Roombas: Cute, powerful, and they save you time
Reader Ivan writes in saying, “Hi, I thought that you might be interested in these: [LINKS] I have both units and they do a great job.” The mystery links he sends are to the iRobot Roomba and Scooba. Turns out I have the Roomba myself (haven’t worked my way up to the Scooba, yet) and Ivan’s right, it’s great.
These little things inspire passion in their owners not unlike the passion seen in TiVo owners or PJ with his cat poop robot. I think the reason these products awaken such emotions is that they eliminate some chore we had resigned ourselves to a lifetime of. Once we get the technology, we don’t understand how we lived without it. How did we ever watch TV before? By someone else’s schedule? And we actually picked up Fluffy’s droppings? And we used to really… vacuum?
Seriously, though, the Roomba works like a charm as long as you don’t have very plush carpet. I have hardwood floors with several area rugs and it really cleans up. There are no filter bags to mess with, just a tray that empties out. You can set it off on its own before you go to work and the place is clean when you come back. But that isn’t any fun. It’s actually kind of hypnotic to watch the little guy bounce around, seemingly randomly. It’s like having a pet that you don’t need a robot to clean up after.
Check out this video review via Shiny Shiny:
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Posted by Jerry on Jun 1, 2007 |
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10 comments posted
Posted by Andamom - 06/01/2007
Questions though…
1) How are they in corners?
2) How does Roomba know what objects to avoid?
3) How large is the catch all compartment?
4) How long does the charge last?
5) Is there a HEPA filter attached to it?
Posted by Grey - 06/01/2007
Yes, but do they really save you time?
Posted by Gretchen Rubin - 06/01/2007
Ah, we love our Roomba! but it functions more as a pet than an appliance. My two-year-old knows how to turn it on, and she presses the button and runs squealing around the room. It’s the perfect speed to give her some excitement without terrifying her. So I think they should cross-market them as a toy.
Posted by Jerry Brito - 06/01/2007
They’re not too bad in corners. They have a little brush that comes out from under them to handle corners. The Roomba obviously doesn’t ‘know’ what objects to avoid, but it just taps against objects and pulls back when it does. Mine also came with a “virtual wall,” basically two boxes you put across from each other and the Roomba won’ cross them.
Anyhow, check out the specs on Amazon or the iRobot website. Like everything else we suggest on this website, it might not fit everybody. We’re not going after the best solution, just telling you what’s worked for us. If you really need a HEPA filter, maybe it’s not for you.
Posted by Ryan - 06/01/2007
I believe Woot.com breeds these things. They are ALWAYS selling them!
Posted by Chris - 06/01/2007
I love the Roomba so much. Mine just died after 4 years of loyal 3-times-a-week service. I suspect if I had been taking it apart and compressed-air-gunning the inside clean, it would have lasted even longer. I discovered about a full cat’s worth of hair inside when I unscrewed it to see if I could fix it.
In response to arguments about whether they actually save time, I can definitely say it has saved me a ton. Push some buttons, turn the music up loud, and make sure it doesn’t eat up any wires. The time spent picking up large items and securing electric cords encouraged me to live with less daily clutter knowing I needed to pick it up when I ran the Roomba.
Posted by Eric - 06/01/2007
Jerry -
Just a note on the virtual walls:
You don’t need to point them at each other to work. They just send out a IR beam (which is more of a triangle, so it works best from just behind an adjacent wall) that is intercepted by the Roomba. So, with those two units you can create two virtual walls. If you need to block it off from a entry more than 8ft long, then ya, doubling them up toward each other might be necessary.
We just stick one around the corner to keep Dusty (everybody names theirs right?) happily working in one room.
Posted by Jerry Brito - 06/01/2007
Thanks for pointing that out, Eric. I’ve never had a need to use mine, so they’re still in the wrapper for the day I move to a bigger place. BTW- We named ours Rudy. Any other Roomba names out there?
Posted by Matt - 06/02/2007
wow, it’s so loud you can’t even talk with it going… I thought this was supposed to constantly run…I guess only when you are gone. http://pixelspotlight.com/
Posted by Dr. Ragan, www.psychologyofclutter.com - 06/06/2007
Now if they would just invent one that works on stairs. I hate vacuuming stairs more than any other household task. I have a hand held Dirt Devil that does I great job, I just hate to do it. When I finally rip out the carpets and put in hardwoods, the stairs are getting done first! Does anyone have a suggestion for making stair vacuuming easier?
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