iRobot's Roomba has made my life a lot easier
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