iRobot Roomba E5 Robot Vacuum Cleaner
iRobot Roomba E5 is a popular, mid-range home WiFi-enabled vacuum cleaner, intended for smaller to medium homes and apartments that need relatively simple, yet efficient robot vacuum cleaner that will help its user keep home clean.
The design of the iRobot Roomba E5 follows the same philosophy as previous Roomba vacuums, adding few improvements in terms of cleaning and support.
Published: March 1, 2021.
iRobot Roomba E5 Features and Specifications
iRobot Roomba E5 features a low profile and compact design, with 3.6 inches (9.2 cm) in height and 13.3 inches (33.8 cm) in diameter. Also, it is a rather lightweight vacuum cleaner, weighing 7.2 pounds (~3.26 kg).
Like many similar units, iRobot Roomba E5 comes with one castor wheel and two main wheels - such design allows the unit to turn on the spot and to traverse different surfaces with ease, at least as long as there is 0.71 inch (18 mm) or less height difference between these two surfaces.
iRobot Roomba E5 is intended for vacuuming bare floors and low-pile carpets.
Thicker carpets and area rugs may cause several issues:
- its wheels can get stuck if the robot tries to cross thick and soft carpets and area rugs,
- thick and soft carpets and area rugs cannot be efficiently cleaned, except their surface, with the cleaning system that comes with iRobot Roomba E5.
Unit comes with a so-called 3 Stage Cleaning System, consisting of one side brush, two main brushes, and relatively strong suction of 1700 Pa.
Side brush is designed to help the unit clean edges and corners and to collect the dirt toward the main brushes and suction inlet.
Dual Multi-Surface rubber brushes automatically adjust and flex to achieve constant contact with carpets and hard floors, improving cleaning.
AeroForce cleaning system of iRobot Roomba E5, in combination with side brush and main brushes, achieves 5x more suction power (cleaning power) than cleaning systems found on 600 series Roomba vacuums, greatly improving the cleaning - iRobot Roomba E5 is recommended even for people with pets and kids that have need to maintain their floors as clean as possible.
The operating time of iRobot Roomba E5 is 90 minutes on the flat, even, bare floors. When the carpets are vacuumed, operating time is decreased.
When the battery is fully charged, iRobot Roomba E5 can clean up to 150 m2 (bare floors) or ~100 m2 of mixed floors (bare floors, carpets). When the battery is discharged, the unit automatically returns to the charging station and recharges it fully, waiting for the new cleaning cycle to begin.
iRobot Roomba E5 comes with a relatively simple navigation system that allows the unit to clean the area relatively fast and efficiently, but it doesn't allow the unit to resume the cleaning after it has recharged its battery.
When positioning the charging station (charging dock), be sure to leave some free area around it, so that the unit may find it and dock with it.
Note: iRobot Roomba E5 is a typical robot vacuum in its class, it is easy to use and maintain, but in order to use this unit fully and to get accustomed to it, be sure to read the manual when the unit arrives.
iRobot Roomba E5 is a WiFi-enabled unit and although it comes with onboard control buttons, in order to utilize the unit completely, one has to install iRobot HOME App, which is simple and intuitive to use.
Also, iRobot Roomba E5 is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant.
Dirt cup capacity is 0.5 liters - it could be larger, but it is large enough for the unit that cleans regularly and that is maintained properly. Hint: empty the dirt cup after each use.
Air filter is so-called 'High-Efficiency Air Filter' and it captures at least 99% of very fine dust and dirt particles. The air filter is not washable, but it is good practice to periodically remove the filter from the unit, tap it several times onto the inner side of the trashcan, and then return the air filter back into the unit. After 2-3 months, the air filter should be replaced with the new one.
Note: for exact maintenance procedures, check the manual.
To help the unit navigate the cleaning area, iRobot Roomba E5 comes with a set of various onboard sensors.
One of the interesting features of iRobot Roomba E5 is 'Dirt Detect' sensors that allow the unit to detect areas with more dirt, which are then cleaned more thoroughly.
Also, drop sensors detect cliffs and prevent the unit from falling off the stairs or similar 'cliffs'.
Note: it is possible that cliff sensors detect dark strips on the tiles and carpets as 'cliffs' - these false-positive events people use to prevent iRobot Roomba E5 and other similar units from entering certain areas by placing mat black duct tape on the floor. In theory, this simple trick works, but in real life, improved sensors may often detect that it is a dark strip on the floor (correct) and not a cliff and cross the barrier.
Of course, this is not officially supported.
In order to control the iRobot Roomba E5, one may close the doors, or use Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers for blocking the unit from crossing the doorstep (first mode of operation, barrier line up to 10 feet) or the user may block a circular shaped area (second mode of operation, area up to 2 ft in diameter).
If required, more Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers may be ordered from online stores.
iRobot Roomba E5 comes with 12 months warranty.
iRobot Roomba E5 vs iRobot Roomba i7 vs iRobot Roomba i7+
iRobot Roomba E5 robot vacuum may be of great help and can save their users plenty of time and effort. However, it also has certain shortcomings, including limited cleaning area on a single battery charge (it recharges automatically, but it doesn't resume the cleaning task), there are no mapping function, no clean map reports, no custom cleaning preferences, etc.
Also, when the dirt cup is full, it must be cleaned manually by the user - it can be done quickly, with ease, but nonetheless, it takes some time.
Users requiring more advanced robot vacuum cleaners and those that are ready to pay extra more should consider iRobot Roomba i7 and iRobot Roomba i7+ models.
The following chart compares the features and specifications of these three models:
| Roomba Model | iRobot Roomba e5 Robot Vacuum | iRobot Roomba i7 Robot Vacuum | iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum |
| Photo |  |
 |
 |
| Floor Types | All | All | All |
| 3 Stage Cleaning Suction | 5x | 10x | 10x |
| Hard Floor Run Time | Up to 90 min | Up to 75 min | Up to 75 min |
| Self-Charging | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Recharge and Resume | No | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Type | Lithium-Ion | Lithium-Ion | Lithium-Ion |
| WiFi Connected | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iRobot HOME App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dirt Detect | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Side Brush | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-Adjust Cleaning Head | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| High-Efficiency Air Filter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iAdapt 3.0 Navigation with Visual Localization | No | Yes | Yes |
| Imprint Smart Mapping | No | Yes | Yes |
| Drop Sensors | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduled Cleaning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Room Cleaning | No | Yes | Yes |
| Clean Map Reports | No | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Cleaning Preferences | No | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic Dirt Disposal | No | Compatible | Yes |
| Weight | 7.2 lbs (3.26 kg) | 7.44 lbs (3.37 kg) | 7.44 lbs (3.37 kg) |
| Dimensions (D x H) | 13.3 x 3.6 inches 33.8 x 9.2 cm |
13.34 x 3.63 inches 33.9 x 9.22 cm |
13.34 x 3.63 inches 33.9 x 9.22 cm |
| Amazon Link | iRobot Roomba E5 Robot Vacuum | iRobot Roomba i7 Robot Vacuum | iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum |
Note: Amazon links open in the new windows, feel free to check them for the most up-to-date prices and offers.
iRobot Roomba i7 comes with several improvements over iRobot Roomba E5, including:
- better 3 Stage Cleaning System,
- iAdapt 3.0 Navigation with Visual Localization system, which is base for Recharge and Resume, Imprint Smart Mapping, Multi-Room Cleaning, Clean Map Reports, and Custom Cleaning Preferences.
- while iRobot Roomba i7 is compatible with Automatic Dirt Disposal System that may be ordered later, iRobot Roomba i7+ comes with an Automatic Dirt Disposal System which may store up to 30 days of dirt, collected by iRobot Roomba i7.
iRobot Roomba i7 features a somewhat smaller dirt cup than iRobot Roomba E5 (380 ml vs 500 ml), but this model is intended for use with the Automatic Dirt Disposal System from the very beginning.
Long Story Short: If you are looking for a reliable, not too complicated robot vacuum cleaner that does its job well, consider iRobot Roomba E5.
It supports scheduled cleaning, it is a WiFi-enabled unit that is controlled via iRobot HOME App, it has a cleaning system that is much improved over the previous 600 series, it support Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant, etc.
Of course, there are cheaper units on the market, but also much more expensive.
For more reviews and recommendations, feel free to check iRobot Roomba E5 Robot Vacuum Amazon link (link opens in the new window).