For over 25 years, iRobot has been at the forefront of the robotics industry. It has sold more than 20 million robots worldwide, and the company’s robotic vacuums are leaders in their field. So it comes as no surprise that if you are looking for a robotic vacuum, iRobot’s Roomba series is the place to start your search. With a wide variety of robotic vacuums to choose from, it can be hard to decide which one is best for you. Here, we compare the Roomba 860 with the Roomba 890.
How iRobot’s Roomba Works
The fight against dirt and dust in your home is a daily struggle. A robotic vacuum is an easy way to keep your floors spotless. The Roomba is built around a number of sensors and brushes that work together to vacuum every square inch of your home’s floors. While it might look like the vacuum is moving in an erratic manner, the sensors ensure that no part of the floor remains dirty. Brushes underneath and along the sides enable to vacuum to pick up every piece of dirt in your home. When not in use, the Roomba is docked at a charging station, so that it is ready for use whenever it’s needed. Both the Roomba 860 and 890 need to charge for 3 hours before they can be used for the first time.
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Quick Comparison Table
Feature | Roomba 860 | Roomba 890 |
---|---|---|
Dimensions | 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.6 in. | 13 x 13 x 3.6 in. |
Weight | 8.4 lbs. | 8.4 lbs. |
Shipping Weight | 11.25 lbs. | 12.9 lbs. |
Batteries | 1 Lithium-Ion battery | 1 Lithium-Ion battery |
Run Time | Up to 1 hrs. | Up to 1.5 hrs. |
Cleaning System | AeroForce | Triple Stage |
Bagless | Yes | Yes |
Cordless | Yes | Yes |
Self-Charging | Yes | Yes |
Wi-Fi Connectivity | No | Yes |
Voice Control | No | Yes |
Virtual Wall included | Yes | Yes |
iRobot Home App | No | Yes |
Warranty | 1 year | 1 year |
Price | Enjoy | Enjoy |
About Roomba 860
The Roomba 860 is a solid robotic vacuum for first-time buyers. Unlike earlier models, it is designed with a responsive navigation system that allows the vacuum to move around furniture and stay away from the stairs. While there is no apparent pattern to its cleaning path, that same navigation system enables the vacuum to know which areas of your home still need to be cleaned. Thus, you can rest assured that the Roomba 860 will clean the entirety of your home.
Even if your hardwood or laminate floor seems fairly clean to you, you might be surprised by the amount of dirt the Roomba 860 is able to pick up. With a combination of brushes and cleaning pads, it uses agitation, brushes, and suction to loosen dirt from any type of flooring and suck it into the dust bin. Once the bin is full, the Roomba 860 returns to its charging base, even if the battery is still charged. This gives you the opportunity to clean the dust bin and get the vacuum back to work quickly. Don’t be surprised if you have empty the bin frequently when you first start using the Roomba. You will not be the first user to be surprised by the suction power of this compact appliance. However, once the Roomba 860 has cleaned your home several times and there is less dirt overall, it will run for longer periods of time, as the dust bin doesn’t need to be emptied as frequently anymore.
At a height of 3.6 inches, the Roomba 860 is designed to move under furniture, so it can clean underneath beds and sofas with no problem. This is one of the great advantages of a robotic vacuum: it can clean in areas that are hard to reach with a stick vacuum. On top of this, the Roomba 860 is able to clean every nook and cranny in your home thanks to the number of strategically placed side brushes that surround the vacuum. So, while the Roomba 860 is round, you don’t need to worry about the corners of your home being cleaned. With the help of these brushes, any dirt that accumulates get swept into the path of the robot, from where it quickly gets sucked into the dust bin.
The Roomba 860 comes with a virtual wall barrier that allows you to control where exactly the vacuum will work. As stated earlier, despite the seemingly erratic pattern, the Roomba 860 will clean your entire home. However, there are probably times when you want it to concentrate on a single room or keep it out of a particular room. In these instances, you can set up the virtual wall barrier. The Roomba’s navigation system detects the barrier and prevents the vacuum from crossing it. This gives you greater control over where your Roomba cleans.
Despite all this technology that makes the Roomba 860 work so effortlessly, it is very easy to control it. With a single push of a strategically placed on/off button, you can begin the vacuum’s cleaning run. However, you can also schedule up to 7 cleaning runs ahead of time, so you don’t need to worry about forgetting to start the vacuum.
Key Features
- AeroForce 3-Stage Cleaning System: This unique system provides 5 times the cleaning power as other robotic vacuums.
- Self-charging: When cleaning is complete, the Roomba returns to its charging station and remains there until the battery has recharged.
- Scheduling: You can program up to 7 cleaning runs ahead of time.
- Tangle-free Extractors: The brushes and cleaning pads are designed to avoid tangles of pet and human hair.
What’s in the Box?
- 1 Roomba 860
- 1 charging station
- 1 dual-mode virtual wall barrier
- 1 spare HEPA filter
About Roomba 890
The Roomba 890 is a newer model than the Roomba 860. It is built around a unique cleaning system that features tangle-free extractor brushes, an accelerated airflow within the machine, and a HEPA vacuum. This makes the Roomba 890 particularly well-suited for homes with small children and pets. Crumps and pet hair are no challenge for this vacuum’s powerful suction capability. As with the Roomba 860, the dust bin of the Roomba 890 will need to be emptied regularly. If you have a pet with long hair, or more than one pet, expect to empty the bin fairly frequently. Also, make sure to clean the brushes on a regular basis. While there is little danger of tangles that can prevent the vacuum from functioning, keeping the brushes clean will ensure that the Roomba continues to function as designed.
While the Roomba 890 has a better cleaning system than the Roomba 860, it uses the same navigation system. That means it uses the same technology to sense which areas of your home still need to be cleaned. The Roomba 890 can effortlessly transition from one type of flooring to another; from hardwood flooring and tiles to laminate and carpet, this robotic vacuum can clean it all. You don’t need to worry about your hardwood floors to get scratched or the fringes of your oriental rug to get sucked up. Many users are positively surprised by the Roomba’s ability to go from one surface to another and provide consistently high cleaning.
Like the Roomba 860, the Roomba 890 is less than 4 inches high. Thus, it has no problem going under your furniture and cleans these hard-to-reach places. The dust that quickly accumulates in these areas will get sucked up with no problem. You don’t need to fear the dust bunnies any longer! Keep in mind that because it is easy to overlook these areas, when you first start using the Roomba 890 in your home, the dust bin is likely to fill quickly. But after a few weeks of usage, the floor under your sofas and beds will be cleaner overall and there will be less dirt to fill the dust bin.
While the Roomba 860 and the Roomba 890 perform equally well in terms of cleaning power, the feature that sets the Roomba 890 far apart from the Roomba 860 is its Wi-Fi connectivity. This is taking operating your robotic vacuum to a new level. Using the iRobot HOME App, you can use your smartphone to completely control your Roomba. This gives you the freedom to start a cleaning run whenever you want, no matter where you are. You may also schedule a cleaning routine and set your cleaning preferences. In addition, the app is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and it offers an Easy Order feature. This makes it easy for you to order replacement parts when it’s time to change the HEPA filter or if you need a new extractor or brush.
Furthermore, the app allows you to check the Roomba’s 890 cleaning history, battery status, and error codes, in the rare instances the vacuum might stop working properly. You can quickly connect to iRobot’s website to find further information and customer service to quickly get the appliance working again.
If you are hesitant to connect the Roomba 890 to your smart device, or if there are times when your Wi-Fi doesn’t work properly, you can operate the vacuum manually, just like you would an older model. There is an easy-to-reach on/off button and additional controls that let you schedule cleaning runs ahead of time.
Key Features
- Hassle-free Navigation: Thanks to a number of sensors, the Roomba 890 quickly adapts to your home’s floorplan to thoroughly clean every inch of your home. If you decide to move your furniture, the Roomba quickly adjusts to the new layout.
- Dirt Detect Technology: The same sensors enable the Roomba 890 to recognize high-traffic areas in your home and focus its cleaning capabilities on these areas. No matter how much dirt accumulates, the Roomba 890 can tackle and clean it.
- Cliff Detector: If you are worried that your robotic vacuum might fall down the stairs, you can stop now. The Roomba 890 has special sensors that prevent it from getting too close to the stairs to take a tumble.
- Voice Activation: Since the app is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, you can give voice commands to start your cleaning routine. Controlling your vacuum has never been easier.
What’s in the Box?
- 1 Roomba 890
- 1 charging station
- Line cord
- 1 dual-mode virtual wall barrier
- 1 spare HEPA filter
- Owner’s guide
What’s The Same Between Roomba 860 and 890?
Both the 860 series and the 890 series are excellent at cleaning floors, with both models featuring 5x air power to pick up more pet hair, dust, and dirt. They have the same 0.62-liter dust bin capacity and the same overall dimensions. They also use tangle-free multi-surface brushes to vacuum up embedded dirt, hair, or dust.
The 860 and the 890 use boundary markers so you can easily exclude any area of your home. This ensures the Roomba won’t bump into Aunt Shirley’s antique table or cross over into Mom’s music room.
Even more importantly, both the 860 and 890 have iAdapt navigation and mapping. This means they use onboard sensors to detect walls, stairs, landings, and obstacles.
And, trust me, if you have pets or kids, there will be obstacles. HEPA filtration is featured on both models and they have a similar runtime of about 60 minutes.
Perhaps most importantly, when the Roomba starts to run out of juice, it will maneuver itself back into the docking bay for some recharging time. This is handy when you’re not in the mood to trip over a dead vacuum hiding just around the corner from your sight line. Both models are solidly built to last.
Similarities At A Glance
Both of these models have the following:
- 0.62 liter capacity
- 3.6” high
- 8.4 lbs
- 5x air power
- Aeroforce 3 stage cleaning system
- iAdapt mapping and navigation technology
But What’s Different about iRobot Roomba 860 vs Roomba 890?
While the 860 and the 890 have many similarities, there are some differences. Chief among these is the 890’s use of WiFi. While you can program the 860 to clean floors or set up a cleaning schedule directly from the unit, the 890’s best feature is the WiFi capability.
Simply download an easy to install and easy to use the app on your phone and you’re off and running with the ability to clean your floors anywhere your phone has service. Forget to start your Roomba before you left for the day? No problem. Just open the app and start it now. The 890 can also be programmed to clean immediately from the vacuum itself but the app is easier.
The 890 also has voice control. Using the Google Home app, you can instruct the Roomba 890 to start, pause, resume, or stop vacuuming. You can also check the status of your 890, dock it, or find the robot if it’s worked itself out of your line of vision. One neat feature using the Google Home app is that you can tell the 890 to clean a certain room in your home, ignoring the less messy rooms to get directly to the problem areas.
All in all, while similar, the Roomba 890 is superior in using today’s technology to communicate with the device.
Differences At A Glance
- 890 is WiFi-enabled
- Roomba 890 has voice control
- 890 offers a cleaning summary
- iRobot Roomba 890 has coverage maps of your cleaning area
Frequently Asked Questions
Perhaps you’re still not sure about a Roomba. You may still have questions. We’re here to answer them. Below, find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Roomba robot vacuums.
What does 5x the air power mean on a Roomba?
The Roomba 860 and 890 offer 5 times the suction power of a normal vacuum, enabling both of them to easily pick up the tiniest particles as well as the most fluff, dander, and hair.
Are Roomba 860 and 890 good for homes with pets?
Absolutely. The Roombas are designed to pick up pet hair very efficiently, from short-haired cats to long-haired dogs.
How do I clean these Roombas?
Empty the bin after each cleaning cycle or when the full bin indicator lights up. To maximize cleaning performance, also shake off debris from the filter and remove any obstructions or debris from the extractors. Refer to your operating manual for more instructions.
How easy it is to use either the 860 or the 890?
It’s very easy to use these vacuums. On both, you can simply push a button to start it cleaning right away. The Roomba has sensors that identify obstacles so you can sit back and watch it go. The 860 allows you to program a cleaning schedule right on the device, while the 890 has an app that can handle all of that remotely. Either of these methods result in a clean home.
Conclusion
When it comes to performance and price, the Roomba 860 and Roomba 890 are similarly positioned. Both feature tangle-free dirt extractors and smart sensors that ensure your entire floor gets cleaned. A push of the button is all that’s needed to begin a cleaning run that reliably vacuums every bit of dust and dirt, even if there is no apparent pattern to the vacuum’s movement.
Both vacuums operate with a lithium-ion battery, which has a run time of about 1-1.5 hours before recharging is necessary.
Both the Roomba 860 and the Roomba 890 use HEPA filters that keep allergens and even fine dust particles out of the air. The filters need to be cleaned and changed regularly in both robotic vacuums.
Additionally, both vacuums use the same-size dust bin, which needs to be emptied regularly. Some users find the position of the dust bin in the Roomba 890 a little hard to access, so here, the Roomba 860 has a small advantage.
The main difference between these two robotic vacuums is the Wi-Fi connectivity of the Roomba 890. You don’t need to take advantage of this powerful feature in order to get your house cleaned, as the Roomba 890 works perfectly fine when controlled manually. However, if you are a person on the go who wants the freedom to control your vacuum no matter when and where you are, then the Roomba 890 is the vacuum for you. At a time when smart appliances make our daily lives easier and easier, the Roomba 890 is a must-have.