Although it’s not exactly what you’d call a flagship model, the Roomba 891 is as close as you can get to a flagship model. This means that you will be able to get many of the features available in models such as the high-end Roomba 980, which was iRobot’s flagship model for some time.
The best part is that you will get to enjoy these features without having to pay the high price that usually comes with a flagship model. In this article, we are going to review this robot vacuum and compare it to some of the popular models in its budget range to try and find out if it gives value for your money.
Let’s start by taking a closer look at this robot vacuum and how it performs in the key areas that we use to judge robot vacuums.
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Suction Strength and Cleaning Effectiveness
A robot vacuum that can’t pick up dirt is not worth having because it will only be an expensive piece of useless tech. Before it can impress with the futuristic abilities, it needs to be able to do a good job of vacuuming your home.
The Roomba 891 does not disappoint when it comes to this. It has five times the suction that comes with robots in the Roomba 600 series. This means that it will have no problem picking up dirt and debris no matter how large the particles may be.
This strong suction is complemented by iRobot’s Dirt Detect technology that will tell the Roomba when to work harder to get all the dirt. The dual multi-surface rubber brushes also do an excellent job of dislodging any tough debris on the floor surface so that they can be picked up by the suction.
Another great feature is the Auto-Adjust cleaning head that moves up and down according to the floor surface to ensure that the rubber brushes are close enough to the floor surface for optimal results whether you are vacuuming hard floors or carpets.
Filtration
Filtration is another important aspect of a vacuum cleaner because it determines how much of the vacuumed dirt stays in the vacuum cleaner. It would be pointless to have a vacuum cleaner with strong suction that picks up everything if all the particles end up back in your home with the exhaust air.
The Roomba 891 comes with a high-efficiency filter that captures up to 99% of fine dirt particles, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, and other allergens. This way, you will be able to enjoy a comfortable and peaceful environment even if you suffer from allergies.
Battery Performance
The battery on this Roomba is quite impressive. It will power the robot for up to 90 minutes before it needs to head back to the home dock for a charge. This is more than enough time to clean rooms of all sizes. Unless you have a very large hall in your home, you should have no problems with runtime.
When the Roomba detects that the battery is running low, it will automatically move to the charging dock for a charge. This way, the robot will always be fully charged and ready to go whenever you need it.
Convenience and Smart Features
Finally, this is a Wi-Fi enabled robot vacuum that will connect to your home Wi-Fi network and allow you to enjoy unmatched convenience. Once connected, you will need to download the iRobot Home smartphone app and link it to the Roomba to enjoy these features.
The features of the iRobot Roomba 891 include scheduling, status updates, notifications and starting, pausing, and interrupting cleaning cycles from wherever you are. You can even use your voice to give commands to the robot if you have an Amazon Alexa device or the Google Assistant.
Roomba 891 vs. Eufy 30C
The Eufy 30C is a super slim competitor that comes with a slightly lower price tag than the Roomba 891. The slim 2.85-inch body is a big bonus when it comes to maneuverability because it can fit in places where the 3.6-inch Roomba simply won’t fit.
Although both vacuums come with decent suction strength, the Roomba thrashes the Eufy robot because of superior brushes. The Roomba has a sweeping side brush and two rubber brushes for the main cleaning head while the Eufy has two sweeping side brushes and a single bristle brush for the fixed main cleaning head.
These two rubber brushes on the Roomba perform a better job of agitating the dirt on carpets, and the fact that the cleaning head is adjustable makes it ideal for hard floors and carpets of all thicknesses. The Eufy robot is sure to have trouble when vacuuming high pile carpets.
When it comes to filtration, both vacuums perform equally because they both come with high-efficiency filters that will catch most of the fine particles. Battery performance is also quite close with runtimes of 90 and 100 minutes from the Roomba and Eufy robots respectively.
Like the Roomba, the Eufy RoboVac 30C also comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and a smartphone app that allows you to schedule cleaning cycles and get updates and notifications. You can also use Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant to give voice commands.
Verdict: Although the RoboVac 30C is slimmer hence better in vacuuming tight spots, the Roomba is the clear winner here because of its superior cleaning performance and ability to handle a wider variety of floor surfaces. However, for its price, the RoboVac 30C will still deliver a good return on investment.
Roomba 891 vs. 675
The Roomba 675 is a popular device in the Roomba 600 series because it comes with incredible performance for its price. It comes with dual brushes like the Roomba 891 but they are not rubber brushes so although they do a decent job picking up dirt, they are not as effective and versatile as the rubber brushes in the Roomba 891.
The suction in the Roomba 891 is also five times stronger when compared to the Roomba 675 so the 891 will generally clean better and faster in most floor surfaces. Although the Aerovac filter on the Roomba 675 does a decent job, it does not catch as many fine particles as the high-efficiency filter on the Roomba 891.
When it comes to battery life, the result is a tie because both Roombas have batteries that can deliver runtimes of up to 90 minutes before they have to head back to the dock. They will also move to the dock automatically when the batteries run low.
With all that said, the Roomba 675 delivers quite some amazing features for a robot in its price range. It comes with Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to use the iRobot Home app to conveniently know what’s happening and control the robot even if you are not at home. When you are at home, you can also use Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant to give voice commands.
Verdict: The Roomba 891 is again the clear winner here because of its superior features and performance. However, if you want a cheaper alternative, you will not be disappointed with the Roomba 675 because it still comes with a number of the features available in the 891 hence it’s easy to overlook the few areas where it falls short.
Roomba 891 vs. Eufy 11S (Slim)
The RoboVac 11S (Slim) is another slim robot vacuum from Eufy. Like the RoboVac 30C mentioned above, this robot vacuum is also 2.85 inches tall which is amazing when compared to the 3.6-inch Roomba. With this in mind, the Eufy 11S is more effective in tight spots when compared to the Roomba.
This is probably the only area apart from cost where the Eufy 11S challenges the Roomba 891. The 11S comes with a single main brush that does a good job on hard floors and low to medium pile carpets but struggles in high pile carpets.
The Eufy’s battery will give you 10 more minutes of runtime when compared to the 90 minutes you’ll get from the Roomba, but since it doesn’t come with Wi-Fi connectivity, your options for controlling the robot are greatly reduced. You will only be able to use the provided remote control to set a time when vacuuming will start automatically and that’s all the scheduling available on this robot.
The high-efficiency filter on the Roomba does better than the triple-layer filter on the 11S, but it won’t be a big problem if you don’t have allergies or a respiratory condition that increases sensitivity to tiny particles in the air.
Verdict: Apart from the low price tag and slim body, the Roomba wins against the Eufy 11S. Nonetheless, the Eufy 11S is a valuable purchase for someone looking for a cheap robot vacuum with decent performance.
Roomba 891 vs. Roomba 890
Let’s finish by comparing the Roomba 891 with its closest sibling: the Roomba 890. This is going to be the shortest comparison because these two vacuums are very similar. Most buyers have trouble distinguishing the two because of how similar they are.
There are only a few negligible differences between these two vacuums. For starters, the Roomba 890 comes with a champagne gold accent ring on the top face while the 891 has a copper accent ring. The Roomba 890 also comes with an extra filter which is absent in the 891.
To make up for the lack of an extra filter, the Roomba 891 comes with a dual-mode virtual wall barrier that is unavailable in the Roomba 890. You can still purchase it separately if you need to use it and the robot will detect it. Other than those few differences, everything else in these two vacuums is similar.
Verdict: Is there a winner? This will depend on your needs. If a wall barrier is important to you, then the Roomba 891 is the better device. If you won’t be needing it, then the extra filter that comes with the Roomba 890 makes it the better alternative.
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Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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