Robot Vacuum Cleaners

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Do you have a "Robot Vacuum"?  If so, which one did you get and what do you like/not like about it?  Oh, and does it do pine needles?

[TrekMD]

I have the iRobot Roomba 690 Robot Vacuum. It can be controlled by Google Assistant/Alexa.  I selected this one because of the integration with my smart home stuff.  This one even picks up pet hair. I got it almost 5 years ago (where has time gone?!) and it still works quite well.  You can even give it a name so you can tell Assistant to get it started at cleaning the house.  I named mine Roobie.  😁

Edited January 26, 2022 by TrekMD
Forgot to add the picture.

[DegasElite]

We have a Roomba in our house, too. It's interesting. We had to replace the battery on it at least once. Older one. I can't remember the model number. :O)

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I've been pondering getting one of these things, but some are wildly expensive, and out of the question, while others are more affordable.  For instance...

<< THIS ROBO ROCK UNIT >> is far too expensive to contemplate and only get 4.5 stars.

<< THIS ROOMBA UNIT >> is even more outrageous and only gets 4 stars.

However this seemingly more affordable no-name unit, the << THE LARESAR UNIT >> gets 4.9 stars, but has fewer ratings.

What interests me, from people who actually have one, is how well they actually clean, do they require expensive maintenance replacement parts, do they require follow up cleaning, stuff like that.  Living out in the country, pine needles are the bane of my existence, I end up using the hand vac by the front door at least four times a day.  Those needles drive me freaking nuts.  So to me, getting a negative answer to the pine needle question can break the whole deal.  I could care less about pet hair as I don't have a pet, but pine needles...

 

[Atari 5200 Guy]

Nope. Don't have one but I can relate to the pine needles. Those things are a royal pain. 

[TrekMD]

I haven't had to do any repair or any expensive maintenance on mine.  I just clean the dust collector and change filters.  I don't have pine needles to deal with, so I can't tell you how well they'd do. By the way, that Roomba 9550 is one of their most, if not their most, expensive models. 

Edited January 26, 2022 by TrekMD

[Sabertooth]

I have a Roomba. Every once in a while I have to take of the side brush and clean it to get it spinning again. Also, it will try to roll over anything that is shorter than .75", so it can mar the base of some styles of floor lamps and chairs. I actually  move my chairs when it's running.

Edited January 26, 2022 by Sabertooth

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3 hours ago, TrekMD said:

I haven't had to do any repair or any expensive maintenance on mine.  I just clean the dust collector and change filters.  I don't have pine needles to deal with, so I can't tell you how well they'd do. By the way, that Roomba 9550 is one of their most, if not their most, expensive models. 

Oh yeah, the filters, thanks for the reminder, that's part of the upkeep expense, I better price those out too!  As for that price, yeah, that's unfortunate, because I really, really, require a unit that I don't have to personally empty all the time, because that would defeat the purpose of getting the gadget in the first place.

[RickR]

Here are the ratings from Consumer Reports:  https://www.consumerreports.org/robotic-vacuum/best-robotic-vacuums-of-the-year-a7149523687/

 

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1 hour ago, Sabertooth said:

I have a Roomba. Every once in a while I have to take of the side brush and clean it to get it spinning again. Also, it will try to roll over anything that is shorter than .75", so it can mar the base of some styles of floor lamps and chairs. I actually  move my chairs when it's running.

Interesting!  It must decide it's a throw rug or something at that height.  Yeah, hitting objects, that would be a no go in this place.  I have a lot wood that CANNOT be marred. I was told that the Lidar models eliminate that issue.  I'm hoping that is true.

[RickR]

My suggestion is to look for a nice stick vac instead.  I think the robot vacuums aren't going to get all those pine needles and they do have a very small capacity and will require emptying pretty often. 

Get a cordless stick vac from Costco and give it a shot.  They have a spinning brush and should handle pine needles just fine.  I'd say they run about $250.  And if you don't like it, the return policy there is so generous that you can just return it. 

No bending over, and very little maintenance on those (you just vacuum out the filter about once per month). 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by RickR

[RickR]

A bit more info on the stick vac -- I got one about six months ago with the idea that I'd clean the dust around the edges of my bathroom/bedroom a lot more often (we have hard flooring) and it would help my allergies.  So I bought a super cheapo wired Dust Devil model.  After six months, I can tell you I do clean a lot more often.  Mission accomplished.  It's so easy and lightweight to use, so I do indeed use it more often than a big vacuum.  And it totally does what I need.  I want to upgrade to a better model once this cheapo breaks. 

 

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6 minutes ago, RickR said:

Here are the ratings from Consumer Reports:  https://www.consumerreports.org/robotic-vacuum/best-robotic-vacuums-of-the-year-a7149523687/

 

Now one thing that stood out in that klink of yours @RickR was the data security issue, I hand never considered that.  I may have to re-evaluate all over again.  Thanks for that.

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2 minutes ago, RickR said:

A bit more info on the stick vac -- I got one about six months ago with the idea that I'd clean the dust around the edges of my bathroom/bedroom a lot more often (we have hard flooring) and it would help my allergies.  So I bought a super cheapo wired Dust Devil model.  After six months, I can tell you I do clean a lot more often.  Mission accomplished.  It's so easy and lightweight to use, so I do indeed use it more often than a big vacuum.  And it totally does what I need.  I want to upgrade to a better model once this cheapo breaks. 

 

 

That might be an issue Rick, I already have three vacs, two uprights, a Dyson, a Shark and my little awesome friend a Black & Decker cordless hand vac.  I want to pass off some of the grunt work to the machine so I am not endlessly pulling out a vac, messing with cords or emptying out the small capacity hand vac.  

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16 hours ago, TrekMD said:

I have the iRobot Roomba 690 Robot Vacuum. It can be controlled by Google Assistant/Alexa.  I selected this one because of the integration with my smart home stuff.  This one even picks up pet hair. I got it almost 5 years ago (where has time gone?!) and it still works quite well.  You can even give it a name so you can tell Assistant to get it started at cleaning the house.  I named mine Roobie.  😁

I'm gonna go look at this one again.  Five years is a very respectable lifespan for one of these little robots.  

[RickR]

Yeah, makes sense.  Just keep in mind that the newest gen of stick vacs are cordless, very light-weight, and have a very large capacity.  Imagine whipping it out of the closet, giving your door areas a quick once-over, and then putting it back.  No wires, little effort. 

 

[TrekMD]

5 hours ago, - Ω - said:

I'm gonna go look at this one again.  Five years is a very respectable lifespan for one of these little robots.  

I suggest getting it from Amazon, in case you need to return it if it doesn't clean the pine needles.