Vacuum cleaners have for a long time been an essential must-have appliance in the home. And thanks to technological advancement, automation has been incorporated into the process of cleaning the home with the introduction of robotic vacuum cleaners.
Where to Buy iRobot Roomba 980
Jumia Nigeria – See Offers | Amazon US – See Offers
The advantages of these robotic vacuum cleaners cannot be overstated because, no doubts, they are one of the modern-day smart home gadgets that makes life easier.
While there are quite a number of manufacturers and brands of robotic vacuum cleaners out there in the market that it could become overwhelming choosing one, iRobot is a leader in the robotic vacuum cleaner industry.
And the iRobot Roomba 980 is one of the company’s best product yet. We shall take a cursory look at what the iRobot Roomba 980 does, how it functions and cleans spaces, how much it costs, and where to buy it at the best prices.
iRobot Roomba 980 Key Specs
- Dimensions: 13.8 inches by 3.6 inches ((diameter x height)
- Weight: 8.7 lbs
- In the box: 1 x iRobot Roomba 980, 1 x Home Base Charging Station, 1 x Extra filter, 1 x Line cord, 1 x Extra side brush, 1 x dual mode virtual wall barriers (with batteries).
- Battery type: Lithium Ion
- Battery run-time: 2 hours
- Voltage: 110V
- Features: Self-docking, Multi-room cleaning, Hepa filtration, Cliff Detection, Edge brushes, Full bin detector, Remote control and scheduling (through app).
Design
In terms of build ad form factor, the Roomba 980 is pretty much like every other robotic vacuum cleaner manufactured by iRobot. The device comes in a circular shaped plastic body with a couple of parts, buttons, and accessories.
The Roomba 980 (at 3.6 inches) is moderately sized; small enough to go snuggle itself under your couch, bed, TV stands etc.
And at 8.7 pounds, the vacuum cleaner is also lightweight and thanks to the built-in handle, the Roomba 980 can be comfortably and conveniently carried around the house, particularly the places it cannot access or when it is stuck.
The top of the iRobot Roomba is inhabited by physical buttons as well as indicator lights. The sliver-coated ‘Clean’ button is the most conspicuous button.
To the right of the Clean button is the ‘Spot Clean’ button, while the ‘Home’ button is to the left. Right above the physical buttons are the indicator lights for: battery, WiFi connection status, active cleaning mode, charging indicator, dustbin level etc.
In addition to turning on indicator lights, the Roomba 980 also gives off troubleshooting sounds when there’s an error or it needs the user to empty the trash (it returns to the charging dock when the bin is filled up).
The bin of the Roomba 980 is quite small and, depending on how dirty or clean the house is, could easily get filled up in 20 minutes, needing the bin to be emptied before it continues cleaning.
This means the Roomba 980 needs a little bit of supervision during usage. At the top of the device, there’s a button to press to easily detach the bin from the cleaner to be emptied.
At the bottom, there are two 6.2-inch counter-rotating brushes (extractors) that pick up dirt just fine from all kinds of surfaces.
Also, you’d find a spinning side brush with long bristles for cleaning up corners and wall edges and other spots its circular body form could restrict it from reaching.
Features and Cleaning Pattern
There is a camera at the top of the iRobot Roomba 980 which continuously takes pictures as it cleans the house to find the best routes and create maps.
The Roomba 980 uses the camera in conjunction to its inherent Smart Mapping features and vSLAM algorithm to map out its path and objects in the environment.
The smart mapping technology helps the Roomba 980 keep track of where it has cleaned and where it is yet to clean.
There is also an Adapt 2.0 floor navigation and tracking sensors at the bottom of the device which it uses to collect your home’s floor data to efficiently navigate your home better upon subsequent cleans.
Asides from being able to remotely schedule cleaning periods for up to seven times in a week, users can also customize how they want the Roomba 980 to clean the home. you can even give the robot vacuum cleaner a pet name.
The app also allows users choose ‘Cleaning Passes’. One Cleaning Pass tells the Roomba 980 to clean the room once while Two Cleaning Passes instructs the device to clean the room twice.
You can also set cleaning passes to ‘Automatic’, leaving the Roomba 980 to automatically decide which cleaning pass to use based on the size of the room. For small rooms, it cleans it twice while it uses one cleaning pass for bigger spaces.
To add, ‘Edge Clean’ is a feature of the Roomba 980 which allows it clean wall edges and the feet of chairs and other furniture to conclude a cleaning cycle.
Battery
According to the manufacturer, the iRobot Roomba 980 can continuously clean rooms and spaces for two hours straight before it returns to its dock for a recharge, or when the bin gets full. Charge time of the Roomba 980 is unknown as there is no battery level/percentage indicator.
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iRobot Roomba 980 Price
The iRobot Roomba 980 is one of the most expensive robotic vacuum cleaner you can buy. And this is understandable due to the many improved features it boasts of. The device will set buyers back by about $800 to $900.
