Sometimes, when you're looking for the right robot vacuum to bring into your home, sticking with Old Faithful is the best choice. It's been five years since it came to market, but the IROBOT ROOMBA 650 is still a very capable device if you're looking for a little help around the house.
Sure, it's not as modern-looking as some robot vacuums on the market now, nor does it offer nifty features like Wi-Fi connectivity or app capabilities. But it does come from one of the original robot-vacuum purveyors, and years later, it still offers solid performance for the price.
Design: Nothing you haven't seen before
Because iRobot was one of the first companies to make a robot vacuum, it's helped set the precedent for how they look. The Roomba 650 is designed in that tried-and-true circular style, with utilitarian black and gray trimmings and an industrial aesthetic. Hiding on top of the device is a pullout handle, which is really quite handy for walking the device up and down the stairs.
The speed becomes more of a nuisance when paired with the Roomba 650's clunky movements. Whereas the Roomba 980 takes it easy around corners and table legs, the 650 has no qualms about barreling into walls or furniture to find its way around. Doing so at such speed raises the risk that the robot will damage your belongings.
I'm just thankful it didn't break any of the glass bottles sitting on the floor of my dining area. By comparison, the similarly priced Ecovacs Deebot M82 is a little less aggressive when working its way around a room, and since that robot is half an inch shorter than the Roomba 650, there's less potential for destruction if it bumps into a piece of furniture.
On wood, however, the RoboVac picked up 60 percent, while the Roomba got 44 percent; the Deebot failed completely on this test. On carpet, the Robovac again bested the Roomba, 44 percent to 30 percent, while the Deebot also failed this test.
