As a wise man once said, Old is Gold. While there are many Robot vacuums on the market, sticking to an old model that deliver excellent results might be the best idea. Having been on the market for about five years, the iRobot Roomba 650 remains a top performing vacuum cleaner, which delivers a solid performance for people looking for automated vacuuming around the house.
True, Roomba 650 might not come with a modern look like some of the latest models. Also, it may not offer ingenious features such as Wifi connectivity. However, this unit comes from a reputable brand and years later; it still delivers reliable performance. Besides, unlike most modern robot vacuums that cost a pretty penny, the iRobot 650 comes at a decent price range and still provide a superior cleaning experience that model that costs twice its price.
iRobot Roomba 650 Vacuum Cleaner Review
Price range: From $300 up
Special features: iAdapt Navigation, 3-Stage Cleaning System, Auto recharge dock, Convenient controls.
Battery Life: Lasts for 2 to 3 hours on a full charge.
Boasting of functional technology, the Roomba 650 leverages cloud and mapping technology to deliver a fully automatic robotic cleaning performance. Combining the exceptional performance and versatility enables this vacuum cleaner to adapt to various floor types in a typical house, ensuring thorough cleaning.
It also features a low profile design, which enables it to clean under low furniture and any other underneath space. This makes it easy to clean the hard to reach places such as under the bed, under the couch as well as other spaces. More importantly, this unit also recharges automatically. Plus, it is equipped with high-end filter making it an excellent choice for people with high sensitivity to allergens.
Well as you can see, this unit comes with numerous benefits. But is it worth the cost? Well, in this guide we are going to discuss all the features and functions of iRobot 650. This should give you an overview of everything you need to know about this robot cleaner.
Performance and Top Features
Watch Video below for a quick look for the features of Roomba 650
1. iAdapt Navigation iRoomba 650 iAdapt Navigation
The iRobot 650 comes with high-end sensors that offer it the ability to navigate the different floors in a home while still ensuring a thorough cleaning process. The iAdapt navigation allows it to navigate under furniture and other clutter in your home. This technology also allows it to create landmark to ensure it cleans a wide area without being redundant. Another creative feature that comes with this unit is the ledger sensor that helps it to detect a drop off preventing the machine from tumbling over stairs.
Another important feature worth mentioning is that the unit comes in a circular design and maneuver in a 360-degree manner. Additionally, it comes with a low profile design, enabling it to clean under low spaces. While the round design may, lead to problems when cleaning corners, the Roomba 650 comes with a spinning brush, which does a great job in reaching out into the corners.
2. Three Stage Cleaning System
The Roomba 650 is designed to carry out the cleaning in three exclusive phases. As mentioned, this unit is equipped with a brush, which agitates the dirt particles. Next, it bushes the dirt and finally applies its powerful suction, which sucks the filth off the floor. Generally, regular vacuum cleaners only apply suction to clean the floor. However, the suction only may be ineffective especially when dealing with stuck dirt. The three-stage cleaning will enable it to do a thorough job when it comes to cleaning different floors. Additionally, the advanced cleaning process also helps it to pick up pet dander, pollen and other minute dirt particles. This goes a long way in ensuring cleaner indoor air.
3. Automatically scheduling options
Another great feature that comes with this unit is the automatic programmable scheduling. Unlike other models where you need to start every time you need to clean your home, with iRobot 650 you simply need to program it to specific hours or even weeks where it can clean automatically. The automatic features ensure that it operates without any assistance. Besides, you can use the iRobot Home app to schedule cleaning even if you are not at home. This feature also updates the homeowner on the cleaning progress.
4. Automatically Docks and Recharges
The Roomba 650 is equipped with a high capacity battery that offers a clean –time of about two hours. This is enough time to clean a large area in your house. More importantly, this unit is smart to know when it needs to recharge. When the battery is low, this unit goes back to the charger, docks and start recharging automatically. This is an important feature as you don’t have to worry about having to look for the gadget for instance when the battery drains when it is cleaning under a couch.
5. HEPA Filters
If you are allergic to pollen, pet hair, dust, and other allergens, this is an important feature. The Roomba 650 comes with a superior HEPA filter that traps all allergens as well as minute dust particles. This ensures that your indoor air remains clean after vacuuming. The best thing about these filters is that they are reusable. By reusing the filter, you will save a lot when it comes to maintenance costs. To keep it in top condition, you simply need to use hot water to clean the filter.
6. Works on All Floor Types
Besides, this unit is equipped with an AeroForce cleaning system, which allows the machine to clean different types of floor. This technology optimizes the machine to adapt to different floor types. This is made possible by simply using the Gen 3 motor to adjust its performance to either decrease or increase based on the flooring. In addition, this unit also comes with a specialized counter rotating extractor that helps in scooping dirt from all flooring types.
Design & Accessories
Opening the box, you will find a self-charging base, an extra filter, and a virtual wall as the accessories included together with the machine. The charging base comes in a space-saving design that doesn’t take much of your floor space. The virtual wall is designed to help you set an invisible barrier where the robot is not allowed to cross. The virtual wall emits an infrared signal that restricts the robot cleaner to one room that has one door.
This machine weighs about 8 pounds and measures about 13 inches around. Coming in average size, this unit works exceptionally well when it comes to cleaning your home. It can clean under couches, bare floors as well as around the dining table’s legs. While adding a carry handle would have been a good thing, you rarely need to reposition it, so this is not a great inconvenience. Best of all, this unit comes with impressive signals that prevent being stuck.
Controls
As mentioned, this unit comes with programmable settings that allow scheduling it to your convenience. After installing the charger and virtual wall, you can get the best out of the machine by using the scheduling feature. While it might not be as efficient as using an upright vacuum, the iRobot 650 is able to work more frequently as you would want it to. This unit is programmable to clean once every day, seven days a week at whichever hour you desire.
Bin and Brush
This unit comes with a large bin to avoid multiple emptying. The 26L dirt bin holds lots of dirt. If you set the iRobot 650 to clean daily, you will need to empty the bin about two times a week. However, this will depend on the size of your home and how dirty the floors are. When it comes to the cleaning brush, this unit comes with an AeroVac feature that helps keep the brush free of hair. The cleaning brush is a useful feature that makes this unit stands out from the competition. This brush work diligently to detach the stuck dirt from all floor types. The brush has long bristles, which agitates stubborn dirt remarkably well. Another plus is that the brush detaches pet dander such as pet hair. Without this feature, cleaning pet hair from carpeted areas is not easy. However, with 650 this doesn’t have to be a problem.
More importantly, the Roomba 650 also performs extremely well when it comes to cleaning even the uneven floors. This unit comes with three risers that enable it to clean bumpy floors. Users who have used this unit also reported that it forces its way over a two-third riser. This means it can go from a tiled floor to a carpeted floor without stopping.
In Use
When cleaning gentle terrains such as the doormats and normal carpets, this robot cleaner does a great job. The transition between hard floors to carpeted areas was also seamless. More important, this vacuum cleaner also maneuvers well between the table leg and cleans around the legs. If the cleaning space is wider than its 13-inch size, this vacuum performs substantially. More so, its low profile design enables it to clean under low spaces.
Maintenance
To keep the Roomba 650 performing in top condition, it requires maintenance. The below tips will enable you to keep your machine performance at an optimal level. Interestingly, maintaining the Roomba 650 is incredibly easy. Typically, you simply need to empty the bin about twice per week. However, if you have pets or kids, you may need to empty it more frequently. Besides emptying, here are some of the basic maintenance tips that help hone the performance of this robot cleaner.
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Check and replace the brush
You should always check the rotating brush, which is position at the bottom of the machine. As with any other product, the brush wears down depending on the number of uses. Of, course, worn out brushes will result in reduced cleaning performance. The manufacturer recommends replacing the brush every few months. However, by inspecting the brush regularly, you can tell when the brush needs to be changed.
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Filter
As stated previously this unit comes with a HEPA filter. This filter is reusable, saving you the operation cost. However, to ensure that it performs the way it should, you need to clean it after every few vacuuming. To clean the filter, you simply need to brush away the dirt by hand. Using compressed air or hot air does a great job when it comes to cleaning the filter. Besides, when the filter wears out, you need to replace it. Similar to the rotating brush, keeping an eye on the brush will let you know when the brush needs replacing.
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Debris extractors
The debris extractors are the two rubber tubes that are found on the bottom of the Roomba iRobot 650 vacuum. While these need also to be replaced, they are durable, so they don’t need to be replaced as often as the brush or filter. If you find that, the debris extractor is clogged, simply pop them out, and clean with warm water. You should also watch out for any tangles. Since the dirt extractor has a long life span, you shouldn’t worry about replacing it. Actually, it can take several years before you need to replace it.
Pros and Cons
- Self-Charging design eliminates the need for human supervision
- Designed to clean all floor types
- Programmable Schedule
- Compact, lightweight and clever design
- Superior navigation enables it to get over obstacles without getting stuck
- Not a great choice for people looking to clean large spaces
Final Verdict
Looking at the performance and features that come with iRobot Roomba 650 it is safe to say that it is super powerful and easy to use. This unit comes equipped with high-end technology, which enables it to clean different types of floors. Coming at a low profile design, this unit also cleanses under most furniture and cleans even the hard to reach places. In terms of price, this is the cheapest Roomba series that comes with useful features such as automatic programming. Therefore, if you don’t love having to use your upright vacuum or your busy schedule leaves you with little time to clean, the iRobot Roomba 650 might be your best companion to keep your room spotless all the time. Check it more detail at Amazon here. You may also check our best selective ranking list of the best robotic vacuum cleaner here
