Greenworks GRV-5011 review

About the Greenworks GRV-5011 Robot Vacuum Cleaner

• Dimensions: ~3.3” x 14” (H x W)
• Weight: 9.1 pounds
• Suction power: 8,000 pa
• User Manual

The Greenworks GRV-5011 is a robot vacuum-mop hybrid. When the vacuum returns to its dock after cleaning, a secondary vacuum empties out the dust bin and places the contents into a self-sealing bag. This robot also has a mop attachment located on the bottom-rear section of the unit along with with a 350ml water tank.

For people who are interested in smart technology, the Greenworks robot vacuum is compatible with a free app that allows users to start, stop, schedule, and direct the robot to clean specific areas.

What we like

The robotic Greenworks vacuum excels at debris pick up

The GRV-5011 is a robot vacuum and mop all-in-one. It does both jobs reasonably well, but it is best at vacuuming with its five levels of suction ranging from drag-only up to 8,000 pa. On average, it picked up 9.2 grams of debris per run. Top-tier robot vacuums like the iRobot j7+ and Eufy 11S Max pick up around 10 grams, so this Greenworks robot vacuum is a strong contender.

To test a robot’s vacuum ability, we place each unit on a specially designed obstacle course that simulates everything from furniture legs to different types of carpets.

On this course, this robot vacuum’s 3.3-inch stature allowed it to get under most shelves. The anti-drop sensors kept it from diving off our testing platform which translates to not falling downstairs or going over balconies.

This Greenworks vacuum comes with convenient modern cleaning features

While the Greenworks GRV-5011 isn’t the pinnacle of robot vacuum technology, it does have many convenient features.

Unlike many robot vacuums, this one has a self-emptying base. When the robot is done cleaning, the charging base has a secondary vacuum that cleans out the dustbin and places its contents into a self-sealing bag.

This provides two major benefits: First, it’s more hygienic. If you’ve ever created a dust plume when emptying a vacuum into a trash can, a self-sealing bag prevents that from happening.

Second, it means you never have to touch, smell, or see any of the dust collection. Your mileage may vary, but we estimate you’ll need to change out the 2.5L bag once every 45 days or so.

The Greenworks robot vacuum also impressed us with its app. The Smart G app allows you to do all the basics like start, stop, and schedule cleanings.

However, it also has the added bonus of allowing you to direct the robot vacuum to the rooms you want to be cleaned. Greenworks put a direct-time-of-flight laser in the GRV-5011, so the robot is pretty quick at mapping a space accurately.

You can also set the robot to a variety of cleaning modes and adjust suction levels.

What we don’t like

The mopping is just okay

Our mop testing involved putting the robot on a hardwood platform covered in baby powder and letting it loose. The mop on the Greenworks robot vacuum is pretty thin and wasn’t able to get into crevices properly.

The mop pad is washable by hand—and refilling the water tank is pretty standard. The tank pops out the back and you can fill it at the sink. But like most robot mops, it’s water-only. Adding a cleaning solution of any kind is not recommended.

Overall, we’d rate the Greenworks GRV-5011’s mopping ability just on the cusp of average. According to our testing data, you can find similar performance on much more affordable models like the Ecovacs U2 Pro.

This Greenworks vacuum struggles to get over obstacles

This robot vacuum is designed to have a low profile. It stands around 3.3 inches tall—most robot vacuums measure between 3.4 and 3.6 inches high.

During testing this Greenworks vacuum was pretty good at getting under furniture, but it’s not as good at getting over throw rugs. If you have taller thresholds or lots of thick rugs, this might not be a good choice.

What consumers are saying

At the time of reviewing, the Greenworks GRV-5011 has 3.9 stars out of 5 stars on Amazon. People like the powerful suction, but cite difficulty finding replacement filters. This may have been due to initial supply chain issues, but we were able to find replacement filters on Greenworks’ website.

Should you buy the Greenworks GRV-5011 robot vacuum?

Yes, if it’s on sale

If you can snag it for under $500, we’d recommend it. The Greenworks GRV-5011 provides good vacuuming power and moderate mopping abilities. We have a price-tracking tool and it showed us that over the past few months, this robot vacuum has gone on sale multiple times, sometimes for over $200 off.

At its normal price, we’d recommend getting the self-emptying iRobot j7+, which lacks the mop functionality of the Greenworks GRV-5011 has but does a better job at picking up debris.