Roomba 614 Review:Roomba 614 is the new entry model of iRobot that allows you to relinquish the bells and whistles and get a robot vacuum cleaner that will clean your house and do it well.
Update for special holiday prices: if you missed it, Roomba 614 is available here for 48% discount. That brings it below $ 200 and the most affordable Roomba ever.
Contents (Jump to) [hide]
- 1 Robotic Vacuum Review
- 2 Key features of the Roomba 614
- 3 The Roomba 614: The features that really stood out
- 4 Roomba 614 downsides: Wouldn’t it be just perfect if these things were improved?
- 5 Roomba 614 alternatives to consider
- 6 My Final Verdict: Is Roomba 614 a good buy?
Roomba 614 Review(Robotic vacuum)
We have seen several models of Roomba appear in recent years, and with each release we see more and more technology being added.
To best illustrate this, take a look at the Roomba 980, which came with Wi-Fi support, a smartphone app, a built-in camera, a carpet reinforcement mode, and a edge cleaning mode.
All these functions justify a hefty price tag of around $ 900 (from July 2017) for the Roomba 980.
With the Roomba 614, however, iRobot goes back to basics and removes all the bells and whistles which has been put in recent Roombas. It also ensures a backwashing of the price, giving you a cheap and fast alternative to the Roombas that has been released recently.
Special Holiday Pricing Update: Speaking of prices, the Roomba 690 (with WiFI capabilities) JUST was offered for sale here for a 27% discount. This is the cheapest and the least expensive Roomba that you can find on the market.
For this roomba 614 review, let’s look at the key features of the Roomba 614. Let us now tell you that most of these are very similar to the rest of the devices that belong to the 600 series.
Then we would look at the advantages and disadvantages of the Roomba 614. And of course we would recommend similar Roombas that you can consider if you are not impressed by the Roomba 614 (although we feel you would!)
Bottom Line: I would personally prefer a Roomba like the 690 available here. It has the same functions + WiFi capability + functions for automatic planning, for about the same price.
Key features of the Roomba 614 Review
Below are the great features you would expect from Roomba 614?
Three-stage cleaning process. The three-stage cleaning process is standard for all Roomba robots, where you have the counter-rotating dirt extractor or brushes, the rotating side brush and the vacuum system that removes the hair and dirt from the brushes and the remaining brushes from the floor.
iAdapt technology. Another standard feature you have here is the iAdapt technology that uses the sensors to avoid stairs, to get around or under furniture and to fit several times, making your room more clean. You will notice that the Roomba 614 will repeatedly pass through a certain area, and that is because the sensors on the device have detected dirt on that spot and continue to clean until the remaining dirt or hair has disappeared.
AeroVac vacuum cleaning technology. All 600-series Roombas has this technology that removes the hair and dirt from the brushes and deposits it in the back of the trash. This process fills the containers more evenly and therefore offers you the possibility of emptying less often.
AeroVac filter. The AeroVac filter is good for handling hair, fluff, carpet or animal fleece. Pet owners would love it if the Roomba 614 could thoroughly clean their house because it is sucking pet dander.
Lithium ion battery. These batteries last longer than the nickel metal hydrite batteries found on most other Roomba models.
The Roomba 614 Review: the functions that really stood out
The Roomba 614 has quite a few outlines that would make you need one or more and this includes:
Lower price. The 614 now sells $ 379.99 (checkout here for the lastest pricelistings), but you may be lucky enough to find deals like the recent (and unfortunately closed) Prime Day offers, which are the prices for the Roomba 614 with $ 130 have been reduced. But even at the normal price, the Roomba 614 has covered the low price market.
Cleans everywhere. The Roomba 614 can reach hard-to-reach places such as under your beds, cupboards, tables and even dressers. Instead of moving furniture or lifting or sitting on your knees and sometimes getting flat on the floor to clean the hidden areas, you can use the Roomba 614 for virtuallty anywhere.
Multiple passes and zigzag movement. Roombas are known to have better cleaning coverings than the standing vacuum cleaner. Most people often run upright vacuum cleaners back and forth repeatedly when they are clean and this causes them to loose a good amount of dirt, hair and dust on the floor. The Roomba 614 moves in a zigzag so that it can cover an area several times.
Good for larger rooms or small apartments. Most robot vacuum cleaners use nickel metal hydrite batteries that can be cleaned for only two hours when fully charged. The Roomba 614 uses a lithium-ion battery that provides a longer cleaning time before recharging. This is the same type of battery you see on much more expensive Roomba models, such as the Roomba 980 and Roomba 860.
Cons of Roomba 614 Review
Below are the Cons of roomba 614:It would be perfect if these things were improved?
Nobody is perfect, right? This does not exclude the Roomba 614. The roomba 614 review model has a number of drawbacks that you may want to know before you make your purchase decision.
No virtual walls, virtual wall lighthouses or virtual wall barriers. There are devices that determine where your Roomba uses infrared rays that immediately send it away from areas that you do not want to go or that you do not want to clean. The Roomba 614 does not have any of these navigation devices in the standard package. However, you can purchase virtual walls, lighthouses and barriers from Amazon, such as this Virtual Wall Barrier in two modes.
No scheduling options. One of the biggest problems of operating the Roomba is that it sometimes gets in the way or, if we look at it the other way around, we sometimes get in the way. That’s why automatic scheduling is a feature that most people appreciate in the newer Roomba models like the 650, 980, 860 and 770. So you can not set your Roomba 614 to start cleaning at a time when you are out of the house or when you stay in another room.
No full trash indicator. This is a minor annoyance, but with the Roomba 614 you have no way of knowing when it’s time to clear the trash of dust and debris, unless you check the trash can manually.
No HEPA filter. With the introduction of newer Roomba models from series 700, people have been introduced to HEPA filters, which remove 99.97% of the particles that are up to 0.3 microns.
Roomba 614 uses AeroVac filters instead of HEPA. Yet you would not even discover the difference unless you suffer from allergies. In that case, the AeroVac may not be sufficient for you.
Roomba 614 Review alternatives to consider
The Roomba 614 is for those people who just want the basic autonomous vacuum cleaner. “No bells and whistles” means that you are blessed with a simple operating system that even a child can learn to use.
If you have not been sold on that premise, there are other alternatives that you can consider. You can extend the functionality with the Roomba 770 (see our review here).
The Roomba 770 is almost thesame as the Roomba 614 with planning functions and double HEPA filters.
If you have pets or are allergic, you absolutely must go for Roomba 770. Other features of the Roomba 770 are the remote control and the indicator for full bin.
Nevertheless, you would notice that all these features add $ 120 (see here for the most recent price-listings).
Roomba 770 vs 614
Below is a glance Features Comparison for roomba 614 review as compared to roomba 770
Roomba 770 | Roomba 614 |
HEPA Filters | About $120 cheaper (check here) |
Additional features such as the remote control and full bin notifications | |
Persistant Pass Cleaning |
If you are looking for something at about the same price as the Roomba 614, you can view the Roomba 650.
It basically has the same specifications as the Roomba 614, but you have planning functions and it uses a nickel-metal hydride battery, unlike the type of lithium-ion battery that you see on the 614.
This means that the battery of the 614 has longer life cycles, is reliable to provide better performance in cold weather, is very light and charges faster.
Roomba 614 Review Final Verdict: Is Roomba 614 a good buy?
The Roomba 614 is the new entry-level model of the company and gives you essentially all the things you want in a robot vacuum cleaner. If you are the type that just wants to clean the floors and do not care about other more advanced functions, then the 614 is perfect for you.
As it is, the Roomba 614 is invented by the Roomba 650. For practically the same price you can use Roomba 650 to plan your cleaning when you are not at home, so you can avoid vacuuming when no one is at home, instead of you children or yourself stumble over it.
In short: the Roomba 614 is a great buy for those who want the no-nonsense version that gets the job done.
2017 UPDATE: if you want something a little smarter and with WiFi (app) control, then go with the Roomba 690. iRobot recently released this version, especially for people who want mobile control from their phone.
It is also an excellent choice for Roomba users who work for the first time or for those who still use the traditional vacuum cleaner, but want to use the Roomba, so they only have to move the heavy vacuum cleaner once a week instead of other day.
Again ,for Update special holiday prices: if you missed it, Roomba 614 is available here for 48% discount. That brings it below $ 200 and the most affordable Roomba ever.