1. Energy Supply
The Roomba is powered by a NiMH battery. The charging time is approximately 3h (12h when Roomba when the battery was fully discharged - usually does not happen). The unit travels to load autonomously a charging station, and is relatively reliable found. Only occasionally do I have to wear the device home.
Unfortunately, the Roomba does not have a main power switch, and must therefore be removed by prolonged non-use of the battery are always in the charging station connected to the network, or. In practice, I want to leave but the suckers anyway at least every second day running, so I have no real problem with it. iRobot would there still may spendieren a simple switch!
2. Navigation
The Roomba 780 runs in automatic mode according to an algorithm, which feels relatively random (but is not not completely random!), Through the apartment. If it encounters an obstacle, it follows the contours of astonishingly accurate. Eventually he turns away, and moves back crisscross through space until it finds an outline.
Walls and obstacles are detected by means of a built-in bumper sensor ring of infrared transmitter / receiver pairs. The resolution of the detection is thus naturally limited, yet obstacles in the majority of cases are reliably detected and * not * jostled hard; Roomba slows down just before starting, colliding with the obstacle relatively gently with its bumper, and decide on the further journey. Chair legs and the like are circling clean. Having not mapped the areas he travels many places several times from - which increases the cleaning time, and displeases many users. But at least he travels quite reliably really any place, even at night in the dark (some other products use to orient a camera that is blind in the dark). Severely soiled areas it detects via a sensor, and cleans them very thoroughly, he idem multiple offset slightly forward and backward travels over the place.
Abysses (eg stairs) are reliably detected, the Roomba immediately in the opposite direction in order to avoid a crash. For me there is no open-access stairs, but I'll leave the sofa and the table occasionally suck. I've heard that some people have problems with very dark carpets that are recognized as the abyss; but my dark brown tiles in the hallway are not a problem for the Roomba.
On carpets of 780 runs on easily, and adjusts the ride height allegedly the carpet at (I can not observe any visible change, but no problems - he goes and cleans the carpet properly).
To clean larger areas, adjacent to the premises by the so-called. Lighthouses from which radiate three infrared beam into the room. The Roomba then goes region by region from, and cleans each about 30 minutes long. Alternatively, a Lighthouse as "Virtual Wall" are used to block out the Roomba permanently.
Although the Lighthouses are automatically switched on and off, but they still need batteries (two baby cells). That's annoying, better to use here batteries, if necessary with an appropriate adapter. Kids and pets love the little boxes sometimes, so you can occasionally on an exciting quest for it "happy". The concept does not always one hundred percent, sometimes the 780 lighthouses does not seem to register properly, can also take a room, and is possibly no longer to the charging station. But that happens rarely, at the next cleaning is then again everything OK.
If during the cleaning of the battery to its knees, the Roomba is not recharge able, since he is not mapped the apartment. Accordingly, the total area to be cleaned must not be too large, but the 80sqm indicated he grabs loose.
In so-called. Spot mode a localized area is traversed helically targeted. This is in my opinion more gimmick because I am much faster with a normal vacuum cleaner - after the robotic vacuum must also first time brought or brought here or shall be nursed. In addition, the conventional vacuum cleaner cleans thoroughly, of course. The strength of the robotic vacuum cleaner is generally definitely in the regular, constant cleaning.
Also, the control is more of a pretty useless gimmick by remote control. Who wants to do that, buy better a remote control car.
3. Sweeping system
The Roomba has two opposing ground brush and a side brush, with the corners are well cleaned. Occasionally crumbs are not fed to the floor brush from the side brush, but thrown into the room; but that has no effect, after all points are inherently so run over several times. The dirt holding is the Roomba by the lower double brush really well, even on carpets. I rather doubt that it makes too much, and the carpet erodes over time.
A special feature is the Roomba of handling cables. Comes in a brush, he reverses the direction of rotation, and spits it back out (assuming the cable is not just completely loose around, it wraps itself around the brush, and you have to manually remove). This is similar for the side brush.
4. Volume
70 dB are not really quiet, but television is still possible at a pinch, if the Roomba runs (in my conventional vacuum cleaner would be unthinkable). I leave the floor clean at night from the Roomba, and hear in the bedroom on the upper floor of which nothing, even though the staircase is open, and is drawn up towards the staircase. For noise-sensitive people this could also be disturbing.
5. Dust container and filter
The device is equipped with a removable dust container with HEPA filters, which is taken from the side. This is somewhat tricky, and the dirt staring at a Einlasschlitz to open. For allergy sufferers certainly not optimal, I do not mind, but the other manufacturers solve better.
6. Timing
When Roomba can be programmed per quarter hour for every day of the week a start time, bzg. cleaning be disabled so that eg is automatically cleaned in 3 days per week.
7. Design and Processing
The equipment is nice to look at and seems durable. Over the months, it has got a few scratches in the paint, but the mechanism still works as the first day.
8. Operation and Instructions
The Roomba is intuitive via touch interface and IR remote control operated, therefore no dirt that accumulates keys over time. He has a voice (in several languages), problems will be communicated directly in plain text (also rather a nice gimmick, an appropriate indication on the display would have done.)
The manual for the 780 is well translated, but very poor. The fact that the "..." - button on the remote the Dockfunktion activated, you have to find out for yourself (at least I have no explanation in the manual found), the paragraph on the language setting is quite well hidden. The conversion of the time display (12 or 24) is not easy to find, and that the spot mode is configurable (spirals or forward / backward), is mentioned nowhere.
A normal user should intelligent but have no problem with the operation of both units, even if the manual is not read.
9. Cleaning and maintenance.
The sensors should occasionally wiped, free brush of hair and the like, and of course be emptied and cleaned the dust container. The effort holds is very limited. Filters and brushes can be easily removed, and, if necessary, replaced when worn. How long do the brushes, I do not know yet, so far, I notice no great wear.
10. Service and Repair
So far I had no defects on Roomba, but know that the website, which is adopted in Germany by small Robotics is not particularly fast, but very accommodating and reliable.
Recently, I wanted to capture the Roomba, and contribute to another room. Unfortunately I just had a drink in hand. Will know the trip detergent commercial where someone with a cocktail in hand by the time required? Exactly what is unfortunately happening to me. The drink was distributed over the nipple, which the was not very good, and no longer wanted to work.
Since that was my mistake, I could not expect a warranty, and have made myself to the repair. I have to say: we see a clean, modular design today really only rarely. Everything can be broken down easily with a few screws and reassemble. The electronic components are built and modular model. In my case, the drink has left a very thin liquid film under the display foil of the display, and disturbed the touch sensors. So dried and reassembled, problem solved.
A diagnostic mode is useful for debugging if necessary. He is in the instructions of undocumented, but on the internet you will find everything you need.
Nevertheless I advise untrained persons from front to disassemble the unit yourself. The cost of repair by specialized personnel keeping in any case be limited because the device has been designed extremely maintenance-friendly.
Conclusion
The Roomba facilitated my life tremendously! My floors are clean as never before, I now have two Roomba (one for each floor) and a Scooba in use, the wipes the hard floors. Never again without!
That the iRobot devices drive this chaotic, may seem strange, but the times are now no man, but machines that precisely follow a different strategy. I also have other devices with real navigation tested (optical imaging, mapping the areas, ...) that were faster, but left a lot of dirt and had other shortcomings.
The volume and cleaning time is not so important to me personally, I want to see a clean apartment in the morning easy and this concern fulfilled the Roomba to my absolute satisfaction.
(Actually) works naturally to clean best when the soil free loungers are superscript, etc. But there are actually Customers complain; has anybody seriously expects the Roomba also clears up? Those who are not prepared to do so, should better invest in a good cleaning lady (corresponding to current costs). For us, this is very fast to clean up nightly routine become (ten minutes), a - in my opinion - very positive side effect. Never has my house permanently so clean! My conventional vacuum cleaner I use only to occasionally remove cobwebs on the ceiling. The Roomba is worth every penny that I have spent on it.
Who owns an apartment with less space, which is not as badly nested, should, if necessary, a 770er, or the much cheaper 500 series view. Also, since the results are very good (review of 565 pet, we have bought as a Christmas present, coming soon)
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UPDATE 1 year Roomba
We own the Roomba now more than a year, and 5-star rating can I maintain a clear conscience.
Trouble with the lighthouses there are hardly any, after the proper placement is found.
Wear on the vacuum cleaner:
- After about 6 months at a daily two-hour use of the cleaning performance slackened quite abruptly, so you can tell when a replacement is due. The device comes with a set of replacement brushes. After that does not necessarily have to buy original parts one, there are also considerably cheaper, compatible brushes commercially.
- The battery copes with the full two hours still easily
- The case has gotten a few quirks and scratches, but not the slightest sign that something would have to be replaced in the foreseeable future.
Recently, I had unfortunately to mourn a defect of the brush module (brush did not turn). It seems to be generally susceptible, usually breaks here probably a solder joint, the man - soldering iron required - easily can resolder itself. In my case, unfortunately, the drive motor was broken. Annoying, but an e-mail with an error description and serial number to the Customer (centrally Klein Robotics, see above) and three days later the substitute was there (free of course). Here you can see the advantage of consistently modular design of the device: the exchange of the module is done in 2 minutes if you do not just have two left hands.
So as before: strong buy recommendation!
