Comparison of robotic vacuum cleaners iRobot Roomba 960 and Gutrend Echo 520

This year, consumer interest in household appliances such as robotic vacuum cleaners equipped with laser navigation systems has increased significantly. It is very pleasant to come to a clean and tidy apartment, while not wasting time and effort on this process. Two such gadgets came to us for testing almost simultaneously — iRobot Roomba 960 and Gutrend Echo 520. Today in this article we will try to understand the capabilities of each of these devices, as well as find out which one of them copes with its duties more efficiently. Let’s start by tradition, with a complete set.

What comes with vacuum cleaners?

When purchasing such a high-tech device as a robot vacuum cleaner, you definitely need to look at what exactly comes with it. The wider the equipment, the better, since the device will perform an expanded number of functions and do it more efficiently. iRobot Roomba 960 comes with the following parts:

• The robot vacuum cleaner itself;
• Rechargeable battery for it;
• Base or charging station;
• Power cable;
• Additional HEPA filter;
• Another side brush;
• A special motion limiter powered by batteries — the so-called virtual wall;
• Fully translated into Russian instruction manual;
• Warranty card with a service period of 2 years.

iRobot Roomba 960

On the front panel there is a built-in camera that provides an overview of the room. Now let’s see what comes with another Gutrend Echo 520 vacuum cleaner:

• It is quite natural that this is a vacuum cleaner, a charging base equipped with a power adapter;
• Remote control with batteries;
• The original form combined container, which is used for both dry and wet cleaning;
• As many as four additional side brushes;
• Virtual wall;
• Two microfiber cloths for more effective wet cleaning;
• Additional HEPA filter;
• Special brush for more thorough cleaning of the inner surface of the dust collector;
• Napkin for wiping all sensors located on the body of the device;
• Translated into Russian instructions, a guide to ensure quick setup and launch, as well as a two-year warranty card.

Gutrend Echo 520

Comparison of these robotic vacuum cleaners already at this stage allows us to favorably highlight the latest model, since its equipment is more complete, respectively, the device will have much more opportunities. Now let’s turn to the external design of products.

Design features of robotic vacuum cleaners

Let’s start with the iRobot Roomba 960 model — it is very stylish and elegant. Its shape is standard for these devices: the products are made in the form of a regular circle, which allows the device to penetrate even into hard-to-reach places, carefully cleaning a large surface area. Along the edges, we found slight bevels, which greatly reduce the likelihood of the vacuum cleaner getting stuck under furniture.

There are no extra details here. The device is painted black, has a matte finish. Along the edges of the bumper there is a special film that will soften the blows from contact with various obstacles. There are three large buttons on the top panel. In the center, the key is large, has a gray color, on the sides of it there are smaller buttons. When the device is turned on, a green LED-type illumination lights up on the central button.

The underside of the bumper of this robot is covered with special rubber, which reliably protects the polished surfaces of furniture from damage. Under the tinted plastic on the front side are sensors with which the device can find its charging station or identify obstacles in its path.

iRobot Roomba 960

On the underside there is a side brush, a spinning roller, a pair of main wheels, silicone rollers, as well as the bottom of the trash tank. Along the edges of the bumper are height sensors. The device is sold in a box made of thick cardboard, it describes in detail the main features of the vacuum cleaner, its overall dimensions, and the equipment is given.

It’s time to turn to the design of Gutrend Echo 520. Compared to iRobot, this device looks more attractive and original. The first thing that catches your eye when you first look at the product is the deep dark blue color of the body of the product.

In addition, there is an indicator on the top panel that shows the user when the vacuum cleaner is connected to a Wi-Fi network, there is a lidar responsible for the orientation of the device in space. There is also a power button, no more elements can be found.

In the front part there is quite a standard movable bumper, with which it is possible to calculate obstacles in the way of the product. on the side there is a dust collector, ventilation holes. Below are two side brushes, a central bristle-blade type brush, a swivel roller, main wheels and terminals used to charge the battery. There are also connectors for installing a microfiber cloth for wet cleaning.

Gutrend Echo 520

Comparing such robotic vacuum cleaners in their appearance, it is clear that the Echo 520 looks much more attractive than the Roomba 960, largely due to the original coloring. However, the second model has a lidar protruding from the body, which can fit under low furniture, such as sofas, as we saw during testing.

Performance

If we consider the main technical capabilities of the iRobot Roomba 960 model, we can learn a lot about this device:

• It is designed exclusively for dry cleaning, wet cleaning is not provided here;
• It uses a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2130 mAh as a power supply. Such a battery allows the vacuum cleaner to work offline for almost an hour and a half. The battery itself charges at the base in three hours;
• Overall dimensions — 9.08 cm in height and 35 cm in diameter with a weight of 4 kg;
• Management is carried out using mechanical buttons or through a mobile application, and the device connects to gadgets exclusively via Wi-Fi;
• There is a sound notification about the completion of the cleaning process;
• On a single battery charge, the vacuum cleaner is able to clean up to 150 square meters of area;
• Additional features include scheduled cleaning, cleaning of a selected area of ​​the room, normal operation;
• The products have a system of infrared sensors, which are mostly located on the bumper — sensors for height differences, obstacle detection, and so on;
• The product is oriented in space using a video camera, it instantly detects where the virtual wall is located, there is a gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, and a separate sensor for finding the base.

Among other things, the vacuum cleaner has a HEPA filter that will trap even the smallest dust particles. With it, you can almost completely retain all the dust in the air — up to 99.5%. The device is also equipped with a sensor that will notify the user with a special sound when the bin is full.

iRobot Roomba 960

Now let’s turn to the specifications of the Gutrend Echo 520:

• This robot vacuum cleaner is also equipped with a lithium-ion battery with a voltage of 14.4V and a capacity of 2600mAh;
• At one time, the device can clean up to 110 square meters of area;
• In offline mode, the product can work up to 120 minutes;
• The battery charges in about 5 hours;
• Wheels and other elements of the bottom allow the vacuum cleaner to overcome obstacles whose height does not exceed 15 mm;
• The dust collector is made in the form of a cyclone filter — its volume is 480 ml, and the capacity of the combined container is 450 ml;
• Overall dimensions are not very different from the compared model 32.5 cm in diameter and 96 mm in height with a weight of 2.4 kg;
• During operation, the product does not make too much noise — it creates only 50 dB.

The cleaning area of ​​such a device is conditionally unlimited, since, if the battery is discharged, after the charge is restored, it continues the process from where it left off.

Gutrend Echo 520

The key difference between the models lies in functionality — the advantage here is clearly on the side of the Gutrend Echo 520, as it not only vacuums, but also wets the surface. This not only better rids the surface of pollution, but also moisturizes the air, makes the microclimate of the room more comfortable. In terms of overall dimensions, the iRobot Roomba 960 wins a little, since it is almost 6 mm lower than Gutrend, which allows it to penetrate even under low furniture.

The functional side of vacuum cleaners

The iRobot Roomba device in terms of its control capabilities is practically no different from other robotic vacuum cleaners. You can work with it through a mobile application with the gadget connected to the Internet. All features can be used only through this program: here you can set a cleaning schedule, make a complete diagnosis of the device and determine its condition. In particular, the application will promptly notify the user about the need to replace certain consumables, such as a HEPA filter.

The vacuum cleaner, using a system of sensors, draws up a general cleaning plan, and takes into account all the obstacles that it may encounter on the way. As the main brushes, roller-scrapers made of silicone are used here. The main positive aspect of these elements is that hair, threads or wool are not wound around them, and besides, they are not electrified. All garbage is picked up by them from the surface and sent to the garbage collector.

The virtual wall is used to limit the vacuum cleaner’s cleaning area. For example, it can be placed on the threshold, so the device will not arbitrarily go to another room. She can also enclose areas of the floor where there are bowls of pets. The device is capable of operating in two modes — local or automatic. It is effective to use the first program if you need to get rid of heavy pollution in a certain area. Automatic mode will move the vacuum cleaner throughout the room, and after cleaning the device will return to its place. The mobile application allows you to use three more functions: stop working if the dust container is full of dirt, perform enhanced cleaning along walls or furniture, and select the number of passes over the floor.

iRobot Roomba 960

The Gutrend Echo 520 model is far superior to iRobot in its capabilities. First of all, the automation of the device with the help of a special laser is able to build a map of the room and transfer it to the mobile application. With the help of this element, the robot is perfectly oriented in space, overcomes obstacles.

It provides for the possibility of wet cleaning, and it can be done in conjunction with dry cleaning. If you fix a combined container for water and garbage in the device, then in one cycle the floor will not only be clean of debris and dust, but also wiped. The amount of liquid applied to the microfiber cloth is also adjustable via the app. With the help of these features, the user can choose the best option for cleaning the room, depending on its area, type of flooring and the amount of debris. It should be noted that water will be supplied to the napkin only when the device is in motion.

The application for controlling the Gutrend Echo 520 vacuum cleaner is thought out to the maximum, it is very easy to understand, there should not be any problems with the settings. In the program, you can select cleaning zones on the map of the premises, set up the schedule and operating modes of the device, which, by the way, are five in number:

• Intelligent mode based on building a floor plan. Cleaning will be carried out sequentially from one room to another, and on the map it will be possible to track exactly which area the vacuum cleaner has already managed to clean;
• Dry or wet cleaning, as well as combined mode;
• If necessary, you can select a specific area on the map, and the robot will only clean within it;
• There is a scheduled cleaning function — on certain days and times;
• Restriction of the cleaning area, although this is rather not a mode, but one of the additional features, however, the manufacturer claims that this is really a function.

Gutrend Echo 520

As can be seen from the comparative analysis, Gutrend Echo 520 largely outperforms its competitor iRobot Roomba 960 in terms of functionality. In particular, there is both dry and wet cleaning, which makes the indoor climate more pleasant and comfortable. iRobot’s only advantageous difference is its lower height — the difference is almost 6 mm, so it will be able to penetrate into the most inaccessible places. Both models are equipped with voice alerts in Russian. Devices will tell the user about the end of cleaning, the need to empty the trash can, a dead battery, and so on.

Test impressions

It took quite a lot of time to test such devices — about three days for each of the models. The general impressions of these devices are positive — they clean well, not too much time is spent on the process. Now I would like to talk in more detail about all the nuances. We started with the iRobot Roomba 960. We did not turn off the option to complete the cleaning with an additional pass along walls and various obstacles. Each time we activated it only after the battery was fully charged. For a single pass on the floor surface of a room with an area of ​​21 sq. m took a little over 19 minutes, two passes took 27 minutes, but the efficiency of the work was more noticeable.

iRobot Roomba 960

The device builds a fairly clear map for itself, although it is not displayed in the application. This is what the itinerary says. The vacuum cleaner moves like a snake over all available areas. After finishing work, he quickly returns to base. The floor surface is also scanned for serious contamination. If they are detected, then the robot behaves as follows: it slowly moves back and forth across the site, does it exactly twice, after which the cleaning continues in the normal mode.

The robot drives into narrow spaces, but not too willingly. If the width of the opening is at least 5 cm larger than the diameter of the device, then it will go there, if not, then it will ignore the area. When we chose a double pass on the floor during cleaning, the vacuum cleaner changed direction to perpendicular during the second pass. In many respects, due to this approach, it was possible to significantly improve the quality of cleaning.

The device handles the charging base as carefully as possible — there was not a single case when working with it that it moved it or did not drive into it the first time. Near the base itself, he also cleaned, but a certain amount of garbage still remained here. When we decide to use the local cleaning mode, the device begins to move in a spiral. By default, the program has a double pass — first the vacuum cleaner moves along an unfolding, and then along a folding spiral.

We tried sprinkling rice, oatmeal and buckwheat on smooth and shaggy flooring. The vacuum cleaner with a smooth finish did just fine — it got rid of all the debris with high quality. With pile it was much more difficult. At first we used a single pass, after which some debris still remained. The double pass provided better cleaning, but even after it, small particles of oatmeal still remained between the villi, but there were very, very few of them.

iRobot Roomba 960

It was clear to us that the quality of surface cleaning with the Gutrend Echo 520 vacuum cleaner would be much higher. Immediately after switching on, the device starts building a map of the room, and laser navigation works just fine. Within some two or three minutes, the device was able to accurately calculate the size of the room, as well as determine under which pieces of furniture it would be able to pass, and where it would definitely get stuck. Synchronization via the application with a smartphone occurs almost instantly.

At the first stage of testing, we tried to choose a cleaning area. Immediately after starting the program, the device went strictly to the specified zone and quickly rid it of debris. The process does not take much time, largely due to a sufficiently powerful engine that provides an increased degree of suction. Even the air in the rooms has become much cleaner. The battery charge is consumed very sparingly, even after cleaning an area of ​​​​about 60 square meters. m remains about 40% of the battery.

Of course, we tried to clean at maximum settings. The surface is crystal clear, but the battery charge is consumed very quickly: literally 8 square meters. m is spent about 10% of the charge. Handles carpets even with long pile very easily. They acquire their original appearance, even deep pollution comes out well. It does an excellent job with smooth surfaces, no complaints in this regard. In this case, it is best to use the combined mode — dry and wet cleaning.

Gutrend Echo 520

When working with this vacuum cleaner, we discovered one original feature: if the charging base and the device are in different rooms and at the same time close the door between the rooms, the device will give an error that the base is lost, and it cannot find it in any way. We decided to open the door, but the product reset the location of the charger. In the future, the vacuum cleaner, of course, found him, but it took him quite a lot of time. Laser navigation is convenient, but because of it, the vacuum cleaner turned out to be quite high, so it does not penetrate far from under any furniture.

We approached the analysis of the capabilities of this vacuum cleaner closely, so some readers may think that we are nitpicking about the brand and model, but we managed to find one more original fact. In particular, when a cleaning schedule is set, there is no way to select a specific room for work — the vacuum cleaner will automatically travel throughout the apartment. It is very easy to deal with such a problem: you need to install a virtual wall in the doorway, and place the device with the base in the room where you need to clean at a given time.

We tested the product on the same dirt as the iRobot Roomba 960. The result exceeded all expectations — on all surfaces, both smooth and fleecy, debris was completely removed, especially if the function of simultaneous wet and dry cleaning was used.

Gutrend Echo 520

Advantages and disadvantages of each model, general results

For each device, we were able to calculate both the pros and cons. So, the positive points associated with the iRobot Roomba 960:

• After recharging the battery, the device continues cleaning from the place where it stopped;
• The main brushes are made of high-quality silicone, hair, wool and dust do not wrap around them;
• Manage conveniently through a mobile application, synchronizing the device with a smartphone or tablet via Wi-Fi;
• The kit includes a virtual wall;
• Sound alerts in Russian are provided;
• There is a function of cleaning at a specified time;
• There is a sensor that informs the owner about the filling of the garbage container;
• The HEPA filter is characterized by high efficiency.

Of course, it was not possible to do without shortcomings. First of all, the device is not distinguished by the highest functionality, but at the same time it is quite expensive. He does not have the ability to turn off the sound notification, so it will not work at night, when all the household members are sleeping. There is only dry cleaning, so the device does not work very efficiently with carpets.

iRobot Roomba 960

The Gutrend Echo 520 robot has much more advantages:

• The presence of laser navigation and the construction of a map of the premises, which is displayed in the application;
• On the map, the user can set special restricted areas where the device cannot enter;
• The degree of suction power can be adjusted if necessary;
• Wet cleaning function;
• The amount of water supplied to the napkin is also adjustable, but it is only supplied when the vacuum cleaner is in motion;
• A very wide range of equipment;
• Possibility to perform both dry and wet cleaning at the same time;
• The robot is fully Russified;
• Warranty and service maintenance is available in many Russian cities;
• Voice notification system.

We already talked about the main disadvantages in the previous section — this is a protruding laser module and the inability to select a room when setting a schedule.

Gutrend Echo 520

As a result: the comparison of these two robot vacuum cleaners turned out in favor of the Gutrend Echo 520 device. In almost all respects, the model surpasses its competitor. There is a very interesting point in this model — due to the lidar and the mobile application, the user can monitor the cleaning process in real time. Often the advantage is insignificant, but in some moments the vacuum cleaner is much better than the iRobot Roomba 960 device. For purchase, we recommend the Gutrend Echo 520 model as the most functional, fast and distinguished by its original and attractive appearance.