iRobot Roomba 780 Review

Is vacuuming the home your least favorite chore? Or do you feel like you never have time to do it? That’s where the iRobot Roomba 780 comes in handy.

Just set it to your specifications and let it roll; it’ll take on the job whether you’re at home or away. It’s also easy to set up and has a long battery life, so your cleaning schedule can require very little input.

With that said, not everyone who tried this robot vacuum loved it. Some thought the dust bin was too small and disliked its inability to go on stairs. Are these deal-breakers or minor downsides?

Before you make your final decision, let’s take a closer look at the iRobot Roomba 780. It could be the exact item your cleaning routine needs.

iRobot Roomba 780: The Details

Specs

• Product Dimensions: 13.9 x 3.4 x 13.9 inches.
• Product Weight: 13.6 lbs.
• Product Type: Robot vacuum.
• Compatible with Amazon Alexa? No.

How Does It Work?

Despite the techy design, the iRobot Roomba 780 is very easy to set up. After unboxing the device, your first task is to charge the battery.

Accomplish this by removing the battery tab, plugging in the docking station, and attaching the Roomba. It will take about a day to fully charge.

Once that’s done, set up the virtual walls. By downloading the Roomba app and following the prompts, it will help you set up the Wi-Fi connection between the app and the Roomba.

From here, you can designate the virtual walls to certain areas. You can also use manual walls if you buy them separately. Place the walls where you please, as these will bar the Roomba access to certain areas and guide it on the job. Now it’s time to clean!

Press the “clean” button on the app, on the remote control, or on the actual unit. From here, choose one of the three cleaning modes available. From the app, you can also establish a cleaning schedule for the Roomba, so it can operate while you’re away.

After the Roomba 780 is finished vacuuming, it will return to the docking station by itself and charge for next time.

iRobot: The Brand

iRobot was founded in 1990 by three roboticists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. This trio was looking for ways to use robots in space exploration and military defense.

The company now builds consumer robots for inside and outside the home, including vacuum cleaners, mops, swimming pool cleaning devices, as well as other cleaning robots.

Beyond this, iRobot works to inspire students to enter the STEM field through community outreach.

iRobot Roomba 780 Review

The Positives

Incredibly Easy to Set Up

Whatever your level of tech-savviness, setting up the iRobot Roomba 780 is very simple. The accompanying instruction manual will guide you through the steps, while the app can deliver prompts that help you finalize the cleaning robot’s objectives.

Even without these guidelines, the set-up process is intuitive. Once the cleaning robot is fully active, you won’t need to configure further settings; just let it run!

This helps ensure even those with limited knowledge about tech can still enjoy a cleaner home – with little effort. Should you prefer, a phone can be eliminated from the process once you’ve set-up the device.

Instead, use the remote control or simply press “clean” to choose one of the three cleaning modes on the Roomba itself. It will begin vacuuming your floors without delay. It’s that easy!

Super Convenient

With the Roomba, you never have to manually vacuum again while still being able to enjoy a pristine, clean home. What’s more convenient than that?

Whether you have the Roomba 780 running while you’re at home or schedule it to clean while you’re away, that’s one less chore for you.

All that’s necessary is to empty the dustbin when it’s full and occasionally clean the brushes if dust and hair build on them. This is the perfect solution for busy folks or those that simply can’t be bothered with a regular cleaning routine. The Roomba will stay on top of it so you don’t have to.

You can program it to have up to seven cleaning sessions per week. That’s once a day, meaning you can have your Roomba give your floor a sweep every day to ensure your home stays clean and dust-free.

Excellent Battery Life

Based on our observations, the battery life could not be better on the Roomba 780. A charge will last up to 90 minutes per cleaning, but some testers have seen it go on even longer.

In any case, an hour and a half is ample time to clean a home. You won’t need to constantly charge your vacuum to ensure your floors are kept in prime condition.

You won’t have to worry about your vacuum cleaner stalling out during a cleaning session either, leaving only half of your home tidy. This robot vacuum cleaner is meant to make your cleaning less daunting, and a solid battery life ensures that.

And thankfully, since the battery is rechargeable, you won’t have to bother with spending extra cash on batteries to keep this vacuum going.

Great Maneuvering

No one wants their robot vacuum wasting all of its battery life bumping into walls and items. Fortunately, with the Roomba 780, you won’t have to worry. It has great maneuverability – making your job all the easier.

What does that mean? This robot vacuum makes sure to learn its environment so it doesn’t spend time going over spots or bumping into things.

iRobot has designed this vacuum to be super smart, remembering its surroundings and the rooms it has to clean.

You can also program your Roomba to move on to a room after a certain amount of time if you need it to get the job done quicker. This feature is one most users really loved! It means less moving the vacuum about yourself.

Amazing for Pet Hair

If you have pets, you know just how out of control pet hair can get. It can certainly be an annoying feat to deal with. Fortunately, pet hair (and human hair) is no match for the Roomba.

We loved how well this robot vacuum tackled hair. While some traditional vacuums fail to get it all (if any), the Roomba ensures that you won’t be picking up any stray hairs throughout the day.

Keeping pet hair off your floors means it won’t be getting whipped around the air, causing allergies or sniffles. It’s even able to pick up long hairs from big fluffy pups.

While you’ll need to be sure to add a bit of extra maintenance to your Roomba when dealing with a ton of hair, at least you’ll know your home will be under control.

The Negatives

Small Dust Bin

One of the biggest complaints was about the size of the dust bin. While it shouldn’t be a problem for studios or small spaces, those with bigger rooms to clean may find the dust bin lacking.

If you have a bigger home, the dust bin may be too small, forcing you to empty it more frequently. While the device can run for 90 minutes, you may have to empty it several times during this, which is counterproductive when you need it to clean while you’re away.

Hopefully, iRobot will take this into consideration when designing the next model.

On the Pricey Side

If you’re on a budget or are looking for an affordable solution, you may find some issue with the Roomba’s expensive price tag.

It’s priced at under $500 on Amazon, which is far more costly than the average vacuum. You are definitely paying for the convenience and technology packed into this device.

If you can’t afford this price tag, there are more affordable robot vacuums on the market. Of course, the old-fashioned vacuum you move around the room yourself is always an option, but if you’d like to upgrade to a more convenient solution, you’ll likely want to foot the bill.

Not for Stairs

If you have stairs, sadly, the iRobot Roomba 780 cannot tackle this area. While that’s a common problem in robot vacuums, testers were still disappointed in this portion of their home being left untended.

The Roomba is programmed to stay away from edges or places where it could fall over; as such, it stays well away from stairs.

The drop in between and the tight area is too difficult to navigate. As such, you’ll be forced to have to use the old-fashioned method on your staircases.

Room Preparation

The Roomba works independently, but it does require you to prepare the room before it begins cleaning. Some might consider this a hassle, but it’s one trait regular vacuums and the Roomba have in common.

It won’t move your things out of the way and clean under them itself. You should space out your dining chairs to provide easier access for the Roomba, as well as remove any toys or papers off the floor.

Give the vacuum an easy path to move around and it will do a great job. If you don’t, you’ll risk the Roomba skipping out on some cleaning, leaving the finished result far from ideal.

Here’s a video showing what the iRobot Roomba 780 looks like out of the box and what maintenance is like.

Overall Verdict

After going over all the positives and negatives, we do recommend the iRobot Roomba 780. The machine does all your cleaning for you; what’s better than that?

This Roomba will vacuum multiple rooms, clean under tables or chairs, and tidy up corners – all without you needing to be present.

While you may need to empty out the dust bin frequently, that may be worth the trade-off of not dragging your regular vacuum out every week.

So long as you can afford the price, the Roomba 780 is definitely worth checking out.

Where to Buy the iRobot Roomba 780

iRobot and the Roomba line are one of the top robot vacuum manufacturers, leading the market thanks to their innovative design.

Featured in pop culture and trendy media, the Roomba is a hot item to have, promoted by celebrities, cinema and television. Thanks to its fame, iRobot items are sold worldwide, with the Roombas available both in-store and online.

While it’s usually best to check tech and home department stores, you can kickstart your search for this particular model with Amazon.

That’s the end of our iRobot Roomba 780 review. Curious to give it a try?