The iRobot Roomba is another robot vacuum I have had the opportunity to try and give a thorough review.
The last robot vacuum I reviewed was about double the price of the iRobot Roomba 890 but it gives me the opportunity to find out what the hits and misses of this vacuum are. And most of all, if it’s worth saving the money to get the more expensive iRobot Roomba 980 Wi-Fi Connected Robotic Vacuum Cleaner.
The iRobot Room 890 Wi-Fi Connected Robotic Vacuum comes with an extra filter, a virtual wall barrier, two AA batteries, instructions and warranty.
THIS iROBOT ROOM 890 DOES NOT COME WITH A REMOTE!!! You are required to use your SmartPhone and download the iRobot App.
Once downloading your app, make sure you use your 2.4G Internet connection and not the 5G which your home modem may offer. And with WiFi, you can have the robot work via voice activation with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.
FIRST THOUGHTS:
– I MISS HAVING A REMOTE and THE APP IS OK – Great for scheduling your vacuum which you can set to clean. You can set it to go home to its charging station. Personally as much as I utilize my smartphone for many things, I don’t know…there is something about having a remove and controlling a robotic vacuum, especially if it has missed an area, that I miss a lot. But the app does record data and how long you vacuumed and such.
– GOOD SIZE: I like the size of the device, similar to others I have reviewed. I like the fact that it has a handle, which is a big plus.
– ONLY ONE BRUSH UNDERNEATH? One thing I did notice that underneath, there was one brush that sweeps debris into the debris compartment, I like robot vacuums that tend to have two on the left and right for better chance of picking up debris.
– BATTERY NOT RECHARGING? When you get the device, you must pull off a paper insert to begin using the vacuum. I did it, no tears or mistakes but it wasn’t recharging. I had to open the battery compartment lid, reinsert the battery and then it recharged. It’s important to note that the battery lasts 60 minutes, the 980 lasts for 120 minutes and it takes about three hours to recharge.
– I LIKE THE VIRTUAL WALL BARRIER: The vacuum comes with a virtual wall barrier which is cool. This is the device that requires the AA batteries. I like how you can set it, have the light reflect from a wall, telling it to not go past a certain point. While the pricier vacuums have memory recognition that you can train it to not go past a certain point, it’s great to have this wall barrier included.
– DEBRIS COMPARTMENT IS SMALL: This compartment is smaller than the last robot vacuum I reviewed. But with most robotic vacuums, you’ll have to learn how to throw debris in the garbage. And yes, this thing picks up pet hair very well!
– CLEANING PATTERNS: I’m guessing the 980 features more cleaning patterns than the 890. A previous version I reviewed (another company) featured up to five patterns. The vacuum does not do multi-room, nor does it do recharge and resume, but the 980 does.
– YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR: iRobot has made a solid and affordable robotic vacuum with the 890 but really, the 980 has more power for better suction, better battery time and offers better cleaning via the iAdapt 2.0 Navigation with Visual Localization which this device does not have. The 980 offers two virtual wall devices and a better enhanced app.
JUDGMENT CALL:
You have to give iRobot credit for releasing an affordable robotic vacuum, considering that many go for up to $800 or more. At the end of the day, it is subjective of whether you care about battery power, better suction capability, whether you want a remote and how smart your robotic vacuum to be.
This robotic vacuum gives you the basics and it does a great job vacuuming debris despite having only one single brush. I do prefer the two. I do prefer having to use a remote versus a basic app because no matter what, robotic vacuums are not perfect and you want the ability to control the robotic vacuum to pick up areas that it may have missed. Without a remote, you really can’t do that.
I prefer multi-room, recharge and resume robotic vacuums as well. Knows when its battery is depleted, will automatically go to its charging base, charge itself and then resumes when it has enough charge to continue. The cheaper Roomba 890 doesn’t do that, the 980 and the 960 do.
With that being said, I test these robotic vacuums like crazy and the more expensive one, I put through a lot of tests and only lasted two months. I’m hoping the iRobot lasts much longer and if I find any more problems, I will update my review to reflect that.
But overall, the iRobot Roomba 890 is a solid robot vacuum for its price. It’s a slim down version compared to the 980 and 960 but it depends if you want to spend $800 to go with the more expensive version or $600 for the 960. Personally, I would go for the iRobot Roomba 960 or the 980 over the 890 for the convenience.
Otherwise, if you want a robotic vacuum that does the basics, then give the iRobot Roomba 890 a chance!
