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Ever feel short of time and stressed out by the size of your to do list? And ever dream how great it would be if you didn’t have to worry about vacuuming on top of that as well?
Well, with the advancements in vacuums in recent years, there are now smart, state-of-the-art robot vacuums that can clean totally autonomously. That dream can be a reality!
Of all the manufacturers out there, Roomba is by far the most well-known. They pioneered the first commercially successful robot vacuum and to this day maintain the top spot for vacuum quality and the latest technology. Their iRobot Roomba 805 and 860 are both similar vacuums with the same core features.
They have strong suction power and advanced navigation for excellent cleaning results in your home. But there are some key differences that you should know about too. As it can be difficult to make sense of all the different features and compare them, we have done the hard work for you.
Check out our in depth comparison review below to really see which robot vacuum is better and worth paying for.
Roomba 805 Advantages:
Roomba 805 Disadvantages:
Roomba 860 Advantages:
Roomba 860 Disadvantages:
Winner: The 860 wins the race with a more powerful and effective clean and a HEPA filter. Although as it comes with a higher price tag, the Roomba 805 can be a good option for those on a budget.
Let’s dig into the features of the two vacuums in detail.
What features do the two bots have to offer? Here’s a brief overview of the main ones.
The iRobot Roomba 805 is a remote-controlled robot vacuum. It is rechargeable and cleans for around an hour. It uses sensors to navigate around your home and avoid collisions and uses Roomba’s Aeroforce 3-stage cleaning system to effectively pick up and remove dirt.
It also has a High Efficiency Filter to help trap dust and allergens from the air and a simple interface. Cleans can be scheduled with the remote control throughout the week, but unfortunately it does not connect to WiFi.
The Roomba 860 also has a lithium-ion battery that is rechargeable and has the same one-hour run time. The bot does an impressive clean with great suction and special feature that means it concentrates harder on particularly dirt-heavy areas. It has a 0.65 liter dustbin and a bin indicator light to let you know when it’s full.
It has a HEPA filtration system which does an amazing job at trapping any sort of allergen or mold particles from the air. It can cross barriers of up to 0.63 inches in height so shouldn’t have problems getting from room to room or over carpets or small obstacles. It uses sensor technology to navigate around and avoid obstacles and no-go areas like stairs.
Verdict: The iRobot Roomba 860 comes out on top with some improved features like the cleaning performance and HEPA-approved filter.
So now we know the main features, what comes with each bot and is there anything important we should consider?
The Roomba 805 comes with the iRobot, of course, and the Home Base Charging Station, which is essentially where your robot will live in your home. The robot vacuum also comes with a dual mode virtual wall barrier. What’s this?
This is a small portable device that you can place near any area you don’t want your Roomba to venture. It can project a straight or radial barrier across doorways or around pet’s bowls for example, that only your Roomba will see and know not to cross.
The iRobot Roomba 860 comes with pretty much the same set of items as the Roomba 805. You will get included the bot and charging base as well as the dual-mode virtual walls. It also comes with an extra filter.
Verdict: Both vacuums have pretty much the same components and accessories.
Let’s take a look at the performance of each robotic vacuum and how they compare.
The 805 provides a decent clean for the price. It uses Roomba’s typical three-stage smart cleaning system. This system is all about loosening, lifting and suctioning up dirt and debris from both hard floors and carpets and it does collect up most of what you see.
It uses AeroForce rubber tangle free extractors that roll round to collect dirt, debris and hair with ease, although, of course, most robot vacuum cleaners can’t pick up very large debris as they are only small themselves. If you need a particularly deep clean or have excessive dirt or pet hair, it may be wiser to choose a stronger model, but for average use this one will do you just fine.
The iRobot Roomba 860 model gives an impressive clean with the same three-stage cleaning system as the Roomba 805. It does however have improved suction power compared to the 805 and so it can really deep clean your home and remove stubborn dirt —up to 50% more dirt than previous models.
One of the greatest things about the Roomba 860 is that it detects where there is more dirt and dust and works harder on these sections to clean them. It also has robust rubber extractor brushes that can successfully and efficiently grab and remove dust, hair and debris from both hard floors and carpets.
They are tangle-free so don’t get easily clogged up with hair— perfect for pet owners of dogs or cats. The iRobot also sweeps easily along walls and edges and can fit under and around most furniture. Get ready for a thorough clean!
Verdict: The Roomba 860 has an overall improved cleaning performance.
How do these Roomba robots get about? What technology do they use?
The iRobot Roomba 805 and 860 are both from Roomba’s 800 series and use the same iAdapt Navigation Technology. This is highly-effective technology that Roomba has used across their 500, 600 and 700 series too.
The robots are programmed with over 40 robotic behaviours to make sure they are as smart as possible. As they are navigating from room to room they are making more than 60 decisions per second. Both the Roomba 805 and 806 will make multiple passes over every area to make sure they don’t miss anything and bring you the best clean possible.
Worried about your Roomba against bed skirts or curtains? Don’t worry, both robots are programmed to ignore or push through obstacles like this. As they are very adaptive to their surroundings they can work with whatever layout you have, even if you have lots of different furniture.
The Roomba’s are also programmed to clean well along walls and into corners and both do an excellent job. Finally your Roomba is trained not to go over edges, so you don’t need to panic about it falling down the stairs. They are also able to adapt to different floors, automatically adjusting to carpet, tile, laminate or hardwood floors.
Verdict: Both the Roomba 805 and 860 use the same highly effective iAdapt Navigation Technology so they both navigate with ease around your home.
The Roomba 805 is round and has an elegant black design with both matte and shiny detailing. The 805 is 13.9 inches wide and 3.6 inches tall with a weight of 8.4 pounds. This makes it pretty compact and means it should fit easily in your home, and easily reach different areas to clean.
The remote controlled system also means your Roomba 805 is simple to start up and programme. Not near the remote? Just use the clean button on the robotic vacuum itself to set off your Roomba. The Roomba 860 is actually silver/ gray which is a nice change from most of their other models.
It has a sleek aesthetic and an attractive design. Just like the 805, the iRobot 860 is 13.9 inches in diameter and 3.6 inches in height. This means it can fit easily under most furniture for an even deeper clean. It also weighs 8.4 pounds making it fairly lightweight and easy to carry around.
It has an easy-to-use interface with a large ‘Clean’ button on the top, as well as a remote control through which you can set a schedule for multiple cleans throughout the week.
Verdict: Both bots are a similar size with a similar interface but the Roomba 860 is silver and the 805 is black.
How long is the battery life for these two robot vacuums and can they get everything done?
The iRobot 805 has a run time of up to 60 minutes which is pretty mid-way compared to other robot vacuums on the market. It uses a 1800 mAh lithium-ion battery which is small but efficient. Your robot charges up in its charging station and takes around three hours to fully charge.
The iRobot 860 matches the 805 here with a 60 minute run time and rechargeable lithium ion battery. An hour is enough time to clean most homes but it can depend on the size of your home. Both models will return solo to the charging base to charge when they start running out of battery.
They also both have different indicator lights in place to let you know when they are low battery, charging, or ready for cleaning.
Verdict: Both! The two models both have an hour-long run time and battery life.
A quick note on the filtration systems to see how they effectively remove dust and allergens.
The 805 uses a Aeroforce High Efficiency filter which effectively captures and traps up to 99% of pollen and allergens. It is said to trap particles as small as 10 microns. This is a great performance and will help keep the air free or particles that could irritate you or whoever you live with.
While both bots have Aeroforce High Efficiency filters, the 860 comes with a HEPA-approved filter giving it a slight edge. This filter traps up to 99% of dust, allergens, mold, pet dander and other particles as small as 0.3 microns. If you are particularly sensitive to pet hair or suffer with allergies this may be a better choice for you.
The great thing about both filters is that they trap the particles in the vacuum cleaner so you know your bot is purifying the air as it works rather than spreading the particles around.
Verdict: The Roomba 860 has a HEPA-approved filter trapping particles up to 0.3 microns.
Let’s take a look at the price.
The Roomba 805 is a great choice for people on a budget. It has loads of Roomba’s awesome features but without the excessive price tag of many. This is partly because the bot vacuum cleaner is now a little older and so the best place to get this is online, through retailers like Amazon. Here you can find it for between $100 and $200 dollars.
The Roomba 860 is significantly pricier, but many might think this is worth it for its upgraded features. At online retailers this may come in at around $100 more than the 805, but through Roomba’s own site it is significantly more.
Verdict: The 805 wins this one as it is cheaper and more budget-friendly.
So looking at these two vacuums in detail what’s the bottom line? The Roomba 860 is the overall winner, it has an all-round improved suction power and performance and detects the areas of your home that need to be cleaned the most, paying special attention to them.
It also has a HEPA-approved filter and catches even smaller particles of dust, allergens and pet dander. This means the 860 will give you a deeper clean and keep your air fresher. However, having said that, the two bots have many similar core features and perfect vacuums for small apartments.
They have the same one-hour run time as well as using the same smart navigation technology.
And with the reduced price, that means that the 805 can still be a great choice for people on a budget. Whichever one you choose, they will certainly be a game-changer in your cleaning regime and save you time every week. Which one do you think is best for you?
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