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Eureka J20 Robot Vacuum and Mop
MSRP: $1,399.00
What we like
What we don't like
Eureka J20 Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eureka J20 review: At a glance
- What is it? The Eureka J20 robot vacuum cleaner is both a mop and a vacuum. Paired with a base station that houses water tanks and collects dry debris, it can run autonomously for weeks on end.
- What is the price? The Eureka J20 launches with an MSRP of $1,399.
- How did we test it? I tested the Eureka J20 for five weeks. The review unit was a late-stage prototype with no distinguishable difference from the final retail hardware, and was supplied by Eureka. I tested the unit on wood, tile, and laminate hard floors, and on several rugs of varying pile density.
- Is it worth it? The Eureka J20 is well worth your consideration. The robot vacuum market is hot right now, with many great options to consider, and of all of them the Eureka J20 is the best bot I've tested at scrubbing our floors. Though great at navigating, I hope that future software tweaks will perfect its obstacle avoidance.
Should you buy the Eureka J20?
The moment I unboxed the Eureka J20 I was excited about the large, tank-tread mop roller. Even if the bot were to suck at vacuuming (pun intended), I was sure it would scrub our floors nicely. I was not disappointed.
In line with the best robot vacuums on the market today, the J20 vacuums and mops your floors, and has a companion base station that provides clean water, collects dirty water, and helps clean and dry the bot after every use. The J20 base station also has a large vacuum bag, it pulls dry debris out of the bot itself, resulting in several weeks worth of floor cleaning without human intervention.
The Eureka J20 provides up to 75 days of automated operation!
The Eureka app on your smartphone offers all the tools you’ll need to manually clean your floors, and to set up automated schedules so you don’t have to think about it.
The Eureka J20 excels at mopping your floors. It comes with multiple mop head styles; I tested two of them. Both are a long and wide cloth material that attaches to the bot on a roller that slightly resembles a tank-tread. One mop head is entirely soft, for basically polishing of your floors, and the second is about 60% the same soft material, but then has a scrubber section, so that it can both scrub and polish your floors.
The J20 uses LiDAR and cameras to navigate, and has successfully navigated our home without incident. It will automatically try to clean any area it finds, even if it’s not on the map. For example, I kept the bathroom door closed when mapping, because the bath map is too much for every bot I’ve tested. We left that door open one day, only to find the bot tangled in the bath mat, as expected. My recommendation would be to manually add No-Go zones in the app, but the good news is that besides that incident, the Eureka J20 has never gotten stuck over a month and more of testing.
However, of all of the bots I’ve tested, the J20 is the one that has been the most reckless with its back-end. While the bot is very capable at avoiding obstacles head-on and on its sides, it does tend to swing around and hit things with its butt. The J20 is one of the heavier robot vacuums out there, which is fantastic for scrubbing pressure to clean the floors, but is very noticeable when it bumps into things. It just slightly bumps into things, but please be careful about delicate items on your floors, such as vases.
Bottom line, if you value the best mopping experience over the vacuuming experience, the J20 is good enough at vacuuming, but it is the best floor scrubbing robot vacuum I’ve tested to date.
What are the best Eureka J20 alternatives?
The top contenders to the Eureka J20 are the Narwal Freo X Ultra, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, and the Eufy S1 Pro. All of these bots offer vacuum and mopping features, automated scheduling, and can run for weeks without intervention.
- Narwal Freo X Ultra ($999.99 at Amazon): The Narwal Freo X Ultra remains my top pick for the overall robot vacuum experience. The Freo X Ultra focuses on security, with no RGB cameras on-board. The Freo X Ultra has better navigation, and is smarter about where and what it cleans, while the J20 offers better floor scrubbing.
- Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra (on the product’s website): The best machine from market-leading Roborock, the S8 MaxV Ultra offers capable cleaning with reliable navigation, and is better at reaching into the corners to pick up dry debris.
- Anker Eufy S1 Pro ($1499.99 at Amazon): As Anker rapidly becomes a leader in the smart home segment under the Eufy brand, the S1 Pro proves they can compete in the robot vacuum market. What it lacks in refinement, it makes up for in reliability. It navigates the home a little better than the J20, offering a similar level of clean.
- Switchbot S10 ($799.99 at Amazon): Made specifically for long-term unattended operation, the Switchbot S10 can be connected directly to your house plumbing, or use their updated External Water Tank system if you can’t plumb in. It’s a larger bot, so it cleans faster, but it might not fit under your table and chairs.
Eureka J20 specs
Robot | Dimensions: 352 x 104 x 352 mm |
Functions | ✔ Sweeps |
Performance | 8,000Pa of suction pressure |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi enabled |
Operating volume | Vacuum: 65dB |
Sensors | Equipped with LiDAR sensor |
Features | Automatically returns to charger or powers off |
Software | Companion app: Eureka Robot |
Base Station | Dimensions: 423mm x 462mm x 452.5mm |
In the box | Brushes |
Eureka J20 review: FAQ
Yes, the Eureka J20 can operate without Wi-Fi. The base station offers a simplified set of operations, but the entire experience is far better with Wi-Fi and a connection to a smartphone.
The Eureka J20 can easily manage the average flooring transition, hopping from hard floors to carpet with ease. As long as the transition is shorter than 22mm, the J20 will navigate it.
Yes, while the Eureka J20 has RGB cameras to assist in navigation, LiDAR and laser range sensors make it possible for the bot to clean in the dark.
No, the Eureka J20 cannot climb or descend stairs. It identifies when it is at the top of a threshold and will not tumble down stairs, but it cannot navigate them.
Powered by LiDAR technology, the Eureka J20 has mapping. The first thing you do when setting up the device is to map your space. The app allows you to customize the map, connecting or splitting rooms, identifying no-go zones and more. Once mapped, you may choose different cleaning functionality for each room.
Yes, the Eureka J20 utilizes RGB cameras for navigation and obstacle avoidance.