Pads and brushes usually are; filters are where a poor seal lets fine dust past into the motor, so those are worth buying genuine.
On microfibre pads the fiber quality is broadly comparable — what varies is the cut, and an oversized pad folds under at the edges and leaves a stripe along skirtings.
On bags, the fleece is often similar and the cardboard collar is not: a collar that does not seal lets dust bypass the bag entirely.
On robot filters, a seal that is imperfect defeats the point of a sealed system. Buy pattern brushes and pads freely, keep filters genuine.
Last reviewed 2026-08-15