There are several models and varieties of the iRobot Roomba, but the 694, e5 and i3 tend to be the most popular. The Roomba® 600 series robot vacuum is a great way to begin cleaning your home smarter. It learns dyson robot vacuum your cleaning habits and then offers up custom cleaning schedules—taking on daily dirt, dust, and debris from carpets and hard floors. It even has an edge-sweeping brush to get into corners and along edges.
However, the product category is so saturated that it can be difficult to determine which sales are bargains. Cameras and optical sensors can help with obstacle recognition, and LiDAR-based navigation uses lasers to detect objects. These capabilities aren’t perfect, but vacuums are now more adept at finding their way back to charging docks than they were even a few years ago.
First-generation models must be recharged from a wall power adapter, while all subsequent models have a self-charging homebase that the unit seeks out at the end of a cleaning session via infrared beacons. The Roombas’ bumper allows them to sense when they have bumped into an obstacle, after which they will reverse or change paths. Infrared “cliff sensors” on the bottom of Roombas similarly prevent them from falling off ledges such as stairways. These slow down the Roomba when nearing obstacles, to reduce its force of impact. It’s also used to clean alongside walls without bumping into the wall repeatedly.
One of the biggest concerns from buyers before getting a robot vacuum was the possibility that it would drag pet messes all over the house. The PrecisionVision capability bissell crosswave cordless (and the P.O.O.P. guarantee that comes with it) keeps that from happening. Most Roomba models will run for around 90 minutes before needing a charge.
We also tested the ease of setup, charging, and operation to determine how easy or difficult each product is to use. While we rated each robot in the same category of usability, we considered how they stacked up irobot vacuum cleaner against the old methods of manual cleaning as well. Through the company’s Imprint Link technology, the iRobot Roomba i3 coordinates with the Braava Jet M6 robot mop so users can vacuum and then mop in sequence.
Jodhaira Rodriguez is the Home Appliances & Cleaning Products Reviews Analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she also writes cleaning how-tos and tips. Her prior experience analyzing environmental samples in a commercial lab has shaped her curiosity about and knowledge of how things work. Lynn is a testing and product review analyst with the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she’s been evaluating products since 2012. Carolyn Forte, the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Care and Cleaning Lab Executive Director, has a B.A. In Family & Consumer Sciences from Queens College, City University of New York, and is a consumer products expert.