I made a blog post over half a year ago, comparing the Roomba 880 and the Neato BotVac, which you can see here: http://www.techreviewed.org/blog/irobot-vs-neato
But in half a year, iRobot released their Rooomba 980, and Neato released their BotVac Connected, and Dyson's 360 Eye robot is coming to the US soon. Time for another comparison!
But in half a year, iRobot released their Rooomba 980, and Neato released their BotVac Connected, and Dyson's 360 Eye robot is coming to the US soon. Time for another comparison!
iRobot Roomba 980
Design wise, the robot looks great. I love the matte finish on the top of the robot, and the user interface looks extremely clean and simple. iRobot has still kept to it's cleaning design from last year, featuring AeroForce technology, which includes a spinning side brush that removes debris from the walls, and two counter-rotating extractors that such dirt, debris, into the robot's dust bin. iRobot has revolutionized their mapping system. Previously, iAdapt technology consisted of the robot bumping around, following walls, and spinning to determine the cleaning time of each room. Some spots may have been left untouched, while others were cleaned many times. However, iRobot's iAdapt 2.0 technology consists of a camera on the top of the robot, which scans the room, including furniture, the overall size of the room, etc. The robot cleans in back and forth patterns, ensuring that every surface is cleaned. Then, the robot will clean the room back and forth in the opposite direction. Last, the robot will do a edge cleaning of the walls to ensure a through clean all around. This will take long, but the robot has a brand new 4 hour battery life, and can recharge between cleanings. The robot also includes app control from your smartphone, tablet, etc.
Watch iRobot's tour video!:
Watch iRobot's tour video!:
You may also find this 'whole house' challenge interesting:
Neato BotVac Connected
Neato's BotVac Connected is basically the Neato BotVac D series, but with features such as app control, turbo boost, which allows you to choose between a lower powered suction on hard wood floors, and higher powered suction on carpets. In terms of mapping technology, the Neato Botvac uses a laser module on the top of the unit and sends out invisible lasers to determine its distance from objects in front of it. This allows the robot to clean a room back and forth, leaving straight lines in your carpet, and a through clean. This technology is flawed when there are objects that are shorter than the Neato's laser sense. It would hit into it hardly and cause scratches. The corner clever technology is gimmicky. Most of the time, it will miss the corners, and turn to far away from it. However, the robot is very efficient, taking up less time than a Roomba would. This may be great when you're at home with the robot. Neato still to haven't fixed its quality control issues, as some reviewers state that the first unit they received the defective. I had the same experience, and every now and then, my robot would give me an error message for no reason.
Watch Neato's video:
Watch Neato's video:
Dyson 360 Eye
The product isn't released to the US yet, but I've received emails from Dyson, about the release of this robot. I can't say a date yet, but it's definitely soon! This robot is a game changer, but will also empty your pocket! It costs 150,000 yen in Japan, equivalent to $1200USD, but pricing can vary when it does release to the United States. This robot can really suck up dirt, but can also suck up your money! That's the highest of all three robots, but it seems like it is the best of all three. The robot features a cleaning head that spreads the width of the robot, so what ever path the robot takes, is what ever the robot sucks up. It is also in the front of the robot, so wheels won't get in the way of sucking in the dirt. Dyson demonstrated this technology, putting it against the Roomba 980, and I must admit, it was really stunning. The robot has a 360 degree camera, which is better than the Roomba 980's camera of 45 degrees. The Dyson cleans in a square, then eventually taking on chair legs, walls, to ensure a through clean. The robot has a small footprint, which is perfect for getting into smaller areas, but might be too tall to fit under some furniture. Because the robot has a small footprint, the battery and the dust bin is smaller. This means more frequent dust bin cleaning, and more recharges during a cleaning.
Watch Dyson's video:
Watch Dyson's video:
Conclusion: So, Which One?
Simply, it'd pick the Roomba 980. Its cleaning technology, navigation system, app control features, and price is right in the sweet spot for me. They started making cleaning robots since the early 2000s, and they have the most experience out of all three. Compared to the Neato, there are far less consumer support complaints, and generally has a better reputation. Next place is the Dyson 360 Eye. A leader in vacuums, I feel Dyson's new cyclone technology is superior to the other robots, and although the navigation system hasn't been thoroughly tested by other reviewers, does a pretty decent job. Last, would be the Neato. To be clear, the Neato is a pretty decent robot for the price. However, it's far lest thorough in cleaning, and I still won't risk $800 for subpar quality, and shaddy support.