Roomba Max 705 Vac
2 independent reviewsRead the findings →iRobot's vacuum-only Roomba, with twin rubber brushes, a front camera and a compact self-emptying dock. It's very good at steering round cables and pet mess on cluttered floors. Its dock is the weak spot, with unreliable emptying and fussy docking.
Updated
Check the manufacturer’s site for current availability.
Where it sits in iRobot’s range
- Roomba 205 DustCompactor ComboNo dock; compacts dirt inside the robot
- Roomba Max 705 VacThis model
- Roomba Plus 505 ComboVacuums and mops, with spinning pads and a washing dock
- Roomba Max 705 ComboSame name, adds a roller mop and washing dock
- Roomba Max 775 ComboRoller-mop model with a hot-wash dock
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What reviewers found
Two reviews so far, and only one you can read in full. Just A Dad Approved lived with it for three months and calls it the best new Roomba he has tested in a long time, with standout obstacle avoidance and strong carpet pickup. He marks it down for unreliable emptying, fussy docking and hair wrap, and says to skip it at full price. RTINGS.com has run its full lab test, but most results are members-only. The public ones cover height, threshold climbing, filter and obstacle sensors, and that's all this page uses. Treat it as provisional for now.
Just A Dad Approved, hands-on, Three months · RTINGS.com, lab test (Most results for members only)
Hard floors
Not enough evidenceOnly Just A Dad Approved has published cleaning results, rating its vacuuming strong on hardwood as well as carpet. The RTINGS.com lab results on pickup aren't publicly available.
Carpet and rugs
Not enough evidenceOnly Just A Dad Approved has published carpet results: it pulled coffee grounds, long hair and confetti out well, with a second pass finishing what the first missed.
Pet hair
Not enough evidenceOnly Just A Dad Approved tested hair, finding it lifted long hair from carpet but that strands wrapped the ends of both rubber brushes afterwards.
Navigation and obstacles
Not enough evidenceOnly Just A Dad Approved has reported on navigation, finding mapping fast and the best obstacle avoidance it has seen on a Roomba, dodging a cable, a toy brick and fake dog mess. RTINGS.com has only published its sensor type and a 1.9cm threshold climb.
Dock and upkeep
Not enough evidenceOnly Just A Dad Approved reported on the dock, which failed to empty the bin properly after its carpet test and made the robot back up several times to dock, often sitting crooked.
App and software
Not enough evidenceOnly Just A Dad Approved judged the app, finding the new Roomba Home app a real step up from iRobot's old one, though setup was clumsy with a forced update.
Noise
Not enough evidenceOnly Just A Dad Approved commented on noise, finding the robot isn't loud even on maximum, with the wheels the noisiest part.
Reliability and support
Not enough evidenceNone of the reviews we use has judged iRobot's support or long-term reliability, beyond Just A Dad Approved's emptying and docking niggles over three months.
Value
Not enough evidenceOnly Just A Dad Approved judged value, saying skip it at full price because vacuum-and-mop robots such as the Mova P10 Pro Ultra cost far less.
Verdicts come from independent, hands-on, finished reviews. An area needs at least two of them before we say more than “Not enough evidence”. We don't score robots ourselves. How this works
The best obstacle dodging on a Roomba
Just A Dad Approved calls it the best obstacle avoidance he has seen on any Roomba. In his corner test it spotted and avoided a cable, a Lego brick and a fake dog mess, slowed its side brush near obstacles, and remembered where they were for the rest of the run. The app marks obstacles on the map, but without photos. RTINGS.com lists its obstacle sensing as both camera- and light-based. Cables and pet mess are less of a worry than usual.
Strong on carpet, hair still wraps
Just A Dad Approved found it pulled coffee grounds, long hair and confetti out of carpet well, with a second pass finishing what the first missed, and puts it in the upper tier for vacuuming. It isn't loud on maximum, and the wheels were the noisiest part. After his long-hair test, though, hair had wrapped round the ends of the twin rubber brushes, so it isn't tangle-free. With long hair in the house, plan to check the brushes.
Emptying and docking let it down
After a hard-floor test the dock emptied the bin properly, but after the carpet test Just A Dad Approved found it hadn't, and a second, manual emptying cycle did better. The robot also had to back up two or three times to dock and usually sat crooked on it, a problem he has seen with iRobot's other small docks. His fix is to put the dock on a hard floor, never on carpet.
Height, thresholds and filter
RTINGS.com measured the lowest gap it can clear at 10.5cm, so it won't reach under many low sofas. It also found it climbs thresholds up to 1.9cm, which covers most doorway thresholds but not tall ones. RTINGS.com lists no HEPA-rated filter, though iRobot says the dock's bag traps particles down to 0.7 microns, per the specifications. Just A Dad Approved found mapping fast and accurate, with neat straight cleaning lines.
Good app, clumsy setup
Just A Dad Approved found the new Roomba Home app a real step up from iRobot's old one, with clearer voice prompts, faster mapping, and a room editor for splitting, naming, keep-out zones and choosing the cleaning order. Setup was the weak part. A software update was forced on first use and its progress bar was unreliable, the quick-start card's QR code didn't work, and the full manual only appears in the app after setup.
Our take
Should you buy the Roomba Max 705 Vac?
Best for: Homes needing vacuuming rather than mopping. Skip it if: You want it to scrub floors or wash its own mop.
worth considering if you only want vacuuming, your floors are cluttered and the dock can sit on a hard floor. The MOVA P10 Pro Ultra adds mopping with a full self-cleaning dock, and the Roborock Q7 M5 is a cheaper vacuum that's strong on pet hair.
The Max 705 Vac is the vacuum-only Roomba in iRobot's Max family, not to be confused with the Max 705 Combo, which adds a roller mop. It maps with a laser, uses a front camera to recognise objects and cleans with twin rubber brushes. Its compact dock empties the robot into a bag that iRobot says lasts 75 days.
Only one review can be read in full. Just A Dad Approved lived with it for three months and calls its obstacle avoidance the best he has seen on a Roomba, dodging a cable, a toy brick and fake dog mess, and he found carpet pickup strong. The dock let it down. It failed to empty the bin after his carpet test, and the robot needed several tries to line up and often sat crooked. Long hair also wrapped the ends of both brushes. RTINGS.com ran its lab test but keeps most results for members, publishing only that it climbs doorway thresholds up to 1.9cm and won't fit under low sofas. Just A Dad Approved says skip it at full price.
Where to buy
Where to buy the Roomba Max 705 Vac in United Kingdom
No United Kingdom price checked in the last 21 days. We re-check daily.
We’re still looking for more United Kingdom retailers for this model.
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Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Will it avoid cables and pet mess?
Better than most. Just A Dad Approved saw it identify and avoid a cable, a toy brick and a fake dog mess, and it remembered them for the rest of the run. RTINGS.com lists both camera and light-based obstacle sensors. It's still sensible to pick up loose cables.
Does it fit under low furniture?
Only moderately. It's 10.4cm tall, per the specifications, and RTINGS.com measured the lowest gap it can clear at 10.5cm. Many slimmer robots get under lower sofas and beds, so measure your gaps before you buy.
Can it cross rugs and raised thresholds between rooms?
RTINGS.com measured it climbing thresholds up to 1.9cm, which is fine for most doorway thresholds. Just A Dad Approved found carpet cleaning strong, but warns the dock has to sit on a hard floor, or the robot struggles to line up and charge.
How big is the dock?
Small, at 21.3cm deep, 17.2cm wide and 29cm tall, per the specifications. The downside, Just A Dad Approved found, is that it needs to sit on a hard floor, and the robot often took several goes to dock properly.
How often do I have to empty it?
iRobot claims 75 days between bag changes, per the specifications. Just A Dad Approved found the dock didn't always empty the bin fully after a big clean, and long hair wrapped the brush ends, so check both now and then.
Alternatives
Other robot vacuums to compare.
P10 Pro Ultra
Why consider it: It vacuums and mops, with a full dock that washes the mops in hot water, and it's good on hard floors.
The compromise: All three tests found it weak on pet hair in carpet.
Q7 M5 / M5+
Why consider it: A budget mapping vacuum that lifts pet hair far better than its price suggests.
The compromise: It bumps into clutter, and you empty the bin yourself.
Qrevo S5V
Why consider it: Tests found excellent mopping and carpet cleaning for the money, with a dock that empties and washes.
The compromise: Its obstacle avoidance is among the worst around, the opposite of this Roomba's strength.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
Do you own the Roomba Max 705 Vac?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner accounts are shown separately from independent reviews.
Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Editorial reviews
- Just A Dad Approved: iRobot Roomba Max 705 Robot Vacuum Review ↗6.8 / 10, Skip ItHands-on, Three months
- RTINGS.com: iRobot Roomba Max 705 Review ↗6.4 / 10Lab test · Most results for members only
Sources
Videos
- frickhelm: iRobot Roomba Max 705 Vac - cleaning performance review ↗
- Lupita: iRobot Roomba Max 705 Vac Robot Vacuum Review ↗
- Search YouTube for iRobot Roomba Max 705 Vac ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.