Irobot Roomba 780 Vacuum Cleaning Robot For Pets And Allergies - Review

iRobot Roomba 780 Vacuum Cleaning Robot for Pets and Allergies - Check it Out

iRobot Roomba 780

The iRobot Roomba 780 vacuum cleaning robot removes up to 98% of dirt, dust and pet hair – on its own – at the touch of a button. Using iAdapt™ Responsive Cleaning Technology, the robot thoroughly vacuums the entire floor, including hard-to-reach spots under furniture.

Roomba 780 is loaded with the latest technology and features. Roomba’s Dual HEPA air filters stop fine dust from circulating in your home, leaving behind fresh air. The robot’s Dirt Detect™ Series 2 technology finds the dirtiest areas and performs concentrated cleaning in them to ensure the whole floor is thoroughly clean. Room-to-room navigation is possible with the included Virtual Wall® Lighthouses™, which confine Roomba to methodically clean one room at a time, allowing the robot to move to the next room when finished. And there’s never any guesswork; Roomba lets you know when the dust bin is full and needs to be emptied. Plus, with Roomba’s on-board scheduling, the robot cleans when it’s most convenient for you, even when you’re not home. The state-of-the-art touchpad gives you control of the robot at the touch of your fingertips, making it fast and easy use.

This model includes a 12 month limited warranty for the robot and a 6 month limited warranty for the included battery.

3-Stage cleaning uses the spinning side brush (1), counter-rotating brushes (2), and AeroVac Series 2 vacuum (3) to thoroughly clean your floors

Cliff detecting technology prevents your Roomba from falling down stairs	Roomba’s wall-following technology allows it to clean along edges and corners
Roomba self-adjusts between floor types, providing optimized cleaning	Virtual Wall Lighthouses use infrared beams to block Roomba from entering off-limit areas
Control Roomba by infrared remote without getting up	Roomba can be scheduled to perform up to seven cleaning sessions per week

Product Features 3-Stage Cleaning with AeroVac Series 2 – Roomba 780 picks up an amazing amount of dirt, pet hair and other debris with its patented 3-stage cleaning system. A spinning side brush cleans along wall edges, counter-rotating brushes act like a dustpan and broom, and a powerful AeroVac™ Series 2 vacuum pulls dirt, hair, and debris off the brushes to the back of the bin. Roomba 780 uses a new advanced cleaning head which provides superior performance for picking up pet hair, dirt, dust and more. Dual HEPA Air Filters – Roomba 780’s dual HEPA filters trap dust, allergens and tiny particulates leaving behind fresh, clean air. Dirt Detect™ Series 2 with Persistent Pass – Dirt Detect™ Series 2 allows Roomba 780 to clean the way you do. Sensors acoustically find dirt and other debris and optically locate pet hair so Roomba can perform concentrated cleaning on the dirtiest areas with a Persistent Pass cleaning pattern. Persistent Pass uses a back-and-forth cleaning motion that mimics the way you vacuum, yielding the cleanest possible results. iAdapt Responsive Cleaning Technology – iAdapt is iRobot’s advanced system of software and sensors that allows Roomba to clean more of your room, more thoroughly. It ensures Roomba® vacuums every section of your room multiple times, cleaning areas you can’t easily reach including under furniture, around everyday obstacles, and along walls. It even avoids stairs and drop-offs, navigates past soft barriers such as couch skirts, recognizes cords and carpet fringe, and self-adjusts to clean hardwood, carpet, and linoleum. Room-to-Room Navigation – Roomba 780 methodically cleans multiple rooms, one room at a time. The included Virtual Wall Lighthouses™ confine the robot to one room and, when it is thoroughly cleaned, automatically guide it to the next. Full bin indicator – Roomba 780’s full bin indicator light lets you know when the dust bin is full and needs to be emptied. On-board scheduli¬ng – The robot can be scheduled to perform up to seven cleaning sessions per week, even when you’re not home. Long-lasting battery – The robot uses sophisticated power management software that results in 50% longer battery life than previous Roomba generations, ensuring hundreds of cleaning cycles under proper use. Touchpad control - The state-of-the-art touchpad eliminates buttons, giving you control at the touch of your fingertips and making Roomba 780 fast and easy use. Remote Control - The included infrared remote allows you to control Roomba without getting up.

What’s In The Box? 1 iRobot Roomba 780 (with 1 Robot Battery, 2 AeroVac™ Series 2 HEPA Filters, 1 Side Brush, 1 Bristle Brush, 1 Beater Brush) 2 Virtual Wall Lighthouses* 1 IR Remote Control 1 Extra set of 2 HEPA Filters 2 Cleaning Tools (Round and Flat) *Requires 2 C batteries (not included)

	Roomba 630	Roomba 650	Roomba 760	Roomba 770	Roomba 780
Features
Cleaning System A Spinning Side Brush Cleans Edges, Counter-Rotating Brushes Act Like Dustpan & Broom, And AeroVac Vacuum Pulls Debris Into Bin	3-Stage with AeroVac Advanced Cleaning Head	3-Stage with AeroVac Advanced Cleaning Head	3-Stage with AeroVac Series 2 Advanced Cleaning Head	3-Stage with AeroVac Series 2 Advanced Cleaning Head	3-Stage with AeroVac Series 2 Advanced Cleaning Head
Filtration - Filters Trap Dust, Particles and Allergens Leaving Behind Fresher Air	AeroVac Filter	AeroVac Filter	HEPA Filter	HEPA Filter	HEPA Filter
iAdapt Responsive Cleaning Technology - iRobot’s Advanced System of Software and Sensors Actively Engages with the Environment for the Most Thorough Cleaning
Dirt Detect - Uses Sensors to Find Dirt and Debris and Perform Concentrated Cleaning	Series I (Acoustic)	Series I (Acoustic)	Series II (Optical & Acoustic)	Series II (Optical & Acoustic)	Series II (Optical & Acoustic)
Persistent Pass - A Back-and-Forth Cleaning Pattern Applies Elbow Grease in Areas with Excessive Dirt
Scheduling - Schedule to Clean Up to 7 Times Per Week
Full Bin Indicator - Lets You Know When Bin Needs To Be Emptied
Full Bin Indicator - Lets You Know When Bin Needs To Be Emptied
Containment - Keeps Roomba Cleaning Where You Need It	1 Virtual Wall	1 Virtual Wall	2 Virtual Walls	2 Virtual Walls	2 Virtual Wall Lighthouses
Extra Brushes					1 Extra Set
Extra Filters	1 Extra AeroVac	1 Extra AeroVac	1 Extra Set of 2 HEPA	1 Extra Set of 2 HEPA	1 Extra Set of 2 HEPA
Cleaning Tools	Flat	Flat	Round and Flat	Round and Flat	Round and Flat
Remote

 

Discover iRobot iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. iRobot in the Robot Industry Founded in 1990 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology roboticists, iRobot designs and builds some of the world’s most important robots. As an industry pioneer, iRobot’s goal is to drive innovation, serve as an industry catalyst and change the world by fueling the era of robots. iRobot Home Robots: The smarter way to get it done iRobot’s home robots are revolutionizing the way people clean – inside and out. More than 9 million home robots have been sold worldwide. The award-winning iRobot Roomba vacuum cleaning robot is leading the charge. Roomba made practical robots a reality for the first time and showed the world that robots are here to stay. iRobot’s acclaimed line of home robots also includes the iRobot Scooba® floor washing robot, the iRobot MirraTM pool cleaning robot and the iRobot Looj® gutter cleaning robot. iRobot Defense and Security: Protecting those in harm’s way iRobot’s combat-proven defense and security robots perform multiple missions for troops and public safety professionals. More than 5,000 have been delivered to military and civil defense forces worldwide. Developed for the U.S. Army’s modernization program, Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) is the robot for dismounted mobile operations and infantry missions. SUGV’s predecessor, the iRobot PackBot®, is one of the most successful battle-tested robots in the world, performing thousands of dangerous search, reconnaissance and bomb-disposal missions. iRobot’s line of military robots also includes the iRobot FirstLook®, a small, light, throwable robot for special operations, and the iRobot Warrior®, a large robot that carries heavy payloads.

Reviews of Irobot Roomba 780 Vacuum Cleaning Robot For Pets And Allergies

Top of the line from Roomba
Rating by : D_Strasse "D_Strasse",

The 780 is the top of the line Roomba robotic vacuum and comes with all the bells the whistles. Questions that might be asked are:
1)Is a Roomba right for me?
2)Should I go for the 780 over the 760 or 770?

Let me address question (1) first: Is the Roomba right for me? My thoughts on the Roomba are this. It is a great little automatic vacuum/duster but it isn't perfect. Here are the pros and cons as I see them:

Pros:
* It's an automated vacuum. Seriously, how awesome is that? Who wants to spend a morning vacuuming when they can just let loose the tiny 'bot and go do other things? Not me.
* Adaptive logic. The brain behind how it gets every space covered.
* Programmable. iRobot encourages tech-heads to program their Roombas to get the most out of it though I haven't and I don't think it is essential.
* Date and time functions. You can program when you want the little bot to run it's cleaning cycle.

Cons:
* Small dust bin. The dust bin was reading full after vacuuming one small carpeted room before even completing its cleaning cycle.
* Not really truly set and forget - just like regular vacuuming, you need to prepare the room. Think of the things you normally move around when vacuuming so you can get behind furniture or other objects. You need to pre-move everything. Do doors stay open so the Roomba can go from room to room or do you close them to get behind them and set the Roomba in each room individually?
* Lots of maintenance - it says you need to de-hairs the sweeper rollers after every 3 - THREE - uses. Is that something you normally do for your big vac?
* Small replaceable filters - no bag means the filters will get dirtier faster and will need to be replaced more often.
* Deep cleaning - I guess I just don't see the little vac giving that "deep" clean that a full size unit can deliver.

Best uses:
For me, I use my Roomba as a excellent little automated duster for our hard floors. It really helps in keeping those pesky dust bunnies in check though I still need to get the swiffer out to get underneath dressers and such.

Model Selection:
The 780 is truly gorgeous. With the touch controls and finish it looks as good as any Apple product IMHO, a beautiful complement to any modern deco home.

780 vs 770 vs. 760.
All have HEPA filters and the same cleaning mechanism. The 770 and 780 have improved dust detection through added sensors and the 780 inlcudes 2 light towers to help with room to room navigation and touch controls versus buttons. Additionally my 780 came with cleaning tools for the spin brush and rollers as well as an extra set of rollers/spin brush and hepa filters.

Summary:
The Roomba is a great added tool to keeping my house clean but I am not sure I could rely on it alone to get the job done.

Edit: 7/24/12
Usage update: I've found that if I leave the Roomba unused for an extended period of time, say 2 weeks, then I run the risk of having to reset the unit. This is just weird and possibly a software glitch which I'm not sure of how to update.

Secondly, and neat way to prolong the life of those mini-filters? I vacuum them with my big vac and bang, they're back looking fresh.

An effective vacum cleaner but has room to improve
Rating by : FFDR,

I have Roomba 780 and Mint 5200. I have used both for more than half year. Here are my experiences:

Roomba 780 is very easy to use. Push start button, it goes. It can vacuum a room without using virtual wall or lighthouse. But if you want to run it in a specific area, virtual wall works like a closed door or wall. Roomba will not pass virtual wall. If you want to vacuum multiple rooms at once, placing lighthouse at different area will virtually divide the area into subareas. Roomba will first finish the 1st area, then move onto the next one.

Pro's:
- It is great that you can program the date/time you want it to run.
- It starts by itself at the programed date/time and goes back to the charging dock automatically after cleaning.
- It vacuums the room effectively. Hair, bread crumbs all get sucked into the vacuum. Recently, I had my windows installed. After the installers vacuumed the room w/ their professional vacuum and I using my Miele, I ran Roomba for another round of vacuuming. I was very pleased to see that Roomba got a lot of debris out of the shag carpet.
- Good battery power to vacuum a large area.

Con's:

- Noisy. I find it painful to run it while I am home.

- Navigation is not as sophisticated and effective as Mint 5200. It repeatedly gets stuck at some tight corners or passages, and needs to be removed. This is a problem if you are not home. Worse, when you come home, you have no idea how much it has cleaned before it got stuck.

- The bin is small and is full after each daily run in my townhouse (I've no pets, but have a few rugs). It is a bit of work (about 5 minutes) to empty the bin, remove hair from the brush and beater brush, wheel, and remove dust from hepa filters. (Hepa filters are very small and need to be replaced frequently, minimum every 2-3 months)

- Roomba takes very long time to vacuum an area by repeatedly going over it: 25 min for my kitchen 15ft x 8ft, about 1 hr for my living rm 22x22. The upside is that the area is well vacuumed, the downside is the number of hours of noise I have to endure and the wear and tear to the surface.

- Light house is a good concept to vacuum multiple areas automatically. However, the light house allocates 25 min. to each area regardless of the area size. So both my kitchen and living room get 25 min. This does not sound smart. I no longer use light house anymore. So, if you don't intend to use lighthouse function, Roomba 760 is a better value ($150 cheaper). It comes with 2 virtual walls (no lighthouse option). Everything else is pretty much the same.

- The biggest downside for me is that it is pretty rough to the surface although its brush is very soft. Here is how it shows: 1) a short pile wool rug in the living rm: a lot of fine wool fiber in the bin after the vacuum; 2) shag carpeted bedroom: each time, a few threads were pulled out; 3) a woven wool rug in the office: wool threads were pulled out from the fringe, now the rug needs repair: 4) a GelPro mat in the kitchen: the edge has shown some wear and tear.

Because of its noise and roughness on rug/carpet, I don't use Roomba frequently. Mint 5200 is my preference for weekly floor cleaning. However, I am happy to have Roomba when I need to do some heavy duty vacuuming.

Some tips:
- More on light house: as said, the light house will allocate 20-25 min. to one area, then Roomba will move onto the next area and take whatever time needed to finish the 2nd area. As I wanted to limit the time Roomba spend on a relatively small room, I decided to use light house AND close the door (as I don't want Roomba to vacuum the next area), thinking that Roomba would spend 20 min. to finish the room. Wrong! Because if Roomba has nowhere to go after finishing 1st area due to the closed door, Roomba will continue vacuum the 1st area until its battery is drained. I couldn't understand it until I talked to the customer service.
- Hepa filter: I confirmed with the customer service that it is ok to rinse the Hepa to keep it clean. One just need to make sure that it is dried out before putting it back into the bin.

Not much improvement in the last 8 years.
Rating by : Truth Teller,

Note: I uploaded four photos to support my review in the image gallery. Click on "View and share related images" on the top left under the main photo to see them.

I wish I wasn't writing this. Oh how we wanted this robot to sweep into our home and change our lives, just like we wanted our Roomba Red to do way back in 2004. Unfortunately we were left just as disappointed with our new 780 as we were when we bought a Roomba Red eight years before. We figured that eight years in iRobot cleaning technology would make this an amazing vacuum. Not so much. I wanted this iRobot to handle vacuuming our whole house like a true intelligent machine, but instead I have gained a round auto spot-cleaning machine. Because that's the only thing it really works for in my home. The "SPOT" function, where you set it down and it vacuums just a small area for you instead of traveling around your whole house. I'd recommend giving this vacuum a try if you have a home with mostly hard floors and you don't have many obstacles for it to get caught on.

Problems we have with the 780: (And I've posted photos above to support my review)
- It needs a baby-sitter. Roomba constantly gets caught and stuck in various places throughout our home that we can't do anything about, such as our wood trim and stair balusters and the legs of our bed tables. This pops the dust bin out and stalls the Roomba (see photos). If you don't notice this for a while it's disappointing to walk into the room thinking it should be clean, and instead have to reset the whole thing.
- It takes a really long time to complete the vacuuming of an entire room. I don't understand the paths it takes and the patterns it makes. It seems like it could and should be much more efficient at covering square footage in a room than it is. For instance, I think it should hug a straight line, back and forth across a room like with normal vacuuming or lawn mowing instead of zig-zagging every which-way. This is terribly inefficient.
- This is a small complaint, but with a selling price of $600, don't you agree that it would be a nice gesture to include the required "C" batteries for the lighthouses and walls? I find it ridiculous that a $600 vacuum doesn't come out of the box with all accessories ready-to-go.
- This is a big complaint - it pulls out massive amounts of carpet fibers from our carpets. (see photos) This can't be good for the longevity of our carpets. If I ran Roomba every day, I am quite certain that my carpets would be looking much thinner and worn much sooner than they should. After vacuuming our dust bin is mostly just filled up with carpet fibers, and very little actual dirt. Our regular full-size vacuum doesn't do this. For this reason I've decided to only use it for our hard floors and to quickly spot clean a small area on our carpet.
- If the robot has an error while cleaning, it will sound a chime and speak the error code out loud but not display a digital code. If you aren't in the room with it then you have no idea what the error was when you find it immobile since the audible has passed and there is no displayed code.

What we like:
- Great at cleaning hard floors. I'm going to keep using this for my wood, tile, laminate, any hard surface in my home. I just don't want it to continue eating my carpets for lunch.
- Good spot clean mode. I now use it like an automatic dust-buster hand vac that I don't have to do by hand. I set it under kitchen table after meal times and spot clean!
- Lighthouses and walls are nice additions to control the scope of vacuuming. They work well to control the movement if you would like it to run on a program and do its own thing. It also doesn't fall down stairs.
- Nice design. It looks sleek and high-tech. It's a great conversation piece.
- The battery seems to last a long time.
- It vacuums under beds and under couches and under dressers and under everything else you can't get to with a regular vacuum.
- If you're prepared to watch it closely, like stay in the room while it's cleaning, then it definitely frees you up to do other tasks in that room while it's running.

Overall, I really wish that iRobot had made more significant advances in the cleaning technology. I just don't find that the pros outweigh the cons enough here to warrant more than 3 stars. I have awarded the 3 stars for the fact that it has a cool factor, it does work on carpets if you baby-sit it, and it definitely works on hard floors. Again, I'd recommend giving this vacuum a try if you have a home with mostly hard floors and you don't have many obstacles for it to get caught on. Good luck!

This review is from: iRobot Roomba 780 Vacuum Cleaning Robot for Pets and Allergies (Misc.) ... iRobot Roomba 780 Vacuum Cleaning Robot for Pets and Allergies (Misc.)

iRobot Roomba 780 The iRobot Roomba 780 vacuum cleaning robot removes up to 98% of dirt, dust and pet hair – on its own – at the touch of a button. Using iAdapt ...

Top of the line from Roomba The 780 is the top of the line Roomba robotic vacuum and comes with all the bells the whistles. Questions that might be asked are:

IRobot Roomba 780 Vacuum Cleaning Robot for Pets and Allergies

iRobot Roomba 780 Robot Vacuum for Pets & Allergies. The new Roomba 780 is iRobot's Pet vacuum with dual HEPA Filters. It is effective at getting dirt, dust, pet fur ...