Roomba 870 vs 880

iRobot Roomba 870 vs 880

The Roomba is a series of robotic vacuum cleaners sold by the iRobot corporation. It was first introduced in 2002 and is now the most popular robotic vacuum cleaner. Place the disc-shaped robot on the floor and watch as it maneuvers around obstacles with the aid of sensors. The Roomba can also detect dirty spots on your floor and will avoid steep drops to protect itself.

Imagine turning this little guy on before you leave your house, and coming back to a clean home. That’s almost magical.

We previously covered the difference between the iRobot Roomba 770 vs 780 vs 790. This time we'll take a look at the new 800 series.

Introducing the 800 Series

The biggest change from the 700 to the 800 series is a technology that iRobot calls the AeroForce™ Performance Cleaning System. What does that really mean? Basically it’s a combination of three things: the rotating extractors, the airflow accelerator, and the high-efficiency vacuum. According to iRobot, this means that the 800 series cleans up to 50% more dirt, hair and debris than the 700 series.

Here is a breakdown of the AeroForce™ Performance Cleaning System:

• Dual contour rotating extractors incorporate a durable rubber tread design that grab and breakdown dirt and debris from any floor type.
• Brushless-design improves cleaning performance with angles treads that guide debris into the vacuum field.
• The airflow accelerator brings the vacuum power right down to the floor surface. This creates a sealed channel that concentrates the airflow and multiplies the vacuum power.
• The 5x more powerful vacuum traps dirt and allergens, drawing them into the sealed HEPA filter bin.

What’s the difference between the 870 and 880 model?

If you’re convinced that the 800 series Roomba is right for you, you’ll need to decide between the 870 and 880 model. The following table describes the difference between the two models.

Feature	Roomba 870	Roomba 880
Price
Remote Control	No	Yes
Virtual Wall / Lighthouse	2 Virtual Walls (batteries included)	2 Virtual Wall Lighthouses (batteries included)
Room-To-Room Navigation	No	Yes

These are all the differences between the two models.

Remote Control: This accessory lets you control the Roomba's function from a distance. You need to make sure that there is a direct line of sight to the Roomba, and that the remote is pointed at the Roomba. You can use it to turn the Roomba on and off and to steer it around your room without having to bend down. It also gives you remote access to tell Roomba to spot clean or return to its dock. The remote only comes with the Roomba 880 model.

Virtual Wall Lighthouse and Room-To-Room Navigation: The Roomba 870 comes with 2 Virtual Walls. A virtual wall blocks off areas you don't want cleaned. The virtual wall creates an invisible barrier that the Roomba wont cross. This makes it really convenient to block the Roomba from getting into delicate areas of your house or to simply confine the Roomba to particular rooms. It will turn off when the Roomba turns off so you don't have to worry about switching each one off.

The Roomba 880 comes with 2 Virtual Wall Lighthouses, unlike the 870. These devices can be used as virtual walls or virtual lighthouses. You can use the mode selector to make your choice. The virtual wall will function just like the 870 virtual wall. In addition, in lighthouse mode, these devices allow the Roomba to efficiently clean multiple rooms before returning to the home base. Just place the lighthouse in the doorway with logo facing forward.

Once the Roomba has finished cleaning its first room, the lighthouse will help it navigate through your home and allow Roomba to clean room-to-room. When the Roomba has finished cleaning, the lighthouse will direct it back to the home base for charging. You can actually use the Virtual Lighthouse and Virtual Walls at the same time as long they are not too close together.

Conclusion

The virtual wall lighthouse might be important to you if you think the obstacles in your home will give the Roomba a hard time. If your floor is a bit cluttered, the Virtual Wall Lighthouse might give the Roomba extra guidance to navigate these obstacles. These are also essential for room-to-room cleaning.

The utility of the remote is purely based on convenience. It will be a lot easier to control the Roomba from wherever you are if you have this on hand.

If you think the two features above are worth the extra money, then go for the Roomba 880. Otherwise stick with the 770. The features are nearly identical.

You can buy both Roomba models directly from iRobot, but I recommend buying the Roomba 880 from Amazon.com since the price is usually a good $25-30 cheaper.