iRobot Roomba Vac 2 Essential robot vacuum + AutoEmpty dock (Q0520) - Black

The iRobot Roomba Vac 2 Essentials is a compact self-emptying robot vacuum that is budget friendly and great at doing its one job, vacuuming. The first thing to note is that it is built with the reliable and typical iRobot quality. It does not feel any cheaper in material or components than any of the other Roombas on the market. It just comes with less technological features integrated. This robot vacuum is a speedy little guy that doesn’t exactly know where he is going, but he ultimately gets the job done. There is no mapping with this vacuum, so when it is time to go, it just bumps around and once it finds an open space, it begins going back and forth to clean every part it can until it bumps into something again and can go no further. It is surprisingly good at traversing through high-pill carpets without getting stuck and even good around stray cables. It found one by accident and just left it rather than sucking it up or getting tangled in it. During initial set-up, I had it set to medium suction, and this produced lackluster results. I had trouble finding how to change the suction setting. I eventually figured it out, so for anyone who encounters this same issue the setting can be changed by scrolling all the way down on the initial app page and selecting Product Settings>Cleaning Preferences. Once I switched to Maximum suction I had great results. It completely cleaned up a rug where, during its medium suction setting, it has just dragged around a tissue and left a shredded mess. My tile floors where completely cleaned, and it spent extra time under one of my furniture pieces getting it really clean. It does exceptionally well cleaning along the edges of the walls and furniture, something impossible to do with a regular vacuum cleaner. One of the downsides of not having mapping with this Roomba is that I can’t just send it to one specific room, I just have to hope it will find the area I most want cleaned. I have a 1500sq ft home, so it usually only does a third of the house before going home to recharge. I never know which way it will go either, so I’ll put up blockades to prevent it from going in the opposite direction to where I want it. The app is quick to set-up and get the Roomba going, especially if you already own one. It tells you the battery level, the time it will take to get back to work after going home to charge, when to change a part out, and the history and map of where it cleaned. It will also notify you if there are any issues while cleaning, for example, mine found and gobbled up a stray plastic zip-up bag, shutting down on the spot. Once I found and removed the object, it got right back to work. In my opinion, the Roomba Vac 2 is great for people with a smaller footprint home or who need one in a specific area of the home, like upstairs or in a room. I do feel it does better at getting around thick high-pill carpets than pricier options, but not having a sense of direction can be a bit frustrating with a large home. Regardless, it does a great job at vacuuming and spot cleaning plus is an asset for anyone on a budget who wants a handy helper to keep the floors clean.

The iRobot Roomba Essential Robot Vacuum is an entry level robot vacuum that has just enough features to get the job done while keeping the price low. I’ll go over the key features, breakdown how well it works, and then give you some pros and cons about the vacuum. Key Features: 3-Stage Cleaning System: With 3 stages of cleaning, a multi-surface brush roll and a corner brush, the Roomba does a pretty good job at picking up almost anything. 4 Power Modes: The Roomba has 4 levels of suction power. Automatic Docking, Recharging and Emptying: This little Roomba will automatically return to the dock to recharge and empty itself. It’ll even resume cleaning if it needed to recharge in order to get the job done. Spot Cleaning: The ability to spot clean is also a nice touch. Auto-Empty Dock: The Roomba will empty itself into it’s dock for up to 60 days before the bag is full and in need of being replaced. Ease of Use: Setup: Getting this little Roomba going is a breeze, just download the app, register for an account and start cleaning. As long as you have the robot charged up and on the dock, the rest is cake. Maintenance: I prefer bagless solutions to Roomba’s bags, but it sure does make emptying the dock simple. You’ll need to do that every couple of months, with replacement bags being reasonably priced as well. You’ll also want to make sure you wipe down the Roomba to keep the sensors clean, and use the hair cutting tool to cut off any hair that’s eventually going to wrap itself around the brush roll. App Control: The Roomba app is simple to operate, especially since the control options are limited for this vacuum. There is no mapping involved, so you really only get to choose between starting the vacuum, returning it to it’s dock and what suction level you want to use. You also have the ability to set up a basic schedule for cleaning, which is very convenient. Performance: Cleaning Effectiveness: You have to remember that this is a base model in the Roomba line up of vacuums, and it shows. On hard flooring, the robot does well at almost any suction level, but once it starts trudging through carpets, you’ll want to set the suction to its maximum level in order to get a decent clean. This probably won’t be a dealbreaker for most people, but you’ll get much less battery life and a louder experience with the vacuum set on max. If you’re wanting a deeper clean on carpeted surfaces, I would look elsewhere. Navigation: There’s no mapping with this Roomba. There’s no selecting an area to clean or any sort of intelligence other than some sensors that will try to avoid larger objects, furniture, and walls. This little guy will bump and rub up against a lot of things in your home, so be prepared for that. To give you a comparison, other more expensive Roomba vacuums will give you the ability to have the vacuum scan your home and map it out for you. This allows you to spot clean, set up rooms and areas to avoid, etc. There is none of that in this model, so please make sure there’s nothing on the floor that might be damaged or impeded the Roomba’s job. Runtime: I have an 1800sq ft home with several rooms and the Roomba on max suction had to recharge once in order to complete the entire house. On lower power modes, which might be useable if you have all hard flooring, the Roomba advertises 120 minutes of run time, but I was unable to replicate that. Pros: Effective cleaning for everyday dirt and debris. Especially on max setting and hard flooring Easy to set up and use Automatic docking and recharging Automatic emptying into dock for 60 days Affordable Replacement bags are reasonably priced Cons: A good clean requires using the maximum suction setting Lacks mapping, scanning and advanced spot cleaning Replacement dust and filters are an added cost Overall Impression: The iRobot Roomba Essential Robot Vacuum is a decent entry level robot vacuum. Roomba is a solid company with a good reputation that will be around for a long time, so that’s a plus as well. The vacuum itself doesn’t do great on carpeted floors unless you set it to its loudest maximum power setting. The lack of advanced navigation and mapping really does hurt the unit's appeal. Having a robot vacuum just free roaming your house may not work for a lot of people with pets, children, or just areas they don’t want vacuumed all the time. I think spending a bit more and stepping up to a robot vacuum with mapping would be the smarter decision. However, if you really just want something that’s easy, affordable, and picks up dirt, then the Roomba Essential might fit the bill.