The appeal of a robot vacuum with an auto-empty base is obvious: You get weeks (maybe even months, depending on how regularly you’re running your ‘bot) of hands-free cleaning, without the hassle of daily bin dumping.
The reality, though, is that you’re deferring maintenance rather than eliminating it. When you do empty the bin, it can be a larger and often more involved process. An auto-emptying dock may also lead to less apparent problems, including nagging odors, clogs, sensor glitches and bag replacements.
So is an auto-emptying model worth the extra investment? Let’s dive in.
What auto-emptying docks actually do
The Shark UV Reveal has a bagless self-emptying base station that also sanitizes the mop.
Shark
Instead of requiring you to empty the little onboard dustbin on your robot vacuum after every run or two, an auto-emptying unit will return to its dock and position itself over an intake valve. There,
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