Since two weeks now he has some competition: the new Roomba 871 from iRobot, which will in future take over the main job here.
The strengths of the Roomba 871:
1. Volume: Roomba is relatively quiet - quieter than Deebot recognizable.
2. Installation: The manual is detailed and easy to understand, the initial setup - Time and Language Preference - goes quickly out of hand. The programming of cleaning times and the choice of the type of cleaning is almost straight-forward. In principle one can him after removing the transport securing just start walking with a push of a button and let go. He is namely already in quite good pre-charged. And while he is working, you can deal alone with the instruction manual.
3. programmability: He has two cleaning modes - even room cleaning, ie along the walls and zigzagging across the room. Once intensive cleaning, ie spiral coverage of just over one square meter in heavy contamination. Furthermore, each with different start times are entered, which Roomba automatically scheduled to start work for seven days a week. With us he does currently Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.
4. Sensors: Roomba has optical and ultrasonic sensors, with which obstacles and dirt accumulation are detected properly. So he pushes though when cleaning or against furniture and walls, but he braked earlier clearly from, dotzt only very gently to and on top of that only because he returns to walls and furniture feet along to the corners. He is based on the wall or chair and table legs, sweeping the small horizontal rotating side brush the dirt within reach of the suction device and can therefore be different from the Deebot nowhere are a ungesaugten strip. Sensors that prevent falls down stairs and he of course has also, and also work properly. If you really want to lock an area for him, you can grab the supplied Virtual Wall, and if you want to direct it specifically anywhere, helping a remote control (batteries for both are included).
5. Flat design: Roomba comes with its almost 9 cm height under almost all cabinets, including what, where Deebot must fit.
6. suction: During Deebot brushed primarily and its suction rather serves to support the removal of dirt, Roomba is a "real" vacuum cleaner. What every time sucking lands to dust and lint in its receptacle, is amazing, not to say terrifying.
7. Intelligent Timing: Roomba detects / calculated how long it takes to clean a room, and when he's finished. So he does not suck as Deebot until its battery is at the end, but only until such time as he considers his work done. And is right in his assessment. The way back to the charging station he finds safe, but docked "cautious" as Deebot because its charging contacts are smaller and it must therefore aim more accurately.
8 off-road: Smooth floors and unobstructed spaces he copes with flying colors, but also with cables and "clutter" He is remarkably well understood, without tangling. Even with his very first operation through the living room - even without superscript furniture and cleared obstacles aside - he has never once caught somewhere.
9. carpet suitability: He sucks on carpeting and rugs individual, even if the latter have long fringes, and he does well and thoroughly. For this test, we have specially let him run with relatives because it is only wood and tile floors are with us. On top of that he even creates deep pile bathmats without being incapacitated. Deebot works well only on smooth floors, carpeted he is overwhelmed.
10. practicality: Because he does not return with a rotating brush, the hair caught, but with two counter-rotating rubber extractors, practically where nothing gets stuck, he is awesome easy to clean. The dust container can be taken sufficiently large, easily and easy to open. Find out the dust is somewhat more difficult because the opening flap is in the way, but flicking through the garbage will still work well. Very big plus point, which makes it suitable for allergy sufferers: the small Hepa filter, which should be tapped also after each suction passage and for a replacement to fix them.
11. Power consumption: The charging station is still being monitored by an energy cost meter, and the result I find very gratifying. The standby consumption when Roomba 871 depends on the charging station without loading, varies from 3.8 to 4.2 watts. The charge consumption was 28.9 watts maximum over the entire measurement period of about two weeks. Thus we end up with three times weekly cleaning of the ground floor with a projected annual consumption of less than ten euros if we put 30 cents per KWh basis.
The weaknesses of the Roomba 871:
1. The cable for the charging station is too short for sockets in light switch height. So you need either a free - also around maneuver bidder - outlet near the ground or a longer cable. Suitable connection cable with Euro 8 socket.
. Superscript 2 chairs, clear away obstacles such as cat toys from the floor, washing windows and dusting should still me;)
