Is This 3-in-1 Robot Vacuum the Cleaning Machine of the Future? Not Quite.
To evaluate the E20 in all of its permutations and on all of its various cleaning modes, I took cues from our test protocols for robot and cordless stick vacuums. I set up a couple of different obstacle courses on our 100-square-foot medium-pile test carpet. And then I spread messes like Cheerios, birdseed, and glitter around chair legs, under tables, and near loose cables. I also ran the robot and its cordless-stick and handheld conversions on hardwood flooring and low-pile carpeting at home, and I tested it against pet hair.
All in all, the E20 cleaned about as well as the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max, our budget-pick robot vac, but it fell short of our top pick, the Roborock Q5 Max+. A lot of robot vacuums struggle to unearth small particulates from deeply piled carpets, and this model is no exception. The Eufy E20 robot ably navigated the obstacle course I set up for it on our test carpet. However, it struggled to lift glitter out of the depths of the carpet and missed some debris around chair legs. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter
Setting up the E20's base and connected smartphone app was a breeze, and it didn't take long to get the robot mapping and vacuuming. The vacuum impressively traversed every inch of our test carpet, showing off some nifty cornering and edgework when maneuvering around chair and table legs. At around 20 decibels in standard mode, this vac is also fairly quiet (about as loud as a whisper); it reaches about 40 decibels when emptying its bin (comparable to the noise level in a library). The E20 sleekly maneuvered right around the edge of this narrow table leg. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter Within the app, this map of my small apartment shows how much the E20 was able to clean without my having to neaten up beforehand to help it. (The white lines represent the robot's path.) Eufy The E20 sleekly maneuvered right around the edge of this narrow table leg. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter
But it's hardly something you can set and forget.
When I tested the E20 in my apartment, I found that it's prone to getting tangled in cords, so it's best to tidy up first. (I also tucked in carpet tassels, which tend to snarl it.) The E20 had trouble getting around my space, choosing to skip areas at the slightest sign of resistance rather than attempt a workaround, and I had to respond to the chatty robot's distress alerts when it got stuck. A fold in the middle of an area rug proved particularly fearsome and stopped two cleaning sessions. After I neatened up, the robot was able to hit more spots, but it still had some navigational hiccups. The Eufy E20 navigated a particularly tight spot in our obstacle course — it was able to get right up to edges without hitting the table leg. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter
The robot has four cleaning modes: Eco, Standard, Turbo, and Maximum. In Standard mode, it returned to its dock after leaving behind some Cheerios and birdseed, particularly around the edges of the carpet and near some furniture legs on our testing obstacle course. The glitter was particularly challenging: The robot picked up some of it, left more behind, and spread a few sparkles across the carpet as it moved around.
Even after a run on the more intense Turbo mode, it still left glitter behind in the carpet. (The robot was too busy self-emptying its bin to care.) It can also miss messes around corners, baseboards, and furniture; these are areas where its cordless stick vacuum conversion should come in handy.
The Eufy E20 in its dock (left) and fully transformed into a cordless stick vacuum (right). The stick vacuum doesn't stand up on its own. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter
Switching the E20 from a robot vac to a cordless stick or handheld vacuum is as easy as hitting a large red button on the robot itself, removing the storage bin and handle, and clicking it into the cordless stick attachment. But the cordless stick version isn't very elegant: The front-oriented handle is a bit awkward to hold, and the weight is at the back of the unit, so your hand and arm can get tired during prolonged cleaning sessions. It also doesn't stand up on its own.
The cleaning head has a motorized brush roll to help agitate deeper-seated debris. The vacuum can cycle through its four different power modes: Eco, Standard, Turbo, and Maximum. You use the same button to switch between modes and to turn the vacuum on and off; it took us a beat to get the hang of it. The battery lasts about 30 minutes in Eco mode (and scales down as you increase the power), though it can run for much longer as a robot vacuum (up to three hours in Eco mode). Converting the vacuum to its handheld modes can be done quickly — even with just one hand. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter
In Standard mode, the E20's stick vacuum picked up the remnants of larger debris that its robot counterpart had left behind. It didn't snowplow Cheerios or birdseed, dump stuff out after it was turned off, or jam on our medium-pile test carpet. But even on its highest setting, it still struggled to pick up leftover glitter in the carpet.
While cordless-stick vacuums are stronger than robot vacs, they can't access debris deep in carpets the way a plug-in vacuum can. The E20's robot vacuum has a little less than a third of the suction power that it does in stick-vac form, according to the company. Our tests with a specialized suction gauge backed this up. Switching to cordless-stick mode is as easy as a click of that big red button on the robot, but the E20 is a bit awkward to hold as a stick vacuum. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter
The E20's bin capacity is just over 12 ounces, which is small (two of our cordless-stick picks have bin capacities of more than 30 ounces).
Any prolonged cleaning session will require emptying the bin multiple times — either by knocking it out over a garbage can or by converting the vac back to a robot so it can deposit its haul in the dock. While this is a nice feature in theory (and can help to limit dust exposure), it requires placing the cordless-stick handle back in the robot and waiting for it to drive out, turn around, and empty.
The cordless-stick version of the E20 fared better on hard floors and low-pile rugs: It easily sucked up dust and other small particulates, as well as the Cheerios and birdseed, which the robot also did. That left the crevices, corners, and shelves that only a handheld vacuum can access. And, hey, the E20 can turn into one of those too!
The E20 in its handheld mode, with attached crevice tool. Though a bit awkwardly designed, it's a good cleaner in a pinch. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter
Almost all cordless stick vacuums (including all of our picks) can be converted into a handheld vacuum, so the E20's ability to transform is nothing earth-shattering.
The E20 comes with a crevice attachment (which conveniently stores on the robot vacuum itself) and a combination nozzle and brush attachment (which you'll have to stash elsewhere). It also comes with a wall-mounted storage kit that will house the cordless-stick tube and the combination tool, if you're willing to drill a couple of holes in your wall.
Because the attachments connect to the middle of the E20, its design is less comfortable than that of a traditional hand vacuum, which has its handle situated on the back of the machine and its nozzle on the front (for a balanced weight distribution).
Once you get past the awkwardness, the handheld vacuum is about as useful as the attachments allow. The crevice tool can navigate tight spaces and pick up small debris, and the combination tool is able to collect pockets of dust in corners and edges. Given enough passes, the combination tool adequately picked up pet hair on upholstery and harder surfaces.
But it lagged behind other, more efficient handheld vacuums that typically come with a fur-busting, agitating mini-power-brush attachment. (High-end cordless stick vacuums typically come with this attachment, as does our budget pick.)
The E20 is a pretty good robot vacuum, a fine stick vacuum, and a capable handheld vac, but it's nothing extraordinary in any one mode. It's more of a Swiss Army Knife than a Leatherman.
If you're starting from zero vacuums, and you live in a small, relatively open space with mostly hardwood floors and a few rugs (caveat after caveat!), or you'd like a robot vacuum to upgrade your cleaning setup, the E20 could work. But in both cases, I'd recommend our budget robot vacuum and budget cordless stick vacuum picks instead. They're better individual machines (and will save you around $200). If a self-emptying dock is your priority, one of our cordless stick picks comes with one (and it costs about $250 less than the E20).
While the E20 is a decent stab at an all-in-one cleaner, we're not there yet. Life (now and, presumably, in the future) is full of compromises — no matter how many functions are jammed into one machine.
This article was edited by Ingrid Skjong and Megan Beauchamp. Robot vacuums never get bored or tired, so with little effort on your part, they can keep your floors consistently tidy.
Power cords got you wound up? We've tested dozens of cordless stick vacuums to find those with the best combination of cleaning power, comfort, and convenience.
Roborock's latest robot vacuum-mop has an AI-powered arm that can pick up small items. But most of the time, you still have to pick up your own mess.
For a dependable, versatile, and affordable cleaner, we prefer a bagless upright, but we have recommendations for other types of vacuums as well.
What I Cover
I'm a Brooklyn-based writer with a focus on home appliances, vacuums, and other cleaning tools (steam mops, carpet cleaners, the works) and sleep products, particularly mattresses and their accessories.
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To evaluate the E20 in all of its permutations and on all of its various cleaning modes, I took cues from our test protocols for robot and cordless stick vacuums. I set up a couple of different obstacle courses on our 100-square-foot medium-pile test carpet. And then I spread messes like Cheerios, birdseed, and glitter around chair legs, under tables, and near loose cables. I also ran the robot and its cordless-stick and handheld conversions on hardwood flooring and low-pile carpeting at home, and I tested it against pet hair. All in all, the E20 cleaned about as well as the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max, our budget-pick robot vac, but it fell short of our top pick, the Roborock Q5 Max+. A lot of robot vacuums struggle to unearth small particulates from deeply piled carpets, and this model is no exception. The Eufy E20 robot ably navigated the obstacle course I set up for it on our test carpet. 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In Standard mode, it returned to its dock after leaving behind some Cheerios and birdseed, particularly around the edges of the carpet and near some furniture legs on our testing obstacle course. The glitter was particularly challenging: The robot picked up some of it, left more behind, and spread a few sparkles across the carpet as it moved around. Even after a run on the more intense Turbo mode, it still left glitter behind in the carpet. (The robot was too busy self-emptying its bin to care.) It can also miss messes around corners, baseboards, and furniture; these are areas where its cordless stick vacuum conversion should come in handy. The Eufy E20 in its dock (left) and fully transformed into a cordless stick vacuum (right). The stick vacuum doesn't stand up on its own. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter Switching the E20 from a robot vac to a cordless stick or handheld vacuum is as easy as hitting a large red button on the robot itself, removing the storage bin and handle, and clicking it into the cordless stick attachment. But the cordless stick version isn't very elegant: The front-oriented handle is a bit awkward to hold, and the weight is at the back of the unit, so your hand and arm can get tired during prolonged cleaning sessions. It also doesn't stand up on its own. The cleaning head has a motorized brush roll to help agitate deeper-seated debris. The vacuum can cycle through its four different power modes: Eco, Standard, Turbo, and Maximum. You use the same button to switch between modes and to turn the vacuum on and off; it took us a beat to get the hang of it. The battery lasts about 30 minutes in Eco mode (and scales down as you increase the power), though it can run for much longer as a robot vacuum (up to three hours in Eco mode). Converting the vacuum to its handheld modes can be done quickly — even with just one hand. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter In Standard mode, the E20's stick vacuum picked up the remnants of larger debris that its robot counterpart had left behind. It didn't snowplow Cheerios or birdseed, dump stuff out after it was turned off, or jam on our medium-pile test carpet. But even on its highest setting, it still struggled to pick up leftover glitter in the carpet. While cordless-stick vacuums are stronger than robot vacs, they can't access debris deep in carpets the way a plug-in vacuum can. The E20's robot vacuum has a little less than a third of the suction power that it does in stick-vac form, according to the company. Our tests with a specialized suction gauge backed this up. Switching to cordless-stick mode is as easy as a click of that big red button on the robot, but the E20 is a bit awkward to hold as a stick vacuum. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter The E20's bin capacity is just over 12 ounces, which is small (two of our cordless-stick picks have bin capacities of more than 30 ounces). Any prolonged cleaning session will require emptying the bin multiple times — either by knocking it out over a garbage can or by converting the vac back to a robot so it can deposit its haul in the dock. While this is a nice feature in theory (and can help to limit dust exposure), it requires placing the cordless-stick handle back in the robot and waiting for it to drive out, turn around, and empty. The cordless-stick version of the E20 fared better on hard floors and low-pile rugs: It easily sucked up dust and other small particulates, as well as the Cheerios and birdseed, which the robot also did. That left the crevices, corners, and shelves that only a handheld vacuum can access. And, hey, the E20 can turn into one of those too! The E20 in its handheld mode, with attached crevice tool. Though a bit awkwardly designed, it's a good cleaner in a pinch. Evan Dent/NYT Wirecutter Almost all cordless stick vacuums (including all of our picks) can be converted into a handheld vacuum, so the E20's ability to transform is nothing earth-shattering. The E20 comes with a crevice attachment (which conveniently stores on the robot vacuum itself) and a combination nozzle and brush attachment (which you'll have to stash elsewhere). It also comes with a wall-mounted storage kit that will house the cordless-stick tube and the combination tool, if you're willing to drill a couple of holes in your wall. Because the attachments connect to the middle of the E20, its design is less comfortable than that of a traditional hand vacuum, which has its handle situated on the back of the machine and its nozzle on the front (for a balanced weight distribution). Once you get past the awkwardness, the handheld vacuum is about as useful as the attachments allow. The crevice tool can navigate tight spaces and pick up small debris, and the combination tool is able to collect pockets of dust in corners and edges. Given enough passes, the combination tool adequately picked up pet hair on upholstery and harder surfaces. But it lagged behind other, more efficient handheld vacuums that typically come with a fur-busting, agitating mini-power-brush attachment. (High-end cordless stick vacuums typically come with this attachment, as does our budget pick.) The E20 is a pretty good robot vacuum, a fine stick vacuum, and a capable handheld vac, but it's nothing extraordinary in any one mode. It's more of a Swiss Army Knife than a Leatherman. If you're starting from zero vacuums, and you live in a small, relatively open space with mostly hardwood floors and a few rugs (caveat after caveat!), or you'd like a robot vacuum to upgrade your cleaning setup, the E20 could work. But in both cases, I'd recommend our budget robot vacuum and budget cordless stick vacuum picks instead. They're better individual machines (and will save you around $200). If a self-emptying dock is your priority, one of our cordless stick picks comes with one (and it costs about $250 less than the E20). While the E20 is a decent stab at an all-in-one cleaner, we're not there yet. Life (now and, presumably, in the future) is full of compromises — no matter how many functions are jammed into one machine. This article was edited by Ingrid Skjong and Megan Beauchamp. Robot vacuums never get bored or tired, so with little effort on your part, they can keep your floors consistently tidy. Power cords got you wound up? We've tested dozens of cordless stick vacuums to find those with the best combination of cleaning power, comfort, and convenience. Roborock's latest robot vacuum-mop has an AI-powered arm that can pick up small items. But most of the time, you still have to pick up your own mess. For a dependable, versatile, and affordable cleaner, we prefer a bagless upright, but we have recommendations for other types of vacuums as well. What I Cover I'm a Brooklyn-based writer with a focus on home appliances, vacuums, and other cleaning tools (steam mops, carpet cleaners, the works) and sleep products, particularly mattresses and their accessories.
