iRobot Automatic vacuum cleaner? Any experience?

Ted_Bloke

I wonder if anyone has experience of the iRobot Automatic vacuum cleaner? It would be for a flat of carpeted area living room, 1 bedroom, corridor, all on one floor except 2 steps down to small entrance area, linoleum covered kitchen. (bathrooms tiled and device not nec there.)

'Which' basically suggested it was an amusing toy if you also had a serious cleaner. However when feel like it could easily borrow this but becomes pointless if that is every other day. Hate vac cleaner noise so like idea of going out and leaving it to work!

It has not been on market long, but maybe long enough breakdown or for someone to get fed up with it.

cattie

No experience, but they never look much good to me whenever I've seen them demonstrated on tv shopping channels.

Probably only suitable as an amusing toy, as you suggest.

gabyjane

Hi we have one but it is not a branded one as such. It is very good but we have mainly laminate floors or vinyl, the halls and stairs are carpet and this is where i find it not as good..it doesnt get all of it like it tends to on the wooden bits and it struggles with some of our rugs too. Ours wasn't too much though so does a good job for what we paid!! i think our neighbours think we are quite posh as hear the hoover and we go out lol!

Drinda

I have one and I love it, I live in a bungalow with no steps and I have carpet tiles, I am retired and I leave it going while I make the bed and clean the kitchen so I only have half the work to do. The only thing if you have very low furniture ect: it will get stuck and play a tune to let you know, and if you have cat/dog it may need to be empted half way through a clean.

My son also has one and he goes out and leaves it cleaning his flat.

Drinda

withabix

Useless on carpets.

Useless if it can't get into the edges of rooms - you need furniture with space beneath.

No good if you've got clutter.

Great if you've got an IKEA furnishing style and laminate floors.

Rug muncher (oh hang on...that's not what that means, is it? )

economiser

Just got a 530 model and am very impressed. Does capets and wooden floors and manages to deal with rugs with fringes. Goes right up to edges and even gets into corners with a special little brush. Not absolutely perfect of course but it does a pretty good job at no effort.

I have a robotic mower as well. Don't believe in doing things the hard way.

chnelomi

FIL got one the other week and was going to throw it out as he thought it was broke turned out he never thought to put batteries in the remote so when he picked it up it needed reset but the reset on the remote done nothing cos it had no batteries lol

So i got Oh to bring it round for me to look at and realized about the remote so i felt obliged to test it for my FIL lol Threw it in the kids rooms pressed the button and by the time i had folded the washing their rooms were hovered. Brilliant

Although it did struggle with the dog hair but our dogs were casting at the time and my own upright takes a couple of passes when they are casting. but FIL loves it as he struggles with the motions of using standard hoovers.