Model: Discovery
Manufacturer: iRobot
My husband got me the Roomba 6 years ago, because I have a very bad back and vacuuming hurt me so bad it would take me 4 days to do our house (2000 sq ft). Ever since the first time I used it, I have been thrilled with it. It does an even better job than my big vacuum does, gets along the walls beautifully and under most furniture where my big one won't go at all.
The virtual walls that come with it keep it confined to the area I want it to clean. And best of all I don't have to do anything other than set up the virtual walls and use the remote to get the Roomba going. I can either go about doing other things while it does my vacuuming for me, or what I usually do is start it just before I go to bed and it works while I sleep.
Then in the morning I only have to pick up the virtual walls. The Roomba puts itself back on the charger. My pets didn't have a bit of trouble getting used to it. Now when I start it, my dogs know to gather up their toys and move them to a different room. I love my Roomba. And I'm looking forward to getting a Scooba to mop my kitchen floor for me, too.
By Cricket from Parkton, NC
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
My parents have a Roomba and they really love it.
Thanks for the review of the Roomba. I always wondered how they did. I have a friend in another state who is going thru cancer and during her radiation treatments she is not up to doing her housework and hates any of her company to see her place not vacuumed.
We received a Roomba for a present and it picks up cat hair pretty well. The kitties sneak around and watch it from afar as it works. It's my new favorite gadget. I just empty it when it's done. It cleans the living room, dining room and kitchen in one session, making the housekeeping much easier. So far it works great and I run it at least once a day, sometimes twice during shedding season.
I love the Roomba but wish that the battery stayed charged longer. I ordered a new battery pack that you can recharge but they don't last long.
It really cleans my wood floors well. Not so well on carpet.
I just turn it on go to work and my den floor is clean when I get home.
I always did wonder about what people thought of this! Thanks for posting and I may get me one of them.
How long will it run before you have to empty it? Looks to small on T.V. to run in our 780 sq.foot home.
GG Vi
How long the battery will go depends on the setting you put it on. The Roomba has 3 settings: Spot, Clean and Max. I never use the Spot setting. Normally I use the Clean setting. But once a week I'll put it on Max. On Clean, it'll go for about 3 hours, and will do a very good job on my living room which is about 20'x20'. When I put it on Max I usually have it do a smaller section (I divide the living room into 3 sections and do one at at time, or do one bedroom at a time) and let it go.
Kimber, if your battery isn't lasting as long as it should, contact iRobot. They are the easiest people to deal with, as far as their customer service. I have never dealt with another company's customer service that was as "customer friendly" as iRobot is. They are great and will do everything possible to assist you and resolve your problem. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent you a replacement battery at no charge.
Maggiemay, I can't think of another product of any type that would be more appreciated for your friend than a Roomba! You must be one fantastic friend to think of getting her one of these. She will thank you forever for it.
One suggestikon that I forgot to add. The virtual walls will go thru some batteries. Each one uses 2 D cells. I keep a charger close to my Roomba's base and every morning when I'm picking up the virtual walls, I take the batteries out and put them in the charger. It's saved us tons of money!
Check out the website everyone! They are coming out with more and more fantastic robots all the time! It's iRobot.com.
Update!
I recently updated my Roomba. This is another good thing about this company. If you already own a Roomba, they will update it at a huge discount. I saved approx. 40% off the cost of my new one.
I upgraded to the Roomba 560. The virtual walls on this one don't have to be picked up every day. I set them where I want them and leave them there. Then I programmed the Roomba to run every night at midnight. When it starts, the walls turn themselves on and stay on till the Roomba is finished and returns to base, at which time the walls turn themselves off. I've had the new one now for a little over a month and have not had to replace the batteries in the walls yet, which is saving me money there (since my battery charger died I'm back to regular batteries till I can get a new one that works).
I have hade the Roomba pet version for over 3 years. Have not had to run the regular vacuum since. I empty the bin, change the brushes, and run the filter through the dishwasher every day. I keep extra brushes and filters on hand at all times. My house rabbit is very used to Roomba. I put Roomba on the porch once a week, and she does a good job there as well as the rest of the house. We also have Looj to clean out our gutters.
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
