iRobot Roomba 614 Review
The Roomba line has been the benchmark for home robot vacuums since the first robot was introduced in 2001. Since then, they've continued to raise the bar and bring all other vacuums up to speed. ...
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Cancels your trips to the trash
The Roomba® i3+ EVO robot vacuum automatically empties itself so you don’t have to think about vacuuming for months at a time.
If you want to make your home as comfortable as possible, making sure it’s clean is always a top priority. However, dealing with all the household cleaning tasks can be a hassle and can take up too much of your time.
Vacuuming is probably one of the most annoying cleaning tasks.
No one wants to lug around a heavy vacuum cleaner and worry about tripping over cords – and if you live in a two-story house, you’ll have to lug the vacuum up and down the stairs, too.
Not exactly a fun way to spend your afternoon, is it?
It only gets worse if your kids leave a trail of crumbs in their path or your pets shed hair everywhere. If that were the case, you’d be vacuuming your home almost every day to keep it clean.
Fortunately, you can keep your house clean and save valuable time by purchasing a Roomba. These robotic vacuums are small but powerful enough to let them do all the work for you, so you can tackle other cleaning tasks – or relax on the couch with a good book – instead of wasting time vacuuming.
Sound too good to be true? We’ll tell you all the facts and share our cleaning expert Alan’s thoughts on Roombas and how to get the most out of them. Read on, and be sure to check out our favorite Roombas at the top of this page.
iRobot Roomba 694
The iRobot Roomba 694 is a basic robot vacuum cleaner. It feels well made, offers excellent battery performance, and automatically adjusts its suction power and brush roll height depending on the surface it’s on. While it performs slightly better on low-pile carpets, its performance on this surface type remains mediocre. In addition, like many robotic vacuums, it is difficult to maintain and has high recurring costs.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is a good choice for bare floors. It can remove small debris effortlessly, although it has a hard time with pet hair. Also, while it can easily clean up large debris when the bin is empty, it has a hard time sucking up heavier debris when the garbage can is full. Thankfully, it is compact and compact, which means it can clean under most furniture. While its automation is somewhat limited, except for the surface detection feature, it still has good area coverage.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is not suitable for low-pile carpets. It has difficulty picking up pet hair and fine debris. This vacuum also incurs high recurring costs as many parts need to be replaced regularly. Thankfully, its automatic height adjustment feature is helpful when moving between different surface types.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is a logical choice for vacuuming shag carpets. Its surface detection feature allows it to automatically change its head height on shag carpets. However, it has difficulty vacuuming up pet hair and may require a second pass to completely remove larger materials. It has difficulty handling fine debris and sometimes gets tangled in the fringe of the carpet.
pros
Fast recharge time.
Sturdy build.
Automatic power adjustment.
cons
Struggles to pick up pet hair on all surfaces.
High recurring costs.
Many parts need regular cleaning.
iRobot Roomba i3+
The iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO is a robot vacuum with an auto-empty feature that automatically empties debris from the internal bin into an external bin attached to the charging base. It feels great and does a great job of maneuvering. It performs best on bare floors and removes small, large debris with ease, but has a hard time with different types of material on carpets. It also struggles when dealing with pet hair.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ is for bare floors. This vacuum feels great, gets around obstacles well and can be charged quickly. It effectively cleans small, large debris from bare floors, although it can be a little difficult to work with pet hair. It also incurs high recurring costs.
This is a medium option for vacuuming low-pile carpets. It picks up a lot of larger debris, but has difficulty removing pet hair and fine material. It also has many parts that need regular cleaning and can incur high recurring costs. That said, it feels good and does a good job of maneuvering.
It’s a good choice for high pile carpets. Thanks to its self-adjusting cleaning head height, it can climb these surfaces and automatically increase its suction power on carpeted floors. It does a good job of removing larger debris, but it has a hard time absorbing pet hair, especially fine debris. It can incur high recurring costs and has many parts that require regular cleaning.
pros
Excellent build quality.
Automatically empties dustbin into large external dirtbag.
Automatic surface type adjustment feature.
cons
High recurring costs and demanding maintenance needs.
Doesn't clean pet hair very effectively.
Struggles with fine debris like baking soda.
iRobot Roomba j7+
The iRobot Roomba j7+ is a premium robotic vacuum with advanced automation features. It sits below the iRobot Roomba S9, the flagship of the company’s current line of vacuums.
The iRobot j7 is for bare floors. While it can effortlessly remove large and small debris such as cereal or rice, it struggles with pet hair, which tends to get pushed around by the front bumper rather than being vacuumed up. Thankfully, it feels good, maneuvers itself very effectively thanks to its hazard recognition capabilities, and has a very wide range of automated features, including its auto-emptying function. Unfortunately, it has demanding maintenance requirements and incurs high recurring costs.
It is a medium choice for low pile carpet. It doesn’t absorb as much as larger materials like sand and has difficulty cleaning fine debris like baking soda, although it does a very good job of handling pet hair on this surface type. In addition, it has many parts that need to be cleaned and can incur high recurring costs. This vacuum feels great and its auto-empty feature helps to slightly reduce manual maintenance requirements.
The iRobot j7 is great for cleaning shag carpets. It can easily vacuum up larger debris such as pet hair and sand. While it may need another pass to fully remove finer materials like baking soda, it still does a pretty good job of handling such debris. Its surface detection feature allows it to automatically adapt to different floor types. Unfortunately, it sometimes has a hard time climbing such surfaces. It also incurs very high recurring costs and has many parts that require regular cleaning.
pros
Advanced automation capabilities.
Excellent build quality.
Excellent maneuverability.
cons
Struggles with pet hair on high-pile carpet.
No mopping capability.
Slow room mapping.
iRobot Roomba i7+
The iRobot Roomba i7+ is a robotic vacuum with a unique automatic dirt disposal feature built into the charging base. Thanks to this design, you don’t have to empty the dust collection chamber as often. Its companion app gives you access to different functions, such as setting virtual borders and scheduling cleaning times. It also automatically adjusts the head to suit your floor type and can focus on cleaning particularly dirty areas more thoroughly.
The iRobot Roomba i7+ is for bare floors. It has no problem with small debris like rice, but it’s much more resistant to large debris that ends up in the brush roll, making it impossible to spin. Pet hair can also get dragged or caught in different parts of the vacuum, but it still manages to pick up a fair amount of hair. While this vacuum is very well built, it has several parts that require regular maintenance and replacement that can add up.
This is fair for low pile carpets. It will pick up most pet hair, but it has more difficulty with small and large debris. Unfortunately, debris like sand can get caught in the vacuum cleaner and may require you to remove this debris before you can get back to cleaning again. There are also several parts, like the filter, that require regular maintenance and replacement. Nonetheless, it can still maneuver well on this surface, although it may replace lighter, low-pile carpeting.
No problem with high pile carpets. Picking up pet hair is no problem, but large and small debris may be more challenging for this well-built robot. Debris like sand can also get stuck inside the vacuum and be a bit annoying to clean. It also has a few parts that require regular maintenance and are quite costly on a recurring basis. On the plus side, it has excellent maneuverability.
pros
Picks up most pet hair.
Automatic dirt disposal feature in charging dock.
cons
Lots of maintenance and many parts that need replacement over time.
Larger debris can get stuck in some vacuum parts.
iRobot Roomba 614
The iRobot Roomba 614 is a simple, affordable robot vacuum cleaner. It is well-built and has a long battery life, but its automation is basic and does not work with the companion app or with the remote control. It works best on bare surfaces such as hardwood or linoleum floors and can remove debris with ease.
The iRobot Roomba 614 is okay on bare floors. It removes fine debris like baking soda with ease and doesn’t have much of a problem with bulky materials like grains. It also has an impressive build quality. However, it struggles with pet hair, which tends to clump and get stuck on the brush roll, and has fairly demanding maintenance needs.
It is poor on low pile carpets. It struggles with pet hair and will not absorb almost any fine debris, such as baking soda. It can remove large amounts of larger debris, such as sand, but incurs high recurring costs and has high maintenance needs.
The iRobot Roomba 614 does a decent job on shag carpet. It will absorb a lot of larger debris, such as sand and some pet hair, but does struggle with fine materials such as baking soda. It also has high recurring costs and demanding maintenance needs, but fortunately, it is very well built and operates well.
pros
Impressive build quality.
Fantastic battery life.
Can climb onto and maneuver on high-pile carpets.
cons
Hard to maintain and has high recurring costs.
Pet hair often gets caught in the brushrolls.
Struggles to suck up small debris.
Buying Guide
HOW DOES A ROOMBA WORK?
Roomba is a small, disc-shaped computerized vacuum cleaner. It automatically moves around your home, using rotating brushes to pick up dirt and debris as it glides across the floor.
The side brushes sweep dirt from underneath the Roomba, while the reverse rotating brushes underneath direct the debris to the vacuum, which draws it into the storage bin.
To move around your home automatically, the Roomba uses a set of pre-programmed commands and on-board sensors to prevent it from hitting walls and furniture. Roomba is equipped with a rechargeable battery that provides the power needed to move around your home. It comes with a charging station so you can keep the vacuum on when it’s not in use, so you know it’s always ready to use when you want to clean.
BENEFITS OF A ROOMBA
Roomba has a wide range of advantages that can make it the ideal cleaning tool for your home.
For many people, the main attraction is the time it saves a person from having to clean a room. Because it cleans itself, you can continue to do other cleaning tasks while it vacuums for you, so your home is cleaned in a more efficient and timely manner.
The Roomba is also a perfect vacuuming option for people with limited mobility. You don’t have to push or carry it anywhere, and since it cleans itself, you don’t need to stand to vacuum at all.
The Roomba also gets under most furniture with ease, so you never have to worry about dust bunnies or pet hair collecting under the couch again. Keep in mind that, unfortunately, due to its small size and design, the Roomba cannot provide deep cleaning, especially on carpets. Our cleaning expert Alan recommends a dual cleaning strategy for carpets: the Roomba for daily finishing cleaning, and a full-size vacuum with powerful power and filtration for weekly deep cleaning to protect your flooring investment and your health.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
BENEFITS OF A ROOMBA
When you buy a Roomba, the first thing to consider is the type of flooring you will be using it on. The cleaning heads on each Roomba model automatically adjust so they can be used on all floor types, including hardwood, tile, and carpet. However, some models are better suited for carpeting than others.
If most of the floors in your home are carpeted, you may want to choose a Roomba model with a deeper carpet cleaning setting. These vacuums automatically increase their cleaning power on carpets to remove as much dirt and debris as possible.
3-stage cleaning
All Roomba models are equipped with the patented 3-stage cleaning system. The vacuum loosens, lifts and vacuums away dirt and debris to effectively clean your floors.
However, some models have added aerodynamic power to make the cleaning process even more effective – some Roombas have five to ten times the aerodynamic power of lower-end models, which allows them to remove more embedded dirt.
For the most thorough cleaning results, you may want to choose a higher-end Roomba series.
Battery life
All Roomba vacuums are battery powered, but not all batteries provide the same amount of cleaning time. The battery life of a vacuum cleaner will determine how long the Roomba can clean before it needs to be recharged, so this is an important factor to consider when you are shopping.
If you have a large house, you may want to invest in a model with an extra-long battery life.
Some Roombas come with a battery life of 60 minutes, while other mid-range models have a battery life of 75 minutes. For the longest-running Roomba, look for a model with a battery life of about 120 minutes.
Self-charging capabilities
Every Roomba model has a self-charging feature, which means they will automatically return to the docking station to recharge when the battery is low.
However, they do not return to cleaning on their own, so you will need to reset the vacuum to clean once charging is complete.
However, some Roomba ranges also have a charge and restore function. This allows the vacuum to return to the docking station when it needs to be recharged, but continue cleaning from the point of interruption as soon as it is fully charged.
Controls and programming
Each Roomba is connected to Wi-Fi so you can control the vacuum wirelessly using the Roomba app on your smartphone or tablet. That way, if you’re out running errands, you can turn on your Roomba to clean while you’re on the go so you can finish before you get home.
You can also use the app to schedule your Roomba to clean your room at specific times. For example, you may prefer to use the vacuum when you’re out of the house so you’re not disturbed.
The app also allows you to view your Roomba’s cleaning history to ensure that certain areas of your home have been cleaned recently.
Custom cleaning preferences
If you’re picky about how well you clean your floors and don’t trust an automatic vacuum to do the job exactly the way you want it done, choose a Roomba model that offers custom cleaning preferences.
With Custom Cleaning Preferences, you can adjust a variety of settings, including power settings, number of cleanings, final edge cleaning, and cleaning mode.
To make it even easier, you can use the Roomba app to change settings and customize your cleaning schedule for your home.
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