Robotic vacuums have become important automation products, and lots of people have purchased these floor cleaners to eliminate the vacuuming chore. There are dozens of robotic vacuums available on the market and a lot of companies state that they manufacture high-quality, reliable smart floor cleaners.
It's a no-brainer that we can't trust all of those companies and we should focus more on finding reliable brands that manufacture quality smart floor cleaners. One of the most trusted and notable brands is iRobot. iRobot has been around for a few years now, and the company has released some of the most successful robotic vacuums.
The famous robotic vacuum series “Roomba” belongs to iRobot and we can vouch that Roomba 860 and 880 are highly trusted floor cleaners. What we need to find out here is the difference between these two smart floor cleaners and if they're truly worth the purchase or upgrade.
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Roomba 860 vs 880: Pros & Cons and Verdict
Roomba 860 and 880 are mid-range priced robotic vacuums and are a perfect choice for those on a budget. These smart floor cleaners have outstanding features, capabilities and sensing abilities.
Roomba 880 and 860 are both highly-rated, best-selling robotic vacuums on Amazon. So which one is the best buy?
In this comparison article, we'll ascertain which of these two smart floor cleaners takes the top spot; we'll compare some of the most critical aspects, evaluate the designs, create interesting charts and, lastly, conclude the article with a reasonable verdict.
1. Setting Up Roomba 860 and 880
I won't waste your time on talking about the setup process of these two smart floor cleaners. Setting up Roomba 860 and 880 is a piece-of-cake process and takes several minutes to complete.
The packages of Roomba 860 and 880 also include a user's manual that is well-written and informative. If you find it hard to setup your Roomba without it, you can check it out for further guidance. Another thing you can do is to watch some vids on YouTube or reach out to the support team.
2. Design
Today, it's essential to purchase gadgets that are functional and look gorgeous. Smart home shoppers don't want to buy devices will detract from the visual appeal of their home; the aesthetics of an object is an important aspect of smart home gadgets.
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Besides the visual aspects of these smart floor cleaners, knowing the dimensions of these robotic vacuums is essential because it plays a vital role in whether they can roam where they need to.
Roomba 860
Roomba 860 is a robotic vacuum that doesn't look like any other Roomba on the market. Unlike the traditional-looking models, Roomba 860 comes in a silver/grey finish and has a different design.
The dimensions of Roomba 860 are 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.6 inches, and it weighs 8 pounds. Being that sleek, Roomba 860 will have zero problems cleaning dirt under your bed, sofa and stands.
If you take a look at Roomba 860's design, it's eye-catching and attractive. Roomba 860 is one of the best-looking smart floor cleaners on the market. I've met a lot of people who own this device, and the majority mentioned that their visitors love to complement the robotic vacuum's looks. As usual, iRobot wanted to maintain the minimalistic look of the Roomba model, and they succeeded in doing so.
Roomba 880
Roomba 880 is another good-looking robotic vacuum. It weighs 8.4-pounds, has a height of 3.6 inches and a width of 13.9 inches.
Design-wise, Roomba 880 differs significantly from the Roomba 860. Roomba 880 has a black finish that shines in places, and, on top of the robotic vacuum, there's a glow-green button that activates the floor cleaner.
Roomba 880's minimalistic design is pretty attractive and looks good. Quite often, major publications name Roomba 880 as the best-looking smart floor cleaner on the market.
As for the cleaning process, Roomba 880 has handy dimensions, and it won't have any trouble reaching the hard-to-get spots in your house.
3. Performance
Knowing the performance capabilities is the most crucial aspect of our comparison article since it's essential to know how well these smart floor cleaners perform. We must gauge if Roomba 880 and 860 can deliver satisfying results and if they can meet our expectations. Let's face it, these smart floor cleaners aren't cheap and it would be disappointing if we bought something that can't meet our needs and standards.
Roomba 860
Roomba 860 is an old robotic vacuum that cleans in a random manner. Simply put, when you activate your Roomba 860 and command it to start cleaning, Roomba 860 won't be able to understand and see which places need more cleaning.
Roomba 860 might hit the same spots over and over, and it's highly possible for the smart floor cleaner to leave specific places untouched. That's a huge issue if you don't want a process that involves going over the missed spots yourself.
Besides the random cleaning process, Roomba 860 doesn't have a multi-room navigation system. In other words, Roomba 860 can only clean a single room at a time.
But Roomba 860 has some plus points too. For example, iRobot has stated that Roomba 860 has 5x more suction power (than its Roomba predecessors) and the battery life is now enhanced. Roomba 860 has lithium-ion batteries (which is rare for a floor cleaner that comes from the mid-price range) and the enhanced batteries mean it can keep going for much longer between recharges.
When the battery life starts running low, Roomba 860 will automatically return to its docking station to get a full recharge.
Roomba 880
Roomba 880 is a newer robotic vacuum that has a better AI. iRobot has made some noticeable improvements in this model, and Roomba 880 can now clean your house in a more intelligent, preplanned manner.
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Roomba 880 is a robotic vacuum that has multi-room navigation, good batteries and more power. Since Roomba 880 has better AI and can navigate itself more effectively, it can save a lot of energy while cleaning and will require fewer charges.
When we tested Roomba 880 on different surfaces, it had excellent results – much better than the 860. Every single time Roomba 880 finished cleaning, when we opened the dustbin it was always full of dirt.
As stated by iRobot, the 880 model is better at sucking and vacuuming than its predecessors, power increased by 5x, it can now remove 50% more dirt and the dustbin can hold about 50% more dirt. Now that's what I call progress.
But Roomba 880 isn't a perfect smart floor cleaner. Roomba 880 has problems detecting obstacles. There will be instances when this floor cleaner crashes into walls, tables, stands and it might even fall down the stairs (the same goes for the 860).
The main reason behind this is the age of these smart floor cleaners. These two were released some time ago before the navigation of robotic vacuums improved. Roomba 880 doesn't have a built-in camera that could help the floor cleaner navigate itself, and the dirt detection isn't as good as that of the later model Roomba 980.
I know from my own experience and from talking to owners of Roomba 880, that Roomba 880 frequently crashes into obstacles. It can be a big problem if you have fragile objects placed on furniture which Roomba 880 crashes into at high speed, perhaps causing the objects to fall.
4. Features
The next topic we need to write about is the features of Roomba 860 and 880. It's important to know what these robotic vacuums have in common, how they differ and if these two offer any unique features.
We need to find out whether Roomba 880 has new features and if it's worth upgrading to this model. To do so, we've created a handy chart that shows the features of these smart floor cleaners.
| ROOMBA 880 | ROOMBA 860 | |
|---|---|---|
| iAdapt Multi-Room Navigation | 3-Stage Cleaning System | |
| Room to Room Cleaning | Self-Charging | |
| AeroForce 3-Stage Cleaning System | Concentrated Cleaning | |
| Self-Charging | Convenient Scheduling | |
| Concentrated Cleaning | Tangle-Free Debris Extractors | |
| Virtual Wall Technology | – | |
| Auto-Schedule | – | |
| Remote Control | Virtual Wall | |
| 5x More Power | 5x More Power | |
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As you see from the chart above, Roomba 880 is a robotic vacuum that exceeds Roomba 860 in every aspect. It's a more powerful floor cleaner and has better features. More importantly, it gives the owner more freedom and flexibility. The enhanced capabilities and new features of the 880 model are enough to determine which of these two smart floor cleaners takes the top spot.
5. Cleaning Capabilities
People often have a variety of floor coverings at home and each potential purchaser will want their robotic cleaner to be suitable for their particular floors, so it's essential to find out how well Roomba 860 and 880 can clean and how well they adapt to a variety of surfaces.
There are lots of floor cleaners that don't have excellent cleaning capabilities, and we must make sure that Roomba 860 and 880 don't fall into this category.
Roomba 860
If we had to give Roomba 860 an overall score for its cleaning capabilities, we'd give 6 out of 10.
It's true that Roomba 860 has 5x more power and it cleans things pretty well. For example, Roomba 860 can remove fur, stains, dust and dirt. We've tested it on rugs and carpets, and the results were acceptable.
Still, the 860 did cause some trouble. While it might not be a serious problem for most buyers, I'll write about it anyway so that you're fully informed.
If you observe this vid, you'll notice that Roomba 860 cleans the room randomly. It crashes into obstacles pretty often, and, in most cases, it doesn't realise what's in front of it.
That can be quite tricky because Roomba 860 will inevitably miss a lot of places and you'll have to finish the work it started.
One more thing I dislike about Roomba 860 is it doesn't have a full-bin indicator light. So you have to check the bin at fairly regular intervals to see whether it's reached its capacity (as once it's full, the smart floor cleaner is unable to pick up more dirt until the bin has capacity again).
Roomba 880
Roomba 880 is one of the best in terms of cleaning ability. Having 5x more power than the other models and the battery 3x more life, Roomba 880 becomes a more attractive product.
We've tested Roomba 880 on different surfaces, and the results were terrific. Roomba 880 perfectly handled every challenge it faced. If we had to rate it on a scale of ten, I’d give 9/10 since it missed a spot or two solely because Roomba 880 doesn’t have the best sensing abilities and sometimes cleans randomly.
As we said before, Roomba 880's cleaning style isn't perfect, and it can't compare to the likes of Roomba 960 and 980.
Roomba 880 has an excellent side brush, and it can clean the edges of the room thoroughly.
Compared to the previous generation models, the dustbin of Roomba 880 is larger. Plus, as mentioned, the battery life is enhanced too.
If you watch the vid posted above, you'll see that the Roomba 880 can clean much better than the 860.
Roomba 880 comes with two Virtual Walls, and you can use them to help the robotic vacuum navigate itself more effectively.
Roomba 880 has a full bin indicator, and whenever it gets full, it'll let you know. If the battery runs low, Roomba 880 will automatically return to its docking station and will get a full recharge.
To sum up, I've tried out a lot of smart floor cleaners, and Roomba 880 is easily one of the best. It's a robotic vacuum that exceeds expectations and can deliver 100% satisfying results.
6. Advantages and Disadvantages
Like every product, Roomba 860 and 880 have their advantages and disadvantages. These two robotic vacuums have proven to be two of the best on the market, but before we hit the purchase button, it's important to know their pros and cons.
This part of our comparison article is important because these robotic vacuums might have some weaknesses that might be a deal-breaker for the potential purchaser. So to help them figure out those flaws, we've created two charts that'll list the advantages and disadvantages of Roomba 860 and 880.
Roomba 860
| PROS | CONS | |
|---|---|---|
| Reasonably Priced | No Remote Control | |
| Tangle-Free Debris Extractors | No Mobile Application | |
| AeroForce 3-Stage Cleaning System | Weak Navigation System | |
| 3x Battery Life | Weak Sensors | |
| Concentrated Cleaning | No Multi-Room Navigation | |
| Virtual Wall Technology | ||
| Lithium-ion Batteries | ||
| Smart Schedules | ||
| Unique Design | ||
| 5x Stronger Power | Purchase Roomba 860 |
Roomba 880
| PROS | CONS | |
|---|---|---|
| High-Efficiency Filters | Sometimes Cleans Randomly | |
| Tangle-Free Debris Extractors | No Mobile Application | |
| AeroForce 3-Stage Cleaning System | ||
| 3x Battery Life | ||
| Concentrated Cleaning | ||
| Virtual Wall Technology | ||
| iAdapt Multi-Room Navigation | ||
| Smart Schedules | ||
| Room to Room Cleaning | ||
| 5x Stronger Power | Purchase Roomba 880 |
That's everything we can write about the advantages and disadvantages of Roomba 860 and 880.
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To spell out why Roomba 880 towers 860, check out these key points:
- Roomba 880 has Multi-Room Navigation that makes the robotic vacuum more user-friendly
- Roomba 880 has more power, a larger dustbin and it sends alerts when the dustbin gets full
- It's a newer model and minor bugs that were present in the 860 model are now gone
- Roomba 880 is better at navigating and doesn't clean in a completely random manner
- Roomba 880 has a Remote Control and comes with two Virtual Walls
7. Support
You might have some questions regarding Roomba 860 and 880 or even some concerns. Understandably, you want to be able to clear up any doubts and questions. But where can you get all that information?
Luckily, iRobot has an incredible support team consisting of professional and caring employees. I contacted them a few times and asked some questions (easy and hard). Every time, the person I talked to provided professional answers and tips.
Comparison Chart: Roomba 860 vs 880
The last thing we'd like to do before concluding our article is to compare Roomba 860 and 880 directly. We've analysed some of the most critical aspects of these smart floor cleaners, rated their designs, talked about the setup process and listed the advantages and disadvantages.
But we haven't chosen the actual winner yet. Since this is a comparison article, we can't conclude by just saying that it's a tie. We need a winner to help the buyer determine which of these robotic vacuums is superior, which one they should purchase and if it's worth the upgrade.
We've created a detailed chart that compares Roomba 860 and 880 in the most critical aspects.
| NAME OF THE ROBOTIC VACUUM | ROOMBA 880 | ROOMBA 860 |
|---|---|---|
| Robotic Vacuum Name | Roomba 880 | Roomba 860 |
| HEPA Filters | Yes | Yes |
| Full Bin Indicator | Yes | No |
| Smart Cleaning | Yes | Yes |
| Energy Usage Reports | No | No |
| Cleaning Style | Organised | Random |
| Modes | None | None |
| Sensing Qualities | Average | Low |
| Mobile App | No | No |
| Noise | Average | Average |
| Battery Life | 3x Battery Life | 3x Battery Life |
| Power | 5x Stronger Power | 5x Stronger Power |
| Dimensions Of The Product | 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.6 inches | 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.6 |
| Problems | No Mobile Application | No Room-to-Room Cleaning |
| Unique Feature | Remote Control | None |
| Warranty | 1-year | 1-year |
| Check Price |
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As you see from the chart above, Roomba 880 is a superior robotic vacuum that has better features and cleaning abilities. Roomba 880 is a smart floor cleaner that has dozens of positive reviews on Amazon, and it's a best-selling product too.
If you're on a budget and can't allow yourself to invest in an expensive robotic vacuum like Roomba 880, the 860 model can be an excellent choice for you. There is not a massive difference between these models and if features like Remote Control, Better Navigation, Virtual Walls and Full Bin Indicator isn't something that concerns you, buying Roomba 860 would be a good decision.
But if you want to own a robotic vacuum that'll completely free you from floor cleaning and vacuuming, Roomba 880 will give you what you've dreamed of. One more thing I'll say about these two is that Roomba 860 and 880 aren't quiet. They're relatively noisy and can't be left activated at night since the noise might wake you up.
The Bottom Line
Roomba 860 and 880 are renowned robotic vacuums. They have thousands of satisfied customers, and iRobot is a highly-trusted manufacturer. These two robotic vacuums are successful models, and I'm sure every owner will vouch for their functionality and high durability.
To wrap this up, Roomba 860 is a robotic vacuum that can handle basic tasks but can't clean your house professionally. It requires some babysitting and manual back-up.
As for the 880, it's a more advanced floor cleaner that has better features and can clean your home more effectively. Roomba 880 is a powerful robotic vacuum and has great navigation, smart AI and good cleaning power.
If I had to choose between these two, I'd go for the Roomba 880. But if you're on a budget and the perks offered by Roomba 880 aren't a deal-breaker, Roomba 860 can meet your needs.
| Robotic Vacuum Name | Roomba 860 | Roomba 880 |
| Amazon Link |
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