56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
i heart roomba, December 30, 2008
This review is from: IROBOT ROOMBA 400 VACUUM CLEANING ROBOT (Electronics)
I have wanted a Roomba for a while. I have a perfectly good vacuum (so I thought) but it was getting on in years and was cumbersome, plus I hate vacuuming and being a pet owner I really need to do it more than I would prefer (never). So when I found the basic Roomba very on sale I was suspicious and decided to research reviews first. In short, people seemed really excited about their Roombas. Its maybe the best reviewed product I have ever come across. These people seemed a little over-enthusiastic, but the few negative reviews seemed trivial so feeling confident I went and bought my Roomba (for $90). Now I am one of those crazy fans too. I am in love with my Roomba.
When I brought it home I ran my regular vacuum first. My house looked clean. Then I ran the Roomba and checked the dust compartment. I was both horrified and fascinated at how much junk was in there. Who knew I was living in such squalor and filth! It was weirdly satisfying to dump it all out. Every time I run it I am shocked at what it picks up. I haven't had the trouble with carpet tassels that others report - but it does try to eat my bath mats. On the occasion that it does get stuck, it is really quite good at getting itself unstuck and negotiating obstacles. Dump the dust compartment every time, clean it every handful of times - this will stay easy if you do it regularly. Don't clean it over the trash; it is so easy to disassemble (and reassemble) that the smaller pieces can fall out into your trash can which means you'll have to dig for them - obviously I learned this the hard way. I talk about my Roomba like it's a new puppy and am convinced that everyone needs to own one.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I think I'm in love!, October 3, 2009
This review is from: IROBOT ROOMBA 400 VACUUM CLEANING ROBOT (Electronics)
I was skeptical about how well the Roomba would clean but I decided to give it a shot. I am so glad that I did! This was probably the smartest purchase that I have ever made. I also own a Dyson DC17 Animal which cleans like a beast. However my Roomba is so easy to use and cleans so well that I wish I would have saved my money on the Dyson and purchased the Roomba from the start. This model doesn't have all the bells and whistles that some of the more expensive units have but works perfectly for me. It is so simple to operate that a child could use it. Simply charge it and place it in the middle of the room and press the clean button. It starts by covering the large open area of the room by going in a spiral motion until it bumps up against something and then it will go around all the corners. It takes a while to clean a large room but it cleans like a champ. It has a decent sized collection bin so you don't have to empty it too often, maybe once every hour or so. This unit comes with a cleaning brush and three additional extra filters which add to the overall value. Everything will have to be picked up off the floor. Sometimes you will have to move electric wires because it will get caught up and stuck in them. However you don't have to worry about it too much because the unit will shut its self off if it gets stuck or if it sweeps something up that isn't normal. If you have family members in your household that have long hair then it will get wrapped around the brush just like a normal vacuum and you will have to remove it every once in a while. This would make a great gift for one of those people that has everything because I think pretty much anyone would appreciate a Roomba. The only thing that I wish it come with is the invisible walls so I think I am going to purchase some.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!, July 15, 2010
This review is from: IROBOT ROOMBA 400 VACUUM CLEANING ROBOT (Electronics)
So I'm definitely one that researches the CRAP out of my technological products - my roomba maybe a little to the extreme. After reading the reviews there was a trend that they don't last too long - so I decided to get the cheapest model and replace it every couple years instead of being out alot more money with the $500 models. So I trucked down to walmart and bought the cheapy model.
We've now had the little darling for 2 months. Background info: We run it in our living room and kitchen nearly everyday (hardwood floors, linoleum, area rugs). We have three border collies (LOTS of fur). Now my review:
It takes a while... about an hour and a half (if you've kept up on the cleaning... longer if you've left it a couple days). Does it do a perfect job? No. It does a pretty half ass job.... but if it does a half ass job every day - in two days it would be 100%... and well I don't vacuum like at all - so it does a better job then I do. I would not suggest this for someone that is home all day either. We're home school students - so it gets a little annoying, but if your okay turning your TV up loud - you can definitely still watch the price as right while it's running.
If I wasn't home all day I would really suggest getting the "home base". It's kind of a pain if you don't know where it stopped.
Cleaning the brushes is not really that bad. (remember 3 shedding dogs). The little tool helps alot, but an utility knife helps with the wound up hairs every once in a while. We also had it have it's first error today. Looked up online - couldn't find out what to do. Called irobot customer service. Was on hold no longer than 20 seconds after the prompts. Definitely a call centre with an indian lady - we had a couple language barriers but I've had worse with call centres. She let us know that hair gets wrapped around some of the barring that the manual doesn't tell you to clean every day... so manual - not very helpful - customer service a 8/10 (apple being a 10/10 so 8 is still really good!)
Overall - I recommend it for people that are away from home every day for a couple hours. People who are tech-junkies. People with pets (it does help!), people with mobility issues.
Not recommended for - technophobes (the weird pattern it makes isn't all that convincing) is easy to use though. People that are home all day. Perfectionist. People with rugs with tassles.
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