iRobot Roomba 870 at Best Buy

The Roomba 870 from iRobot is a small vacuum-cleaning robot that can clean many different floor surfaces. It can suck up dirt and other material from hardwood floors, deep carpet, and anything in between automatically. It collects the dirt into an internal bin which needs occasional emptying, but there is no bag to clean out. The robot can stop itself before driving off stairs or similar dropoffs, distinguish between hard barriers like walls and soft ones like curtains, and avoid wires.

In terms of the technology that does the actual cleaning, the robot comes with a pair of powerful AeroForce extractors to pull material off the ground, although the performance will not be as good with thick, deep carpet. The Roomba is battery-powered. When it is low, the robot will automatically return to its charging station. It will also return to the charging station when it is done with a pass through its assigned space. The robot's bumpers are made of soft rubber to avoid damaging objects that the robot bumps into. The cleaning path of the robot is six and three quarters of an inch wide. It has a HEPA filter, which reduces the amount of pet hairs and allergens in the air.

The Roomba has a diameter of 13.9 inches and a height of 3.63 inches, so it can fit into most spaces around the home. It weights about eight and half pounds, so it is not light. It takes about two hours for the Roomba 870's battery to fully recharge. It comes with 7 different preset schedules that the user can select for automatic cleaning. The robot can clean multiple rooms and comes with two virtual walls that enable the user to block off certain areas.

While the robot cannot replicate the full power of a manual vacuum of the same price, it is suitable for maintenance cleaning a few times a week. This will keep any space looking clean, so that the owner only needs to do a full vacuum job about once a month. This might be a disappointment to people who expect the Roomba 870 to be able to replace all other vacuums. However, taking that into account, the robot performs its task of routine cleanings quite well, so the rooms it covers will look quite good in the time between vacuums.

ROBOT® ROOMBA® 870 FEATURES AT A GLANCE

• Clean floors like never before with the revolutionary AeroForce™ Performance Cleaning System.Our most powerful vacuuming system yet delivers 5x the suction and removes up to 50% more dirt, dust, hair and debris.
• Let Roomba help you with the hard work.Just press Clean or schedule Roomba to vacuum when it’s most convenient for you. And no need to hunt Roomba down– it automatically returns to its Home Base® to recharge between cleanings.
• Roomba leads the charge in robotic vacuuming. Roomba’s slim profile lets it clean under furniture, including beds, skirted furniture, tables and cabinetry while the spinning side brush grabs dirt and debris from tough places like wall edges and corners.
• iAdapt® Responsive Navigation Technology with cliff-detection sensors
• Large HEPA filter keeps dust, dander, and other allergens out of the air
• Bin Full indicator light lets you know when the bin needs emptying
• 2 Virtual Wall Barriers keep Roomba in the rooms you want to vacuum & out of the ones you don’t
• No more cleaning brushes! Tangle-free AeroForce™ Extractors are virtually maintenance free, making it even easier for Roomba to tackle daily dirt build-up  and leave more time for you to enjoy your day.
• Roomba’s large HEPA filter keeps dust, dander, and other allergens out of the air – ideal for homes with pets and allergy sufferers
• Just press CLEAN or schedule Roomba to vacuum when it’s most convenient for you. iRobot® XLife™ Extended Life Battery provides double the battery cycles

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.