Customer Reviews

HQRP 3300mAh APS Battery for iROBOT Roomba 550 / 560 / 570 / 580 [Vacuum Cleaning Robot] Replacement plus HQRP Coaster

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The original battery pack in my Roomba 550 was able to run the vacuum for about two hours initially. After the first year, its run time has dropped to about one hour. It deteriorated quickly during the next 6 months, to the point that the vacuum can only run for 3-4 minutes before the dreaded 'I-am-dying' beep. I tried everything to revive the battery, including removing the pack and deep-discharging/charging it manually. Finally, I concluded that the battery has developed high internal resistance and cannot be rescued. That's why I ordered this item (HQRP 3300mAh APS Battery for iROBOT Roomba 550-580) last November.

There were several similar products that showed up when I searched for 'Roomba 500 replacement battery' on Amazon. This one is not the lowest-priced item, but I selected it mainly because the product description is more specific (it says the capacity is 3300mAh, which is 10% higher than the 3000mAh for original Roomba battery), and it comes with an 100-day warranty. In contrast, other cheaper battery packs (such as the iRobot R3 500 series APS Battery) don't even specify the capacity, but simply make vague claims such as "50 percent greater useful life than original Roomba batteries". Furthermore, their pictures show a plain battery pack without any brand names. So there's no telling what kind of generic battery you will receive.

I installed this HQRP battery pack upon its arrival, and my Roomba 550 powered up immediately. It was even able to run the vacuum for a few minutes before recharging. This is a good sign because it means the battery pack does not suffer from rapid-self-discharge problem like many other NiMH cells. After several charging/discharging cycles (which were necessary to bring the battery pack up to its full capacity ), my Roomba was then able to run for at least 2 hours, with the indicator light still at Orange (instead of Red). Therefore I believe the stated capacity of '3300mAh' to be accurate.

Of course, it is still too early to tell whether this replacement pack will last longer than 12 months in my Roomba. But so far, it has performed beautifully after more than 3 months, with no signs of slowing down - yet. I'll update this review if any problem turns up in the future.

[Update on Dec 5, 2010]:

Battery pack still going strong after 12 months. I just tested it by forcing my Roomba to run past the usual one hour cleaning sweep. At about 70 minutes the battery indicator turned orange. At about 100 minutes it turned red. So the replacement pack seems to be doing better than my original pack after one year. But I should point out that I used my Roomba about once per week in the past year, compared to 2-3 times per week when I first got it 2.5 years ago.

[Update on June 18, 2011]:

I just tested the battery life again. After 60 minutes of operation, my Roomba's indicator light was orange. After 80 minutes it was glowing red, and I stopped the test. So the battery pack seems to have aged further, but still in relatively good shape after 18 months.

I purchased this battery for my Roomba pet series in June. The initial capacity was excellent, and my Roomba ran for >1hr without a problem. However, I cannot in good faith recommend this battery, since the capacity has dropped so much that the Roomba now only runs for 10 minutes, and this has happened within 6 months. My original battery purchased from irobot didn't show so much capacity loss for >1 year.

Very good product quality. I've purchased three of these over the years and each has an excellent product life. Based on the reviews of other replacement products, product life on less expensive alternatives is much less.

I'm always wary of 3rd party batteries, but when I got this one 2.4 years ago, I tested it and got a runtime of 2.5h on my roomba, which was longer than the stock battery that only gave 2h.

Now, after a bit over 2 years, it's only giving me 30-60mn depending on whether I do a deep cycle charge before using it. In other words, the battery is not doing well.

But 2 years is all one should expect from such batteries (including the stock ones), and they were much cheaper than stock, so they're a must buy.

Thank you to HQRP for selling an honest product.

The original Roomba battery went about a year or so and then died. I bought this to replace it. I have a Roomba 560. Anyways, I've been using this battery for over a year now and it just keeps going and going and going. Not only that but it seems that the roomba goes for longer on this battery too than it had for the original one. I've been happy after having used it for over a year now.

I must say though I don't have a clue why this company insists on giving away mouse pads with all of their items, it does seem kind of tacky.

I've been using this battery with my Roomba 560 since last November at least once a week and it's still working fine. I'll be satisfied for sure if it at least makes it to the year mark.

I purchased this battery for my Roomba 560 to replace the origonal batteery. The battery never worked and refused to charge. I contacted iRobot customer care to try to resolve this issue. They were helpful and it was determined I received a bad battery! I have purchased several items from Amazon and been very satisfied, but this battery is a stinker!!!! Don't buy

I bought this to replace my exhausted Roomba battery. It works great. Plenty of power and long-lasting.

This replacement battery fits and functions properly. After 2-3 months, Roomba is still vacuuming great. Some other reviews indicate poor replacements, but this one seems to work well.

This item didn't work with my roomba.

I returned it, and got the refund.

I admit that I anticipated, and wished it would work, but it failed..

If amazon was not backing me up, I wouldn't have bought it.