Roomba e6 vs 985. Which one should I pick?

Last updated on Jul 27, 2021 Robot Vacuum Cleaners
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First off, let’s straighten out a few things in this Roomba e6 vs 985 comparison. The irobot roomba e6 6198 and 985 are model numbers from Costco which means they have alternative model numbers from Roomba. So the 985 is the Costco version of the Roomba 980. Similarly, the Roomba e6 6198 is the Costco model of the Roomba e5. So, if you choose to buy the e6 then you can as well consider the e5. And if you choose to buy the 985, you could as well choose the 980.

Both the Roomba e6 and Roomba 985 are only different from the roomba e5 and 980 because of the accessories included in their packaging. The e6 has two virtual wall barriers unlike the e5 that has one. The 985 has one virtual barrier instead of the 980’s two barriers.

In this comparison of the Roomba 985 vs e6, the clear winner is the irobot Roomba 985 because of its advanced features and suction power that make it a perfect cleaning companion. Its smart tech allows it to efficiently get the cleaning done almost flawlessly. Some of the advanced features include; recharge and resume, clean map reports and a smart navigation mapping feature.

image of roomba 985
Roomba 985

The irobot Roomba e6 is still a good buy and shouldn’t be written off so easily because even though it’s not so smart it still gets work done. It has a bigger bin and the bin is washable. This means cleaning and maintaining it becomes easier.  If you are not into fancy features and just want a tool to get the job done, get the irobot Roomba e6.

image of roomba e6
The Roomba e6

Similarities of the Roomba e6 vs 985 Costco

Multi-Surface cleaning

Both the irobot Roomba e6 and 985 can do multi-surface cleaning. This is executed by the dual multi-surface rubber brushes that can bend and are flexible enough to maneuver different floor surfaces. The multi-surface brushes keep in close contact to the surfaces they are cleaning to ensure it is done thoroughly. This is all in addition to the irobot Roomba 3 stage cleaning system that guarantees a fine clean to any surfaces.

image showing dual multi-surface brushes of roomba

Dirt Detect technologies

Both the irobot Roomba 985 vs e6 have dirt detect technology. The Roomba uses this technology to determine areas that are very dirty and need extra cleaning. The irobots are alerted and get to focus on these dirty areas that need the extra cleaning. Some of these areas include places that are used a lot at home.

Edge cleaning

The e6 and 985 have edge sweeping brushes that focus on corners and edges around the house. The edge sweeping brushes are designed to work at an angle that allows them sweep dirt away from corners and edges to be vacuumed off by the Roomba.

Dual Mode Virtual Barriers

The 985 and e6 both have dual mode virtual barriers that allow you have more control of where the robot goes. The virtual wall mode keeps the irobot in the areas you want it to be in. You can also use it to limit and define where the irobot should not access. Both irobot’s have cliff sensor technology that prevents them from ever falling over edges or stairs.

Smart Phone App

Using the smart phone app, you can control the Roomba e6 and 985. Some of the functionality you have access to is scheduling cleanings, monitoring cleaning activity, viewing cleaning history and watching maintenance videos. Both the irobot e6 and 985 are Wi-Fi enabled Roomba robot vacuum cleaners which make them very convenient to operate.

Voice Assistant Technology

You can use voice assistant technology like Alexa and google assistant to operate the irobot 985 and e6. The voice assistant offers a hands free operation of your roomba allowing you to stop, start or dock the irobot.

Main differences of the Roomba e6 vs 985

Navigation

The Roomba 985 uses an advanced iAdapt technology with vSLAM navigation while the Roomba e6 6198 uses the basic iAdapt technology. The 985 uses the vSLAM and camera-based navigation to map out your home and keep track of its location. This makes the 985 a far superior irobot to the e6 because it is more intelligent and does a better job of keeping track of its location and where it has cleaned. The 985 also uses this technology to provide clean map reports via the smart phone app. The 985 moves in neat logical rows with floor sensors to ensure an effective navigation on different floor surfaces.

image showing roomba 985 navigation using camera tech

Suction Power  

The iRobot e6 has a power lifting suction that delivers a boost of 5x the air power while the Roomba 985 has a power lifting suction of 10x. This means the Roomba 985 cleans much more thoroughly than its counterpart the e6. This guarantees a much improved pick-up performance if you go with the Roomba 985. So you get a very powerful clean, when the 985 robot detects the surface it is cleaning is a carpet.

Recharge and Resume

Another major difference in the iRobot e6 vs 985 is, the recharge and resume feature. This is because while the 985 can recharge and resume, the e6 cannot. This means when the iRobot 985 is running low on battery, it will go back to its charging dock to recharge and come back to resume cleaning from where it had stopped. The iRobot e6 only does a recharge and doesn’t resume cleaning.

image showing roomba 985 recharge and resume

Runtime

The irobot 985 has a runtime of 120 minutes while the irobot e6 has a standard runtime of 90 minutes. So with the 985 you can be guaranteed an extra half hour of cleaning time compared to the e6.

Washable Bin

The Roomba e6 6918 has a washable dust bin that you can simply rinse with water to remove dirt particles and collected debris. The 985’s bin is not washable.

Intelligence

The Roomba 985 is intelligent enough to learn your cleaning habits and can suggest personalized cleaning schedules. The 985 can even suggest an area it thinks needs extra cleaning. This can be due to an increase in the amount of pollen in an area or when pets have shed a lot of hair. The e6 6198 is not as intelligent as its counterpart the 985.

Bin Capacity

The Roomba e6 has a bin capacity of 500ml while the Roomba 985 has a been capacity of 300ml. So this gives the roomba e6 more room to pick up as much dirt and debris as possible in one cleaning session.

Special Feature

Roomba decided to sweeten the pie with the 985 by installing imprint link technology. With this technology, the 985 robot vacuum can team up with the Braava jet m6 for a vacuum and mop cleaning combination.

Roomba e6 vs 985 (Irobot e6 vs 985)

Below is a table showing a simple structured comparison of the roomba 985 vs e6.

FeatureRoomba e6Roomba 985
Runtime90 minutes120 minutes
Suction Power
More power, deeper cleaning
5x
10x
Clean Map Reports
Recharge
Recharge & Resume
automatically pick up where it left off in case it didn’t get to finish a job
Bin Capacity500ml ✔300ml ✗
Washable Bin
allows you to simply rinse away dirt or debris left behind.
Virtual Walls21
Voice Assistant Alexa
Dirt Detection sensors
alert the robot to work harder on concentrated areas of dirt such as high traffic zones of your home.
Ideal for homes with pets
Edge Sweeping Brush
For cleaning corners and along walls
Multi-Surface Cleaning
Cliff Detection Sensors
prevent the robot from falling down stairs or tumbling over drop-offs.
Wi-Fi connectivity and mobile app compatibility
Schedule Cleaning
High-efficiency filter
Navigation
vSLAM and camera-based navigation
camera maps out your home and keeps track of location
Large Room Cleaning
Cleans under Furniture
Weight7.2 lbs8.7 lbs
Dimensions13.4 inches width x 3.6 inches high13.8 inches in diameter, 3.6 inches in height

Summary

Irobot Roomba 985

The irobot roomba 985 robot vacuum has a Carpet Powerboost of up to 10x air power plus more advanced navigation. The Roomba 985 can therefore pull in finer dirt and vacuum more efficiently which translates into cleaner floors.

Roomba 985 can navigate an entire level of your home. It can do this while tracking its own location and recharging as needed until cleaning is complete. Additionally, the AeroForce Cleaning System with Power Boost automatically increases power on carpets where it's needed most. With the added ability of smartphone control using the the iRobot HOME App, you can clean and schedule on the go.

Irobot Roomba e6

The irobot roomba e6 robot vacuum also comes with a power boost of 5x the air power of the roomba 600 series. It is equipped with a high-efficiency filter hence is an excellent robot vacuum cleaner for homes with pets and carpeted floors.

The Roomba e6 robot vacuum also has a 3-Stage cleaning System that uses Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes, Power-Lifting suction, and a high-efficiency filter that result in a thorough clean every day. It has an edge-sweeping Brush that concentrates on edges and corners.

It's intelligent navigation and Dirt Detect technologies help the robot get around furniture and focus on high priority areas.

Conclusion

Our winner for this comparison (irobot  e6 vs 985) is the iRobot Roomba 985.

It offers extra functionalities and perks like recharge and resume, clean map reports and smart navigation mapping feature that undoubtedly make it the more efficient robot vacuum cleaner for both small and large homes.

Otherwise , if all you are interested in is a cleaning machine that you can control using your phone or Alexa, is budget friendly and better purposed for smaller homes or homes with few rooms and furniture then the iRobot Roomba e6 is still a very good choice.

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