Build a buying brief
Turn home constraints into a feature brief and return-window test plan.
Jump to section →Buy Decoded home deskField manual 01
The robot is only as smart as the floor plan.
Start with thresholds, hair, rugs, cords, dock space, privacy, and the chores you will actually do. Then compare machines. Never the other way around.
30 sourced model records4 browser-local tools0 fake lab scores
Route audit: dock → threshold → rug → chair forest → cord zone. If one segment fails, the suction headline is irrelevant.
Resource directory
Four routes through the robot-vacuum desk
Illustration only—not a product recommendation. Start with your floor plan, then open the tool or guide that matches the decision.
Compare 30 sourced models
Filter records, inspect unknowns, and shortlist two to four candidates.
Open →Browse field guides
Decode navigation, mops, docks, privacy, and maintenance failure points.
Open →Calculate ownership cost
Model bags, filters, brushes, solution, battery allowance, and maintenance time.
Open →Start here
What are you trying to decide?
Four useful routes. No “best overall” detour.
I need a shortlist
Turn ten home constraints into a feature brief and return-window test plan.
Use the selector →I am comparing models
Filter 30 sourced records, inspect unknowns, shortlist 2–4 models, and model electricity assumptions.
Explore the 30-model database →I need to understand the tech
Decode navigation, obstacle avoidance, suction, brushes, mops, and mapping without the spec-sheet theater.
Browse the field guides →I want the real cost
Model bags, filters, brushes, mop parts, solution, battery allowance, and maintenance time.
Calculate ownership cost →Top commercial option01Price-led shortlist
Editorial analysisCommercial cleaning
PUDU CC1 Pro
Our price-led commercial option to quote first.
Put the CC1 Pro at the top of a commercial shortlist when acquisition price is driving the search. PUDU does not publish a price on its product page, so this is not a “lowest price” claim: request a written quote and compare the robot, optional dock, deployment, service, consumables, and total cost.
View PUDU CC1 Pro official page
Direct manufacturer link—uncompensated. Official page checked August 24, 2026; public pricing was not listed.
01 · Home reality selector
Describe the floor. Get a buying brief.
Ten constraints turn into a feature priority list, a compromise warning, and a return-window test plan. No model wins by default. Inputs stay in this browser.
Your profileBalanced routine cleaner
Your decision should be led by mixed floors, some hair, some floor clutter, and maintenance mopping—not a single suction headline.
Budget reality
This band can cover strong navigation and useful convenience. Spend on your hard constraints before headline suction or decorative app features.
Must-haves
- Editable room map, no-go zones, and reliable return-to-dock behavior
- Reliable carpet detection plus configurable mop lift, detach, or avoidance
- Main brush and end caps that can be opened for hair removal
- No-go zones plus competent cord and small-object avoidance
- Mop hardware that is easy to remove, wash, and keep off rugs
- Dock footprint checked with a cardboard mock-up
- Navigation and avoidance stack without an onboard camera
Accept the tradeoffs
- Routine robot mopping will not remove every dried spill or clean tight corners
- Avoidance may rely on other sensors and still needs floor pickup
Your return-window test
- Run the messiest room and confirm the robot finishes without rescue
- Test every rug edge and verify no-mop boundaries
- Test the most awkward transition from both approach directions
Field notes
Learn the machine by its failure points.
Each guide ends with a pre-purchase checklist and the next useful route.
Core buying · 9 min
↗Robot vacuum navigation and mapping, decoded
LiDAR, camera, structured light, bump sensors, and the app features that turn a map into a usable cleaning routine.
Core buying · 8 min
↗Obstacle avoidance versus real household clutter
What “AI obstacle avoidance” can and cannot promise around cords, socks, toys, pet accidents, and chair legs.
Cleaning systems · 9 min
↗Suction numbers, brush rolls, and pet hair
Why headline pascals are not a cross-brand cleaning score—and what to inspect instead for rugs, edges, and hair.
Cleaning systems · 10 min
↗Robot vacuum mop systems and carpet safety
Drag pads, spinning pads, vibrating plates, rollers, mop lift, and when a combo will not replace manual mopping.
Ownership · 9 min
↗Self-empty and mop-wash docks: convenience with plumbing chores
Dock size, bags, tanks, drying, wash trays, odors, noise, and the maintenance that “hands-free” leaves out.
Ownership · 10 min
↗Robot vacuum maintenance, consumables, and total cost
Budget for bags, filters, brushes, mop parts, cleaning solution, batteries, and your own time before a low sale price makes the decision.
Software & privacy · 9 min
↗Robot vacuum privacy, cloud accounts, and local control
Maps, cameras, microphones, Wi-Fi, remote viewing, account deletion, and what remains if the app or cloud changes.
Ownership · 8 min
↗Robot vacuum repairability, parts, and support
How to judge battery access, modular parts, warranty friction, app longevity, and regional service before buying.
Core buying · 8 min
↗Thresholds, rugs, dark floors, and other home-fit traps
Measure the geometry and surface conditions that determine whether a robot can reach the rooms you bought it to clean.
Ownership · 10 min
↗Common robot vacuum failures—and the rescue plan
Stuck robots, lost maps, dock misses, clogged air paths, wet-dock smells, Wi-Fi trouble, and what to check before replacing the machine.
Comparison discipline
Keep claims, analysis, and unknowns in separate columns.
A missing specification is not a zero—and a manufacturer maximum is not a measured result in your home.
Manufacturer claim
Exact-model statement from the maker. Record the URL, region, bundle, and checked date.
Sourced fact
Documented policy, dimension, part price, or test result with a resolvable source and conditions.
Editorial analysis
Reasoned interpretation tied to a stated home profile—not dressed up as a lab result.
Hands-on test
Only when a named publisher discloses the method. Buy Decoded does not claim hands-on testing here.
Unknown
Leave it visible. Confirm before buying if it touches a hard constraint.
02 · Ownership cost
The checkout price is only year zero.
Use prices and intervals for the exact model. The defaults are editable examples, not a manufacturer schedule or quote.
3-year ownership estimate$1,379
$38 per month including the optional time value.
- Purchase + parts + allowance
- $1,379
- Consumables each year
- $193
- Maintenance time each year
- $0
- Time value over term
- $0
Run a range.
Duplicate the math with cheaper and costlier parts, faster replacement, and a battery allowance. Unknown does not mean free.
Plain-English specs
Translate the box before it enters your house.
Quick definitions for the terms most likely to hide a tradeoff.
- Auto-empty
- The dock transfers dry debris from the robot bin into a bag or larger container. It does not imply mop washing.
- Carpet boost
- A software behavior that increases cleaning power when carpet is detected; detection and actual pickup still need evaluation.
- Cliff sensor
- A downward sensor intended to detect drops. Some surfaces or lighting conditions can affect behavior.
- Clean-water tank
- The dock reservoir used to refill or wash a mopping system. It is separate from dirty-water storage.
- Dirt detection
- A sensor or software routine that may trigger extra cleaning in a detected dirty area. Methods vary by model.
- Dock envelope
- The full operating space around a dock: footprint, lid/tank clearance, side clearance, and approach lane.
- Do-not-disturb
- A schedule that suppresses selected noises or dock actions during chosen hours. Exact behavior varies.
- LiDAR
- Light detection and ranging: a laser-based method used to estimate room geometry and location.
Transparency note
This is a buying system, not a disguised ranking.
Buy Decoded separates manufacturer claims, sourced facts, editorial analysis, named third-party hands-on tests, and unknowns. This resource center does not imply that Buy Decoded personally tested the products.
Specific models, prices, firmware, bundles, consumables, and policies can change. Verify the exact SKU and region before ordering. Current robot-vacuum manufacturer exits, where shown elsewhere on Buy Decoded, are uncompensated.