*
Looking for a bargain? – Check out today's top tech deals!

Robot Vacuums

Black and Decker Robotic Vacuum With LED and Smartech (HRV425BL)

While the Black and Decker Robotic Vacuum With LED and Smartech has a fun and flashy design, it delivered mixed results in testing.

You probably won't ever describe a robot vacuum as the life of the party, but the $379 Black and Decker Robotic Vacuum With LED and Smartech (HRV 425BL) has a surprising amount of panache. Thanks to customizable LED lighting, it's a bit more fun to watch scoot around than your average Roomba. But while its suction capabilities and battery life are good, it isn't the best at traversing all floor types, and its height makes it ill-suited for low-profile furniture. And as far as connected features go, it benefits from a well-designed app, but is held back by Bluetooth's limited range and some connectivity issues in testing. If you're not swayed by rainbow lighting, you're better off sticking with the iRobot Roomba 690.

Design and Accessories

You expect to see RGB lighting on a gaming keyboard, not so much on a robot vacuum. And while it's clearly a gimmick, it gives the vacuum some pizzazz and helps it stand out from the fairly staid pack. You can customize the color and brightness of the light through the app, which I'll discuss in further detail below.

Otherwise, the HRV 425BL is your typical top-loading, circular robot vacuum. It's a bit on the larger side, at 13.9 inches in diameter and 4.3 inches tall, which isn't ideal for low-profile couches, coffee tables, or TV stands.

Besides LED lights, the top of the Black and Decker is home to a top-loading dustbin. To empty it, all you have to do is press a button directly below the bin and it pops up. Above the dustbin is a start/stop button and a signal emitter (a sensor that helps the robot navigate). The front houses a bumper with infrared sensors, and underneath you'll find two side brushes, a 9-inch beater bar, a front wheel, two main wheels, and drop sensors.

For accessories, you get a charging dock, two spare side brushes (with a screwdriver for replacing them), a spare filter, and a cleaning tool. There's no virtual wall like you get with Roombas, however, so you can't easily cordon off rooms you don't want the robot to clean.

Setup and App

Black and Decker Robotic Vacuum with LED (HRV425BL)

The side brushes come preinstalled, so all you have to do out of the box is plug in the dock and charge the robot (which takes about three hours). When that's done, you can download the Black and Decker app from the Apple App Store or Google Play and create an account. To pair the robot, all you have to do is hold down the start/stop button while the app is open. You don't have to pair it to use it (you can just press the physical start button), but you won't be able to schedule cleans, change colors, toggle cleaning modes, or steer the bot without the app.

It should be noted that because the bot connects via Bluetooth, you won't be able to control it unless you're in range (33 feet). That should be fine in small homes or apartments, but you can't interact with the vacuum remotely. You might also have trouble connecting if you have an extensive number of Bluetooth devices around. While I didn't experience any issues at home, the bot frequently dropped connection in PC Labs due to wireless interference. (I suspect this won't be an issue in the average household.)

The app itself is well-designed and easy to use. Up top you can see the name of your robot, its cleaning status, battery level, and Bluetooth connectivity. You can switch between three tabs: Cleaning Modes, Manual Steering, and Scheduling. Cleaning Modes lets you choose between Auto Clean, Quick Clean (15- or 30-minute sessions), and Spot Clean. The Manual Steering screen shows a direction pad you can use to drive the robot exactly where you want it. Finally, the Scheduling tab lets you customize the days of the week and times the robot cleans.

In the upper right corner, you can also hit the settings gear to access additional options. This includes the Color Select menu, which lets you control the color and brightness of robot's LED. You can choose any color from the wheel, and sliding the brightness to max lets you pick from a range of pastels. The lights themselves are quite bright and attractive, though you don't get to program lighting effects. When the bot first wakes up, it flashes a cool rainbow pattern but there's no way to replicate that on your own. If it gets stuck, the front flashes yellow, which is useful for seeing it out of the corner of your eye. It would be nifty to use the light to communicate other notifications, like flashing red when battery is low, or pink if something is stuck in the roller, but as it stands, it's mostly there for the look.

Performance

Overall, I found the HRV 425BL to be a solid vacuum, though I encountered a few hiccups along the way. For starters, it cleans randomly. That's not inherently bad—the Eufy RoboVac 11 is also a random cleaner and our Editors' Choice for budget robot vacuums. But in general, I've found that random cleaners are more likely to have a hard time navigating different floor types, which is the case here.

Black and Decker Robotic Vacuum with LED (HRV425BL)

Specifically, the HRV 425BL has a difficult time with raised flooring. I have metal and vinyl edging between the hardwood floors in my hallway and the tile in my kitchen. In some tests, it managed to clear this section just fine. But sometimes it would get stuck, as you can see in the accompanying photo, and I'd have to give it a little push.

However, it did an admirable job with darker flooring. My living room rug has a black border and darkly colored geometric patterns, which can often trip up robot cleaners. iRobot's Roomba 690, for example, often stopped cleaning on the rug as it registered the black border as a cliff. Black and Decker's vacuum didn't have that issue. It was able to climb up onto the rug and continue cleaning with minimal effort.

Still, most every robot vacuum needs a little rescuing now and then. And while the HRV 425BL doesn't come with a physical remote, steering via the app works well and is easy to do—as long as you're in Bluetooth range.

Black and Decker Robotic Vacuum with LED (HRV425BL)

Suction power is good, though there is only one cleaning mode. Even without a high-power setting, however, the vacuum was able to pick up a good amount of dust, dirt, and hair. And as mentioned, the top-loading dustbin makes for easy removal. It also holds a greater capacity than either the Bissell SmartClean 1974 or the Samsung Powerbot R7070. You can likely go through multiple cleaning sessions before having to empty it.

Battery life, even with the lights on, is above average. You should be able to get about 85-90 minutes on a single charge. That's not quite as long as the RoboVac 11, which gets about 100 minutes, but it outlasts plenty of more expensive bots like the Powerbot R7070 and the Dyson 360 Eye. It also docks itself automatically, though it occasionally made some lengthy detours before getting there.

As far as noise goes, the HRV425BL isn't exactly quiet, but it's not terribly noisy either. While you'll definitely notice if it's in the same room, it's nowhere near as disruptive as a traditional stick vacuum.

Conclusions

At $379, the Black and Decker HRV 425BL falls right in the middle of the robot vacuum price range. But aside from its unique LED lighting, it doesn't do much to differentiate itself from the competition. It cleans well, has good battery life, and isn't tripped up by dark flooring. But it's limited to Bluetooth range, and it's not the best at handling raised flooring or cleaning under low-profile furniture. The entry-level Roomba 690 is the same price, and features Wi-Fi so you can command it via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. If you prioritize savings over connectivity, consider the Eufy RoboVac 11. You don't get app control, but it costs significantly less and handles different floor types with aplomb.

About Victoria Song