Lidl's robot vacuum: €79 versus the Roomba's €290

Lidl's robot vacuum: 79 euros versus the Roomba's 290

A robot vacuum for 79 euros at Lidl. The Dirt Devil Libero lands on the shelves of the German discount chain with a promise that sounds like a joke: 45 minutes of battery life, an anti-collision sensor, 11 centimetres of height to slip under furniture, and a suction technology with no central brush. The problem is that it has no charging dock. When it runs out, it stops wherever it runs out. And in a home of more than 60 square metres, that turns battery life into a countdown.

The inevitable comparison is with the iRobot Roomba 630, which costs around 290 euros. Two hundred euros' difference. The question is not whether the Dirt Devil is better. It is whether the price difference translates into a difference in results that justifies paying it.

What a 79-euro robot does that a 290-euro one doesn't

The Roomba 630 vacuums. So does the Dirt Devil Libero. The difference lies in how they move. The cheap robot has no mapping: it wanders around aimlessly, with no fixed route, repeating some areas and missing others. The Roomba isn't a navigation marvel in its basic range either, but the user community agrees it covers the space better. One owner who has had it for a year sums it up bluntly: "so far zero problems, and it does exactly what it promises".

Noise is another factor. The Dirt Devil, according to those who have tried it, is quieter than the Roomba. In an apartment with neighbours or a home where someone works remotely, that's no small detail. Suction power, on the other hand, doesn't compete. The Roomba sucks up more and leaves fewer crumbs behind. The Dirt Devil does the job, but with gaps.

The battery problem: every robot's Achilles' heel

There's a pattern that comes up in any conversation about robot vacuums: the battery. One participant puts it bluntly: "I run away from anything that runs on batteries". Everyday experience points the same way. Cordless vacuums fail because of the battery. Robots do too. The question is how long they take to fail and whether it's worth accepting that cost.

The Dirt Devil Libero charges in 4 hours and vacuums for 45 minutes. With no charging dock, the full cycle requires you to keep an eye on it. In a small home, it can work. In a large one, it's an expensive toy. One user who bought it for his mother is clear: "for 79 euros at Electroprecio it's great, it does its job". Another adds: "I thought it would be rubbish but it surprised me for what it costs".

The Chinese alternative nobody mentioned five years ago

The market has changed. Where there used to be only Roomba or Neato, there are now Xiaomi, Ilife and a growing list of Chinese brands offering mapping and automatic recharging for under 200 euros. One participant recommends the Ilife V1 for 90 euros. Another owns the Xiaomi and is "very happy". The barrier to entry is no longer price, but technology. The ones with LiDAR, they say, are the only ones that don't go "around like headless chickens passing over the same spot 50 times".

The Dirt Devil Libero is stuck in no man's land. It isn't cheap enough to be an impulse buy with no consequences, nor good enough to compete with mid-range Roombas. It's a robot for getting started. For testing whether the concept fits your home before spending 300 euros. For someone with a small flat who doesn't mind recharging it by hand.

The verdict from those who already own it

The experience of early buyers is mixed. Those who bought it for a relative and own a Roomba describe it without drama: "there's no comparison, but for 79 euros it's great". Those expecting a budget Roomba are disappointed. Those looking for a first robot are pleasantly surprised. The conclusion that keeps coming up is the same: it's not a bad product, it's a different one.

The Dirt Devil Libero won't replace a traditional vacuum cleaner. It won't clean a 120-square-metre house unsupervised. It won't return to its dock on its own. But for 79 euros, it does something no broom does: vacuum while you're busy with something else. With reservations. With limitations. With the battery as a sword of Damocles. And with the certainty that, if it fails, you haven't mortgaged a month's salary.