iRobot Roomba 780 automated vacuum cleaner

Clean sweep?

As with the Roomba 581 that I looked at a while ago, when there are problems, the device announces what they are, so you can fix them quite easily. And if it’s gone to sleep by the time you find it, a press on the power button will repeat the message.

Docked: touch controls make it easy to schedule times for unattended cleaning

And, should you want to use it as a drinks trolley, the remote control allows you to drive it from one location to another, which might also be a quicker way of returning it to the dock. For that task, it uses the beacons to navigate, but without the mapping savvy of some of the competition, it can take a while.

And, the dock is a bit lightweight, with the Roomba managing to push it out of the way on one occasion, rather than docking successfully. A weight in the bottom would have helped tremendously there.

Verdict

It’s quieter than the competition, and does a pretty good job; the addition of HEPA filters is welcome, as are iRobot’s claims to have improved battery longevity by 50 per cent. But like all robot cleaners, for a really deep clean, you’ll still need a standard vac. Ultimately, despite the good performance, the price prevents the Roomba 780 from achieving a higher score. ®

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