Robot Vacuum Cleaners?

[Nobody Famous]

Any opinions or reviews?

Have been thinking about one for a living room/dining room with hardwood floors.

The new, high end models have on board cameras presumably so when you're away from the house you can see the vacuum doing its thing under tables and sofas.

[MakersTeleMark]

pm Beaver.

[mall walker]

we got a cheaper one on amazon. it's not bad, no substitute for a legit vacuum especially if you have pet hair, but you can set it to go on its own every day which means you stay incrementally cleaner.

curious how the really fancy ones do, but I'm pleased with ours.

[toast2266]

Got a cheap-ish roomba from Costco a few years back. It's not a particularly well put together piece of equipment. The bearings all need replacing (they squeal) and we've replaced the batteries and some other parts of it. I'd say the lifespan of those things is a few years at most (assuming it's running a few times a week). Maybe the more expensive ones last longer?

But functionally, it's awesome. Not a substitute for a real vacuum, but it keeps the house noticeably cleaner, and means real vacuuming needs to happen much less often. I'm always impressed at how much stuff it picks up every time it runs (a few times a week, while we're at work).

[nickwm21]

We have a cheap roomba. It’s worth it, it helps keep up with the crumbs and dog hair.

Our house is broken up with steps and different flooring types... Due to our house, every few days we just plop it in a different room and turn it on as we leave for work.

if you had a house with zero steps you could probably go to a high end / programmable roomba, set it up right, let it run automatically and only use a traditional vacuum less than 10 times a year.


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[AK47bp]

Been using the same iRobot Roomba for 5yrs now. Replaced the battery and replaced the brush a couple times. Still works great. I have 2 cats, fluffy dog, 5yr old, and a human wife.

If you do it just get an iRobot. Think they are around $300 for the cheapest model.





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[::: :::]

I felt like we spent more time setting up so the thing could do its job than we would if we just cleaned (roomba)

Putting sled-base chairs on tables
Picking up dog toys
Closing doors to rooms it can’t go into
Resetting it when it decides to only clean the 3ft in one corner
Rescuing it if it gets hung up on a thicker carpet or the sloped saarinen table base
Helping it get home when it beeps out of battery
Cleaning the dog hair out of the axles and the vacuum opening (don’t pretend it deals with dog hair without some cleanup work to keep it working properly)

Just wasn’t worth it

[concretejungle]

I felt like we spent more time setting up so the thing could do its job than we would if we just cleaned (roomba)

Putting sled-base chairs on tables
Picking up dog toys
Closing doors to rooms it can’t go into
Resetting it when it decides to only clean the 3ft in one corner
Rescuing it if it gets hung up on a thicker carpet or the sloped saarinen table base
Helping it get home when it beeps out of battery
Cleaning the dog hair out of the axles and the vacuum opening (don’t pretend it deals with dog hair without some cleanup work to keep it working properly)

Just wasn’t worth it

This, it's fine but you really should evaluate what it can do and what is in it's way. Fucking thing gets hung up on the same fucking ottoman like five times an hour. Unfortunately the dog died and there is a lot less dog hair around but I'm not sure they're worth it depending on how your house is set up. Also, not my experience but, make sure your dog doesn't vomit ever.

[AK47bp]

I know all the spots mine gets stuck and it takes about 30 seconds to block the 4 known trouble spots. I’m minimalist so not much around so a cluttered home would be more work to prep.


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[rideit]

The way I described my view of our Roomba to my wife is that it “was like chewing on a piece of gum instead of actually brushing your teeth”
Hope that helps!

[AK47bp]

70% of the time it works every time.


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[CaliBrit]

Botvac

[eSock]

Got an anker robovac in 2016, it was low profile and kept the carpet looking semi presentable. It was pretty quiet and didn't require too much upkeep besides cleaning out the rollers occasionally and picking up loose cat toys/random objects on the floor. It started crapping out and couldn't handle the main floor recently so it got moved upstairs and still cleans up a little area from time to time when I remember it exists.

Got a new irobot roomba 675 this winter and kinda wish I could've returned it. It's much bulkier, albeit more powerful, but the catch basket is still pretty small so it just gets filled up quick. It gets stuck a lot more, can't fit under furniture and usually doesn't get the full floor cleaned before it's battery runs out. Oh and it's loud as hell. Hardly use it vs just vacuuming the floor myself.

If you're just looking for something to touch up an area that doesn't require a lot of attention anyways (pick up, blocking areas, etc) then it's a nice investment, but otherwise not really worth it.

[UCMERIP]

I had a Botvac D got 3 years. It worked well. The battery needed replacement annually. Quieter than the Roomba, larger dust bin, but the replacement batteries were speedy and were the deal breaker.

I’ve had the Roomba 960 for a year. So far s good. Only one minor complaint. We have tile in the main living areas with a large shaggy area rug in the LR. The Roomba will not go from the tile to the rug. The Botvac would make the trip.

Occasionally the Roomba will get lost and not return to recharge. I just soft reset the unit, unplug the base and replug. Things go well from that point.

Dust bin is small on the Roomba but we run it once a week and empty when we get home that evening.

Both get where you wouldn’t effectively clean. Other than a weekly clean of the aforementioned area rug, we use the hand held about once a month.

[jmills]

We have a Roomba from Costco and use it on a level that is hardwood and tile. It does a good job with pet hair but struggles to get back on the base to charge. I hit the contact points with a scotch brute pad once a week and that helps.

[taoslcl]

We got a Roborock S5 on prime day and it's been great. Has all the high end features of a $1000 Roomba and I think we paid $360 for it. The mapping works really well and it cleans in a nice pattern vs bumping around blindly. We have one dog and run it 2-3x/week and the bin is full every time.

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[Roofgangster]

I use iRobot Roomba. It is the best investment of money for your home. It will help to save your time.

[rideit]

What?
You ARE a bot?
Ironic!

[jackattack]

I use iRobot Roomba. It is the best investment of money for your home. It will help to save your time.

no shit?

[plugboots]

It is the best [/COLOR]investment of money for your home. It will help to save your time.

I’m kinda drunk and tired, but JHC this made me laugh.

[Core Shot]

So you need to vacuum your robots?

So confused

[Obstruction]

I’m holding out until this one comes on the market.

[AK47bp]

I’ve been pondering the robot mop. Dam dog in and out of the yard all day I constantly have paw prints on the hardwood.


https://www.irobot.com/braava


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[Boissal]

I’ve been pondering the robot mop. Dam dog in and out of the yard all day I constantly have paw prints on the hardwood.


https://www.irobot.com/braava

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Worth it. We have a non-iRobot brand and use it primarily to control the mess around the doggie door (4 cats + 1 dog) and the adjoining rooms. It does a fantastic job with paw prints. Combined with the roomba it gives us a chance to go up to 5 days between major cleanings. The downside is that once you have both your house is permanently in a ready-to-be-cleaned state with every chair up on the table and nothing on the ground. We basically pull the chairs down to eat and put them back up when we're done.

[AK47bp]

Good to know.

My living room is carpet but my kitchen and hallway are wood. The braava looks small enough to clean around the chair legs without pulling them up.


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