IT'LL NEVER FLY, ORVILLE:

The iRobot Roomba 880 is a much better vacuum cleaner than you'd expect. As a robot it does what it says on the tin - cleans the floor when you set it to and returns to base afterwards. It requires little in the way of maintenance and just gets on with the job.

But it does take on a life of its own. I have become surprisingly attached to it, like a little robotic cleaning pet. When it has caught and screwed up bits of paper or got stuck somewhere, I've felt more sorry for it than annoyed. I've then made a special effort to keep things off the floor, which is all round a good thing.

Whether the 880 is worth the cost over a traditional vacuum cleaner comes down to how much you dislike vacuuming. Cheaper Roomba models are available which are more in line with the cost of a traditional cleaner, plus it probably works out cheaper than hiring a human cleaner.

For those that are very tidy and constantly clean, the Roomba probably isn't for you, but for the rest of us, robotic vacuum cleaners are finally worth buying. 

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