Cleaning robots - http://ironbound.snradventure.com

Editor's picks

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  iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, Black and Silver

  Home (iRobot)
  

  Rating (748 reviews):

  (3.7/5)

  

  Great but not perfect ***Downgraded Star Rating***

  My wife and I decided to get one of these because our 8 month old son is about to start crawling. While we try and keep our floors clean, our beagle has other thoughts as she sheds all over the place. We went with the latest 560 model as it has just about everything we would want with a product like this. It works as advertised and we will definitley keep it but there are some areas that need improvement. Here is a quick breakdown of the pros and consPros1. Quieter than a standard vaccuum2. Seems to learn the room dimensions quickly. The virtual walls and lighthouse feature are very nice.3. Is "smart" enough to avoid getting tangled in our area rugs4. Obviously easy to use as it is just a push of a button (or even better when you program it)5. Can use everyday to keep the floors spotless6. Have successfully used it on hard wood, vinyl, carpet and (accidently) concrete7. Cleans under... 4/5 M. Kelley "mpkelley20" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews, September 16, 2007

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  A Worthy Successor to the Roomba Line

  We have two Roombas plus a Scooba in our house. When one of the batteries on one of our Roombas finally reached the end of its life cycle, we decided to donate that Roomba to a friend and to get ourselves the new top of the line - the Roomba 560. We got this right when it first came out, but we waited several months before posting a review. It's pretty much impossible to review one of these Roombas after only a few days! It takes weeks if not months to start to see how well they last over time, and what breaks down. Believe me - been there, done that.So now it's many months later, and I have to say, we are quite pleased with the improvements of this Roomba over the previous generations of Roombas. So first, for those who don't even have ANY Roomba yet (hard to believe!). Roombas are awesome. We have cats, and we work from home so we're home all day. It is AMAZING how much dirt and dust and junk collects in the carpet every single day. Who really has time to vacuum their... 5/5 Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast" - See all my reviews, December 12, 2007

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  Beware of the "new" Roomba 560 now only for single room (updated review)

  UPDATE 12/19/2011My review in late 2007 describing the red side brush "amputee" problem and poor customer support is still the highest rated critical response on Amazon. Because of that experience, the recounting of which is in the original review appended below after this update, I had not bought an iRobot product in over four years. Now I have bought two "new" 560s, which arrived today (more about "new" below). This update is primarily for (i) previous owners of a 560 that are contemplating buying a "new" 560 or (ii) those that have information on the original 560 and mistakenly believe that this is what they will get if they order a "new" 560.If it were not for the problems discussed in this update, I would raise my rating to 3.5 stars. Once again, I think iRobot may be shooting itself in the foot. And what upsets me is that I really want to see this company succeed.By way of disclosure I have owned several of every generation of Roomba. I... 2/5 Matrixunloaded (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, Black and Silver (Kitchen) UPDATE 12/19/2011My review in late 2007 describing the red side brush "amputee" problem and poor customer support is still the highest rated critical response on Amazon. Because of that experience, the recounting of which is in the original review appended below after this update, I had not bought an iRobot product in over four years. Now I have bought two "new" 560s, which arrived today (more about "new" below). This update is primarily for (i) previous owners of a 560 that are contemplating buying a "new" 560 or (ii) those that have information on the original 560 and mistakenly believe that this is what they will get if they order a "new" 560.If it were not for the problems discussed in this update, I would raise my rating to 3.5 stars. Once again, I think iRobot may be shooting itself in the foot. And what upsets me is that I really want to see this company succeed.By way of disclosure I have owned several of every generation of Roomba. I... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , November 20, 2007

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  List Price: $449.99
  

  Easy-to-empty bagless dustbin; fine-filtration system traps allergens

  Anti-tangle technology; gentle-touch bumper system; built-in cliff sensors

  Measures 16-3/4 by 21 by 5 inches; 1-year limited warranty

  Self-charging Home Base, 2 Auto Virtual Walls, an extra filter, and more included

  Vacuuming robot picks up dirt and debris with the touch of a button

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  iRobot 530 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, White

  Home (iRobot)
  

  Rating (365 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  New Roomba vs. Old

  If you are new to Roomba, you will wonder if it is worthwhile. The answer is clearly YES, since anything it cleans is that much less for you to clean. However, which is better, the old (and cheaper) Roomba, or the new models like the 530?First, the 530 comes with the charging/base station, and this is very useful. I have placed this in the entranceway which leads into the livingroom, the kitchen or the bedroom. Using the virtual walls (included), I block off rooms so that it can only do the entranceway + 1 other room. I simply press the "Clean" button, and it backs itself off the charging stand and then spends the next 2 hours cleaning, finally returning to the charging stand. Nice!Should you upgrade from an older model Roomba (I now use my old Roomba upstairs)? It depends on your situation. By-the-way, the old virtual walls do NOT work with the new Roomba.New Roomba:Fall down stairs? NeverClimb onto thick throw rugs... 4/5 D. C. Eaton (Avon, IN United States) - See all my reviews, December 1, 2007

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  It's Like a Beloved Pet Who MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER

  Awesome. This new generation fixes all the problems of the previous. Much smarter, much bigger dust bin, much better in every way. Great that it self-docks when tired. Maintanence is a snap...really could not be easier/faster. There are some negatives - how could there not be? - but this thing has such a contagious personality that it starts feeling like your pet, and you're inclined to forgive, and even find the faults charming.You have to prep the room (cords up and out of the way, no papers or clutter on the floor, move small items out of the room and learn which objects present problems and get them out of the way). Performance varies on throw rugs (it's great on rug/carpet surfaces themselves, but Roomba can get caught up as it travels over edges of throw rugs that don't have much weight or cling). It's good at slowing down and banging objects gently, but less so on narrow vertical objects (e.g. piano legs), which it really clunks (not enough to damage, but it will... 5/5 New Yawkuh "New Yawkuh" (Queens, NY United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: iRobot 530 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, White (Kitchen) Awesome. This new generation fixes all the problems of the previous. Much smarter, much bigger dust bin, much better in every way. Great that it self-docks when tired. Maintanence is a snap...really could not be easier/faster. There are some negatives - how could there not be? - but this thing has such a contagious personality that it starts feeling like your pet, and you're inclined to forgive, and even find the faults charming.You have to prep the room (cords up and out of the way, no papers or clutter on the floor, move small items out of the room and learn which objects present problems and get them out of the way). Performance varies on throw rugs (it's great on rug/carpet surfaces themselves, but Roomba can get caught up as it travels over edges of throw rugs that don't have much weight or cling). It's good at slowing down and banging objects gently, but less so on narrow vertical objects (e.g. piano legs), which it really clunks (not enough to damage, but it will... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , October 11, 2007

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  A Great Product Made Even Better

  With two dogs in the house we could not live without our Roomba. The 530 is a vast improvement from earlier models. It seems to pick up more dirt, the battery life is longer, the fast-charge is about 33% more rapid than its Discovery predecessors and it is generally more quiet.The new sensors that prevent the robot from "speed-bumping" into furniture are a very nice touch, but beware if the robot is in a tight area, it may appear sluggish -- the sensors are working to continually slow it down. It's a feature I like, but need to get used to.My only concern with this robot is the high cost of parts. The bot itself is cheaper than earlier models but the components most prone to breakage or wear-out are twice the cost so the lifetime operation costs may be higher. Replacement batteries are nearly $100. Earlier models were $50.ONE MONTH LATER ....This is a slight amend to my review above. Having used it for a month a couple points of... 5/5 damg1 "damg" (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews This review is from: iRobot 530 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, White (Kitchen) With two dogs in the house we could not live without our Roomba. The 530 is a vast improvement from earlier models. It seems to pick up more dirt, the battery life is longer, the fast-charge is about 33% more rapid than its Discovery predecessors and it is generally more quiet.The new sensors that prevent the robot from "speed-bumping" into furniture are a very nice touch, but beware if the robot is in a tight area, it may appear sluggish -- the sensors are working to continually slow it down. It's a feature I like, but need to get used to.My only concern with this robot is the high cost of parts. The bot itself is cheaper than earlier models but the components most prone to breakage or wear-out are twice the cost so the lifetime operation costs may be higher. Replacement batteries are nearly $100. Earlier models were $50.ONE MONTH LATER ....This is a slight amend to my review above. Having used it for a month a couple points of... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , September 12, 2007

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  List Price: $299.99
  

  Easy-to-empty bagless dustbin; fine-filtration system traps allergens

  Vacuuming robot picks up dirt and debris with the touch of a button

  Anti-tangle technology; gentle-touch bumper system; built-in cliff sensors

  Self-charging Home Base, 2 Virtual Walls, an extra filter, and more included

  Measures 16-3/4 by 21 by 5 inches; 1-year limited warranty

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  Irobot Roomba 562 Pet Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot

  Home (iRobot)
  

  Rating (127 reviews):

  (4.2/5)

  

  Still Happy and Content

  We've had our Roomba since January 2010 and approx. 6 months later, I still love it and am really glad we made the purchase. It took a little convincing for me to get my husband to agree with the purchase, but now he calls it "his vacuum", and likes to show it off to our friends and family when they come over. For us, it really has reduced my weekly in-house workload. With two cats in the house, birds, bunny, and a dog, pet hair gets tracked throughout the house. With two young children, our kitchen (hardwood floors) gets nibblets of food all over the floor. Setting the vacuum up to focus on one room (by using the virtual walls) makes a big difference. Frequently ours is venturing throughout the entire house.The only problem we occasionally have is when it gets stuck under our china cabinet, or stuck while trying to suck up a toy that was left behind, or shoelaces hanging off a shoe left out. All very minor issues. I will say, it's a bit odd, when in the middle of... 5/5 S. Long - See all my reviews, July 15, 2010

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  Note that bins are interchangeable, not used concurrently

  I've had quite a few Roomba cleaning robots, and was interested in the 562 because it's advertised as being new and different for homes with pets. Experienced "Roomba" users should note (as I failed to) that the new bin advertised for the pet model is simply a different bin that's used place of the normal one (as opposed to a secondary bin that's used concurrently, as I'd incorrectly assumed). The sweeper bin can be used in place of the normal bin, and seems to disables the vacuum functionality, making the Roomba a sweeping robot.The Achilles Heel of this robot (as with all Roomba floor-cleaning robots) is the constant need to clean the machine's brushes. We're not talking once every few days here--we're talking 1-2 times per cleaning cycle. You don't set the Roomba to clean while you're at work and expect it to be done when you get home. You learn to expect to find it in the middle of the floor, requiring a brush cleaning before it can continue. And ultimately--after a... 4/5 Jonathan K. Perkins (Harbor City, CA, USA) - See all my reviews, September 19, 2010

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  Doggie Roomba

  Our Roomba is really part of the family. We call him Paco (don't know why, it just seems to fit). We have four (4) dogs, two long hair and two short hair. Without Paco, it is impossible to keep up with the hair and dirt they bring in. By running Paco every other day, we manage to keep the hair to a minimum, even under the beds where cleaning is nearly impossible. Cleaning Paco up is easy if you have the right tools. My problems with the Roomba (my third one) is that it is impossible to get a person on the phone or on line. Emails to iRobot are generally answered within 30-45 days which is also a problem. They send extra brushes, sweeps, etc., with the robot which helps but I keep an old comb, a small screwdriver, a hemostat, and an old toothbrush to clean Paco. I'm hoping that this one lasts longer than the other two. 5/5 Dennis A. Cox (Jacksonville, FL, US) - See all my reviews, May 20, 2010

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  List Price: $0.00
  

  Features the latest irobot roomba innovations with unprecedented efficiency coverage and cleaning performance

  Reaches deep into your carpet to remove dirt dust and pet hair

  Cleans up to four rooms on a single battery charge

  Includes a set of replaceable brushes, two extra filters and two brush cleaning tools

  Two interchangeable cleaning bins provide the option for everyday vacuuming or heavy duty cleaning in hairier and dirtier areas.

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  iRobot Roomba 5th Generation Vacuum Cleaning Robot

  Home (iRobot)
  

  Rating (15 reviews):

  (4.5/5)

  

  Excellent Product

  I am delighted with my Roomba 540 for what I expected it to do-- it's actually a bit better than expected so far, though I have not yet owned it long enough to rate longevity/reliability. I have two small boys (7 and 5) and two cats (one long-haired) and I decided to use the Roomba upstairs rather than downstairs-- it is easier to control the clutter upstairs in our house, and therefore more practical for our use to use it up there on a routine basis.Roomba vacuumed under a challenging queen bed, navigating over some cords, between two underbed boxes and six box-spring support pillars, and still getting out to the edge of the baseboard under the head of the bed-- great since I don't exactly move an oak bed around very often. Roomba covered the floorplan of a fairly complicated floor layout completely in the MBR, found the MBath, and cleaned up the tile floor very well, navigated back out (not using the included lighthouse yet) and discovered the hallway and one of the... 5/5 J. Driscoll - See all my reviews, September 10, 2008

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  It Sucks! (sorry, vacuum humor)

  I did a lot of research on the Roomba 500 series here on Amazon, and was finally convinced this could be the solution to our huge pet fur problem. I ended up buying the Roomba 540 at Sam's club instead of here on Amazon, but since it is the same model, I thought I'd offer my review. I've been using it daily for about a month now and here are my observations:Pros:Seems to do a really good job vacuuming our living room (carpet) and kitchen (hardwood) in one shot.It almost always finds it's charging station at the end, and even sings a little happy song when it does.Has not once gotten tangled or hung up on anythingIt's low enough that it fits under all our furniture, including couches, which is nice.The little spinning side brush really pulls in debris from the cornersIt slows down before it bumps into stuff. Like when it approached the flap on the couch, it slows down and then tries to gently push through. If it encounters a leg or... 5/5 J. DeSilva (Minnesota) - See all my reviews, December 1, 2009

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  Love it!

  Love it, Love it, Love it!I read mixed reviews about the Roomba from several sites as well as love it/hate it stories from co-workers. Hence, I was skeptical about spending money on something that was either hated or loved by others. I took a leap of faith and bought it!I've had it for 3 months now and use it about 3 X a week. I own 2 dogs, one of them sheds a lot! The roomba has been a blessing for me. Not only does it do the job of cleaning my tiled floors by itself, it actually does it better than I do. My husband and I were amazed at how well it cleaned. I had my mother in law over for Thanksgiving and she was equally amazed at the job it did. I haven't tried it on carpet. It might be a different experience all together and I'm guessing this is were the problem comes for dissatisfied customers. In regard to other reviews, I don't find any of the maintenance on this little vacuum an inconvenience. Yes, we have to empty the dirt from the... 5/5 A. Curlee "Ajaxnmiami" (Ajaxnmiami) - See all my reviews, January 1, 2010

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  Virtual Wall Lighthouse keeps Roomba cleaning in one room, then guides it to the next

  Robot intelligence easily cleans hard to reach places, under beds and around furniture.

  Self-adjusting cleaning head automatically adjusts to cleam carpets to hard floors.

  Senses dirtier areas and cleans more thoroughly in those spots. Side brush reaches into corners and along edges to remove dust, dirt and debris.

  Automatically returns to its Home Base to recharge between cleanings.

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  Infinuvo CleanMate Robot Vacuum with Scheduler & Home Base QQ-2 PLUS

  Home (Metapo)
  

  Rating (5 reviews):

  (3.0/5)

  

  Great choice

  This little robot vacuum is wonderful. I use it in my kitchen while I'm loading the dishwasher and suddenly I'm twice as productive!It does get stuck sometimes on shaggy rugs and underneath cabinets in the kitchen but you can see it trying to wiggle its way out, and sometimes it succeeds. Definitely a terrific and more reasonable alternative to the more popular choices out there for robot vacuums. 5/5 C. Hussain "cchwhere" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews, September 3, 2011

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  Satisfied

  I only have hardwood floors and for the money this guy does a great job. My roommate has a long hair cat that spends most of the day spreading a fine layer of white cat hair all over the living room and kitchen floor. I needed something to be just as diligent picking this hair up. Now, every workday (you can program it not to operate during the weekend) at noon this little guy springs into action and bumps blindly around for 20 min collecting all the hair as well as dust, dirt, crumbs and cheerios before parking itself back at its base. Once a week I empty the bin which is always FULL of stuff. For the price, love it. I'm getting another one for the bedroom. The detachable remote is great for telling it to take the day off if you happen to be home and don't want the noise. The only improvement I can think of is being better at finding its base. It often takes the long way home... 4/5 Brian Patrick Kennedy "phox" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews, January 20, 2012

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  Terrible Battery

  I purchased this item from another online retailer and was initially very happy with the purchase. We have three dogs so there is a lot of dog hair in my house. This unit did a pretty good job picking up all the hair. It did get stuck on occasion but we expected that so it was no big deal. After about 4 months of daily use, the battery died. The unit has enough juice to work for about 1 minute, then it goes searching for the base to charge.Searching online for a replacement battery is fruitless, they are out of stock every where you look, even at the Metapo site. IMO these should no longer be on the market if you can't purchase replacement batteries. 2/5 ReallyBigK - See all my reviews This review is from: Infinuvo CleanMate Robot Vacuum with Scheduler & Home Base QQ-2 PLUS (Kitchen) I purchased this item from another online retailer and was initially very happy with the purchase. We have three dogs so there is a lot of dog hair in my house. This unit did a pretty good job picking up all the hair. It did get stuck on occasion but we expected that so it was no big deal. After about 4 months of daily use, the battery died. The unit has enough juice to work for about 1 minute, then it goes searching for the base to charge.Searching online for a replacement battery is fruitless, they are out of stock every where you look, even at the Metapo site. IMO these should no longer be on the market if you can't purchase replacement batteries. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , March 18, 2012

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  List Price: $239.99
  Price: $179.00
  You Save: $60.99 (25%)

  UV light provides disinfection while vacuuming

  Automatically returns to home docking base for recharging when battery is low

  Resume cleaning after battery is fully charged on the base

  Five-step cleaning pattterns provides the most effective way to clean your rooms

  Set up your own daily cleaning schedule for up to 7 days a week

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  iRobot 44001 Roomba Vacuum-Cleaning Robot

  Home (iRobot)
  

  Rating (35 reviews):

  (3.9/5)

  

  Happy.

  I just sent my roomba 440 off on its first assignment, clean my 750 sq ft apt! I am surprised at well this little robot is cleaning the floor, its no deep clean mind you but its picking up a ton of stuff! I have already emptied the bin twice. On the down side the roomba has gotten stuck about 6 times now, so i would recommend that you watch it carefully the first time you use it, plus it will let you know with a chime when its stuck and gives up on freeing itself. The run time is about 1 hr, which is enough time for this roomba to go over my entire apartment twice, at the moment its headed back into my bedroom for the 4th time. Just died! Ran from 8:10am to 9:21am. I can't wait to give it another charge and set it free before i head out for work in the morning, after i fix its little favorite places to get stuck.Pros:-Obviously cleans so you don't have to.-Highly entertaining!-Picks up lots of stuff from the carpet/tile/vinyl-**Cleans under places i... 5/5 Nicholas Clay (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews, July 11, 2010

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  It's a Very Love Hate Relationship

  I got my Roomba for Christmas the year before last and once I got over my initial hurt feelings about getting a vacuum as my big suprise, I really loved it. It did an awesome job of keeping our floors clean and was able to get under pieces of furniture which were really hard work before. I have two dogs, a cat and two small children and it was able to handle that. I had just had my second child and so the roomba was such a help, when nothing else was getting done, the floors still always looked clean. I think it's a great appliance for anyone who has just had a baby. I also really appreciate it when we have guests over as I could be cooking or whatever else while the floors were getting vacuumed, it feels like an extra pair of hands. I do need to use our old vacuum to go around the edges of the carpet every month or so.Unfortunately after 5 months it stopped working. I contacted customer service who were really slow and would email every couple of days to get me to try... 4/5 Helen E. Echols - See all my reviews, August 30, 2010

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  They Die Fast

  I love the concept. They just aren't reliable enough for me. I went through 3 in 3 months. The first one had a bad battery. The second one started going in circles after 2 weeks. The third one stopped picking up dirt. The gears that turn the brushes stopped working. Never figured out why. I generally have a very clean home. So, it wasn't operator error. I still want one... but I want one that is going to last. I was happy with the cleaning it did. They are kind of noisy. They bang into everything in order to change direction (at least until they learn the floor plan). I loved the remote, the docking station that it parks itself in when it needs a charge. Irobot, I still have all the accessories. It's time you pony up and make them so they last! 1/5 My Honest Opinion (USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: iRobot 44001 Roomba Vacuum-Cleaning Robot (Kitchen) I love the concept. They just aren't reliable enough for me. I went through 3 in 3 months. The first one had a bad battery. The second one started going in circles after 2 weeks. The third one stopped picking up dirt. The gears that turn the brushes stopped working. Never figured out why. I generally have a very clean home. So, it wasn't operator error. I still want one... but I want one that is going to last. I was happy with the cleaning it did. They are kind of noisy. They bang into everything in order to change direction (at least until they learn the floor plan). I loved the remote, the docking station that it parks itself in when it needs a charge. Irobot, I still have all the accessories. It's time you pony up and make them so they last! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , July 31, 2010

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  List Price: $199.99
  

  Counter-rotating brushes; dirt sensor; Spot mode; gentle-touch bumper system

  Includes 2 virtual walls, power supply, rechargeable battery, extra filter, and brush cleaning tool

  Measures approximately 13-1/5 by 13-1/5 by 3-1/5 inches; 1-year limited warranty

  Cleans hard-to-reach areas; built-in cliff sensors and virtual-wall system

  Vacuuming robot for any type of hard-surface floor and low- to medium-pile carpet

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