iRobot Roomba 610 Professional Series or 5xx in lipstick?

[ProTech Robotics]

NEW iRobot Roomba? 610 Professional Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot
Retail Price: $599.99 from iRobot

The new 600 series from iRobot is promoted as a Professional series heavy duty vacuum cleaner so I just had to get one to see how it measures up to the 500 series product line and to see what changes they made, if any. Remember folks, I am first and foremost a consumer, my business involves the iRobot Product line but I began as a consumer looking for answers much the same as many here and while we repair and promote the product line I also believe in being honest and complete concerning its usefulness and quality so here is my unbiased view of the 610, like it or not.


ACCESSORIES
-Charger has the same 22.5v 1.25A output
-Battery is a 14.4v NiCD chemistry
-Lighthouse is the same board as earlier models so other then the change in color there is no advantage.
-Home base which is advertised as a Heavy duty Self-charging Home Base is actually 4oz heavier, inside there are 2 additional 1oz counterweights on each side of the base to aid in keeping it in one place. This would be a good improvement for all of the 500 series home bases.
-Brush cleaning tube is the same shape and diameter as the previous yellow model but includes 16 teeth instead of 6 which should result in an easier task of cleaning the bristle brush.
The Accessories are a sleek black which is appealing but they have downgraded the battery to a lower alternative and so it's not quite the "Professional Series" battery that I had hoped for, when iRobot stopped putting "APS battery" in the product details and replaced it with "rechargeable battery" that they were shifting their focus to a less costly alternative battery, a NiCD. NiCDs are fine batteries but they are not as long lasting as NiMH and certainly not a Li-ion pack. I also would have expected a Professional Series to include a WCC for the functionality or remote scheduling and control features.



ROOMBA MODEL 61001
Immediately there are two things that are apparent, the inclusion of a bumper guard that is part of the bumper and the exclusion of any type of carrying handle. This is the first model of any from iRobot that did not include some type of a handle to easily pick up the unit. The chassis is identical to any of the earlier 500 series and includes the hardware to add a handle but the top orange shell would have to be replaced with an earlier 500 series version to accomidate the handle.
The bumper guard extends the entire length of the front bumper and is 1/4" tall and 3/16" thick so this should afford a fair amount of protection from scratching the viewing windows for the Softouch LED/PT sensors.
iRobot has brought back the MAX cycle which is a great feature, especially for those that do not run their unit daily or run their battery to exhaustion, the MAX cycle will allow for proper cycling of the battery cells and aid the end user in reconditioning the batteries if used monthly or bimonthly.


PRIMARY DRIVE WHEEL MODULES
They are now emblazoned with "R" and "L" on the case and wheel hub so that we know which is which but other then that they are the same as all 500 series modules. The diagnostic test run also revealed that they are the same motor current demands as their predecessors


SIDE BRUSH MODULE
An improvement to the side brush module has been done to remove the split in the screw shaft. The side brush still clicks in place and the set screw was intended to spread the two sides of the shaft and lock the brush in place. Most people used the screw as a fastener for the side brush and immediately ran into trouble when the self threading set screw stripped out the shaft. By removing the split in the shaft the set screw will not strip as easily but is still not intended as a fastener. The screw should only be snug at most.


BRUSH DECK MODULE
No visible changes to the deck, motor, gears or gear case have been done, this is the same 500 series module. A diagnostic test routine was done to compare the motor current demands and all motors had the same demand as the earlier 500 series so any increase in the efficiency will have to rely on the redesigned brush to do the job, (untested to date).


VACUUM DUST BIN
This is the same 500 series module and roombarf will still be an issue with this bin.

SWEEPER BIN
This improvement is handy in a shop environment. We have 15 or so DDs that keep the warehouse and shop areas clean with just a dirt bin to accumulate all the dirt that is tracked in. Unless you have a shop dog (not a dirtdog a real dog) as we do the sweeper bin still has the combs on the bin to clean the brush so roombarf can/will accumulate there as it does on the vacuum dust bin.


OVERALL IMPRESSION
There are a few improvements in the design but still lacking the most crucial of all, the cleaning head module. For this to be showcased as a Professional Heavy Duty Grade vacuum then it would need the brush deck to be redesigned to eliminate debris intrusion and friction and this was not the case. In my opinion the 610 is nothing more then a 540, 550 or 560 with lipstick added and without the WCC being included it doesn't rise to the 570 level in function. For the price I would have expected far more from iRobot and far more from a product labeled as a Professional Series vacuum.

[Fraggboy]

Chris,

Thank you for the excellent Review of the New Professional Series Roomba!! You did a great job dissecting the 610 Series Roomba, and letting us know what to expect/not expect. I will be moving this over the the Review forum, but shadowing it here so it won't be missed!!

[vic7767]

Thanks Chris, I wondered if the 6XX models would also be in need of the Cleaning Head Module ball bearing mod. Now we know.

[krang]

You are awesome Chris! Thanks for all the info.....and for being a guinea pig of sorts .

I wish we could somehow have a solution to the "roombarf" issue. I really want to love my 5xx as much as my discos.....but there's so much baggage!

Keep up the excellent work!
Kelly

[igors48]

Thanks Chris! Great review.

[sebamac]

Great review Chris!
Thx

[eqwalker]

Yes, thanks for the review. Looks like I will continue to avoid the 5xx series until they someday fix all the problems with them.

[redmaid]

Thanks, Chris, for the great review.

Now I know with certainty I will not be adding this Model to my growing Bot collection.

[ProTech Robotics]

Thanks guys and gals, glad you liked it and your comments/feedback is always appreciated!