So, anyone got an iRobot Roomba or other robot vacuum cleaner?

[Richdog]

Well, I just ordered an iRobot Roomba 650 as my own little cleaning R2D2. http://store.irobot.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13081980

Firstly lets get this out of the way, this is inarguably a non-necessary, luxury purchase. I'm lazy, and I can live with it.

Fact: I HATE cleaning, as a single guy it's the scourge of my free time and I am always looking for ways to make life easier in that department. A friend bought one a couple of years ago and has raved about it for so long (she is also very homely and fastidious) that I finally started to do some research myself to see what the fuss was about.

Reviews and user feedback is generally very positive even from cleaning experts and fussy housewives, especially for the new range of models, and according to user experiences it apparently cleans around 95% of your floors, with the other 5% in difficult to reach areas like corners needing good old-fashioned elbow grease.

Either way, I am looking forward to picking it up next week and giving letting it clean my apartment (not house) while I go out and make money. If I can actually find some kind of R2D2 sticker on Ebay then I will love it like a son. I will also of course update this post with a review when I get it and start using it for a week.

So... anyone else got one, or looking into it?

UPDATE 27/06/2013

Ok, I have now used the Roomba (henceforth known as R2, or Richba, depending on my mood) for 3 days. Every day at 12pm my robot son has patrolled my apartment, his little brushes whirring merrily as he collects my household detritus. Not a word of complaint has thus far escaped his little robotic lips.

So, how has he performed?In a word: bloody great. I purposefully didn't do a proper hoover before I started using him (iRobot recommend to start froma fresh base of hooveredness-nessness), and he has not dissappointed.

Day 1 - The floors were noticeably cleaaner, but when I put my finger around I saw a few bits of dust and dirt in various places that he didn't have time to get back to before he had to recharge.

Day 2 - Floors were even noticeably cleaner, but still a bit of dust in corners, where again Richba didn't get chance to randomly pass before he needed to go to the charge-a-loo to do his business.

Day 3 - Came home and did a test. Wow, the floors are better than when I do a hoover and take good care. I mean really, even corners etc are free of dirt. I found on a few bits inside some really hard to reach nooks and crannies, but I am being really critical here.

Clearly not only does the Richba do his job, but he really benefits from multiple daily cleanings in order to maximise coverage during his scheduled runs. If I want him to do a specific room that I disallow during the scheduled cleaning (like my bedroom, too many wires due to my poor organizing, I need to tidy them up for it to be Richba safe) then I just plonk him inside and press the "clean" button, and after giving him a playful pat on the rump he then dutifully gets about his business.

I had read reviews so I was expecting it to be good, but honestly it's a ridiculously convenient thing to have, and will mean that my floors (all hardwood and lino) stay clean with minimum effort on my side. Plus, it will have the added benefit of making me keep my floors clean of clutter.

So far I am thinking this is money well spent.

UPDATE 29/06/2013

Well, I came home today and out of curiousity let Richba go in my bedroom and watched it do it's work (yes, really, it fascinates me like only a time and energy-saving gadget can). In the 30 mins it was doing the cleaning cycle it went into every conceivable place it could physically fit into. It looks so random the way it veers and bumps about, but no matter how much you think "Hmm, it's missed a spot" it always ends up going to that place eventually. The logic it runs on, while chaotic, seems pretty damn thorough.

I hadn't had my bedroom hoovered in a couple of weeks and now the floors just really feel clean, no fluff on my socks or dust on my bare feet, and I can honestly say that it does a better job than I do with a hoover. Yes, there are of course parts behind and inbetween some things that it just cannot reach due to obstacles and furniture, but for the 95% it covers, it really does the job.

Absolutely delighted with the purchase, and I really don't understand how anyone can come out with rubbish like "they are completely useless"or "oversized paper-weights" etc etc.

The facts are that after almost a week of daily use my hardwood and lino floors are visibly and to the touch cleaner than I have seen them in ages, and I would not say that if I genuinely didn't think so, and the proof is right before my eyes. Fantastic little machine, and I don't regret the purchase for a second.

 

[Richdog]

hire a professional cleaner. seriously. don't pay over the top for a rubbish vacuum to do a rubbish job at vacuuming a small part of your house, get a pro in who will do everything. vacuuming is like the easiest thing to do, if you get this you'll still be stuck doing everything else.

and these suck! they don't have the power to create the suction required to suck up all the dirt, so although it may look visually cleaner as the big things have gone, there will be grit still around.

I used to have a professional cleaner then stopped as it just wasn't worth it... when I do clean I go a good job and their work was no better than mine.

The Roomba is also much cheaper (the outlay is equivalent to 11 hours of professional cleaning time) , and I know exactly what its limits are and how it will help me.

As for the rest of your post, like I said, there is a ton of objective feedback on the web supporting their good performance.

 

[Richdog]

but it's obvious, you don't need to use the internet to see that they simply are too small and don't have the suction. look at a miele for instance, the size of it etc and it's suction power, then this. the miele is over the top for the sake of being over the top, the suction is important to picking up the dirt. the robot has a few very thin brushes and a tiny under powered vacuum.

they are cool and nothing else, but they are programmed to work whilst you aren't there so really you'll never see it do anything cool.

not sure who you used by assuming you've gone with the cheapest vacuum which i see is £300, 11 hours cleaning would mean you've paid £27 per hour? I charge £14 per hour and have a constant fight with customers as my prices are considered high.

1) You are wrong about the first part, while of course not as powerful as a dedicated upright, they DO pick up lot of dirt and grime in combination with the sweeping action, and tons of independent review confirm this. Go do some actual research instead of just quoting your subjective opinion without the facts.

2) I live in another country to the UK where prices are much different... £235 for the Roomba and £20 per hour for a cleaner.

 

[Richdog]

Cool, I look forward to your review! From what I read each iteration is a considerable improvement over the last, so interested to see how feasible it is in reality.

Don't worry, you'll get the full low-down whether good or bad!

I love my Roomda Discovery. - No, it's not a real vacuum cleaner; think of it more like a mobile dustpan and brush.

Not very good at carpet, but quite good on hard floors if you let it go. - I enjoy it's chirpy little noises and the random way it progresses around the room.

We used to have a dog, and the Roomba was great for collecting the hair from around the house; plus for some reason the dog could ignore the Roomba, but not a vacuum cleaner.

Sounds good, my apartment is exclusively hardwood or tiling anyway.

The Roomba is an absolute pile of arse. I used to give them away with mobile deals and we had one in the store. It couldn't clean to save its life and is nothing other than a novelty.
Sorry for your waste of money dude

Again, tons of objective professional and user reviews disagree with this.

 

[Richdog]

We have had a roomba for 3 years now.... Every sat morning I set it off, when we come home floor is clean. Only thing I suggest is clean it roughly every time before you set it off, and clean with a air hose / strip every few months.

We don't even own a normal vacuum

Edit I think there is a wifi mod so it can tweet / post on facebook what it's doing lol

So it cleans well then? Guess it must do if you don't own a regular vacuum!

 

[Richdog]

Yeah, it used to do our old carpeted flat. Split the flat into to 3 zones with lighthouses. Before we went out we would pull curtains so not on floor and just check nothing to snag on. (We went out one Saturday and came back and it had trashed Christmas tree and pulled it over lol)

In new house it does open plan wood floor, and makes dam good job, never have to sweep it... It kinda hunkers down on solid flooring.

Before I leave on sat, I empty dust bin, then pop out the the two rollers underneath and pull hair off them, then manually set off. 2hrs later when we return floor is clean and it's sitting back on base station charging

The whole robot strips right down with a screwdriver in a modular fashion, and with a air hose you can get it squeaky clean.

The biggest complaints you'll see is people not cleaning the thing, and eventually hair and dirt causes resistance on moving parts and works way into gearbox, but with a little tlc ours is still all original and it must have done more mileage than a mars rover....

Yeah it's abit of a gimmick, but it does actually work dam well , if it broke I'd buy another...

Oh the only thing I replaced was the battery which lost charge after two years... Got a uprated third part one off ebay much cheaper than OEM part

Awesome sounds good, thanks for the info mate that's the exact kind of clear and reasoned feedback I was looking for.

 

[Richdog]

from what i've seen the little brushes come out further then the machine, and the machine will go all the way until it feels resistance, so long as the brushes can move the dirt then it'll get somewhat into the corners. it's a circle after all so a square corner it wont have any chance of getting to.

Yup, that seems to be the case.

Should pick mine up this week, getting impatient grrr.

 

[Richdog]

Ok, I have now used the Roomba (henceforth known as R2, or Richba, depending on my mood) for 3 days. Every day at 12pm my robot son has patrolled my apartment, his little brushes whirring merrily as he collects my household detritus. Not a word of complaint has thus far escaped his little robotic lips.

So, how has he performed?In a word: bloody great. I purposefully didn't do a proper hoover before I started using him (iRobot recommend to start froma fresh base of hooveredness-nessness), and he has not dissappointed.

Day 1 - The floors were noticeably cleaaner, but when I put my finger around I saw a few bits of dust and dirt in various places that he didn't have time to get back to before he had to recharge.

Day 2 - Floors were even noticeably cleaner, but still a bit of dust in corners, where again Richba didn't get chance to randomly pass before he needed to go to the charge-a-loo to do his business.

Day 3 - Came home and did a test. Wow, the floors are better than when I do a hoover and take good care. I mean really, even corners etc are free of dirt. I found on a few bits inside some really hard to reach nooks and crannies, but I am being really critical here.

Clearly not only does the Richba do his job, but he really benefits from multiple daily cleanings in order to maximise coverage during his scheduled runs. If I want him to do a specific room that I disallow during the scheduled cleaning (like my bedroom, too many wires due to my poor organizing, I need to tidy them up for it to be Richba safe) then I just plonk him inside and press the "clean" button, and after giving him a playful pat on the rump he then dutifully gets about his business.

I had read reviews so I was expecting it to be good, but honestly it's a ridiculously convenient thing to have, and will mean that my floors (all hardwood and lino) stay clean with minimum effort on my side. Plus, it will have the added benefit of making me keep my floors clean of clutter.

So far I am thinking this is money well spent.

 

[Richdog]

Been thinking about getting one of these (Roomba). I notice people have mentioned about suction, but for most of the dust/dirt in my flat it doesn't need a lot of suction, fluff in carpets will be different but I can always use a conventional one on there when needed.

Edit: Wow, just seen the price of them!

Apparently it does very well on carpets up to medium pile, so just go for it!

 

[Richdog]

Well, I came home today and out of curiousity let Richba go in my bedroom and watched it do it's work (yes, really, it fascinates me like only a time and energy-saving gadget can). In the 30 mins it was doing the cleaning cycle it went into every conceivable place it could physically fit into. It looks so random the way it veers and bumps about, but no matter how much yu think "Hmm, it's missed a spot" it always ends up going to that place eventually. The logic it runs on, while chaotic, seems pretty damn thorough.

I hadn't had my bedroom hoovered in a couple of weeks and now the floors just really feel clean, no fluff on my socks or dust on my bare feet, and I can honestly say that it does a better job than I do with a hoover. Yes, there are parts behind some things that it just cannot reach due to obstacles and furniture, but for the 95% it covers, it really does the job.

Absolutely delighted with the purchase, and I really don't understand how anyone can come out with rubbish like "they are completely useless"or "oversized paper-weights" etc etc.

The facts are that after almost a week of daily use my hardwood and lino floors are visibly and to the touch cleaner than I have seen them in ages, and I would not say that if I genuinely didn't think so, and the proof is right before my eyes. Fantastic little machine, and I don't regret the purchase for a second.

 

[Richdog]

Left it unsupervised to do a scheduled clean today, came home and it's dirt bucket was full and it had returned to it's dock.

Impressed!

The first time roomba pooped and I had to change his plastic nappy I was similarly paternal.

Will be interested to see your thoughts after a week. Did you roombarise the floors in advance, and pick crap up off the floor so it could move unrestricted? I also highly reccommend flipping chairs on desks, restaurant-style, takes 30 secs of your time and will maximise coverage.

I wrote an Amazon review too I was so impressed http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-rev...iewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

 

[Richdog]

Arnie

Has he been chewing on curtain strings?

Other than that, can you give me an update on how you're finding it being a Roomba owner?

 

[Richdog]

Yeah, works a treat. I've not had it get stuck in my kitchen chairs since the first time so I don't know if it learns the room layouts or what.

The only spot it has got caught up in a few times is under my bed. At the end of bed the support is a chrome bar that goes the full width and it gets grounded on there and can't get off it again. Other than that it's doing a great job, my carpets are clean and free of fluff, and as I think you said early I can walk bare foot through my flat and not feel anything underfoot. Just a case of emptying it's bin when I get home from work and leave it to it through the day.

Awesome! I have now reduced mine's schedule to run only on Mondays and Thursdays... seems to be ideal for maintaining my place while reducing wear and tear on the Roomba.

If the Scooba was any good (reviews are pretty average) I'd get one of those too. Maybe the next gen will be better.

 

[Richdog]

You are a diamond.

Made in China.

 

[Richdog]

I can safely say that almost 8 months after posting this thread, that I now could not do without (relatively speaking, this is clearly first-world stuff) my Roomba. My apartment has still never been so clean and dust free, and it has genuinely improved my quality of life with regards to cleaning. Well worth the money.

 

[Richdog]

The Roomba is a vacuum, whereas the Scooba is both a vacuum and wet mop.

A scuba isn't a replacement for a roomba, it doesn't vacuum so well I hear.

 

[Richdog]

I wonder how it would handle the amount of hair my Husky sheds during its 'blowout'

If cleaned daily and not left to collect over multiple days, probably fine. The internals are simply laid-out and easy to clean, and I have seen no clogging yet!

 

[Richdog]

After talking ahout it on here wnd then revisiting this thread yesterday morning I have jusy picked up a new roomba 760 p. Got it for 290 on ebay.

Hes charging at present cant wait to send him on his way, little concerned at what the dog may think though

I highly recommend videoing the dogs initial reaction to the Roomba... judging by Youtube it's often pretty damn hilarious.

 

[Richdog]

So, my Neato Signature Pro is currently wandering around the ground floor (laminated floors) doing it's business.

Initial thoughts are that is it quieter than I expected. We have a Dyson upright vacuum and it is definitely quieter than that. It seems efficient at planning its course through the rooms and seems to cover all areas. I hadn't picked up everything off the floor when I started the cleaning, so it did manage to swallow up a Nokia charger cable and some plastic gloves, but quickly stopped and alerted me to the fact that there was something stuck in the brush.

It didn't seem to recognise the doors and moved to other rooms without finishing the first one. However, I read online that it will come back and finish it off... which it eventually did.

The only disappointment was that it doesn't clean edges as well as I would have expected. It doesn't have side brushes like the Roomba, so this probably isn't a big surprise. At least I know that the Neato will do majority of the work and I just have to go round the edges with a small handheld every now and then.

Sorry, but as I said to my friend who bought a crappy Samsung Navibot (which moves around his apartment like an arthritic pensioner)... there is a good reason that iRobot are the market leaders with their Roomba series...

 

[Richdog]

I believe The roomba shave the best vacum part but the neato's algorithms are better for a consistent coverage. Roomba' sues a more stochastic random walk effect with some spiral and edge detection, Neato's do have a basic mapping algorithm that often works better but can make bigger mistakes. The roomba will always clean everywhere due to its random walk, but it might take significantly longer. The upshot is the roomba will cover the same areas multiple times improving the clean but taking longer to get the job done.


It is also possible to reprogram the roomba., which is why I got one. We used roombas for course work in some of the robotics classes I taught.

The Roomba is better overall... I'll take fuzzy logic that eventually goes everywhere yet provides greater cleaning and coverage any time of the week. Also the side brushes are an asset.