The new Roomba i3 + is too dazzling for me who bought Roomba because I didn't like cleaning

To be clear, I don't like cleaning.

It's not a hassle to vacuum, so I've always thought that I don't like it because dust and allergens accumulate more and more when I skip it.

Then, her husband, who couldn't see how I was doing, gave me a robot vacuum cleaner "Roomba 680" from iRobot on her 5th birthday.

Rumba-kun of my home (old model)

Living with a robot vacuum is great, to say the least.

Since I left Roomba to clean the dirtiest LDK, I no longer have to vacuum myself once a week. Since my house is a small detached house, I have to clean the stairs and narrow spaces by myself, but even so, with the help of Rumba, the time and stress were greatly reduced.

However, there were some complaints. The "Roomba 680" could hit the furniture with a rush of rush, and I couldn't leave it to clean while I was away. Also, because the movement seems to be random, it's a little disappointing that it cleans the entire floor area on the second floor or not.

At that time, the latest model "Rumba i3 +" was released. How much has it evolved compared to "Roomba 680"? I was curious, so I borrowed "Rumba i3 +" from iRobot for about two weeks and compared various things.

"I3 +" is fully automatic until garbage is thrown away!

The biggest advantage of "Roomba i3 +" is that it has a clean base.

Clean base is a divine function that sucks up the dust collected in the dust container of Roomba and stores the dust for up to 60 days. Until now, it was only added to the high-end models "Roomba s9 +" and "Roomba i7 +".

When replacing the paper pack, the structure is such that the mouth of the pack can be closed by pinching the handle and pulling it up. It is designed so that the dust inside does not flow back, so dust does not scatter.

On the other hand, the old model "Roomba 680" emptied the dust container every time it was cleaned, and sometimes it was necessary to clean the dust container itself. It's a hassle and dust is flying, so it's a little negative point when I look at it now.

The best that hair does not get tangled in the brush

Roomba's original three-stage cleaning system is also installed in "Roomba 680", but the suction power of "Roomba i3 +" is 10 times that of the 600 series.

The dual-action structure, in which two rubber brushes scoop up dust and dirt, is somewhat tough, but in reality it is also designed to be quiet. Hair and pet hair loss and lint are less likely to get entangled, so it is also attractive that you are less likely to get stuck during cleaning.

I'm sorry it's unsightly, but this is my Rumba-kun brush. Something is entwined ... It is quite troublesome to clean this one by one. That's why I don't clean it very much (sweat).

By the way, let's take a look at how the "Rumba i3 +" works with the squeaky feeling.

Sophisticated movement

"Roomba i3 +" can be cleaned efficiently with a single stroke. As the number of cleanings increased, the structure of the room was grasped, and the usual course was followed, so it was clear at a glance how much cleaning had been completed. Another advantage is that it makes it easier for people to avoid rumba because it moves regularly.

One of the drawbacks of one-stroke writing is that you can't collect the scattered garbage because you only go through the same place once. In order to cover that, I was able to switch to a careful cleaning mode that performs "two runs" with one cleaning. When I tried it, it took twice as long, but the amount of garbage left behind was almost zero.

The hit to the furniture is soft like this.

It gently touches the antique furniture and plants that I cherish, and the electric guitar that is placed directly on the floor, so I felt relieved even if I operated it remotely when I was out.

Can be operated with smartphones and smart speakers

Speaking of remote control, this. If you install the "iRobot HOME" app on your smartphone, you can issue a dispatch order to "Roomba i3 +" anytime, anywhere. You can schedule it regularly or set how many minutes you want to clean it.

You can check the cleaning history in the "Clean Map Report" in the app.

This is the floor plan on the 2nd floor of my house, but there is a bedroom in the back of the LDK, which is actually divided into 2 rooms. In fact, when I ran "Roomba 680" in this space, it often didn't try to enter the bedroom from the LDK, resulting in inadequate cleaning. In that respect, "Roomba i3 +" cleaned all the way to the back room, so it didn't take much time and effort twice. I wonder if this difference in the range of action was the biggest difference.

Old and new rumba showdown

From here, I would like you to see the difference in driving between "Roomba i3 +" and "Roomba 680".

"Roomba i3 +" likes linear movement and is efficient. On the other hand, the "Roomba 680", which has a lot of sloppy driving, has an impression that there is unevenness in the parts that can be cleaned and the parts that cannot be cleaned.

Also, the "Roomba 680" hits the furniture so hard that it gets jarring when it hits plants, but the "Roomba i3 +" is a relatively easy hit. When I didn't have time, I was able to run Roomba as it was without having to "evacuate" chairs and guitars. I didn't have to move the furniture before and after cleaning, so I was able to issue a dispatch order more easily.

Next, I sprinkled a ladle (about 24g) of tea leaves in the middle of the living room and observed each movement.

"Roomba i3 +" was so efficient and careful that I wanted to praise it as "a wise child!"

While maintaining the basics of one-stroke writing, it detects dust firmly and spot-cleans it. The blue glow is probably a sign that you are in "dirt detect" mode. I also felt reliable that it seemed to stop and think for a while.

On the other hand, "Roomba 680" is also properly detected by the dust sensor and cleaned carefully, but it took a long time to clean because there are many random movements. If the electricity bill increases that much, the "Rumba i3 +", which cleans quickly and efficiently in a short time, will be the best choice.

Happiness to forget about cleaning

It's been two weeks since "Rumba i3 +" came to my house. During that time, I didn't use a vacuum cleaner at all, but rather, I was able to keep it cleaner than usual by having "Roomba i3 +" clean it every day.

However, I couldn't get the sensor to clean the area about 30 cm from the clean base, and there was dust. In order to get a cleaner cleaning, some ingenuity such as sweeping around the clean base in advance before Roomba is dispatched, dusting from the top of furniture with a duster, and scraping out dust from under the sofa is a little ingenuity. I think it is necessary. However, it was great that I basically left it to Roomba and forgot to clean it.

I'm not good at partial cleaning

Finally, about the weaknesses of "Rumba i3 +".

Since the "i3 +" does not have an optical sensor, I use the floor tracking sensor and gyro sensor to grasp my position based on the clean base. This means that if you are lifted and moved to another location while driving, you will get lost and get stuck.

Cleaning is also based on the "all or zero" principle, so there is only an option to clean it all over. If you say "I want you to clean only here", and conversely, if you say "I don't want you to clean only here", you can't handle it. If you want to specify a room to clean or set a no-entry area, you will need a higher grade "Roomba i7 +" or "Roomba s9 +".

However, with this performance, this beautiful design. I think it's a very good robot vacuum.

The "Roomba i3 +" that makes you forget about cleaning is 99,800 yen, which is a reasonable price considering that you will use it almost every day for at least 5 years. Also, if you hesitate if it's a little expensive, there is also an option called subscription. For "Robot Smart Plan +", see the iRobot website.

However, if IRobot's floor cleaning robot "Braava Jet" comes with me at this price, it will be a cleaning set for me! !! ... I was eager for more, but I thought that "Rumba i3 +" would definitely be the next choice for a human being.

99,800 yen