Review for potential purchasers

Groucho · Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 1

Hi there,

I got a Roomba 560 about a month ago and thought I'd write this quick review as I couldn't find answers to the questions I had before I bought one.

First of all, in summary, this is a great idea poorly executed. After reading the reviews and problems on this forum I didn't have massive expectations but roomba is struggling to live up even to them.

It is definitely a good idea and the bot's intelligence is perfectly adequate for it's job, you really don't need to worry about it missing bits and to be honest it performed better than I expected in getting into and out of nooks and crannys and in and out of rooms efficiently (with the help of the lighthouses).

It's certainly not less work than vaccuming by hand as, despite what the manual says, it definitely does need thorough cleaning after every use. Personally however I'd prefer to do that than vacuum :)

The main problem I have with it is in the physical construction of the unit. Pretty much every part, mechanical or not, is plastic. Nothing has gone on mine yet, but it's only a month old and I can see that it won't be long. Also lacking is any sort of sealing; I have already had to take the cleaning head apart to clean gunk from inside the gearbox when the brushes stopped moving.

In fact this brings me to the main question I had before I bought one, simply "Is it fundamentally flawed?" Unfortunately the answer appears now to be yes. The construction of the cleaning head is simply not good enough. Plastic gears inside a plastic housing with no seals is only going to end one way.

I've seen the bearing mods on here and am tempted to try it myself but for two things: No 1, I might yet return it as not fit for purpose (thank god for European sales laws) and No 2 It's galling to have to fit some ten penny bearings yourself when the manufacturer should be doing it itself.

Another problem is hair. With my upright I had to clean the brushes once in a blue moon, with roomba the brushes have to be cleaned after every use to remain serviceable, and not just the actual brush bits, the design of the axle means that it gets right into the mechanism at both ends. They seem to have solved these problems on uprights, I don't know why irobot can't do the same.

Given the fragile nature of the construction I can't really see the life expectancy being much longer than 6 months.

Finally, I could accept all of it's shortcomings if it hadn't been so damn expensive. Obviously this varies by country but in the UK the the RRP is about £240 (nearly US$500) for the 560. This is far, far too expensive for what you get. I could pay a cleaner to come in for an hour a week for nearly a year for that money and there seems little danger of roomba lasting that long.

In summary, you can probably already tell I am a little disappointed with it and couldn't really recommend one to others, particularly not for the price and particularly not for the non-technical. 4 out 10 is what I'd have to give it.

Actually my recommendation is to wait for someone else to do it better. Consumer goods are obviously not iRobot's forte and I'm pretty sure that someone could fabricate a higher spec machine for a similar retail price. I also suspect that in the next few years, expensive robot luxuries are not going to be at the top of people's shopping lists, which might encourage iRobot to drop their prices and a little realistic competition might make them up their game.

Boomerang · Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 75

Perfect :!:

$500.00 iRobot 580 Owner USA :shock:

DarkHalo · Joined: 07 Jun 2008 Posts: 2

I bought a Roomba 400 about 2 months ago at a local discount store for $95 USD. I loved it so much I have bought a Discovery 4210 and a Scooba.

The Discovery was a store return I bought on eBay for $110 and all the goodies that came with it (remote control and virutal walls) also work with my 400. Yes I do clean it after every use but in spite of what people say you do have to clean an upright somewhat regularly if you expect it to stay efficient. But then I have several cats so maybe my experience is different.

But even if I have to replace my Roombas once a year I think I will still be ahead. As for my Scooba it has made a very much hated chore a non-issue. Plus I have just put down new tile in my house and it is perfectly clean all the time.

We like our robots so much we have given them all names and yes while I realize it is only a difference in programming, they all have their own 'personalities'. How can anyone watch them running along a wall doing that little butt wiggle thing and not smile?

Is it more work keeping my house 'Roomba friendly'? Sure, but that seems to mean my house is less cluttered and is something I really should be doing anyway.

Granted some people, especially our european cousins, have paid a lot more than me but I think some people just have unrealistic expectations. I guess that the Roomba is not for everyone but I for one am extremely pleased with my robots.

gd540 · Joined: 09 Jul 2008 Posts: 1

Potential purchasers should carefully read Groucho's review before spending any money on a Roomba. Groucho's comments are right on the mark.

We bought a 550 at Costco - an Xmas present to ourselves. Roomba is not a vacuum cleaner, it is a toy for techno-geeks . We got sucked in by the novelty factor, after all, it is fun to watch and our cat considers it a personal friend. Roomba actually does vacuum well but requires constant attention and must be disassembled and cleaned after every use, sometimes in mid-use. This defect does not save us any time and makes the chore of vacuuming more of a problem than just pulling the old upright out of the closet.

After 4 months, Roomba looked and acted about 10 years old. Replacement filters and brushes provide constant income for the manufacturer. iRobot eventually sent us some replacement parts (their lousy customer service is well documented in other reviews) so maybe we'll get another 4 months before it dies again.

Roomba is just more trouble than it's worth. For the same amount of money or less, you can buy a very nice "real" vacuum cleaner.

:cry:

dawziecat · Joined: 09 Sep 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Eastern Canada

Groucho's review comes across as pretty negative.

But, I agree with everything he has said. These machines are seriously flawed and the likelihood of the average consumer getting satisfactory usage out of one is vanishingly small.

Most people have pets. Most people will clean the brushes and empty the dust bin on a regular enough basis as prompted by the machine.

But opening the gear box and cleaning in there? It is totally unreasonable to expect the average consumer to do that!

And using one of these machines in an environment with pet hair, without careful attention to the gearbox? Well, it seems just a matter of time. A pretty short time too. A few months? Maybe a year? Maybe even less and there will be a disastrous gear box or bearing failure.

It is so unfortunate that this machine is so much less than what it could have been.

And the fact that they chose to "tart up" the 5xxx series into a touted "professional" model shows a company with its priorities seriously out of whack.

irobot, fix the damn gear box! By all means charge more for the machine as it will cost more to produce. But fix it! :!:
Lock the engineers in a room, throw in food/coffee as required but don't let them out until they have a solution.

One more thing: The cost of replacement parts for this thing is just beyond the pale! Sixty-five dollars for six minute plastic gears! Nearly $200 for a little plastic gearbox! IMHO, you would be far better off buying a new 510 than buying a gear box assembly for that price. You get a whole lot of extra spare parts!

As much as I love these machines, they should be withdrawn from the market as fundamentally and fatally flawed!

I own two 530s. I can deal with them . . . I think. I have no regrets but I DO regret purchasing another for my sister. She has two labs and I bought it specifically to keep her white tile floors swept of black dog hair. No one will be opening her gear box. We'll see how long that machine lasts. :(

G_Jammer · Joined: 30 Oct 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Chicago

I read this review before I bought my 560 recently, as well as searching this forum for other issues owners had with their bots. I have mixed feelings about the review.

I do research before I buy anything in or above this price range, so I was prepared going in...skipping this step is the source of most people's frustrations...IMO.

I recognized that after all, I am buying a robot that automatically vacuums my house, that is pretty amazing, and it does a really good job.

To me, buying a cleaning robot is like buying a premium vehicle, there is extra maintenance involved over buying a economy car (and a little extra cost). It is worth it to me, but maybe not to someone else, so they shouldn't own a robot..again..IMO

I agree that certain aspects of the Roomba could have been engeneered in a better fashion, a sealed Gearbox and more reliable batteries would be the place to start, but these are the issues I was already prepared for prior to buying the robot. And thanks to some very intelligent minds on this forum, some of these issues have remedies.

What I do know is that in exchange for extra maintenance, that really does not take up much time, I come home from work to a freshly vacuumed house, to me, that is a fair trade.