Anyone have a newer Roomba?

[Mitsu3000gt]

I'm thinking of picking up a Roomba. I did a search but most discussion was 2004-2007.

I was thinking of picking up the Roomba 770.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.ca/product.asp?SKU=40451145&RN=4956&

Anyone have one of the newer roomba models? How do you like it?

I have a ~1000 sq ft condo, minimal furniture, no rugs or anything like that. My hardwood is dark colored, and I was hoping this would minimize the need to vacuum every week to keep things looking dust-free. Carpet in the bedrooms, nowhere else. Tile in the kitchen & entry way. No large transitions or height changes.

Do these things work well for dust/lint/small debris? Or am I better off just vacuuming the old fashioned way more often?

Reviews seem surprisingly positive except for the people who seem to be expecting a little much (massive square footage, deep pile rugs, etc.). Obviously a dedicated vacuum will clean better, but this seems like it would reduce the need for regular vacuuming/sweeping. If this thing could vacuum my bedroom and main room successfully, I think I would be very pleased.

Thanks!

[Stewjoe]

I have white baseboards and my roomba scuffed them up so I sold it.
I have the Dyson digital slim and love it.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Hmm, I have large white baseboards as well. I wonder if that is an issue.

Seems like this would solve the problem:

http://www.amazon.com/Famous-Bumper-Roomba-Robotic-Vacuums/product-reviews/B002DUI8DQ/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

[CanmoreOrLess]

WireCutter has this review: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-robot-vacuum-is-the-roomba-650/

I have been looking at a Roomba as a reason to skip every second vacuum cleaning, a process I hate overall. When I had a Dyson I actually did not mind at all. These Roombas are updated yearly so perhaps the scuffing issue is a thing of the past? They are on the 700 series now.

[charlie2]

I have a 560 with the remote to guide it when I want. Its super cool but extremely useless.

It always gets stuck on the mats, or excessively vacuums one corner and then you have to clean it all the time after it does its thing. The battery life I find fades fast I'm on battery #2 in 4 years.

It does suck stuff up tho and like I said, its cool....but don't expect miracles.

[v2kai]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
I'm thinking of picking up a Roomba. I did a search but most discussion was 2004-2007.

I was thinking of picking up the Roomba 770.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.ca/product.asp?SKU=40451145&RN=4956&

Anyone have one of the newer roomba models? How do you like it?

I have a ~1000 sq ft condo, minimal furniture, no rugs or anything like that. My hardwood is dark colored, and I was hoping this would minimize the need to vacuum every week to keep things looking dust-free. Carpet in the bedrooms, nowhere else. Tile in the kitchen & entry way. No large transitions or height changes.

Do these things work well for dust/lint/small debris? Or am I better off just vacuuming the old fashioned way more often?

Reviews seem surprisingly positive except for the people who seem to be expecting a little much (massive square footage, deep pile rugs, etc.). Obviously a dedicated vacuum will clean better, but this seems like it would reduce the need for regular vacuuming/sweeping. If this thing could vacuum my bedroom and main room successfully, I think I would be very pleased.

Thanks!

Cant comment on the 770 but I've got the 560 with aerovac upgrade and for the size of your place and what you describe, a roomba would be awesome. picks up crumbs, lint, small debris very well. Great for if you have company over and there's crumbs n shit after the night is done. hit start and head to bed and you wont be stepping on little pieces of crap the next morning.

Also good for getting under furniture (depending on design). proper vacuum and clean above and beyond roomba is definitely required, but its a great intermediary cleaning solution when youre busy. The crap it picks up in the canister speaks for itself. Like anything else, if you treat it well, clean it, maintain it and use it as it was intended to be used it should last a long time. Personally I've been on the same battery now for a few years and havent noticed any significant decrease in battery life or run time.

edit: should probably add, I run mine probably once or twice a week on average otherwise it lives on it's charging station.

[CapnCrunch]

I've got a cheaper model but it definitely picks up lint/dust/dog hair. It's white, so it obviously doesn't scuff up my white baseboards.

It does a way better job than I thought it would.

However,

I think its starting to wear out, I've had it less than a year and occasionally the brush will stop spinning.

[lilmira]

The battery on the earlier generation sucks. As long as it doesn't get stuck or wedged into something, it does a decent job. If you are worried about the bumper scrapping up your baseboard, you can always tape something on it. It runs around randomly so the more open the room the more efficient it runs. Otherwise, it can get stuck in one corner for a while before it can get out.

[Stewjoe]

You have to be careful covering the bumper as it has infrared sensors to slow it down before it hits the wall. Mine had a smoked bumper and scuffed up the baseboards bad in the corners where it would turn.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I ordered a Roomba 770 from Bed Bath & Beyond - their return policy is like Costco, you can pretty much return it anytime for any reason no questions asked. I will try it out and if it scuffs anything or bumps my furniture too hard, I will bring it back.

I just think my life will be a little bit better if a robot does my floor cleaning for me lol.

[Mitsu3000gt]

My Roomba came in today so I thought I'd provide an update. This thing is AWESOME. Very smart and doesn't get hung up on anything.

My house was clean beforehand (or so I thought). I vacuum regularly and use a Swiffer dust mop. I set up the virtual walls and let the Roomba loose. It doesn't bump anything hard at all, and it doesn't mark up my white baseboards. It finds its way out of everything, including the bathrooms, under the bed, over bath mats, over the hardwood/carpet/tile transitions, and between bar stool legs. It gets the areas under my bed I can't reach with a regular vacuum, too.

It did it's thing for about an hour and this is what the dust bin looked liked:

http://mschlosser.smugmug.com/photos/i-hWkznNz/0/XL/i-hWkznNz-XL.jpg

I would have told you my place was extremely clean, but apparently not. I am seriously impressed with this little thing. When the battery was running out, it simply returned itself to the charger. I don't think I will let it run while I'm not home, just in case, but I would totally let it run while I am watching TV or whatever.

I don't let it in my computer room or home theater room, but it navigates between my main room/kitchen and bedroom no problem.

So far so good - I highly recommend this to anyone with a reasonably clutter-free condo/apartment based on my initial impressions.