Today we will explain the similarities and differences in the iRobot Roomba 870 vs 880 models.
As you may have guessed, the Roomba 880 is iRobot’s upgrade to the Roomba 870 model and the last vacuum cleaner in the 800 series.
Although the robotic vacuums themselves are identical, the real differences lie in the peripherals.
New to the Roomba 880 is the addition of a remote control and upgraded virtual wall lighthouse sensors which allow for more efficient multi-room vacuuming.
With a price difference of roughly $60, it’s up to you to decided if these extras are worth the money.
Now let’s have a look at these robot vacuums’ features.
Battle of the Roombas
Similarities
These vacuum cleaners both have 7 day programming capability using the buttons located on the top of the unit. A cleaning session can also be initiated using iRobot’s signature Clean button.
Both the 870 and 880 are able to tackle virtually any type of flooring. These include carpet, rugs, tile, laminate, hardwood, and many others. When transferring between floor materials, these Roombas will automatically adjust to account for the difference.
These robot vacuums utilize iRobot’s AeroForce 3-stage cleaning system. These stages include agitation, brushing, and high-powered suction.- The debris extractors on these vacuums contain rubber treads and are designed to efficiently lift debris off the ground with significantly less human interaction compared to the iRobot 770 and 650 models which used a brush instead.
A spinning side brush extends from underneath these vacuum robots to get into corners and clean walls.- Both the Roomba 870 and 880 utilize optical and acoustic sensors to find the dirtiest areas of your floors. These sensors tell the Roomba to spend extra time there until it is thoroughly cleaned.
With a height of only 3.6 inches, these robot vacuums can get beneath furniture and bedding with ease.
Integrated sensors communicate to these units when they nears stairs. The Roomba will automatically know to turn around and head in the opposite direction.- Both units contain virtual walls which will prevent the Roomba from entering areas you don’t want vacuumed.
- Lastly, the 870 and 880 automatically detect when they are running out of battery. As a result, they will return to their charging station to recharge themselves before they resume cleaning. They will also return to this station upon completion of a scheduled cleaning session.
Differences
The iRobot Roomba 880 has now received the addition of a remote control. This device can be used to remotely alter the Roomba’s settings or to manually control it using the directional pad. This can be a useful feature if you want to direct the Roomba to an area that needs to be cleaned opposed to waiting for it to find the area on its own.
Another change from the 870 model is that the 880 now includes an upgrade to its virtual wall sensors. These devices have been replaced with virtual wall lighthouse sensors. These new sensors allow for efficient multi-room vacuuming by containing the Roomba in a certain room for a specified amount of time before permitting it to travel into other rooms. This ensures that each room has been thoroughly cleaned before it ventures into the next. These sensors can also be switched to virtual wall mode to act as barriers just as in the 870 model.
Below is 1 month review of the iRobot Roomba 870:
Here is a product review video on the iRobot Roomba 880:
What People are Saying
Both the 870 and 880 have received overwhelmingly high rates of customer satisfaction. You will find a plethora of positive reviews on the web for these robot vacuums.
People enjoy not having to push a conventional vacuum around their homes anymore and like the fact that dirt never has a chance to accumulate.
Households with pets have seen a sharp decrease in the amount of pet hair around their homes. They feel liberated from the daily chore of cleaning up after their cats and dogs.
People with allergies have noticed a significant improvement in air quality and have subsequently seen a reduction in their allergy symptoms.
Although the remote control doesn’t seem to be a huge point in customer reviews, people have stated that the virtual wall lighthouses result in a superior clean compared to previous Roomba models. They have noticed the Roomba staying in rooms for longer and making more passes.
Bottom Line
Both the 870 and 880 are fantastic robot vacuums.
They will meticulous clean your home with little effort on your behalf. Just empty the collection bin and change the filter as needed.
We personally don’t see much value in the remote control added to the 880 model. You would probably be able to count on one hand the amount of times that you would actually use it.
However, we do see tremendous value in the upgraded virtual wall lighthouse sensors. By restricting the Roomba’s ability to continuously roam from room to room, it results in significantly cleaner floors.
Therefore in the iRobot Roomba 870 vs 880 battle, we recommend going for the 880 if you can afford the extra $60.
Click the following to see their price on Amazon: Roomba 870 or Roomba 880
Please feel free to share or leave comments below!
I currently have the roomba 770 and I was going to ask what the difference is between this and the 800 series and I see you covered it in your review as the 800 series are rubber brushes rather than brush. I must admit cleaning the brushes is not my favourite thing.
Wouldn’t be without my roomba though I don’t use the room blockers or the remote control. The remote control isn’t really important as I always use the scheduler (though last night I forgot that it has reset the time and the robot went off at 4am.) wouldn’t be without it though as it cleans every day and honestly I can think of lots of better things to do with my time than hoovering.
We’re really happy you enjoyed our review!
As beautiful as these amazing cleaning robots are I just find them too expensive for me to have one.
I just envy those people who have the luxury to enjoy such a fun to watch cleaning machine.
Even though that is the case, I learned a lot about your review. Perhaps in the future, I could have the chance to enjoy what you experienced in having such a thing.
Cheers!
They are without a doubt cost prohibitive to many. These aren’t cheap appliances by any means. I suppose one needs to ask themselves how much their time is really worth.
Best of luck!
Great review of the Roomba 870 and 880. I totally agree that the remote control is useless.. It is something you probably only use for playing with the roomba the first couple of times. I am currently in the marked for a robotic vacuum cleaner, so any thoughts on the value of Roomba 980 compared to 880?
Chris
Quite honestly if you can afford it, go with the iRobot Roomba 980 hands down!
It is superior in virtually every way. See our iRobot Roomba 980 vs 880 Comparison for more information.
Best of luck with your decision!
Wow! You might think I have been living under a rock for the past decade, but believe or not I didn’t even know there were robots that could vacuum the house, in fact I’ve never even thought of it!
These appliances are not cheap but I’m sure they’ll pay for themselves in a couple of years. Vacuuming is one of my chores that takes up a significant amount of time (we have pets, so i vacuum several times a week) and I can already see this gadget becoming my best robot friend!
Thanks for this article!
Being that you live in a house with pets, you would definitely benefit from the continuous cleaning of a robot vacuum.
It really does save a boatload of time and keeps your house cleaner!
Good luck with your robot vacuum decision!