I do like my toys, and a robot to clean my house sounded right up my alley.  I purchased my first Roomba at what I thoughtt was a great price at the Hardware store and absolutly loved it.  It was a no-brainer decision when I saw Roombas being sold at a discount outlet to buy a second one.  I find great pleasure on cleaning day, when I can get each Roomba running in their own rooms.  I feel like I have multiplied my energies threefold, and can get that much more done. The Roomba red is a no frill vacuum.  It doesn't have the bells and whistles that the other models have.  What it does have is a recharageable battery that last about two hours, more than enought to do a room, a stand alone light-wall to help keep it in the room you desire cleaned, and the tenacity of a small puppy. The only downside the Roomba has is that replacement parts are generally not available in local stores and so one needs to plan ahead on what will be needed, order on-line and wait a day or two for parts.  I probably use my Roombas a lot harder than the manufacture had intended, but even so, I have only needed to replace the battery once in each unit, and the side brushes only a few times (about once a year).  I have had one Robot about 5 years and the other 3, and neither have needed any repairs or had major problems that I could not fix myself. I will definitly buy another Roomba  if I ever have the need.  I have also added a Scooba to my growing army.  I find the little "song" each Robot sings as we start cleaning to motivate me to do more, and with my helpful "minions" we really get a lot done. Update: As much as I like my toy, it spends most of its time in a closet unused. I think the problem is more my lack of time, rather than any fault of the Roombas. I just find I can get out my full size vacuum and do a quick sweep on my own in a fraction of the time that it would take my Roomba to finish the job, and when you have two small children running around, time makes a huge difference. I still keep my Roomba ready to go, so I can show off to friends, but its really just a fancy show toy for now. I do think, someday in the future, I would like to invest in the newest, best Roomba available to save my self the work, but for now, I will just start training the boys. Suction Performance Better than a broom and dustpan, but not the same as a full size vacuum. Versatility It only does one thing, but it does it well. Durability Batteries and side arm brush need replaced regularly.

RavingLunatic

Fort Wayne, IN

Roomba makes vacuuming the house easy. The main problem I have is that the battery won't keep a charge long enough to do my whole house. Other than that, it helps me keep my floors clean and I can use it when I leave my house and not have to worry about it.

TitaGirl

Bear, DE

I love this little guy! I just bought the iRobot Roomba Discovery SE Vacuuming Robot Model 4220 and I think it's just fab! I don't hate to vacuum I just don't have enough hours in the day to do it! I love being able to just let it do it's thing while I'm in another room of the house doing something else like washing dishes, doing the laundry and cooking. The battery does need frequent charging and it doesn't have a pattern but who cares. It does the job. Even if I have to vacuum a different room a day, at least I'm not taking my own time pushing the vacuum around to get it done. I wish it took out the trash, too, then I'd be set! hahaha The instructions do say you have to clean it constantly and the brushes & filter need to be changed more often than your regular vacuum but I don't mind that. What I mind is having to buy it online but I'm reassessing those feelings. :-)

AyCaramba

Pasadena, CA

I love I Robot Roomba .iT cleans my house very well without me doing any work.It takes more time then usual vaccum cleaner and it has to be recharge for every cleaning.so far I am loving it.because when my kids eat or make mess in their upstairs room then I don't have to carry the whole big vaccum cleaner to upstairs, I just take the roomba upstairs ,turn it on and close the room and it will clean up the whole room.

Hinanew

Fairfield, CT

I was given the iRobot as a gift because my hatred of vacuuming is well known.  I have used the vacuum many times and it is a big time saver.  It works pretty well, although I don't think I've ever had a vacuum that works as well as I would like.  It's quiet and does do a good enough job, I like the virtual wall to keep it out of areas that don't need to be vacuumed.  It is quieter than stand up vacuums but you need to clean out the bag area after every use, it instructs you to do it after every 3 uses, but I find it works better is you clean it after each use.  There isn't any rhyme or reason to where the iRobot goes, it starts in a circle and then kind of takes off...but it usually gets almost everything.  And I like that when it detects dirt it stops and goes in circles on the spot till all the dirt is gone.  I would recommend for someone with a small space (I live in an apartment) that hates vacuuming.

lingo2000

New York, NY

I saved up to purchase my iRobot Roomba. It was well worth the wait. I can vacuum when I'm home and when I'm away. I can clean one room or a whole floor in my house. I had seen the Roomba on one of the home shoppong channels for less than I bought it. But the company I eventually went with sells it with a lifetime warranty...the way to go. I would wholeheartedly recommend the iRobot Roomba to anyone considering a new vacuu. Next on my list is the Scooba, the moppong robot.

ariesl

Crozet, VA

I received the irobot vacuum a few years ago for Christmas along with a irobot scooba. The irobot was very expensive. I saw the product on TV's home shopping network and just had to have it. I felt that this would be a great product to use in my home on a daily basis. I have 3 children who spend a lot of time making messes in my living room by playing , eating snacks and doing crafts. It can become very messy in that room. . I like to be able to block off the living room and let the irobot vacuum go and do its job. It cleans up the mess just like that. There are times when I will set it before I leave to run errands and when I come back the vacuuming is done for me. To me that right there is priceless. The irobot vacuum has done all the work for me. I really like that. It does take about a half hour or so for the irobot vacuum to do its job, so vacuuming with a real vacuum would be a lot faster. It does not have any trouble getting the corners or next to the walls. My irobot vacuum has this little circular bush that spins and gets all the crumbs or whatever away from the walls and picks it up. This irobot vacuum is great for clean up on surface messes like popcorn seeds, cracker crumbs, small little confetti pieces of paper and other small things. I would not recommend using it to clean up large paper messes, messes that can be cleaned up with your hands or for that deep down cleaning, I still have to use my stand up vacuum for that deep down get the sand out of the carpet mess. But I like the convenience of the irobot vacuum. My kids also like this product. They can clean their rooms and let the irobot vacuum do the vacuuming for them. Although a lesson easily learned is to makes sure that all cords and toys are up off the ground because unlike a human the irobot will eat anything in its path and does not care about what it is. Although if you get a sock stuck in it or something large stuck in it, it will just stop and make a noise until you come and rescue it. As far as having any trouble with the irobot vacuum. I have kept the irobot vacuum plugged all the time for charging. After I first got it the charging cord broke, the wires were frayed and it would not charge. I called the irobot company and told them about it and because it was still covered under the year warranty they replaced the charging cord for free. I was pleased with the service I received from the company. A few days later I received the charging cord in the mail and I have not had any other problems with it until a few weeks ago I noticed that the battery does not seem to be holding a charge like It use to. I can not complain too much I have had the irobot vacuum for about four years now and I use it quite often. I will continue to use the irobot vacuum until it is no longer a use for me. If it should give out on me I do not know if I would replace it. They are very expensive, although they are well worth the money. Another thing I like about the irobot vacuum is this one that I have has a sensor on it so that it can detect the stairs and it will not fall down stairs. How cool is that? One down fall of this product is that I do not think it has the option of the invisible wall. For those of you who are not familiar with the invisible wall it is a small device that runs on batteries, you set it in the door way and the irobot will not go through it, basically it makes an "invisible wall". If it came with an invisible wall it would be great. I have to close doors to keep the irobot vacuum in the room that I want it in and I also have to block off the living room so that It does not escape from the living room on me. If I close the door I often forget about it and then it keeps going and the battery dies, then I have to recharge before I move to the next room. Still it is worth the trouble of doing that and I feel like I can set it and let it go and not have to worry about it. I feel that I can get two things done at once. It has definitely has made my life a bit more easier. They are many different types of irobot vacuums with may different features. I would highly recommend that you research all your options before deciding on which one is for you. Some vacuums have homing docks and return to its charging station after it is done cleaning. Others have different options, it is all up to you and what you want in our personal irobot vacuum. Thank you for taking the time to read my product review and I hope that it helps you decide if you should get one too.

jpratt

Roscommon, MI

I currently have two Roombas.  I've had the Roomba Discovery for several years and it still works great!  I got a second Roomba for upstairs so the boys would have one they could use any time they needed and that's worked out fantastic. Roombas really work like they say.  I love the invisible walls, the fact that it goes from carpet to floor with ease, and how it knows to stop at the top of my stairs.  I know it does a good job because I tested it out once by vacuuming my rug with an upright vacuum and then setting Roomba loose and it picked up a surprising amount of stuff.  It also gets those hard to reach places like under the bed. I have, and still do, highly recommend the IRobot Roomba.

Hoosierhokie

Kokomo, IN

This Roomba robot vacuum works fine.  However, I was disappointed with how often it needs emptying.  When one empties it, it does give one a sense of how much "stuff" is coming up as you are doing it more frequently than a bag machine.  I found the instructions difficult to follow in programing the machine, and in using the remote.  It also hangs up easily on corners of furniture.  If you have pets in the house, they may be intrigued by it and attack it as it is not as threatening as the sound of a vacuum. Overall, it gives me satisfactory results but not the optimum results promised.

iwasparc

Kerrville, TX

Well I have had my Roomba for about 5 weeks now. The battery seems to be good, and the charge stays charged for quite a while. I have never had to put it back on the charger to charge it back up while in the middle of cleaning, so that is a plus. What I didn't like about the Roomba was that it seems to clean the same area 4 or 5 times and then misses other spots. The spots that it didn't get were being more in the middle of the room, where it doesnt seem to bump into anything. It got the edges of the room very well, that is where it went 5 times during the cleaning, but not in the middle of the room. I was disappointed about that. But what it did clean was cleaned very well, even the room that was not cleaned five times. I used it once when I first got it and I was amazed with all the dirt and dust and hair that it picked up. Of course it says I do not have to empty the container until 3 vacuums, but I wanted to see what one vacuuming got out of my carpet. I was quite shocked with all the stuff that was in the container with just one cleaning. I like the fact that it will turn off if it gets caught up in something, it also beeps loudly to let you know that it is stuck. I got it stuck under my air bed and the cords that go with the bed. But it didnt hurt the Roomba at all, it simply beeped and I was able to get it off the cords without a problem. Roomba seems to no what it is doing for the most part. I only have one of the Virtual Walls come with the unit, but did not use it because I did not have any size D batteries, but really do not no where to put it anyways. I will clean out from underneath my bed someday when I have time, so that it can go under there where there is quite a lot of dust as always. I think it did a good job where it did go and an extra good job where it went five times!! The first time I used it I stayed in the room right along with it because I was unsure of what it was going to do. It is kind of neat to watch it too. It is not the quietest thing but it is not as loud as a regular vacuum either. I had not problems with the brushes getting full of hair or dirt, it seemed that most of that went right into the container, so that was good. There are also places online where you can buy and extra battery and other things for the Roomba, and when I registered it, then I was emailed a 10% off at the iroomba site for extra things so that is a plus too. All in all I like my Roomba and would definately refer to friends and family.

haley398

Strykersville, NY