8.0 Design
Vacuum Type
This vacuum feels very well-built. It has a high-grade hard plastic body and drive wheels with a rubber tread. The body feels sturdy, and its removable dustbin is made of thicker plastic than the dustbins found in other robot vacuums in the same price range, like the eufy RoboVac 11S. Out-of-the-box setup is very simple, only requiring you to plug in its docking station.
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4.5 Design
This vacuum has many parts that need regular maintenance.
- Dustbin: You can easily remove the dustbin by pressing the release button. You should empty it into a garbage bin after every cleaning session.
- Brushrolls: You'll need to flip the vacuum over and remove the brushroll compartment door to access the bristle brush and beater brush. The bristle brush has long bristles and can take a while to clean, especially if you have a pet with long hair. You'll also need to remove any tangled hair from both brushrolls' bearings. You should clean them once or twice per week, depending on whether or not you have pets.
- Filter: The filter is located inside the dustbin, and you can pull it out via release tabs. You can clean it by tapping it against the edge of a garbage can. You should clean it once or twice a week, depending on whether or not you have pets. Make sure to remove it and clean it before emptying the dustbin.
- Side brush: You can remove the side brush by unscrewing it from the bottom of the vacuum. Like the bristled brushroll, it's very tangle-prone, with hair getting wrapped tightly around its bearings and trio of arms; you'll need to use a pair of scissors to cut away any long hair, which can be a bit of a hassle. You should clear it of any hair or debris approximately once a month.
- Front wheel: While you can pull the wheel free by hand, you'll probably find this easier by using a set of pliers or a flat-head screwdriver to lever it out of its socket. You should clean it every two weeks. Also, you should clean its socket of any debris to allow it to spin freely.
- Sensors/Charging pads: You should wipe down the sensors and charging pads on the vacuum and dock station with a dry cloth once a month.
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5.0 Design
Bag Part Number No bag
Filter Part Number 4636450
HEPA Filter Part Number No HEPA Filter
This vacuum incurs high recurring costs.
- Filter: You should replace the filter every two months. You can find a three-pack of replacements here.
- Brushrolls: You should replace the brushrolls every six to 12 months. You can find a replacement head unit (which includes both rollers) here.
- Front wheel: You should replace the front wheel every 12 months. You can find a replacement here.
You can buy all these parts together as a single 'Replenishment Kit', as seen here.
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8.9 Design
Height
Width
Depth
Cord Storing
On-Board Tool Storage
Vacuum Rack/Station
This vacuum is remarkably easy to store. It has a compact design that takes up very little room, and its charging station has a low-profile design that can fit in small nooks between furniture and walls.
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6.4 Design
Bagless
Volume
Full Indicator
Bag Included
The iRobot 694 has a mediocre dirt compartment. It's smaller than alternatives like the Roborock E4 and doesn't have a max fill sensor to indicate when it's full.
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Design
- iRobot Roomba 694/692/690 Robot Vacuum
- AeroVac dirt compartment
- 2x AeroVac filter (1x AeroVac filter is included with 692 variant)
- Beater brush
- Bristle brush
- Charging dock
- Charging cable
- User guide
The following accessory is exclusive to the 690 model:
- Virtual Barrier device
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10 Design
Cordless
Cord Length
Hose Length N/A
Minimum Wand Length
Maximum Wand Length
Total Range
This vacuum's range is limited only by the remaining battery life and the room left in its dirt compartment. However, it can't go up or down stairs.
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8.0 Design
Total Weight
Weight In Hand
Carrying handle
This vacuum is very portable. While the 692 and 694 models don't have a carrying handle, they're fairly light, so you can easily bring it between rooms. The 690 model, which has iRobot's older top plate design, features an integrated carrying handle, similar to the iRobot Roomba i7.
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9.5 Design
Minimum Battery Life
Maximum Battery Life
Recharge Time
Recharge Dock
Battery Life Indicator
Removable Batteries
This vacuum offers outstanding battery performance. This vacuum has a surface detection feature that automatically adjusts its suction power depending on the floor type that it's on. As such, its battery life can vary significantly depending on the mix of carpets and bare floors in your home. If you have a home with minimal carpeting, it can provide over two hours of runtime on a single charge. There's a battery indicator light on top of the vacuum, and you can also see the battery level through its companion app.
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LEARN ABOUT BATTERY
Design
Rotating Head
Power Adjustment
Self-Propelled
Headlights
Easy On/Off
Head Surface Type Adjustment
This vacuum has a few quality-of-life features. It has a surface detection feature that allows it to change its suction power automatically depending on whether the vacuum is cleaning bare floors or high-pile carpet, or when it passes over an especially dirty area. Its head also changes height on carpeted floors.
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Design
Brushroll
Brushroll On/Off
Removable Brushroll
Turbo Brush
Crevice Tool
Upholstery Tool
Soft Bristle Brush
Hard Bristle Brush
Extension Wand
Ceiling Fan Tool
Pet Grooming Tool
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 around the vacuum toward its cleaning path.
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Design
Blower Mode
This vacuum has no alternative configurations.
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8.5 Performance
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6.0 Performance
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4.0 Performance
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8.0 Performance
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0 Performance
Maximum Hose Suction
Maximum Head Suction
Normal Head Suction
Setting Used For Normal "Clean"
Hose Diameter
Like many robot vacuums, especially entry-level models, the iRobot 694 exerts very little suction force at its floorhead. Its suction inlet is positioned too high above the contact surface to create a tight seal, so real-world suction measurements are low.
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1.2 Performance
Maximum Hose Airflow
Airflow performance is poor, though the iRobot 694's performance in this regard is far from unusual when compared to most other budget-friendly robot vacuums. It'll have a hard time lifting up large amounts of debris.
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9.1 Performance
Bare Floor
Low-Pile Carpet
This vacuum is very quiet, and you won't have to speak very loudly to be heard over the sound of its motor, even if it's cleaning within the same room. However, its wheels are somewhat squeaky, even in the absence of any significant obstructions.
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7.0 Performance
This vacuum does a decent job of maneuvering itself. Despite the lack of room mapping capability, it's impressively thorough when it comes to coverage; while it might clean some areas more than once, it seldom misses other areas entirely. Still, you might want to consider something like the iRobot Roomba i1 if you're looking for an entry-level robot vacuum with smart pathing. The iRobot 694's small size lets it fit under furniture like couches and low tables. While it can move freely from bare floors to rugs, it can sometimes get caught on rug tassels. Thankfully, it can climb over low-lying obstacles like electrical cords, but it might push them around a bit.
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0 Performance
Sofa Pickup Post Test
This robot vacuum isn't designed for use on furniture.
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Performance
Anti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)
Unlike the iRobot Roomba i1, which is equipped with a high-efficiency filter, this vacuum does a terrible job of sealing in fine allergens like pet dander.
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4.5 Performance
Wood Cracks Post Test
This vacuum does terribly when it comes to sucking up debris in cracks and crevices. Like a lot of low-powered robot vacuums, it doesn't exert enough suction force to draw out debris from deeper crevices, and its bristled brushroll is ineffective in helping to lift debris.
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1.0 Performance
Stain Pickup Post Test
This vacuum is ineffective when clearing away stains, though that isn't surprising, given the lack of a mopping feature.
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0 Performance
Wet Compatible
Water Pickup Post Test
This vacuum isn't designed to clear away liquid spills.
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6.5 Automation
Automatic Recharging
Automatic Bag Emptying
Pathing Algorithm
Physical Boundary Markers
Scheduled Start Buttons
Cycle Control Buttons
Navigation Control Buttons
The iRobot 694 has okay physical automation features. There are a trio of buttons on its top cover. The 'Clean' button has it start a cleaning session, the 'Dock' button has it return to its docking station, and the 'Spot Clean' button has it vacuum a small area. You can also set up voice commands with Alexa or Google Home devices. It's also compatible with magnetic boundary strips, which you can lay down to stop the vacuum from going to certain areas, but none are included, and they'll have to be purchased separately at an additional cost. That said, the older 690 model comes with a Virtual Barrier device that you can use to keep the robot from entering certain rooms. Unlike the iRobot Roomba i1, it isn't compatible with self-emptying docking stations, which would reduce hands-on maintenance requirements. Due to the lack of any sort of advanced mapping capability, there's no recharge and resume capability either, which would allow it to pick up a cleaning session from where it left off if it needed to return to its base station.
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7.5 Automation
App Name
iOS Availability
Android Availability
Software Boundary Markers (No Go Zones)
App Scheduled Start
App Cycle Control
Navigation Control within App
The iRobot HOME app is pretty comprehensive. You can use it to start and stop the vacuum, check the battery, schedule cleaning times, and get the vacuum to return to its charging dock. However, unlike the Wyze Robot Vacuum, this vacuum doesn't map out its coverage area, which would allow you to set up virtual boundary markers or schedule cleaning sessions for individual areas.
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![iRobot Roomba 694 [690, 692] Review (2024)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mP8/h8AAvMB+NzmkbcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)