You want your home to be vacuumed, but you don’t want to do the vacuuming yourself. So, what is the solution to this problem? The solution is a robotic vacuum cleaner like the Roomba series from iRobot. There are lots of different ones out there, so choosing one may be a little difficult. We’re here today to do a iRobot Roomba 805 vs 880 comparison to see which one is the best for you. Let’s get right to it!
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Quick Comparison Chart
| Roomba 805 | Roomba 880 | |
|---|---|---|
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  |
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| Power | Normal | 5x Stronger |
| Battery | Lithium-ion battery | XLive extended life battery |
| Filter | No HEPA filter | HEPA filter |
| Remote control | No Remote control | Remote control |
| Dimensions | 18.2×16.5×5.5 | 13.9×13.9×3.6 |
| Available | Check on Amazon.com | Check on Amazon.com |
INDIVIDUAL REVIEWS
iRobot Roomba 805
The iRobot Roomba 805 is definitely a really good choice to consider if you want a robotic vacuum cleaner to do all of the work for you. First off, we do like how the 805 is designed like all other Roombas, or in other words, it’s fairly sleek and lightweight. If we do need to carry it around, it’s not all that heavy, and this makes cleaning under furniture such as beds and sofas really easy too.
The iRobot Roomba 805 is definitely a really good choice to consider if you want a robotic vacuum cleaner to do all of the work for you. First off, we do like how the 805 is designed like all other Roombas, or in other words, it’s fairly sleek and lightweight. If we do need to carry it around, it’s not all that heavy, and this makes cleaning under furniture such as beds and sofas really easy too.
Something that we do like about the iRobot Roomba 805 is that it comes with up to 5 times the suction power as previous models. It can actually pick up some fairly heavy things without problem. The iRobot Roomba 805 is great for picking up things off of hard surfaces such as tile, laminate, and hardwood floors. It can also transition to cleaning carpets as well. Now, it will do just fine for thinner carpets, but really thick and shaggy carpets may pose a small problem for it. That being said, it seems that cereal, sand, and dirt are all not match for this little guy.
What is really cool is that the iRobot Roomba 805 does come with so called tangle-free extractors. This means that it can actually deal with pet hair fairly well without getting clogged, something that comes in quite handy in our home which is full of pets. The 3 stage cleaning system and side brushes work wonders in all of the rooms in our home.
Even better is that it also comes with a great AeroForce High Efficiency Filter which works to clean the air that the people in my home breathe. It does not work quite as well as a full force HEPA filter, but is still does a decent job at filtering the air.
Something that we really like about the iRobot Roomba 805 is that you can schedule it to clean up to 7 times per week. It goes off all on its own without us having to do anything. What does need to be said is that the cleaning pattern on the iRobot Roomba 805 is somewhat random, but it will eventually get to everything, especially because it does have the ability to detect dirt and stay in high traffic areas when needed.
To help the iRobot Roomba 805 clean with efficiency, it comes with 2 virtual wall barriers. These barriers help to keep the iRobot Roomba 805 in a certain room or in between 2 specific points. In other words, you can make this little guy clean a specific area with ease. It does also have some great navigational tech to get around clutter and furniture. Also, the battery life on this little guy is close to 2 hours, which is not too bad. It will actually dock and recharge itself when the battery is low.
PROS
What we like:
- Can be scheduled to clean 7 times per week
- Good navigation – gets around clutter
- Recognizes dirt and dirty areas
- Has an air filter
- Comes with virtual wall barriers
- Decent battery life
- OK at dealing with pet hair
- Work alright for thinner carpets
- Small and lightweight – fits under furniture
CONS
What we didn't like:
- Can’t deal with thick carpets
- Does not have a very efficient cleaning pattern
- Small dust container
iRobot Roomba 880
The Roomba 880 is fairly similar to the Roomba 805, but it is a fair bit more expensive, and accordingly, it has some extra and better features too. Now, we don’t want to talk about all of the similarities between the two, repeating everything we said for the 880 that we said for the 805.
The really important things for you to know are the differences between the two, so let’s talk about the biggest differences. If we don’t mention something, you can assume that the 880 also has the same features as the 805.
First off, the Roomba 880 has a slightly better navigational system. Just like the 805, it has the ability to get around clutter and furniture, plus it can seamlessly navigate carpets and hard floors. However, the cleaning pattern which the 880 has is more time efficient. The Roomba 880 works a little faster and smarter than the 805. Also, instead of virtual wall barriers like the 805 has, the 880 comes with virtual lighthouses. We like this because you can tell the Roomba 880 where to clean instead of where not to clean.
Moreover, while the 805 does come with a filter, it is not the best in the world. On the other hand, the Roomba 880 comes with a very high quality HEPA filter, which is great for removing all kinds of allergens and contaminants from the air.
Another thing which is better about the Roomba 880 is the battery life. This little guy can last almost twice as long as the 805, which is a big bonus when it comes to cleaning larger house. The 880 also has a larger dust collection bin when compared to the 805, which means you don’t have to empty it as often.
PROS
What we like:
- Great navigational system
- Can be scheduled to clean 7 times per week
- Great hard floor to carpet transition
- Fantastic battery life – will go to the dock to recharge itself
- Awesome suction power
- High quality HEPA filter
- Does pretty well with pet hair – tangle free extractors
- Fairly large dust container
- Small and lightweight – easily fits under furniture
- Easily recognizes dirt
CONS
What we didn't like:
- Quite loud
- Still doesn’t work great on thicker carpets
CONCLUSION
At the end of it all, this iRobot Roomba 805 vs 880 comparisons has hopefully helped you come closer to a decision. Generally speaking, both of these models do their jobs just fine, but the 880 does have some advanced or additional features which the 805 does not come with. That being said, of course the Roomba 880 will cost you more than the 805.
