Recently, we took a look at a handful of robotic vacuum cleaners on a budget. All of them were sat at a middle price point of $300, give or take a little either way, as a balance between price and quality. This time around, we’re going to take a closer look at one of these models, the Tonor Robot Vacuum Cleaner, examining some of its key features in a little more detail.




Obstacle Avoidance

It’s fair to say that robotic vacuum cleaners are a nifty piece of technology when you’ve got to hoover the floor, but have neither time nor energy. Being able to press a couple of buttons, and simply leave your little whirring device to its own, well, devices, gives you one less thing to worry about and makes your life easier.


However, an issue that can sometimes arise is how they get around. Picture the scene; you’ve gone out, leaving your vacuum on the go, expecting to return home to spotless floors. But when you open the door, all you see is a forlorn machine stuck in a corner, having been unable to maneuver itself out. Or, you notice chair legs and skirting boards getting a bit scuffed and battered.




Most lower-end robot vacuums use bumper technology at the front of the unit, meaning that they drive forwards until they physically hit an obstacle. Internal springs soften the impact, the bumper compresses and signals to the machine to change direction. Tonor’s offering however bypasses this more rudimentary technology by using infrared sensors, which offer a more advanced approach to obstacle detection and avoidance.

These IR sensors are designed smart. Instead of just waiting for an obstacle, the sensors constantly scan and evaluate their surroundings to try and detect any potential obstructions. This collision prevention mechanism intuitively avoids your furniture, thus preventing unnecessary damage to them. The Tonor also actively works to stop itself from becoming stuck with a built-in ‘edge detection technology’. These sensors work to look out for, and then navigate away from, any ledges or drops around the cleaning area.


With this in mind, the advanced infrared sensors that this vacuum comes equipped with are certainly a boon. By effectively scouting ahead, the vacuum proactively stops potential damage to walls and furniture, as well as avoiding tricky corners and ledges. Not bad for a little vacuum cleaner.

Cleaning Schedule Mode

Let’s face it; nobody likes doing chores, especially because it’s boring and time consuming. So the appeal of a robot vacuum is obvious, just press a button and voila, your floors are clean. But even then, if you’re at home while it’s whizzing around doing its thing, trying not to step on it might be tricky. What would be ideal then is if it could work its magic while you’re not at home, allowing you to relax free of the noise, right? Enter one of the Tonor’s most innovative design details; programmable cleaning schedules.




The highly useful feature allows you to set a daily time for it to begin the cleaning cycle, meaning that you can essentially forget about it once programmed. With a battery life of up to two hours, there’s comfortably enough time for the Tonor to get around most areas on the floor of your apartment/house. What’s more, it also comes with a base charging station that it automatically returns to when the battery level starts getting low. What could be better than knowing you’ll be coming home to clean floors after a long day of work, with minimal maintenance or effort on your part?




This nifty element of the Tonor Robot Vacuum Cleaner is something that really sets it apart, and is super simple to set up. The vacuum ships with a remote control, which you can also use to manually control it while it’s going, but a couple of button presses allows you to select the scheduling setting. The remote screen is nice and clear, so just scroll through to the time you need, hit ok, and enjoy the sense of relaxation that comes with knowing you have a chore already done by the time you’re home and ready to put your feet up.