Neato Botvac vs Roomba
Which robot vacuum is best for your cleaning needs?
Today, many companies design and produce robot vacuum cleaners for any taste, needs, and wallet. However, amidst all this diversity, several major firms have long proven themselves and rightfully occupy the most successful position. From year to year, their vacuum cleaners delight users with excellent cleaning quality, reliability, ease of use, and innovative technologies. Today we`re going to talk about two such leading companies, iRobot and Neato. To find out which one is the best for your cleaning needs we`ll compare their latest models Roomba i7 and Neato D7 that have much in common as well as some differences.
- Functionality
iRobot Roomba i7 is a new model of 2019 that has some novelties in cleaning. First of all, the robot has a better suction power of 1700 Pa that can catch even the hardest debris. The iRobot can work on any coatings: parquet, linoleum, tile, laminate, carpets. It automatically determines the type of flooring and chooses the cleaning mode. The vacuum has no problems with carpets and overcomes obstacles up to 2 cm in height. Brushes catch rubbish of any type and size, as well as hair and wool. The rubber roller-brushes help avoid hair winding and provide a more complete contact with the floor surface, regardless of its texture. The vacuum can work in several modes: automatic – full cleaning of the dwelling; local – in definite places; along the walls – around the perimeter and into the corners. It`s also possible to separately set such work parameters as driving straight or spiral and cleaning according to a predetermined schedule. A feature of iRobot Roomba i7 is a high-quality three-stage filtration system which cleans the air and neutralizes allergic particles.
In the question of functionality, Neato Botvac D7 robot vacuum cleaner doesn`t concede to its opponent. Its suction power is even greater than that of the Roomba – 2000 Pa. The vacuum also works on any flooring and can easily overpass small elevations up to 2 cm. All movements of the robot are carried out along straight lines. The combination of powerful suction and prehensile brushes provides keeping of 90% of debris after the first passing. The air in Neato passes cleaning with the HEPA filter, which is ideal for people with allergies or pets. This model also has several cleaning modes: eco, turbo, and local.
- Dust Collector
Roomba i7 doesn`t have an automatic dirt disposal base that`s provided in the i7+ model, but you can buy it separately. Besides, the volume of its dust collector is equal to 1000 ml, which is quite enough for regular vacuuming.
D7 has a smaller container – it can keep 700 ml and doesn`t support the technology of automatic emptying.
- Navigation
Both robots have height detectors, obstacle sensors, and the main camera or laser due to which the navigation is carried out. During the initial movement, Roomba i7 explores rooms with the camera and builds an Imprint Smart Mapping for a map. After that, it forms a virtual map of the space and can keep in mind the plan for every floor if it`s used in a multi-storey house. The device uses advanced navigation technology iAdapt 3.0 (vSLAM). It means that the robot chooses the optimal order of cleaning for a definite room or spot.
The Neato robot remembers the room and builds a virtual map for future navigation, too. But unlike the Roomba, it uses the so-called Lidar laser sensor that scans the room. This technology is called LaserSmart. Both robots can remember where they finished the cleaning last time and continue the work right from this point after recharging or switching on.
- Control
The main control of the models is quite standard – it`s carried out via smartphone app and Wi-Fi connection. Thanks to the special programs, you can remotely set the mode of operation and schedule, see their maps, mark restriction lines like virtual walls, turn the robots on and off, track the history of cleaning, and so on. Both Roomba and Neato support Alexa and Google Voice Assistants.
- Battery
The capacity of the battery depends on the runtime and further robot productivity. Here Neato D7 shows the better result as it has a powerful 4200 mAh Li-Ion battery that provides 2 hours of runtime. After complete discharging, the vacuum comes back to the base and stays there for 3 hours up to full charge.
The i7 model has a battery capacity of only 1850 mAh. It can work for about 75 minutes and charges for 3 hours as well.
- Price
If you`re thinking about buying one of these models, be ready to part with a tidy sum. Both vacuums use the latest technologies of cleaning, so it`s quite evident that they belong to the top price range. The average price for one Roomba i7 robot is 800 dollars. One item of Neato Botvac D7 will cost you also about $700-800.
So, we see that despite many similarities, Roomba and Neato cordless vacuum cleaners do have a number of differences affecting the quality and convenience of cleaning.
| Roomba i7 | Neato Botvac D7 | |
| Smart Mapping | YES (camera) | YES (laser) |
| suction power | 1700 Pa | 2000 Pa |
| dust collector | 1000 ml | 700 ml |
| runtime | 75 minutes | 120 minutes |
| HEPA filter | YES | YES |
| price | ~$800 | ~$800 |
So, our comparative review shows that both firms hold a high level and are practically not inferior to each other in their basic characteristics. We see that the developments of both manufacturers keep pace with the times and are identical in many respects. Regardless of your needs (whether it`s the cleaning of pet hair, carpet or hard floor cleaning, large areas or one-two rooms), both models of vacuum cleaners will do an excellent job. In this comparison, the Neato Botvac D7 showed itself a little better, so we give our preference to it. However, let us note that in the end, such a difference in characteristics doesn`t significantly affect the cleaning result (except for the runtime factor, which is much better in Neato robot). Therefore, on the basis of the review, we conclude that both firms are equally reliable.
