Our testers sprinkle sand evenly onto a section of carpet and let the robot run for a set period of time on the carpeted area. The sand collected is weighed and recorded.

Sand is spread into a right-angled corner, and the robot vacuum cleaners are assessed by how close to the corner they can get to pick up the dirt.

Our testers embed cat hair into the carpet and allow the vacuum to run for six minutes. They rate the vacuums based on how much cat hair is left behind after the test. This is a visual assessment.

Our priority is testing the robot vacuums you'll see in stores and major online retailers. To do this, we check current market data to see what's most popular. We'll also test models that a lot of members have requested.

We have our own on-site labs that are equipped with precisely calibrated measurement tools and reference machines to test and compare products. Our testing methods align with Australian and International Standards and our experts assess how well the robot vacuums remove dirt and pet hair from hard floors and carpet, how well they clean corners and edges, how easy they are to use and more.

Our expert testers – Matthew Tung and Adrian Lini – have many years of experience reviewing household products and appliances like cots, strollers, electric blankets, toasters, espresso machines and more. Matthew also sits on Australian Standards committees.

Unlike other product review sites, we don't accept free test models from manufacturers. This allows us to be independent and review without interference. Instead, we buy products anonymously from a variety of retailers, then bring them into our labs. This means we get what you'd get, and can be sure the model hasn't been potentially 'tweaked' for better performance.

We test a new batch of robot vacuums every 12 months, in line with new releases and updated models on the market.