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The Roomba has taken over the world of vacuums and home care. With a fun appearance, expert cleaning, and with the ability to help you avoid the mind-numbing tasking of actually vacuuming. But as the Roomba has gained in popularity – there have been an overwhelming amount of models introduced into the market.
Since the last thing you want to do is waste your hard-earned money, we’ve sorted through the junk, and found the best choices. We did the research, tested a variety of Roomba models, and aggregated tens of thousands of online reviews. After extensive testing, we were able to find the best Roomba – here are our top choices.
Our Top Pick
iRobot Roomba 690
With over 3,800 positive online reviews, the Roomba 690 is the go-to choice, for robot vacuums. With a great price point, flawless cleaning, and great durability – it’s unbeatable. While you can spend more, and get some extra features – this model is more than enough for most people. Highly recommended.
Other Great Picks
iRobot Roomba 960
The 960 is the Cadillac of Roombas – and it does not disappoint. While it is not a budget pick, the over 1,800 glowing online reviews – speak for themselves. Quite simply, there’s nothing this Roomba can’t clean. Pet hair, crumbs – you name it, it can clean it. With the Alexa feature enabled, it’s also quite fun. Highly recommended.
iRobot Roomba i7+
If the regular Roomba is a Camry – the i7+ is a Ferrari. It is a top-of-the-line machine, and it has every feature under the sun. With over 175 glowing online reviews, consumers agree that it is a perfect choice for automated cleaning. It empties itself automatically, and will detect the dirtiest areas, and clean them until they are flawless. Not much more you could ask for, from a robot vacuum.
Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S
With over 4,900 positive online reviews, the Eufy 11S is a great choice. It offers a slightly different cleaning experience than the iRobot Roomba, and comes in at a slightly better price point. Our staff found that it ran slightly quieter than the Roomba itself, and we definitely preferred the more silent experience. Definitely recommended.
iLife V3S
With over 2,000 online customer reviews, and a great price point – V3S is a great robot vacuum. We liked the lower price point, and only noticed a few drop-offs in performance, compared to much more expensive models. Highly recommended by our staff.
iRobot Braava Jet 240
With over 1,500 glowing online reviews, the Braava Jet is a great product. It is a robot mop – that’s right, not technically a vacuum (in the strictest sense). Our office got a huge kick out of this, and enjoyed spilling things, just so the 240 would clean it up (not recommended). If you are in the market for something to clean well – the Braava Jet 240 is for you.
Roborock S5
With over 600 positive reviews, the S5 is great robot vacuum – and robot mop. With the dual functionality, it offers great convenience and stellar cleaning. Highly recommended, if you are looking for something not made by iRobot.
iLife A4S
The A4S is a great budget pick, and has an astounding 2,700 positive online reviews. While it does not have every feature that deluxe models do – it comes in at just a fraction of their price, and offers fairly comparable performance. If you want a robot vacuum – but don’t want to spend a lot – the A4S is for you.
Eufy RoboVac 30C
With over 980 great reviews, the 30C is another great robot vacuum choice. Our staff found it to be super quiet, and we loved the Alexa functionality, as well. It was able to go from hardwood to carpet seamlessly, and returns home like it’s supposed to, effortlessly. Definitely recommended.
iRobot Roomba 891
With over 45 positive glowing customer reviews, the 891 is a great robot vacuum. There are multiple Roomba models, but this one is especially great for pet hair, and won’t scare your animals, either. Highly recommended.
What Is A Roomba?
A tidy, comfortable and clean home is a priority for most of us. But in reality it can be very time consuming to keep it that way. With our busy lives these days it can be hard to stay on top of everything needed to keep our homes as immaculate as we would like.
When it comes to cleaning chores, vacuuming tends to be one of the most dreaded. And it’s not surprising. Vacuum cleaners are typically heavy and awkward. The cord never seems to be long enough to reach all corners of a room. Or even worse, you end up tripping over it. Not only is it time consuming, it seems like just as soon as you’re finished it’s time to start again. Especially if you have pets. Or small children who seem to leave a trail of crumbs everywhere they go. And dragging a heavy vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs is never any fun.
Thankfully there is a way to avoid all of the hassle and still have clean floors. A Roomba can make your life so much easier. A Roomba is a small but powerful robotic vacuum cleaner. You program it and it does the work for you, leaving you free to tackle other chores. Or even better, to just relax.
It may sound hard to believe, but it’s true. We’ve picked the best Roombas to meet your needs. Just read on to learn more so you can take full advantage of this wonderful device.
How Does A Roomba Work?
The Roomba is a small computer operated vacuum cleaner shaped like a disc. It travels all around your house, automatically picking up dirt and debris with brushes that are constantly spinning. It can do all of this while you are out. Just imagine how amazing it would feel to come home to a clean house, without having to lug that heavy vacuum cleaner around!
Since the Roomba is robotic, it can be pre-programmed to move about your house without crashing into walls or furniture, or even worse, falling down the stairs. It runs on a rechargeable battery and comes equipped with a charging station where it can be housed. That way your Roomba is always ready to go whenever needed.
The actual mechanism is fairly simple. There are brushes on the side of the Roomba that direct the dirt and debris underneath. Brushes underneath rotate in the opposite direction and guide the dirt into the vacuum itself.
Benefits Of A Roomba
There are countless benefits to owning a Roomba as you are probably beginning to realize.
The most obvious is the time savings. Whether you vacuum once a week, or daily as is the case with many people who have pets or small children, vacuuming is time consuming and let’s face it…boring. Just imagine the extra time you would have if a little robotic vacuum was doing the work for you. This frees up time for other productive tasks, or simply spending more time relaxing.
For those whose mobility is limited in any way, owning a Roomba can be life changing. You simply program it and it does all the work. No more dragging a heavy vacuum cleaner from room to room, no more worry about tripping over the cumbersome cord. Vacuuming is very physical work, unless you have a Roomba.
One benefit of the Roomba that surprises most people is that it can even vacuum underneath most furniture, due to the low profile design. No more moving or lifting heavy furniture to reach the dust bunnies that accumulate underneath. The Roomba will keep them at bay.
And let’s not forget one of the biggest benefits of the Roomba… it works completely on its own. You can set it up and leave the house. What could be better than coming home to a clean house without having done the work?
If the noise of a traditional vacuum bothers you, a Roomba is quieter. And of course it can do the cleaning while you are out of the house so you don’t hear any noise at all.
It is important to note that if your home is mostly carpeted, the more basic Roomba models do not provide the same deep clean that a more traditional vacuum does. It is best for day to day maintenance, with some more heavy duty cleaning from a regular vacuum cleaner from time to time. On hard floors the Roomba can pick up everything for you.
Something else to note is that the Roomba does not clean stairs. So you will need to rely on a traditional vacuum cleaner for that duty if your stairs are carpeted.
Considerations
Type Of Flooring
Once you have made the decision to purchase a Roomba, the first thing you need to consider is the type of flooring in your home. Is it mostly carpet? Or is it predominantly hard surfaces, like wood, laminate flooring, or tile? Roombas automatically adjust to accommodate these different surfaces, but some models are better suited for carpeting than others.
If your home is mostly carpet, you will want to consider purchasing a Roomba that offers a deep carpet cleaning setting. This uses more power on carpeted surfaces in order to suction as much debris as possible.
3-Stage Cleaning
Every Roomba model is designed with a unique 3-stage cleaning system which has been patented. The Roomba effectively loosens, lifts and and suctions dirt to get all of your flooring as clean as possible.
The amount of air power is going to vary depending on the price of the Roomba. The higher end, pricier models may have as much as five to ten times the air power as the lower priced, entry level models. If you haven’t guessed already, more air power means a deeper clean, as they are better able to remove embedded dirt, especially from carpeting.
If you are looking for the deepest clean possible, you may want to consider one of the higher end models with more power.
Battery Life
All Roombas are battery operated, which enables them to move freely about your home without a cumbersome cord. It’s important to note that not every model has the same battery life. The battery life is going to determine how long the Roomba can clean before needing to return to the charging station. The size of your home will typically be a factor in determining the best battery life to suit your cleaning needs.
Battery life can range from 60 minutes all the way up to 120 minutes. For a larger home, it may be worth investing in a Roomba with the highest battery life.
Self-Charging Capabilities
Due to the robotic nature of the Roomba, all models automatically return to their charging station when the battery begins to run low. This is a wonderful feature since it means you don’t have to walk all over the house searching for your little robotic vacuum when the battery dies.
The Roomba will automatically recharge when it returns to the station. However, in most cases it will not resume cleaning. If you would like the Roomba to return to cleaning, be sure to select one with the Recharge and Resume feature.
It should be noted that the Roomba will require charging overnight before the first use. After that it takes about two hours to fully recharge.
Controls And Programming
All Roomba models, from the most basic to the most advanced, connect to Wi-Fi. This means you can control it with your smart phone or tablet. Imagine being out running errands and instructing your Roomba to begin cleaning, so you come home to clean floors.
This feature also allows you to program your Roomba ahead of time, so that it can clean at the best time for you. Maybe it always cleans while you are out of the house so it’s not in your way at all. You can even check the cleaning history on the app to make sure all areas of your house have been covered.
Tangle-Free Roller
This feature is important if you have dogs or cats. The tangle-free roller helps to lift the hair from the floor without becoming tangled in the Roomba’s brushes. This way the Roomba will work more efficiently and you don’t need to worry about it stalling from built up hair and dander.
High-Efficiency Filter
If there are allergy sufferers in your family, be sure to look for a Roomba that has a high-efficiency filter. These filters are able to capture 99% off allergens, pollen and other particles that could be irritating.
Multi-Room Cleaning
Unless your house has an open floor plan, you will want to consider the multi-room feature, which has more responsive navigation and sensors. This will make it much easier for the Roomba to keep your entire house clean.
Clean Map Reports
This feature allows you to use the Roomba app to check exactly where the Roomba cleaned, and provides details such as duration and coverage.
Custom Cleaning Preferences
This feature allows you to adjust many settings to get the precise level of clean you desire on every floor in your house. You are able to adjust power, the number of times the Roomba passes over an area, and various cleaning modes. And of course, all of this can be controlled through the convenient app, whether you are home or away.
Pricing For Roombas
A Roomba is an investment, which is why you should carefully consider the features you need to ensure you make the best choice. Prices can run from $350 for a basic model up to $900 for one containing the most advanced features.
If you plan to use the Roomba just for maintenance, and still use a traditional vacuum on a regular basis, the more basic models will be sufficient. However, if you want to rely on the Roomba to handle the majority of your floor cleaning needs, including giving carpets a deeper clean, you will want to go with a higher end model. Depending on features expect to spend between $600 and $900.
The Best Roomba
There you have it – our picks for the best Roomba. There are a ton of great home cleaning accessories besides the Roomba, so be sure to take a look at our other reviews in the home and kitchen categories.