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Anyone have a Robotic Vacuum? (1 Viewer)

Mike Frezon

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We had our Hardwood Floors re-done a couple years ago...and we've always got a dog or two or three around the house.

In 2011 we got a used Dyson Upright (which I consider to be one of the best purchases we've ever made). It does a great job on all surfaces and gets up all the dog hair. Still works GREAT! We also got a Slim Dyson Animal in 2013.

But the idea of running one of these cool little robotic vacuums every couple of nights is getting very appealing.

For one, the Dyson's got to come out every couple of days or else little tumbleweeds of dog hair QUICKLY start to accumulate in certain corners. Second, we have a couple of granddaughters who come over pretty regularly (and they tend to spend most their time on the floor!).

We've also got some area rugs.

So what do you guys have? And, do you like 'em?

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gadgtfreek

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Being long haired, it is what it is, but we found our dogs (have 3) hips and shedding love a fish oil pill a day.

I have a Dyson as well that we love (since 2010), and when I look at the cost of the robotic at Costco, I just keep my Dyson. Seeing as the Dyson has attachments the robot does not, I just can't see owning both at that expense.
 

Neil Middlemiss

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We had our Hardwood Floors re-done a couple years ago...and we've always got a dog or two or three around the house.

In 2011 we got a used Dyson Upright (which I consider to be one of the best purchases we've ever made). It does a great job on all surfaces and gets up all the dog hair. Still works GREAT! We also got a Slim Dyson Animal in 2013.

But the idea of running one of these cool little robotic vacuums every couple of nights is getting very appealing.

For one, the Dyson's got to come out every couple of days or else little tumbleweeds of dog hair QUICKLY start to accumulate in certain corners. Second, we have a couple of granddaughters who come over pretty regularly (and they tend to spend most their time on the floor!).

We've also got some area rugs.

So what do you guys have? And, do you like 'em?

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I'm starting to think you are starting random threads as an excuse to post pictures of your gorgeous dogs, Mike.

And I gotta say, I'm totally okay with that :)
 

John Dirk

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I've heard these "robot vacs" are total crap and I tend to think it's true. You just can't pack an acceptable level of suction into that form factor. To add insult to injury, they cost nearly as much as the supremely capable Dysons or Shark Navigators. I use the Shark and I'm very pleased with it after about 3 years.

BTW - Nice floors! We need to get ours redone.
 

ChristopherG

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Our main floor is completely hard wood except for our family room. I used to have a roomba and thought it did a fairly good job, but they are far from set it and forget it. They need a fair amount of regular cleaning to keep them running efficiently. Battery life, meaning how long the battery lasts vs. the charge that it holds was somewhat of an issue. All that said I would get another one and suppose I will at some point.
 

Scott Merryfield

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I have a friend whose wife bought a Roomba without him knowing it a few years ago. He complained about how poor a job it did, and then was even more pissed off when he saw the high cost on their credit card bill. It was actually rather humorous the way he told the story.
 

Stan

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We had our Hardwood Floors re-done a couple years ago...and we've always got a dog or two or three around the house.

In 2011 we got a used Dyson Upright (which I consider to be one of the best purchases we've ever made). It does a great job on all surfaces and gets up all the dog hair. Still works GREAT! We also got a Slim Dyson Animal in 2013.

But the idea of running one of these cool little robotic vacuums every couple of nights is getting very appealing.

For one, the Dyson's got to come out every couple of days or else little tumbleweeds of dog hair QUICKLY start to accumulate in certain corners. Second, we have a couple of granddaughters who come over pretty regularly (and they tend to spend most their time on the floor!).

We've also got some area rugs.

So what do you guys have? And, do you like 'em?

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Very brave.

I had my carpeting replaced about ten years ago. Discovered I had original hardwood oak flooring.

Old stuff from the '50s, unfinished, 1/4 inch thick white oak, not the cheap veneers used now, they were gorgeous, like the floor had never seen daylight.

Having dogs, I figured they would scratch it, so went with the carpet. My front door is covered with scratch marks from my various dogs, so kept the carpet. I can replace a door, but 60 year old oak floors, pretty expensive and a good selling point if I ever want to move.

Your floors look really nice, so I may reconsider.
 

Clinton McClure

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I just came across this thread (actually searched to see if there was already one open) because my wife’s sister sent us a Yeedi K700 robotic vacuum for Christmas.

Up until now, I had never entertained the idea of buying one and didn’t know anything about them other than apparently cats use them as transportation and they will paint your floors with a coat of poo if given the opportunity.

I was out of state last week when my wife ran it for the first time. She indicated that it did a decent job and only got stuck a few times. This morning, I’m laying back on the sofa with two of our dogs while my wife is asleep upstairs with the other two and the robot is doing it’s thing in the kitchen, dining room, foyer, and hallway. The robot doesn’t even move the needle with the dogs. They are on my lap asleep.

As far as cleaning goes, I guess it does a decent job, although it takes about 45 minutes to bang around and loudly do what I can accomplish quietly with a broom and dustpan in about 15 minutes. I measured the sound with my iPhone and it averaged about 54dB which makes it a challenge to watch tv without cranking up the volume to overcome the sound of the robot. I also have to pick up our dogs’ food and water bowls, toys, bed, and make sure the floor is dry and none of our fur babies have gone and pooed anywhere on the sly before activating the robot.

Overall, it’s nice and the floor looks clean. I will empty the dust bin later today and see what all it swept up. Sure I could do the same job much faster, but it’s nice to be able to relax with a cup of coffee and put on my headphones and let the robot worry about the floor. I like it. If we didn’t have dogs, I would set it on a schedule and let it run during the mornings when I’m at work and my wife is upstairs asleep. Since we have dogs, though, I have to prep before I can run it and then keep an eye on the dogs while it runs so it will probably only run once a week on a Saturday or Sunday morning, which is still fine.
 

Mike Frezon

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Cool, Clinton! Look forward to hearing more (as news warrants!).

My daughter also gave my son a "Deebot" robotic vacuum for Christmas. So I'll be sure to report his success/fail ratehere as well. I never did go ahead and get one for myself. I find myself vacuuming a least a couple times a week these days--at least once with the Dyson upright and once/twice more with the Dyson battery-operated stick.

And then there's the staircase and furniture... Sigh.
 

Clinton McClure

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I emptied the dust bin and was amazed at all the stuff it picked up that I didn’t realize was (mostly) under the cabinet edges where we normally can’t see but the robot can easily reach. Here she is at rest on the charging dock. 6ACDA86F-E813-4BF4-9A1A-F6212E0247AB.jpeg
 

TJPC

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We needed a new Roomba and looked in the “Air Miles” catalogue to see if they had one. We had enough miles to get the top of the line model with vacuum base. This model sells for $2000 CDN.(!)

The first time you set it going on each floor, it memorizes it and produces a map that you can access through an app on your phone. You label all the rooms yourself, and set up zones that you want the Roomba to miss, like around the pet food area. It is compatible with the Google system, so you just say “hey google, Roomba clean kitchen”
and off it goes.

When it is finished, it returns home and is cleaned by the vacuum canister system on the back of the base. We have had it for months now, and not had to replace the vacuum bag yet. We have kept the older bases, so when those floors are cleaned, it returns to those on the bedroom and basement floors. Later, you pick it up, put it on the main floor, press the home button and it returns to the main base for cleaning.

We have had a Roomba of some kind for at least 10 years, and unlike older models, this one doesn’t just bop around banging into walls etc. except the first time. After that it knows each room and will methodically clean in rows. (Although like all Roombas, it loooves people and insists on hitting your feet and cleaning in the same room where you are!)

It is the most convenient one we have ever owned. Having said that, it’s cleaning ability, although really good, is about the same as earlier cheaper models.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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With all the planned reno, reorg, etc, including dedicated new HT room, in our small-ish 2-story-plus townhouse, finally considering getting a Roomba or similar and/or a(nother) Dyson V10 -- we already have a 2.5-yo refurbished, fullly kitted V8, but could maybe add 2nd one (w/out most of the extra accessories) for ~$270 so it doesn't need to moved all over across 3 stories.

I understand Roomba's the original and best known, smart/robot vac (and you can get a refurbished, discontinued 980 quite affordably on eBay right now, especially w/ an additional 20%-off coupon), but seems like there might be better at lower prices -- well, maybe not lower than the refurbished 980 at ~$240 on eBay.

Anyone else try the Roborock S4 Max that tops the current best list over on Tom's Hardware? It's currently priced at ~$330 from Walmart.com and ~$350 from Amazon (after $70 coupon), which seem roughly mid-level for such...


My daughter also gave my son a "Deebot" robotic vacuum for Christmas. So I'll be sure to report his success/fail ratehere as well. I never did go ahead and get one for myself.

In my quick google, I noticed ZDNet gave high marks to a Deebot Ozmo T8, which adds a mopping function (and then some, including self-emptying dustbin) that I find a bit dubious as noted by Tom's reviews of other such units, including the bigger sibling (Roborock S6 MaxV) of their best reviewed unit...


And apparently, Tom's gave low marks for that particular Deebot (in what seems like a much more thorough review)...


Wondering how your kids like their Deebots so far -- maybe they went w/ somewhat less expensive, less complicated Deebots that work much better(?) (as seems generally recommended by Tom's)...

_Man_
 
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Mike Frezon

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Wondering how your kids like their Deebots so far -- maybe they went w/ somewhat less expensive, less complicated Deebots that work much better(?) (as seems generally recommended by Tom's)...

_Man_

Well, Man, just because it's YOU who asked...I asked my son for a quickie review. :D

He's got the Model 500...which is MUCH cheaper than the Ozmo T8.

And here's what you need to know. He's got a Golden Retriever, too...

This is Zeke (center) with Ernie and Pete. So my son has got the same long, dog-hair issues we do at our house! And whenever he dog-sits for us...you can only imagine! :laugh:

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Here's what he had to say:

- it seems to have trouble with long dog hair. I have to untangle the brush every time I use it which is the #1 reason so far I haven’t used it more

- it is ‘dumb’ in that it doesn’t learn the room and do it efficiently. It just picks a direction goes until it hits something and picks another direction

- that being said it rarely gets stuck and eventually seems to cover most areas, but takes much longer than if you vacuumed yourself

- it is quieter than I thought

- there is an app I haven’t explored yet that allows you to say let it run at night when you are asleep. That is probably the best approach for this but I haven’t got to the point of trusting it to do so yet with the tangling etc
 

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