Roomba - Does this thing suck or what?

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by Teufelshund

No they're not.

*picks cat hair from coffee mug*

as I pick cat hair off my shirt.

[Ickdeep]

I'm debating getting one as well. I have two short hair cats (so no hair ball puke). Don't know if its really worth spending all the money.

[CLABRO]

I think it depends on what model/how much you're willing to spend and what your expectations are. You're going to have to spend a decent amount of $ and get a middle - top tier one especially having pets and only carpet and expect it to wow you.

I'd say it works pretty well for generic *regular* cleaning, but don't expect it to replace a vacuum. It basically makes the room look cleaner (remove dust, crumbs, hair, small dirt crumbles, etc), but it will not give you a deep clean and remove particles deep in the carpet or give you those vacuum lines on your carpet like a vacuum does. Think of it like maintenance cleaning in-between vacuuming. It will help your house look more aesthetically pleasing with regular usage, but it won't remove deeper things that can and should be removed with a vacuum.

I'm sure some people will say it has replaced their vacuum, but I don't know how that is possible especially if you have dogs/cats that shed. I just may be more OCD when it comes to keeping my house clean.

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by Grumpy Old Man

as the owner shucks corn in sunglasses. See, cat people are weird

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

as the owner shucks corn in sunglasses. See, cat people are weird

Wrong sir. The entire video is a metaphor. It's like a Bob Dylan song. The shucking of the corn by the person wearing sunglasses is important as the cat in the shark costume riding a vacuum but only meant to be a part of back drop.


Jeez, never thought I would ever in my life be saying such a thing.

[TheWatchGuy]

Originally Posted by OkieSnuffBox

I guess we are the only people that crate our dogs at night and when we are gone?

They can't be trusted to stay focused on their toys and not destroy other stuff, so the poop/barf thing isn't a concern. But we have "baby gates" up to the master and end of the other hallway to my office, so a roomba would never work.

I do want one of those awesome Dyson vacuums designed specifically for pet households, but can't bring myself to spend $500 on vacuum.

my wife had the regular dyson and then bought the pet dyson.

there is really no difference that i could tell, except for the price lol.

[TheWatchGuy]

Originally Posted by CLABRO

I think it depends on what model/how much you're willing to spend and what your expectations are. You're going to have to spend a decent amount of $ and get a middle - top tier one especially having pets and only carpet and expect it to wow you.

I'd say it works pretty well for generic *regular* cleaning, but don't expect it to replace a vacuum. It basically makes the room look cleaner (remove dust, crumbs, hair, small dirt crumbles, etc), but it will not give you a deep clean and remove particles deep in the carpet or give you those vacuum lines on your carpet like a vacuum does. Think of it like maintenance cleaning in-between vacuuming. It will help your house look more aesthetically pleasing with regular usage, but it won't remove deeper things that can and should be removed with a vacuum.

I'm sure some people will say it has replaced their vacuum, but I don't know how that is possible especially if you have dogs/cats that shed. I just may be more OCD when it comes to keeping my house clean.

it depends on your carpet i guess. we have fairly short carpet and it picks everything up. running our dyson over a freshly roombad room doesnt provide any noticeable additional pick up. we have a mid to lower end roomba as well. On the hardwood, it definitely gets everything up that it goes over.

but yes, if you really need those vacuum lines in your carpet, a roomba isnt for you. our carpets look like a drunk baby vacuumed them after the roomba goes through them

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by TheWatchGuy

my wife had the regular dyson and then bought the pet dyson.

there is really no difference that i could tell, except for the price lol.

I think the only difference is the attachments provided. They both suck equally, one just has "pet" attachments. I have one of each and hate both, I have to wear ear plugs when using them and send the family to another floor.

[Clark_Kent]

Hard pass on a robot vacuum. The technology is not ready for primetime. We purchased the iRobot Roomba 980, which is arguably the best one on the market. The TL;DR version is it sucks. We cut it loose on the main level of our home which is approximately 1,800 sq. ft. and it got stuck, was loud, and took over an hour to vacuum the space. I promptly packed it up and took it back for them to refund me my $875. I'll check back on robot vacuums in 5 years when they actually work and are 25% of the cost they are today.

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

The roomba is the epitome of marketing to lazy Americans..

Its sucks...no really it doesnt suck

its weak, vacuums all day. and still cant pick up a dirt.

theres a reason uprights still remain the same price...because they actually clean your carpet on one pass

[2000cs]

Friends got a Samsung (I think?) after much research. They have a lab, both work. They love the thing but don’t have to hear the noise since it runs while they’re at work.

We thought about it, but we couldn’t figure out when it could run and not disturb one or both of us given our schedules.

Personally I would rather have the robot lawn mower, but they still don’t like slopes and that’s all I’ve got in my yard!

[qba335i]

Originally Posted by G35POPPEDMYCHERRY

The roomba is the epitome of marketing to lazy Americans..

Its sucks...no really it doesnt suck

its weak, vacuums all day. and still cant pick up a dirt.

theres a reason uprights still remain the same price...because they actually clean your carpet on one pass

I purchased Roomba 960 over a year ago when it was released - I upgraded my old(er) Roomba as I wanted the WiFi/app. I have the schedule set up so it vacuums every other day when I am at work. I live in a condo with hardwood floors so it does a pretty decent job.

I also have a Rainbow water based vacuum that is substantially better, but it is not fair to compare it to a small portable robot.

[Mingwan]

Why yes, they do suck...

I recommend a Husqvarna 550 mower instead. Far superior. It’ll be like getting new carpet every time it cycles.

[aozer]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

i will never understand pets in a house, just gross.

You’re probably a psychopath

[lsturbointeg]

Any particular brand/model to stay away from? We're lookin' to get one pretty soon. I see Sam's club carries them, even Walmart

[DDD31]

Until they invent the following, forget a robot vacuum.

[Teufelshund]

Originally Posted by TheWatchGuy

our carpets look like a drunk baby vacuumed them after the roomba goes through them

I LOL every time I read this.

[Lups]

Originally Posted by Teufelshund

CAT x 2 + DOG = Constant Vacuuming
I'm seriously considering a robot vacuum but they sound too good to be true. I'm not set on a particular brand but crave something that'll:
-get up pet hair
-do multiple rooms
-not get stuck
-not suck up lamp cords.

I'm in a single level townhouse that's nearly all carpet. Anyone have real world experience with these willing to share your opinion? Sort of a deal-or-dud question I guess.

Kids and dogs here.

We have a roomba and it's good. I have a fit about cleaning once a month and roomba pretends for me I care on the other days.

It's perfect for tiny studios with no pets, stuff or humans. It's also epic for housewives that rather tear down walls than clean a floor.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

i will never understand pets in a house, just gross.

You're voted off the Island.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Originally Posted by aozer

You’re probably a psychopath

Probably?

[Teufelshund]

Originally Posted by Lups

It's perfect for tiny studios with no pets, stuff or humans.

Yeah, I've got pets, stuff, AND humans.
Thanks folks for the (mostly):
-Nice feedback
-Good intel
-Great advice
I coming away with - be willing to pony up and keep expectations reasonable. I like the idea of using one between thorough upright days. Also, a pre-flight FOD walk is a must!
Just popped in Bed, Bath, & Beyond and took a look. The mid-level unit is on sale and I've got a 20% off coupon.
Gonna research reviews for this model and see if I can talk myself out of it.

[Drop the hammer]

Ok, so my wife loves the robot vacuums. We have 3 roombas one per floor. They do take maintenance, I have to do a complete clean out and brush maintenance about once a year. Our vacuums run twice a week and get emptied each time.
We had this little dog a while back, he has since passed, but he suffered from anxiety and if you left him home he’d have massive diarrhea attacks. Anyways, we managed by always having someone with him, or bringing him along or keeping him confined to a tiled room (mud room, with his bed and water and all that). Anyways one day we go out and he managed to open the lever door handle (I have this act of doggie ninjitsu on video).
He proceed led to let loose his anxiety attacks all over our upstairs carpets. And conveniently the roomba made its scheduled run shortly after the deed was done. It was a giant smeer fest when I got home. The smell was terrible but it was almost funny as the little vacuum blew itself up in mid smeering. But not before it painted poop on every base board (there’s a little brush that spins on the side) and the little wheels actually have a tread design. I now have proof that the algorithm for the vacuum pattern does in fact cover every inch of carpet!
Anyways doggie won that round. Cost one roomba and one rental steam cleaner and 3 hours of my time.