- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The iRobot Roomba 694 is a well-built robot vacuum. Overall, it's better suited to cleaning bare floors than low or high-pile carpet, and it struggles to pick up pet hair on all surfaces. Although it doesn't have a smart pathing feature, it has other useful automation features like automatic height and power adjustment, which are based on the cleaning conditions. It also has dirt sensors that it uses to clean messy areas more thoroughly. However, like many robot vacuums, it's quite difficult to maintain and has high recurring costs.
Our Verdict
The iRobot Roomba 694 has decent performance on bare floors. While it doesn't pick up pet hair too easily, it has no problem cleaning debris like rice and cereal, though its performance may decrease as the dirt compartment fills up. This well-built model is also quite compact, so it can clean under most furniture. Although it doesn't have a smart pathing feature, it still has good area coverage.
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Long battery life.
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Automatic power adjustment.
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High recurring costs.
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Difficult to maintain.
The iRobot Roomba 694 has a disappointing performance on low-pile carpet. It struggles to pick up pet hair and fine debris like baking soda, while it still only picks up larger debris like sand decently well. This vacuum also has a lot of recurring costs, since many parts need to be replaced periodically. Thankfully, its automatic height adjustment feature is helpful when moving between different surface types.
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Long battery life.
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Automatic power adjustment.
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High recurring costs.
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Difficult to maintain.
The iRobot Roomba 694 has an adequate performance on high-pile carpet. It automatically adjusts its height based on the surface it's on, which helps it clean high-pile carpet. However, it doesn't do a great job of picking up pet hair and large debris like sand and struggles even more with fine debris like baking soda. It sometimes gets caught on rug tassels, which may be annoying.
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Long battery life.
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Automatically adjusts its height to the surface.
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High recurring costs.
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Difficult to maintain.
The iRobot Roomba 694 has poor performance for pets. It struggles to pick up pet hair on all surface types and doesn't come with any accessories that are specialized for pets. Also, it doesn't come with an allergen-trapping HEPA filter, which may be annoying for some users. Like many robot vacuums, it's difficult to maintain since a lot of parts need to be cleaned fairly regularly.
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Sturdy build.
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Automatic power adjustment.
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Struggles to pick up pet hair on all surfaces.
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Difficult to maintain.
The iRobot Roomba 694 isn't designed for use on stairs.
The iRobot Roomba 694 isn't designed for use in cars.
- 7.2 Bare Floor
- 5.3 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.5 High-Pile Carpet
- 5.0 Pets
- 6.0 Stairs
- 5.5 Cars
Test Results
The iRobot Roomba 694 has a very good build quality. Its body is mostly made of hard plastic, while the drive and swivel wheels are made out of rubber. The body has a sturdy feel. Though the dustbin feels like it could break if dropped, it feels sturdier than most other plastic dustbins. It's really easy to set up since there's no assembly required for the vacuum itself, and you just need to plug in the dock station.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is a bit difficult to maintain since there are a lot of parts that need regular maintenance. Thankfully, they're all easy to access.
- Dustbin: The dustbin can be removed by pressing the release button. You should empty it into a garbage bin after every use.
- Brushrolls: The brushrolls can be accessed by removing the brushroll compartment door. The brushes and their bearings should be cleaned once or twice per week, depending on whether or not you have pets.
- Filter: The filter is located inside the dustbin and can be pulled out via release tabs. You can clean it by tapping it against the edge of a garbage can. It should be cleaned once or twice a week, depending on if you have pets. Make sure to remove it and clean it before emptying the dustbin.
- Side brush: The side brush can be removed by unscrewing it from the bottom of the vacuum. You should clear it of any hair or debris that's stuck onto it approximately once a month.
- Front wheel: While you can pull the wheel out of its socket by hand, you may find it easier to use a tool to pry it out. It should be cleaned every two weeks. Also, you should clean its socket of any debris to allow it to spin freely.
- Sensors/Charging pads: The sensors and charging pads on the vacuum and dock station should be wiped down with a dry cloth once a month.
The iRobot Roomba 694 has a lot of recurring costs. Thankfully, they can all be purchased from iRobot's website individually or together as a 'Replenishment Kit'.
- Filter: The filter should be replaced every two months.
- Brushrolls: The brushrolls should be replaced every six to 12 months.
- Front wheel: The front wheel should be replaced every 12 months.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is remarkably easy to store. It has a compact design, so it doesn't take up much room. Also, it comes with a charging station that the vacuum mounts itself to.
The iRobot Roomba 694 has a mediocre dirt compartment. It's fairly large for a robot vacuum, but it doesn't have a max fill sensor to indicate when it's full.
- iRobot Roomba 694 Robot Vacuum
- AeroVac dirt compartment
- 2x AeroVac filter
- Beater brush
- Bristle brush
- Charging dock
- Charging cable
- User guide
The iRobot Roomba 694 has a virtually unlimited range as long as it has battery life remaining and room left in its dirt compartment. However, it can't go up or down stairs.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is very portable. While it doesn't have a carrying handle, it's fairly light, so you can easily bring it between rooms.
The iRobot Roomba 694 has an outstanding battery performance. While it doesn't have any manual power mode settings, it automatically adjusts its suction power based on the cleaning conditions. It lasts over two hours on a single charge, though it automatically returns to the docking station after 90 minutes. There's a battery indicator light on top of the vacuum, and you can also see the battery level through its companion app.
This vacuum has a few quality of life features. Its cleaning head automatically adjusts its height based on the surface it's on. Also, the vacuum automatically adjusts its power setting based on the cleaning conditions. It has dirt sensors that it uses to detect which areas to clean more thoroughly.
This vacuum has a few accessories included. It has a two-part brushroll that uses a beater brush to crush debris and a bristle brush to pick up these smaller pieces. It also has a side brush that pushes debris from around the vacuum towards its cleaning path.
This vacuum has a very good performance on bare floors. While it struggles to pick up pet hair, it has no problem cleaning small and bulky debris like rice and cereal. However, when picking up bulkier debris, its performance decreases noticeably as the dirt compartment fills up.
The iRobot Roomba 694 has a poor performance on low-pile carpet. It can pick up some pet hair and larger debris like sand, though it may need to take an extra pass to clear it all. Unfortunately, it really struggles to pick up fine debris like baking soda. Thankfully, its performance is consistent as the dirt compartment fills up.
The iRobot Roomba 694 has an acceptable performance on high-pile carpet. It can clean a reasonable amount of pet hair and larger debris like sand. Unfortunately, it really struggles to pick up finer debris like baking soda. Thankfully, its performance doesn't decrease much as the dirt compartment fills up.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is decently maneuverable. Its small size lets it fit under furniture like couches and low tables. While it can move freely from bare floors to rugs, it sometimes gets caught on rug tassels. It doesn't get caught on low-lying obstacles like electrical cords, though, but it may push them around a bit. This vacuum uses random pathing, but it still results in good coverage.
The iRobot Roomba 694 has okay automation features. This vacuum uses random pathing, which isn't as efficient as smart pathing, but it still does a good job of covering the whole area of a room. Using the iRobot Home companion app, you can start and stop the vacuum, check the battery, schedule cleaning times, and get the vacuum to return to its charging dock. You can also set up voice commands with Alexa or Google Home devices. Although you can't create virtual boundary markers in the app, you can buy physical boundary markers at an additional cost to stop the vacuum from going to certain areas.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The iRobot Roomba 694 comes in one color variant: 'Black'. You can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across a variant not listed here, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The iRobot Roomba 694 is a robot vacuum that's very similar to the iRobot Roomba 692 but has a slightly better cleaning performance. It's most suitable for use on bare floors, though it can clean high-pile carpets acceptably well, which not all robot vacuums can do. It has a twin-brushroll configuration that breaks up larger debris, and its cleaning head automatically adjusts its height to the surface it's on, making it quite versatile. It can last over two hours on a single charge, in part thanks to its automatic power adjustment feature. Like most robot vacuums, it's quite difficult to maintain and has quite a few recurring costs.
See also our recommendations for the best robot vacuums, the best robot vacuums for pet hair, and the best robot vacuums for hardwood floors.
The iRobot Roomba E5 is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 694. The E5 clears pet hair much more easily and has a better cleaning performance overall on low-pile carpet. That said, the 694 has a better performance on bare floors and its battery lasts longer.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ is better than the iRobot Roomba 694. The i3+ can empty its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment attached to its charging dock. It also has a smart pathing feature, yielding superior maneuverability and allowing you to check a map of its cleaning coverage or schedule cleaning sessions in advance. The i3+ also delivers better performance on all surface types. Meanwhile, the 694 has a longer battery life, though this cam vary in the real world.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is slightly better than the iRobot Roomba 675. The 694 has a larger dustbin and delivers superior performance on bare floors as well as high-pile carpet. Meanwhile, the 675 has a carrying handle that makes it easier to pick up and carry. The 675 also struggles less with sucking up larger material such as sand from low-pile carpet.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is slightly better than the eufy RoboVac 11S. The iRobot is better-built, easier to maintain, incurs fewer recurring costs, and takes less time to recharge while offering a longer maximum battery life, though this can vary in the real world. It can also climb over low-lying obstructions, like electrical cords, with less difficulty and also delivers better overall performance on bare floors. However, the eufy does a better job of sucking up pet hair from all surface types. While it lacks a companion app, unlike the iRobot, you can use it without an internet connection with its included remote control.
The Roborock E4 is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 694. The Roborock has a much better cleaning performance on bare floors and low-pile carpet, and it follows a more efficient cleaning path. Its dirt compartment is also larger, and its battery can last longer when used on the lowest power setting. However, the iRobot does a better job of picking up large debris like sand on high-pile carpet, and it has dirt sensors that detect which areas need to be cleaned more thoroughly.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 692. Although they share a lot of the same features, the 694 has a better cleaning performance on all surface types. It can especially pick up pet hair more easily, while the 692 struggles to clean pet hair on bare floors and low and high-pile carpet. The 694's battery also lasts slightly longer, which is nice.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is better than the eufy RoboVac G30 Edge. The iRobot feels more sturdily built, incurs fewer recurring costs, has a larger dustbin, charges much faster, maneuvers over obstructions like electrical cords with less difficulty, and delivers better performance on bare floors and high-pile carpet. Meanwhile, the eufy comes with a couple of physical boundary strips that can be laid down to prevent the vacuum from entering certain areas. You can also adjust its suction power manually.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 694. The 981 has a better cleaning performance on bare floors and low-pile carpet, though it performs similarly on high-pile carpet. It also follows a more efficient cleaning route than the 694. That said, the 694 has longer battery life.
The iRobot Roomba i4 is better than the iRobot Roomba 694, The i4 has fewer parts that require regular cleaning and a smart-pathing navigational system, which yields superior maneuverability. You can also use the included Dual Virtual Barrier device to mark areas that the vacuum will avoid crossing. The i4 also does a better job of cleaning debris on low and high-pile carpet. Meanwhile, the 694 clears more debris on bare floors, has a bigger dirt compartment, and lasts longer on a single charge, though this can vary in the real world.