iRobot Roomba 980 Review

PROS / The iRobot Roomba 980 can be controlled remotely in a lot of different ways, including by a phone app and Amazon Alexa.

CONS / It has less suction than some robot vacs.

VERDICT / This is the most self-sufficient robot vacuum. It deftly navigates through obstacles and leaves your floors clean.


The iRobot Roomba 980 was one of the last models we home-tested for our robot vacuum reviews, and it put most of the others to shame. Nothing could stop our Top Ten Reviews Bronze Award winner from vacuuming for its entire battery charge. Competitors would stop at every rug's edge, every furniture leg, many a minor obstacle, and sometimes need human intervention to get started again. The Roomba 980 just kept going. It also had good suction on our cleaning tests, with a few exceptions.

No machine stopped less. In fact, it didn’t stop at all, making it one of the few that could really qualify to be left unattended. Some of the others stopped so often that it would be pointless to leave them running while you are at work, which is supposed to be one of the benefits of a robot vacuum. They would get stuck within five minutes and need human help to get going again. This one was unstoppable.

The iRobot Roomba 980 picked up more test messes than all but the very best robot vacuum cleaner, and it was so self-sufficient – the most self-sufficient, actually. This is the one you want if you are hoping to come home to cleaner floors. Most of the others got stuck too often, so they need constant attention. This one navigates through your home without your help. We emptied a very respectable amount of pet hair, cereal, kitty litter and other debris out of this unit, but there were others that removed even a little more. We think it is very competitive, even at its relatively high price, especially for busy people who want to be able to forget about their robot vacuum and simply come home to cleaner floors.

Want to Stay a Millionaire? Don't Do These 4 Things.

Right now you may be logging hours in a coffee shop or co-working space trying to make your idea a reality, but project yourself a couple of years into the future. The business is a success, with customers, employees and an office of your own, you've turned a profit and now someone wants to buy your company for a cool million or more.

You're in the position to take a breath and think about your next steps in this new financial bracket. How do you make the most of what you've earned and manage your money in such a way that works for you? We collected advice from some top wealth management experts about the things that a savvy entrepreneur turned millionaire will never do with his or her money.

10 Bootstrapping Tips to Turn Your Idea Into Reality

The majority of startups are founded without capital injection from venture capitalists or angel investors. The real numbers are eye-opening: Venture capitalists (VCs) fund only 0.05 percent of startups, and angel investors are responsible for funding just 0.91 percent. Take a moment to really think about those percentages in relation to the approximate 543,000 new businesses started each month in the United States.

With the chances of receiving funding so slim, if you’re serious about turning your idea into a reality, you’re most likely going to have to dip into your own pockets and bootstrap your way to the top. It isn’t easy, but it can be very rewarding, both personally and financially, as you retain 100 percent of your equity.
In no particular order, here are 10 tips to help you bootstrap your way to success:

Here Are 4 Things I Would Have Done Differently as a Founder

Birthdays are a great time for reflection. The startup that I co-founded in 2012 turns 4 this month, and I've decided to look back on the past four years and ask myself: If I could do it all again, what would I do differently?
What decisions would I make? What would I spend my time focusing on? After mulling over some of the big decisions, here's my list of do-overs.