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- iAdapt Navigation uses a full suite of sensors to navigate and adapt to your changing home
- AeroForce 3-Stage Cleaning System delivers up to 50% more cleaning performance
- Tangle-free extractors help prevent hair and debris clogs
- Conveniently schedule up to 7x per week, or just press CLEAN on the robot
- Lithium Ion Battery delivers up to 2x the battery cycle lifetime
Experience a deeper clean every day with the Roomba 860 Vacuum Cleaning Robot. Featuring the revolutionary AeroForce Cleaning System, Roomba 860 delivers up to 5x the air power and requires less maintenance. Preset Roomba to clean when it’s convenient for you, so you can keep up with everyday mess.
Easy To SETUP, Cleans Very Well, Self Clearing, Pay Attention To Maintenance,
The 860 is my first Roomba and I didn’t quite know what to expect. I’ve been very pleased so far, but have found some things that I hope may be helpful to first timers and maybe some more experienced users. I’ll put highlights at the top and the details for those who want more as this has turned into a long review…
HIGHLIGHTS:
+Setup is simple. Just follow the simple directions to remove the battery tag and the cardboard in the dust bin compartment. (I missed the latter at first – oops). iRobot has a great support center on their web site with manuals, FAQ’s and helpful videos to show how to use the Roomba 800 series.
+The Roomba seems to use the “drunken sailor” method of covering the floor. There was no obvious pattern to me in how it moved around a room. There was one corner it seemed to really like and it’s probably the cleanest it’s ever been!
+I did not use the virtual wall other than for a quick test. it worked perfectly and was respect by the Roomba.
+The Roomba is quiet for a vacuum but noisy enough to wake me from sleep. I have a small home and sleep on the main floor. I like my bedroom door to stay open. With the door closed or sleeping further away I expect this would not be a problem. I will probably get used to it.
+The Roomba needs periodic maintenance beyond emptying the dust bin. This is important and iRobot brand parts are not inexpensive, but 3rd party parts are available for much less.
+Compared to the 50% more expensive 880 package I think the 860 is a better value. I don’t feel the need for a remote and don’t need the virtual walls. If those are important to you, then it’s probably better than getting these accessories separately.
Bottom Line: The Roomba 800 series (based on dust bin contents) cleans better than my upright. That may be from going places my upright cannot. Easy setup, scheduling, and automatic operation help keep my floor cleaner than depending on me and my upright vacuum. Maintenance is needed for continued good performance but is not onerous.
For The Detailed Review, Read On
ABOUT THE ROOMBA 860:
iRobot packages Roomba models based on included accessories. All Roomba robots in the 800 series are the same. The different “models” are different accessory sets. All include the docking station. The 860 also includes one dual-mode virtual wall to help contain your Roomba in your home and one spare HEPA filter.
The 880 model by comparison is the same Roomba but adds 2 virtual “lighthouses” , an extended life battery, and a remote control to the 860 package. It does not have the dual mode virtual-wall of the 860. It’s $200 more than the 860 as of this review.
The Roomba requires regular maintenance and a iRobot kit with 3 HEPA filters, 2 Brush sets, and 1 set of rollers is available on Amazon but is much less directly from iRobot. 3rd party kits are available on Amazon for much less.
SETUP:
iRobot has VERY helpful information section on their irobot.com web site. You can find a quick start, detailed information, instructional videos (I liked these), FAQs, Manuals and other related information. I would have benefited from visiting the help center before setting up my Roomba. This is NOT to say setup is difficult: It’s quite easy.
Having an engineering background I jumped in and winged the setup. I missed removing the cardboard from the dust bin before the first run. When I pulled out the bin, there it was, no harm done. Moral: at least look over the manual or the excellent support pages described above.
First steps include setting up the docking station, pulling the battery tab, removing the cardboard from the dust bin, and setting it on the dock to charge fully. Mine appeared to have about 3/4 charge out of the box. When I turned mine on with the center button I was prompted to set the time. Setting a cleaning schedule was just as easy after reading the instructions.
OPERATION:
Since this is my first robotic vacuum I was very curious how it would work. I used the center button to turn it on (after fully charged) and watched…
The Roomba wanders around my rooms like a very drunken sailor! It’s kind of entertaining the first time. It did find its way out of every corner or cage of table legs eventually. There is one corner the Roomba seemed to favor; a LOT. I think it’s the cleanest corner of my home! I have not seen any obvious sign or learning intelligence in how it meanders around the room. After watching for an hour I think it probably covered the whole floor.
Obstacles were handled pretty well by the Roomba. It found its way out of every place it could get into. Sometimes this took a long time, but it did…
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860 – slightly louder than the 880 but quieter than the 650. Easy to clean, actually seemed to navigate the space better even though it doesn’t have multi-room navigation. It definitely bumped into chair legs and walls less than the 880, my 880 does a weird pattern that I don’t get and seems to bump into the same things a million times. This is gentler on my carpets compared to the 650 but not as great as a carpet clean.
650 – has the original brush design, the best at cleaning my carpets of hair and fuzz but also seems to wear down on the carpets more – If I ran this on my carpet every day, it would go bare. The brushes are a b*tch to clean, though, that little tool comes in handy but the 880and 860 have way better brushes.
880 – All the benefits of the 860 it seems but slightly quieter.
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