11 years ago, the first iRobot® Roomba was introduced. Its innovative technology wowed us, beamed us into a Sci-Fi movie starring Will Smith. But—you know—without the Artificial Intelligence, and therefore less danger.
Over the years, iRobot® has graced us with different models, with more advanced features every year. Since this vacuum works on its own, on a schedule (or via remote in later models), it is much more expensive that the standard, upright, human-controlled vacuums that you’re used to. Depending on the model, you can purchase a Roomba online anywhere from $399 to $699. That’s a pretty big range.
You have to wonder: Are the upgrades really worth that much more money? Are the older models even worth the $399 11 years later, now that there are hundreds of different high-suctioning vacuum cleaners to choose from?
Let’s break it down.
The Pros
Between work, family time, caring for fur babies and any hobbies you manage to squeeze into your schedule, you’re pretty darn busy—to say the least. Anything that makes your daily chores easier, faster or more efficient is a godsend. Well, Roomba does all three of those things for you. If you can believe it, it has even more benefits than just the fact that it cleans for you. Here are a few of them:
- You don’t have to vacuum (or sweep!) yourself
- Roomba can be scheduled
- You can control Roomba with a remote (790 & 880)
- Roomba intuitively sidesteps large objects obscuring its path
- Roomba has high suction for its size (880)
- Roomba’s brushless design helps prevent tangles (880)
- Roomba easily cleans tile, hard wood and short-bristle carpet
The Cons
Roomba has a lot going for it. When you first get one, you may be blind to its flaws—but they’re certainly there. It’s just a matter of whether or not these things bother you more than the pros benefit you. Here’s what we mean:
- Roomba can damage loose cords by running over them
- Roomba can get caught on loose items
- Roomba fills quickly
- Roomba may run out of batteries before completing task
- Cleaning Roomba is kind of an ordeal
- Roomba is EXPENSIVE
Say, when you first get your Roomba, you program it to clean at 10 AM, while you’re at work. But let’s also say that you were running late one morning and forgot to pick up your laptop charger off the floor. Sure Roomba knows when to avoid large pieces of furniture, but it has no idea that your charger isn’t something you want it to clean up. Roomba tries to suck up the cord, exposing and possibly breaking the wires in the process. The cord gets stuck, so Roomba gets stuck and runs out of battery before it is able to clean the rest of the floor.
Is that a mess you’re willing to walk in on after a long day at work?
The Gray Area
Is the option to manually control your Roomba 790 or 880 really a pro? If you feel like you have to sit down and control your Roomba with a remote, might you just as well get up and use a handle-led vacuum? Are you really willing to get up and supervise your Roomba from room to room?
Maybe you’re answering “yes” to all these questions, and if so, you may feel that the upgraded, latter models of Roomba are worth the extra $300.
You can always go through your home and pick up large pieces off the floor so that your Roomba can’t run over them while it’s running itself. If you incorporate this task into your daily routine, it will make it less likely that you’ll forget to do it. This way you don’t have to worry about directing your Roomba yourself, and you won’t have to spend the extra money in order to obtain the remote that comes with newer models. The only thing you’ll have to worry about are the days that you forget or just plain don’t have time to do it.
Then again, the iRobot® Roomba 880 is brushless in order to prevent the kind of tangles that would cause you to come home to a mess. Something to think about.
The Bottom Line
When Roomba first came out, the technology was unprecedented. Now, not only are there other high-suctioning, powerful vacuums out there, but there are also other cheaper, robotic vacuums that may work just as well as earlier Roomba models. Now with models that are more expensive than ever, it’s really up to you to decide what is important to you and whether those important things are worth this kind of money.
With the Roomba 880, you’re able to control it with a remote, schedule it to work during specific times while you’re away at work, and set up two docking stations so the Roomba is less likely to die and will maintain more accuracy. However, if you’re content to allow the vacuum to schedule itself without having to control it with a remote, or you can pick up the ground before you set the Roomba to vacuum (in order to prevent tangles) then you may not want to spend the extra money to get a brushless model with a remote.
If this is the case, we would recommend purchasing one of the earlier, cheaper models of Roomba. Although the chamber is small and fills up quickly, can you really put a price on the convenience of not having to vacuum yourself? Can you put a price on coming home to a clean house, without having to lift a finger (once you’ve set Roomba’s schedule)? Sure the chamber is small, but if you set your Roomba to clean everyday—maybe twice a day, if you’re ambitious and you plan to clean out the chamber twice—then is there really that much dirt on your floor to clog your Roomba?
If you have a pet (or several pets) with long hair that shed like crazy, then maybe the Roomba is not the vacuum for you. You’ll probably be much better off with a vacuum that is high-suctioning and manually operated.
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