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Does anybody here use any Irobot vacuum cleaners?

930 views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  Marlin Guy 
#1 ·
I just got my second a few days ago, an Irobot 560. My brother has an older series model, works great for hardwood, not so much carpet...

A couple years back I got a 530 (the non scheduler type) from BedBath&Beyond for $100 off during black friday...

The thing worked excellent, gets into the floors, takes cat hair away. Whats ironic is that the old normal vacuums didn't, but took normal objects sitting on the floor away better (Of course, I have one of those really crappy 5 piece irobot brushes, the type that break easily and don't do much of anything, so all the device really does currently is... suck up things with a big mouth).

I also gave the device a nickname, Dog (The Half Life 2 robot)

Anyway, I still liked the device enough to get another, and it came with the more advanced lighthouse devices. It's also a scheduler, with one time you can set for each day of the week.

I'm calling this one Tesla (After Nikola Tesla).

Here is Tesla:



And Dog has been moved upstairs:



Here is what Tesla has picked up the last few days:



No it didn't pick up those boxes, it picked up large amounts of pet hair. Anyone who has pets, esp. the type that shed ALOT, can attest to huge messes. I don't want to sound like an Irobot salesman, but this is the best pet hair pickup device I've ever had.
 
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#2 ·
We have SB5, which was short for SeeBass, which was shortened from Sebastian which was my kids name for "SB1".

SB1, SB2 and SB4 are RIP. SB3 and SB5 are currently operational. All of ours are 4000 series models (Discovery), not the latest and greatest 5000 series that you show. We had one 5000 series, maybe SB4, but he was sent back to roomba due to multiple problems in the first 30 days. We lost SB2 to a terrible second floor accident -- its "cliff sensor" went out, so it went right off the second floor balcony.......

We have berber-ish carpet, so it's low, so the SBs do a good job. We use a regular vacuum to clean out the SBs after each mission, only takes about 2 minutes. And about twice a year, we have to dismantle and do a deep clean on our robots. Currently SB5 is making an awful noise and won't finish its mission, so am thinking it is time for a deep cleaning. We evn use ours in the utility room and on the back porch, so they get lots and lots of use. We definately use our SBs way more than we ever used a regular vac, and the house stays cleaner as a result.

The big plusses of the irobots are:

They are cheap entertainment, we sit and watch the 2 units fight it out bumping into each other, etc.

You don't have to push a vacuum

They get under furniture and into spots that might get missed with a regular vac

They clean up hard floors really great as well (I HATE SWEEPING)

They can vacuum way more often than you would do with a regular vac (SB4 runs daily on the entire downstairs) which is great because our kids, their multiple friends, and various other critters seem to track dirt in the kitchen constantly.

The minuses of the robots are:
They do need regular TLC, like taking about 2 minutes with a regular vac to clean out the roomba.

They need a lot of TLC about twice a year, including opening the unit up and vacing or shooting a can of air in every nook and cranny.

They don't do stairs.

You cannot have any loose clothes, plastic bags, etc on the floor or the roomba will get tangled up in it.

You have to remember to recharge if it doesn't make it back to the charging station.

The batteries last about 2 years at best.

We have gone through several of these little guys, although SB3 has been a little workhorse and lasted longer than all our other roombas combined. I got an aftermarket battery for SB3 when the original battery died and now SB3 can vacuum for about an hour and a half before rturning to recharge, whereas before it would about 40 minutes. They really are not for everyone, but for someone who understands the pros and cons, they can be a lot of fun.

Later, Lee
 
#3 ·
I love mine. Right now I'm on my second Roomba Red (the basic model). The first one just simply wore out. If you use these things a lot, they will only last a year or two. Kind of frustrating actually. They do clean pretty good though and are great for getting under furniture.
 
#4 ·
Chris Blount said:
I love mine. Right now I'm on my second Roomba Red (the basic model). The first one just simply wore out. If you use these things a lot, they will only last a year or two. Kind of frustrating actually. They do clean pretty good though and are great for getting under furniture.
I've never heard that. My brother has had his original for years now, works beautifully, and my 500 series robots have much better build quality.
 
#5 ·
Your experiences are both interesting and educational. Perhaps I'll buy one the next time they show up on Woot! :D
 
#8 ·
My Mom has one for her condo in which surprised me since she kept her previous home at Cleanroom Class 100 standards. She says the iRobot works so-so but she doesn't make me don a bunny suit when I visit her now.

Off topic:

Surprised Apple hasn't tried to grab the iRobot name. They were able to snatch iPhone from Cisco but that was a different scenario. Like to see Apple try to grab intel.

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#10 ·
kokishin said:
Surprised Apple hasn't tried to grab the iRobot name. They were able to snatch iPhone from Cisco but that was a different scenario. Like to see Apple try to grab intel.
Maybe Apple is smart enough not to go after a company that contracts with the government for military defense :lol:
 
#11 ·
We have one that was originally bought for the hardwoods, then our 8 month old decided it was a toy and has figured out a way to chase it into a corner and pound on it until it makes that great sound (powering down). It is fun and entertaining as well as a great time saver and baby exerciser
 
#14 ·
I've got three of these and they are great! Some advice for those you looking to purchase one of these... Buy from Hammacher-Schlemmer, you get a lifetime warranty... I bought the top end scheduler from them about 2.5 years ago. It ran great for a little under two years. I can't recall what went wrong with it now, but I called H-S and I paid $80 to upgrade to the current top end scheduler (the model I originally purchased was discontinued). Our new Roombi works hard 5 days a week, and when something goes wrong with her, H-S will send us another. You can definitely find it cheaper, but something will go wrong at some point, and then you'll have to decide if you want to shell out the money for another.
 
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