I received this for free as a Bzzagent member. All opinions are mine – post contains affiliate links meaning if you click and buy, I receive a small commission, thank you! I’ve been a member of Bzzagent since 2008 and it seems like any time they have a campaign for something I’m excited about, I’m not chosen. I was so psyched when a few days after applying for the iRobot Roomba campaign, this beauty showed up at my door!
I got my first Roomba in 2012, and my post about how Roomba won’t fit under the couch is one of my most popular. I kept that Roomba running for a good 8 years, with new filters, new brushes, new batteries, scuffs, scrapes and a broken handle, but finally gave up on it last year. I was pretty happy with my knockoff Roomba so I was looking forward to see how the two compared.
I was definitely excited about the fact that it is Wi-Fi enabled and can be controlled with an app!
I’ve never felt like a robot vacuum can completely replace a traditional vacuum, but it is huge for anyone with kids or pets to keep up on fur/hair, crumbs etc.
The vacuum came with an extra filter, charging dock/cord, and an owner’s manual.
While the new Roomba charged, I downloaded the app.
It just took a few minutes to get it connected to the Wi-Fi and ready to go.
P.S. if you’re curious about the rug, that’s the washable 8×10 Ruggable rug I bought!
One thing I really like about this Roomba is that when it’s stuck, the app tells you and opening the app makes it talk again so you can easily find it. It also has a locate button if you need more help. I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees looking under stuff trying to find my old one!
I do think the Roomba is a little smarter than its generic cousin. When I let it loose in the kitchen/family room area (where I need it most), it tends to stay in that area before it wanders elsewhere. The generic robot vacuum wants to always make a beeline down the hallway to get stuck under things in the kids’ rooms, no matter where I put it or which direction it’s pointed. I’ve started to just shut the doors to the bedrooms and bathrooms before I start it!
Bless his little robot heart, he thought this rug was a cliff, ha ha.
Like any app, you can choose how to receive notifications, if at all.
When a job is completed, the app shows you how long it ran as well as other details.
Believe it or not, my house looked pretty clean before this job!
Both with my original Roomba and the knockoff, there have been plenty of times I’ve left the house and then kicked myself because I forgot to start the robot vacuum before I left. Last weekend, I was able to vacuum while enjoying the sunshine at a motocross race by starting it on the app!
iRobot has more expensive vacuums with higher suction and self-emptying docking stations (amazing!) but the 600 series starts under $300 and while still expensive, it’s less of a budget-buster than the higher end models.
Welcome to your 30’s, where you get excited about vacuums. 😉
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
I feel like once you have one, you don’t want to live without it. It helps so much to keep up on things between deep cleaning!
Thanks for the review! Im amazed with how much it got up. This would be great for every day clean-ups of crumbs and dirt from the kids in between deep cleans.