that is my sofa – even the iRobot Roomba 980 and the LG Hom-Bot Turbo+ had to learn how to avoid it.
It does have some drawbacks. The VR7000 Powerbot is loud when cleaning, moves slowly and tends to miss some areas. Its large wheels are supposed to help it clear obstacles like rugs and wires, but I found that it still got tangled up in my carpet’s tassels.
And unlike the other three bots in this shootout that are app-connected, the VR7000 Powerbot doesn’t have a map for you to double-check if it cleaned your entire house. Speaking of the app, like the LG Hom-Bot Turbo+, the VR7000 Powerbot couldn’t connect via my home network that has a password with special characters.
After connecting, I was disappointed to nd that the app is pretty limited. I’ve already mentioned the lack of a map, you also can’t schedule the VR7000 Powerbot to clean on specic days only, and there’s no ’return to base’ button in the app (but there is a button on the bot).
Avoids obstacles well. Design lets it get into edges. Good suc on. Can’t schedule speci)c cleaning days. Loud and slow when cleaning.