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Pa numbers are loud. Navigation matters more
Updated
Pa is a unit of pressure. A bigger number means a stronger pull at the point where the maker measured it. No listing we read says where or how that was measured. So 18,500 Pa from one brand and 10,000 Pa from another are not a fair race.
What the listings show
- The roborock Qrevo S Pro claims 18,500 Pa. The roborock Q10 S5+ claims 10,000 Pa. The eufy 11S MAX claims 2,000 Pa.
- The Shark AI Ultra listing gave no Pa number that we saw. The Roomba 105 Vac says "70X" compared to the old Roomba 600 series, and no Pa number.
- Within one brand a higher number likely does mean more pull. Across brands, treat it as marketing.
The three ways a robot finds its way
- Lidar. A spinning laser on top measures the room and builds a map. It works in the dark. You get straight rows, named rooms, keep-out zones and "clean the kitchen" from the app. Four of our five picks use lidar. The tradeoff is the turret on top, which adds height.
- Camera. Some robots map with a camera instead. They can sit lower, but they need light to see. None of our picks rely on a camera for mapping.
- No map. The robot drives until a sensor or bumper tells it to turn. It covers the floor by chance over a long run. It cannot clean one room on request or stay out of another. The eufy 11S MAX works this way. It suits one open floor. It is a poor fit for a large home with many rooms.
What to check instead of Pa
- Navigation type. Look for the word lidar in the bullets. If the listing names no mapping at all, assume there is none.
- The brush. For pets and long hair, look for rubber or anti-tangle brushes. Both roborock picks and the Shark name these on the listing. Even so, owner reports on pet hair are mixed on several of them, so plan to check the brush.
- Carpet. Robots are for upkeep between real vacuuming. Owners of the Roomba 105 say it does not deep clean. On thick carpet, keep your upright.
- Battery versus your floor plan. Listed battery life on our picks runs from 100 to 200 minutes, and one listing disagrees with itself. Recharge and resume, which the Shark and Roomba listings name, matters more than the raw number in a big home.
See how each pick compares in the roundup.