Our lab experts have reviewed popular robot vacs from Kmart, Ecovacs, Roborock and more
We meticulously test their cleaning performance, mopping ability and app usability
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Between Kmart lovers and social media influencers, there’s been plenty of hype around the Anko robot vac.
No doubt its price is a huge drawcard – at just $169, it costs a fraction of other brands’ models, which can range from $500 all the way up to an eye-watering $4000.
In the never-ending battle against housework, a robot helper for under $200 sounds like a future we want to live in, but how does it really perform when it comes to cleaning floors?
To find out, we asked CHOICE vacuum expert Adrian Lini, who recently reviewed it alongside rivals from Ecovacs, Roborock, Dreame, iRobot and more in our latest lab test.
In a word, no. Despite the buzz online, this bot seriously bombed out in almost all of our tests, including cleaning hard floors, carpet, edges and corners, pet hair, mopping and app usability.
With a woeful CHOICE Expert Rating of 36%, it scored the lowest in our test by a long shot (the next lowest score was 55%).
It’s one of the worst performing robot vacs we’ve ever tested
CHOICE vacuum expert Adrian Lini
“Unfortunately, the Anko bot’s low price is the only attractive thing about it – it’s one of the worst performing robot vacs we’ve ever tested,” says Adrian.
“So many of the newer models are getting smarter and more sophisticated, but this one is extremely basic and cleans poorly. Essentially, its tech feels similar to robot vacuums from five years ago, maybe even longer.”
Adrian assesses another robot vac in our carpet cleaning test.
Hard floor and carpet cleaning performance
Most robot vacs usually do well on hard floors, but not this bot – it rated a very dusty 58%.
That means in a set 25-minute time period, it only picked up 58% of the 200 grams of sand Adrian sprinkled evenly over the test area (we’re very meticulous here at CHOICE). The next lowest hard floor score was 86%.
It just went over the same spot for half of the time
CHOICE vacuum expert Adrian Lini
On carpets, robots generally clean poorly (they don’t have enough suction or agitation to remove dirt from the fibres) but the Kmart model was particularly grim with a score of just 9%.
“We noted that this model doesn’t really map the area as it cleans, which is a big red flag,” says Adrian about its overall sucky performance.
“Other models will scan the room, then systematically clean the edges and corners of the room, then the middle of the floor. The Anko bot doesn’t know where it is in the room, so it just went over the same spot for half of the time, which meant it didn’t pick up anything elsewhere.”
If pet hair is your pet hate, robot vacs can be very handy for keeping on top of it. Sadly, with a poor score of 20% in our pet hair pick-up test, this Kmart model might just leave you barking mad.
As for cleaning edges and corners, the news is slightly better, but not by much. It managed 40% in that test, with Adrian noting “it missed entire areas as it cleaned somewhat randomly around the room”.
“It also bumped into everything during its test. Not hard enough to damage anything, but it’d consistently bump into obstacles and edges like a dodgem car. Other models will scan and sense edges without touching them.”
Mopping is the new must-have feature for robot vacs, and some do it rather well (they even clean their own mop pads and change out the dirty water).
Perhaps as expected, given its price, the Anko cheapie performs poorly with a soggy score of just 20%.
It’s like taking a wet wipe and just wiping it across your whole floor
CHOICE vacuum expert Adrian Lini
“The Anko model has a thin mop pad attached with velcro and a clip, but it’s like taking a wet wipe and just wiping it across your whole floor. The robot also has no way to determine if it’s on carpet or not, so there’s a chance it could just smear your carpet with the dirt already collected.”
To top it off, during its mopping test, this not-so-clean machine only cleaned the edges of the room, not the middle, and left lots of water in its wake.
Despite the online hype, Kmart’s Anko robot vac is more glitchy than great.
App connectivity and ease of use
The good news? The robot vac’s Tuya Smart app is easy to connect to. The bad news? It’s not very good – Adrian rated it just 32% for ease of use.
“A model’s app can kind of make or break a lot of these robots, and this one is pretty basic,” he says.
“It has a timer, on/off button and two power settings, where other models will usually have four including a quiet mode. Critically, because it doesn’t map the area it’s in, you lose all the extra functionality that comes with that.”
“So no virtual walls where you can block it going into certain rooms, no predicted cleaning times, no carpet or rug identification, no zone cleaning, and most of all, no assurance that it will even clean the entire area over the course of its battery life.”
With alarming scores and red flags aplenty, Adrian warns against being sucked in by this model’s ultra-low price.
“People might say ‘well, it’s only $169, what do you expect?’ but that’s still a decent amount of money to throw away. Given its dismal cleaning performance, you’ll need to vacuum all the spots it missed and its poor mopping might leave even more mess and water than it’s worth.”
“You’d be better to save the $169 and put it toward a good barrel or stick vac for a more thorough, dependable clean.”
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Jason Treuen is a Content producer and editor at CHOICE. Previously at CHOICE, he worked as a Content specialist and Audience engagement editor.
Find Jason on LinkedIn.
Jason Treuen is a Content producer and editor at CHOICE. Previously at CHOICE, he worked as a Content specialist and Audience engagement editor.
Find Jason on LinkedIn.
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