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Choosing between a bObsweep vs. Roomba to deal with your pet hair problem?
You’ve come to the right place.
In this in-depth comparison of the bObsweep PetHair Plus and the new Roomba 671 will help you decide which one is best for your home and particular needs.
If you have a dog or cat in your home, buying a robotic vacuum cleaner to clean up after your pet is a no-brainer. Robot vacuums excel at keeping pet hair and dander off of your floor on a daily basis.
This not only makes for cleaner floors, but it improves indoor air quality – especially important for folks with allergies.
What’s In This Robot Vacuum Comparison
I recently updated our in-depth buying guide reviewing the best 7 robot vacuums for pet and dog owners.
In this Which Bot Wins showdown, I’m gonna compare two of my top picks from that guide, the bObsweep PetHair Plus vs. the iRobot Roomba 671.
Both robots are in the same $300-$400 price range but differ quite a bit in features.
The Roomba may be the better-known brand, but the bObsweep also earns just-as-high reviews and ratings.
So: how does each perform when it comes to tackling pet hair and other kinds of dirt and debris on different types of floors?
Let’s find out.
bObsweep vs. Roomba: How Do They Compare?
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bObsweep PetHair Plus | Roomba 671 |
Pros | Pros |
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Cons | Cons |
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Bottom Line | Bottom Line |
| An affordable choice for pet owners suffering from major hair and dander problems who don’t care about smart home integration or smartphone control. This one cleans hard floors & low pile carpet really well, has a large bin that holds a lot of hair – and the UV sterilization is a nice add for pet owners. Unfortunately, the wet-mopping feature feels more like an afterthought. | About the same price as the bObSweep, the Roomba 671 comes with advanced features including smartphone control, Alexa/Google Assistant compatibility and intelligent navigation. This is the best choice if you want the convenience of out-of-home monitoring and control. But it’s not the best choice for homes with lots of pets or if you need a wet mop. The debris bin is far smaller, too. |
 Read My Review | Read My Review |
Design
Both robot vacuum cleaners have the typical rounded shape, but they differ in terms of size, control panel, and color options.
bObsweep Pet Hair Plus Design
Being 3 inches thicker than Roomba, the bObsweep robot looks a bit bulkier.
It also gets stuck more frequently under furniture. So watch out if you have anything with a clearance of less than 4”.
But the most distinctive aspect of bObsweep’s design is the LCD screen at the top. It shows the current settings including cleaning mode, schedule, and battery status.
It also displays any errors, telling you exactly which components are not working as usual.
A row of buttons just below the display lets you send the robot on its way, select the cleaning mode, send him back to the charging dock, mute the beeping sounds and deactivate edge sensors (to prevent the robot from acting up when it encounters dark flooring).
On the underside are the usual parts you find in most robotic vacuums.
There one side brush (not two like in most models), a roller brush, edge sensors, battery, and a really large dustbin.
One unusual component you’ll find is a UV bulb. This is what the robot uses to sterilize the floor.
One of the things I like about the bObsweep PetHair Plus is that you can get it in one of four colors.
If the charcoal gray model is not for you, there’s also a red one, a cobalt blue one and another in champagne.
Roomba 671 Design
The Roomba has a more toned down look.
The top is plain with just three buttons for on/off, spot mode and dock.
But Roomba can afford this minimalist design because most of its functions and settings are controlled using their iRobot app.
So whether you like it or not, you will have to connect this unit to your WiFi and download the iRobot app, a process which can be a bit tedious.
Size-wise, the Roomba 671 is thinner (3.6”) which gives it more access to tight spaces under furniture.
Like the bObsweep, the Roomba uses just one side brush on the underside – plus a roller/beater brush for carpets.
For both bObsweep and Roomba, the bin slides out from the side, so you won’t have to turn the robot over to empty the bin.
Cleaning Ability
Both robots perform impressively on all types of floors.
But bObsweep’s extra cleaning functions, wet mop capability, larger dust bin and multiple cleaning modes give it an edge over Roomba. As long as you don’t want to control your vacuum outside of your home.
bObsweep Pet Hair Plus Cleaning Ability
The bObsweep PetHair Plus is designed to tackle all kinds of small debris on any type of floor.
And a LOT of it.
It has powerful suction though the company doesn’t give exact power ratings. It has no problem picking up pet hair whether it’s on a hard floor or carpet.
Like most robot vacuums, the bObsweep doesn’t do well cleaning shag and thick carpets. Use it only on low and medium pile rugs.
The robot uses two brushes to complement the suction.
The side brush is useful for hard flooring. It sweeps in dust and pet hair into the path of the robot for vacuuming. It is especially useful along edges and in corners where the rounded design of the robot limits how close it can get to the wall.
The beater/roller brush picks up pet hair and other debris and pushes them inside the suction port. On carpeting, it helps loosen dirt hiding deep in the fibers for easier vacuuming.
The robot comes with three filters: a mesh filter for large pieces of debris, an electrostatic filter for smaller particles and pet hair and a HEPA filter for the finest of particles and pet dander.
All debris is dumped into one of the largest bins in any robot vacuum cleaner. bObsweep’s dustbin has a 1-liter capacity, easily dwarfing the 350 ml bin in the Roomba.
The extra capacity is handy for homes with multiple pets where there’s lots of hair to collect.
There are six cleaning modes to choose from depending on your cleaning needs.
3 of them modify the robot’s cleaning intensity. They include:
- Deep clean where it cleans for an hour
- Quick clean where it cleans for 30 mins
- Touch up where it cleans a small area for 15 mins.
You can also change its cleaning pattern by selecting:
- Waffle Track mode (grid pattern)
- Spiral Track (spiral pattern)
- Wall Track (follows wall)
bObsweep can also ‘mop.’
I put the mop in quotes because it doesn’t really mop. It’s more of a quick floor wipe.
Unlike true robotic mops, it doesn’t have a water tank. So you have to wet the mop cloth first before attaching it to the robot.
It’s only ideal for mopping small areas. If you want to mop a large area, you have to keep re-wetting the cloth.
It also has UV sterilization. You can turn it on or off using the remote control or buttons on the control panel.
Roomba 671 Cleaning Ability
Roombas are renowned for their great cleaning ability. The Roomba 671 is no different.
Using its 3-stage cleaning process, it does a great job on bare floors and carpeted ones.
The first part of the process loosens dirt. It does this using the multi-floor dual brushes. There’s a side brush for sweeping in dirt and pet hair on hard floors and low-pile carpets.
There’s also a roller brush that loosens dirt from carpets and helps push debris into the suction port.
The Roomba 671 doesn’t come with a HEPA filter, so it misses some of the finer bits of debris.
The bin is also quite small (350ml) compared to that of the bObsweep.
If your pet sheds a lot of hair or you have multiple pets, then you are going to be emptying it frequently.
Roomba has only two cleaning modes: spot and auto. You don’t get the same level of versatility as you do with the 6-mode bObsweep PetHair Plus.
This unit also doesn’t mop. But the bObsweep doesn’t have that much of an edge in that area either.
Overall, the Roomba 671 lacks some cleaning features and versatility you get in the bObsweep. But where it matters most, cleaning and vacuuming dirt and pet hair, they are both at par.
Navigation
The Roomba is equipped with obstacle sensors, Dirt Detect sensors and smart navigation software to help it find its way around. While bObsweep is not as smart, it manages to get around well enough using a bunch of sensors and the included virtual barrier.
bObsweep Pet Hair Plus Navigation
bObsweep doesn’t have smart mapping and navigation like some pricey robot vacuums. So it can be a bit frustrating to watch it work.
It wanders around randomly, sometimes getting lost or spending too much time in one place. It also tends to go back over the same areas.
But eventually, it gets the job done.
If you want a bit more control over the random cleaning pattern, select one of the three pattern modes: Waffle Track, Spiral Track or Wall Track.
While bObsweep will struggle with complex layouts and multi-room cleaning, it has an easy time evading obstacles and going under furniture.
It’s a bit thicker than Roomba so beware. It can get stuck if the clearance space is less than 4”.
Cords, toys and other small items left lying around also tend to trip it up easily. Clear the floor first before it starts cleaning.
Another issue and this is something many robot vacuums have a problem with, is its inability to detect dark furniture and floors.
When it encounters a dark area or line on the floor or carpet, the infrared sensors think it’s a drop-off, and the robot refuse to go beyond that point.
The edge sensors also tend to miss dark furniture, causing the robot to ram into them at full speed.
Luckily, the engineers thought of this and included a button to turn off the sensors. So if there is a problematic area that trips up bObsweep, you can momentarily turn off the sensors.
Given its basic navigational skills, the bObsweep PetHair Plus is ideal for small and medium-sized homes.
Many customers recommend locking it in one room until it finishes cleaning before moving it to the next. It’s more efficient that way.
You can lock the door or use the included blOck Plus cube which sends out virtual laser barriers in two directions.
You can also use the cube to keep the robot away from the pet feeding area, the stairs or anywhere else you don’t want it to go.
If the battery gets too low while the robot is cleaning, it will automatically go back to the charging dock.
If you have set it on an auto-resume mode, it will get back to cleaning automatically when the battery is fully charged (though it doesn’t go back where it left off).
Roomba 671 Navigation
The Roomba 671 is an entry-level model in the Roomba series. So it lacks a lot of the smarts in pricier Roombas.
But it’s still more intelligent than bObsweep when it comes to navigation.
It uses Roomba’s proprietary iAdapt Navigation system which is supported by a full suite of infrared and touch sensors.
It doesn’t scan and map the room like some Roomba models, but it’s still able to navigate a complex layout better than bObsweep.
The robot comes with Roomba’s Dirt Detect technology which uses sensors to sniff out the dirtiest spots on the floor and focus more on them.
Both bObsweep and Roomba have no trouble going over thresholds and climbing over the carpet edge.
But Roomba has an edge when it comes to ducking under furniture. It’s thinner, so it’s less likely to get stuck.
Unlike bObsweep, Roomba only has auto-recharge (though several customers say that it sometimes cannot find the base).
Once the battery fills up, it does not resume cleaning.
Something else missing is a virtual wall barrier. But it’s compatible with the Roomba dual mode virtual wall which you have to buy separately.
Control and Scheduling
bObsweep is a ‘dumb’ robot vacuum in that it is not WiFi-connected. But it comes with full-feature remote control plus a full set of buttons and an LCD display on the robot.
Roomba is a smart robot vacuum. Most of its features and settings are available through the companion smartphone app.
bObsweep
Despite not having WiFi connectivity or an app to install, set up the bObsweep can be a bit of a pain.
After screwing on the side brush (it doesn’t snap on like in most robots), you have to sync it to the charging dock, the remote control, and the virtual barrier cube.
It takes about half an hour to set up the bObsweep fully.
But once you are done, it’s easy to use.
The LCD display is handy for determining the status of the robot and diagnosing any errors.
I love that it tells you what’s wrong rather than just displaying error codes which you have to check up in the manual to decode.
The remote control has all the functions you need and which you can also access the physical buttons below the screen.
Scheduling is fairly easy. Just set the correct time and day then program your preferred cleaning time. You can select all days of the week or just some of the days.
Roomba
The Roomba 671 robot vacuum cannot work without WiFi. Most of its settings are in the app.
As with most WiFi-connected products, linking it to your home network, downloading the app and then linking your phone to the robot is a fairly tedious process.
Set aside at least half an hour and keep the manual close.
Note that the Roomba 671 works only in the 2.4GHz WiFi band. So make sure you have a 2.4GHz or dual-band router.
Once you finish setup, the app is easy to use.
You can tell the robot to start cleaning even when you are at the office. You can also set an auto-cleaning schedule (up to 7 times a week), check the status of the robot and view cleaning history.
The robot itself only has buttons for docking, on/off and spot cleaning.
If you have an Amazon Echo or Google Home speaker, the Roomba is compatible with their respective smart assistants; Alexa and Google Assistant.
Check the manual for instructions on how to link them. Once you have integrated the robot into your smart home, you can control it via voice commands.
Accessories
Here’s what you get with each robot vacuum.
bObsweep Pet Hair Plus
- vacuum
- Charging dock/station and adapter
- Extra roller brush (the other one comes already fitted) and two side brushes (one is a spare)
- Remote control (requires 2 AA batteries, not included)
- blOck Plus wall barrier (requires 4 AA batteries, not included)
- Mop attachment and two microfiber cloths for mopping
- Filter replacement
- Flathead screwdriver and screws
Roomba 671
- vacuum
- Charging dock/station
- Side brush
- Filter
Value
It is a tough pick for the best value robot vacuum between the two, but ultimately I think bObsweep provides better value for your money.
But the Roomba is a great bargain too for those who want a smart robot vacuum.
bObsweep Pet Hair Plus
The bObsweep is packed with lots of features for a great price.
For one, it’s a 3-in-1 robot vacuum. Though the mopping function is not as good as in other robotic mops, it still counts for something.
The virtual barrier is a great feature. Most budget robot vacuums don’t come with one. You haven’t used physical barriers.
Other thoughtful features I like include the ability to turn off sensors, an LCD display that’s actually helpful and the remote control.
When it comes to cleaning ability, the bObsweep is definitely worth its price. It cleans great on carpet and bare floors and even has UV sterilization.
The HEPA filter and extra-large bin are also much-welcome features.
You might feel a bit cheated if you were looking for a WiFi-connected robot. Most robot vacuums in bObsweep’s price range include smartphone control.
But most customers, even those who had previously owned a smart Roomba, actually don’t feel like they are missing much. The control panel and remote control are good enough.
Roomba 671
The Roomba 671 lives up to its brand name when it comes to cleaning. It does a good job on different floor types. But I wish they’d included a HEPA filter and a bigger bin.
The smart features are definitely a good addition for those who want the ability to control and monitor the robot from anywhere.
It’s also a big plus for smart homes that are run by Alexa or Google Assistant.
The Roomba 671 is an entry-level Roomba, so I didn’t expect much in terms of advanced tech. The price is not too bad as well.
Specifications Comparison
bObsweep PetHair Plus | Roomba 671 | |
| Dimensions | 13.7” by 3.9” | 13.4” by 3.6” |
| Cleaning time | 75 mins | 90 mins |
| Floor types | all except shaggy carpets | all except shaggy carpets |
| Remote control | yes | no |
| Remote app control | no | yes |
| Smart home compatible | no | yes |
| HEPA filter | yes | no |
| Bin size | 1000 ml | 350 ml |
| Scheduling | yes | yes |
| Smart mapping & navigation | no | no |
| Virtual wall/barrier | yes | Available separately |
| Auto recharge and resume | yes | Only auto-recharge |
bObsweep vs. Roomba: Which One Should You Buy?
The bObsweep Pet Hair Plus is your best choice if:
- You have lots of pets or if your pets shed a lot of hair.
- You don’t need a lot of wet mopping – dust and dander are your main enemies.
- You don’t care about out-of-home control or monitoring
The Roomba 671 is your best choice if:
- You have up to 2 pets.
- You want to control and monitor cleaning from outside your home.
- You want voice control via Alexa or Google Assistant.
