ravenmasterq wrote:May I inquire as to how a Roomba is 'refurbished'?

Just like everything else. Customer returns it to the store, store returns to factory, a tech looks to see if all is fine, replaces or fixes what's broken, puts it in a package and supplies it to WOOT! Many are not even broken in a first place, just someone had a second thought and returned it to Sears, then it ends up here on WOOT at fraction of a price!

Just a note - my old 400 series rеfurb roomba (from Woot of course) served me well for neraly two years until my mother broke it by improper assembly... A brand new 415 lasted for much shorter length of time....

Rabid7 wrote:Does it work on tile floors?

Yes. We have a Roomba 560 and 550 (basically the same model), and they work great on carpet, tile, rugs, etc. It will clean pretty much any surface without any trouble.

LEM- wrote:Ok, jokes aside. I have a few virtual walls and a remote from my now defunct Roomba 415, and really looking for another Roomba to replace the dead one...

Will those walls and remote work with 500 series?

Anyone?

No, previous discovery stuff is not compatable. You could sell them on ebay.

iRobot Roomba® 530 Full Specifications

Standard Features

* Efficiently vacuums dirt, debris, pet hair, dust, allergens and more from carpets and hard floors
* Counter rotating Bristle Brush and Beater Brush work together like a dustpan and broom
* Sturdy Bristle Brush digs deep into carpet fibers to grab dirt, debris, pet hair and more
* Powerful vacuum leaps into the vacuum large and small debris into the large, bag-less bin
* Fine filter traps dust, pollen and tiny particulate inside the bin
* Cleans the whole floor, under and around furniture, into corners and along wall edges
* Detects dirtier areas and spends more time cleaning them
* Spot Clean provides quick clean-up of spills and concentrated messes
* Automatically senses and avoids stairs and other drop-offs
* Simple operation—just press the Clean button and Roomba does the rest


Advanced Features

* Automatically returns to its self-charging Home Base® to dock and recharge between cleanings
* Improved Virtual Walls tell Roomba where to clean by restricting off-limit areas now with longer battery life and streamlined design
* Faster counter-rotating brushes with improved design pick up more hair and debris and are easier to remove and clean
* Improved filter captures more dust and allergens while a larger bin holds more debris
* Improved anti-tangle technology keeps Roomba from getting stuck on cords, carpet fringe and tassels
* Improved sidebrush makes Roomba even more efficient at cleaning edges and corners



Specifications

Package Dimensions: 20" x 17.5" x 5.5"
Package Weight: 12.5 lbs


*Note: Room size based on 100 square feet of hardwood or low-pile carpet with minimal furniture. Cleaning area per battery charge varies depending on floor type, room layout, battery age and amount of debris. Battery performance and run time will decrease over the warranty period. Maintaining clean brushes optimizes battery performance.

Country of Origin:China

bpichman wrote:does anyone know how well does it work with dog hair. My little beagle shelty sheds hardcore.

If it works well with dog hair/dander, i'm in. Anyone have an animal with one of these?

I have a cat and a dog and it actually does pretty well with hair. You do have to be vigilant about cleaning out the bin and the brushes and if you have GIGANTIC amounts of hair as I do with a corgi and a long haired cat, it may miss a little but overall it does a really good job.

I LOVE the roombas I have gotten from woot. I wish I had money right now!

I have cats and these things get that hair! I really love being able to cook while vacuuming!

prateeko wrote:Does anyone have this in white and do white roombas stay clean/are they hard to clean? You figure white may not be the best idea for something that is always supposed to be in dirt...

I bought one the last Woot. Used it several times and it still looks sparkling clean. Works great except that loose hair (we have pets) tends to get wrapped around the wheel and brush axles. It takes a few minutes to clean with a small scissors and it is off to work again.

The only other problem is that it occasionally gets stuck under the base of the counters in the kitchen.

Other than those two flaws, highly recommend.

I have a Roomba 560 and it worked well for 6 or 7 months but now it keeps saying it needs to be cleaned even though it isn't dirty. I can't figure it out.

wootevil wrote:How long does it run on one charge?

Mine runs for about two hours if I put it in the mode for maximum cleaning - that means it cleans until the battery dies, which you can do for problem areas or rooms that haven't been cleaned lately. Usually you will use it in a normal mode where it cleans until it has covered the entire room well and then it drives back to the dicking station and parks.

Both of those modes work very well. I highly recommend Roomba, and this is a particularly good model.

prateeko wrote:Does anyone have this in white and do white roombas stay clean/are they hard to clean? You figure white may not be the best idea for something that is always supposed to be in dirt...

I've found the Roombas with the black bumper show dust very easily and tend to make black scuff marks on white baseboards until the bumper rubs down a little bit. This model doesn't have the scheduling feature, but the white bumper might actually be a good thing. I wouldn't trade the scheduling feature of the 550/560+ for anything, though.

Rabid7 wrote:Does it work on tile floors?

from iRobot website FAQ

Can Roomba be used on deep carpets and hard floors?

Yes! Roomba picks up an amazing amount of dirt, dust, pet hair and other debris from your carpets and hard floors. Roomba automatically transitions from one floor surface to the next, including carpets, rugs, tile, linoleum and hardwood floors.

wootevil wrote:iRobot Roomba® 530 Full Specifications

Standard Features

* Efficiently vacuums dirt, debris, pet hair, dust, allergens and more from carpets and hard floors
* Counter rotating Bristle Brush and Beater Brush work together like a dustpan and broom
* Sturdy Bristle Brush digs deep into carpet fibers to grab dirt, debris, pet hair and more
* Powerful vacuum leaps into the vacuum large and small debris into the large, bag-less bin
* Fine filter traps dust, pollen and tiny particulate inside the bin
* Cleans the whole floor, under and around furniture, into corners and along wall edges
* Detects dirtier areas and spends more time cleaning them
* Spot Clean provides quick clean-up of spills and concentrated messes
* Automatically senses and avoids stairs and other drop-offs
* Simple operation—just press the Clean button and Roomba does the rest


Advanced Features

* Automatically returns to its self-charging Home Base® to dock and recharge between cleanings
* Improved Virtual Walls tell Roomba where to clean by restricting off-limit areas now with longer battery life and streamlined design
* Faster counter-rotating brushes with improved design pick up more hair and debris and are easier to remove and clean
* Improved filter captures more dust and allergens while a larger bin holds more debris
* Improved anti-tangle technology keeps Roomba from getting stuck on cords, carpet fringe and tassels
* Improved sidebrush makes Roomba even more efficient at cleaning edges and corners



Specifications

Package Dimensions: 20" x 17.5" x 5.5"
Package Weight: 12.5 lbs


*Note: Room size based on 100 square feet of hardwood or low-pile carpet with minimal furniture. Cleaning area per battery charge varies depending on floor type, room layout, battery age and amount of debris. Battery performance and run time will decrease over the warranty period. Maintaining clean brushes optimizes battery performance.

Country of Origin:China

Why do people feel the need to repost the specs just as they are listed in the blog? IS there a department of redundancy department at woot.com?

YouCantWootThis wrote:Mine runs for about two hours if I put it in the mode for maximum cleaning - that means it cleans until the battery dies, which you can do for problem areas or rooms that haven't been cleaned lately. Usually you will use it in a normal mode where it cleans until it has covered the entire room well and then it drives back to the dicking station and parks.

Both of those modes work very well. I highly recommend Roomba, and this is a particularly good model.

cool, thanks

Do you happen to know what kind of battery it has inside? NiCad, NiMh, Li-Ion, or other?

We have all tile floors. We use 5 Roombas. They are actual robots, and learn the floor plan as they go, and cover every square inch of floor. They repeat over dirty spots they "see." I use a small compressor to blow out the unit after I dump the little dirt compartment. Roomba will pick up a feather and a sheet metal screw with equal efficiency.
My refurbished one came packed as if new, and probably was. The 530 is an excellent model because we don't use an auto docking feature,and don't use a remote or scheduler. We isolate them to different rooms,and when they are done, I clean them quickly and put them on their chargers.

zwizer25 wrote:I have a Roomba 560 and it worked well for 6 or 7 months but now it keeps saying it needs to be cleaned even though it isn't dirty. I can't figure it out.

Call iRobot, they're very helpful!
My 415 once started doing the "circle of death dance", so I thought I was in big trouble, but iRobot tech suggested me to hold it certain way and literally smack it into a right spot with my fist a few times. And it fixed the problem! Apparently a piece of dirt got stuck to one of the sensors, and hitting it in a right spot got it loose.

YouCantWootThis wrote:Why do people feel the need to repost the specs just as they are listed in the blog? IS there a department of redundancy department at woot.com?

because some people don't read the main page and ask the question in the blog section. I dunno why maybe the green background is hard to read for some people. Thanks for caring.

i was gonna make some awful joke about woot equaling a pregnant roomba mothership constantly and consistently spewing out refurb progeny, but I've just run out of ideas.

Hands down, Woot wins!
'nuff said. etc

how strong is the sucking power? and would it scratch wood floors?

zwizer25 wrote:I have a Roomba 560 and it worked well for 6 or 7 months but now it keeps saying it needs to be cleaned even though it isn't dirty. I can't figure it out.

Snap the bottom guard out, remove the brush and rubber brush. There are one or two brass surfaces on the bottom of the robot,the size of a dime. they are the "eyes" of the robot. wipe them clean, and see if it helps.

I have saved and saved specifically for a roomba. Oh magic robot of the future, eat me and my friends detritus so that I may walk about shoeless and not step on crumbs.

I was just thinking about buying one of these today. Unfortunately this roomba is almost the bottom-of-the-line. I want a Roomba that's schedul-able. Personally, I'll be going with a 560...

If you just want a Roomba, this is an EXCELLENT price though.

bpichman wrote:does anyone know how well does it work with dog hair. My little beagle shelty sheds hardcore.

If it works well with dog hair/dander, i'm in. Anyone have an animal with one of these?

I have 2 dogs that shed unbelievably and Roomba picks up an amazing amount of hair. As someone mentioned you do have to clear the rollers of the hair that wraps around the ends.

Mainly I use it in the kitchen on a pseudo tile surface. Works great.

An Improvised Song for the iRobot Roomba 530, Set to a Possibly Recognizable Tune

Hey, the words go with the tune for the baby of the cosmos podcast song!

This model WILL obey the old 400 series virtual walls. It will NOT however, turn them on automatically, or make them function as lighthouses. But, if you just need more walls, and you've got 4xx series ones, this will obey them.

If I put it on a dirt floor, will it eventually just come upstairs and smother me while I sleep?

they work pretty good and they dont scratch the floor or the furniture. Just beware - if you don't get it from Irobot, you may not get a warranty and my programmer and 1 virtual wall failed after about 6 months.

duckcake wrote:how strong is the sucking power? and would it scratch wood floors?

The suction is considerably less than a regular vacuum. With carpets it is a good idea to use the Roomba for frequent cleaning, but bring out the old fashioned vacuum occasionally to get the deeper dirt.

We use the Roomba on a bamboo floor with no problems. Probably any hardwood with a good coating such as the factory coatings or polyurethane will be fine. If you have an unusually delicate floor, you'll have to test for yourself.

duckcake wrote:how strong is the sucking power? and would it scratch wood floors?

It works really well.. It doesn't scratch floors.. I love mine and I just bought this one for my parents Christmas gift.. ours doesn't have a self docking station sniff sniff.. Buy it.. it's a GREAT deal and you'll love it...

how well does this work on tiled floors that have deep grout lines, our tile has about a 1/4 to a 1/3 in deep grout lines?

How does this work if it runs into a small obstacle (like a toy) if I happen to miss one picking up? Will it go around it or with the toy jam the machine?

Lechugon wrote:, and learn the floor plan as they go,

I don't think they do, do they? I think it's a pseudo-random pattern of turns and wall following.

Which is a good thing: otherwise moving furniture, pets and children would confuse them.

How high of a height difference can it climb over? We've got about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch difference in floor height between the kitchen and family room...

I've had 4 or 5 Roombas. They probably work well if you don't have pets, especially ones with long hair. If you have a pet hair problem you can expect to have to clean the brush rolls every time it runs and the front wheel and side brush at least once a week. If you don't and even if you do it can force hair into the drive mechanisms. I'm not sure it is worth the hassle of cleaning it all the time. I never have to do nearly as much maintenance on a normal vacuum.

They are cheaply made in China. Their customer service leaps into the vacuum. After having 3 discoveries (maybe 4 I've lost track with warranty replacements) die one me, only one of which did so out of the one year warranty. I thought I'd give it one more try and bought a 560. In 9 months the NIHM battery died and after two months of hassling customer service they sent me a NICAD battery..

If you have the NIHM you will get over an hour to 90 minutes depending on the surfaces it runs on, less on carpet than on tile. If it comes with a NICAD, maybe 30 minutes. If you have a lot of hair and it accumulates around the end of the brush rolls it will use more power and run less.

I was also having a problem with the robot doing weird things but they wouldn't replace it until I tried a new battery. It started only running in right circles and they had me send it in. It was another two months before I got them to replace it and a month after they received it and several emails and finally a couple of phone calls before they sent me a replacement which turned out to be a 530, when I had a 560 to start with. The never did send me an orgional NIHM battery. The description on the one Woot is selling does not say which one it comes with.

The 500 series is easier to work on, it is modular. How ever you have to take it apart to get to the battery. The older machines you could take the battery out of the bottom by releasing a clip. If something goes bad, just take it apart and snap in a replacement.

I believe the only difference between the 500 is how many walls and replacement brush rolls come with it. As near as I could tell the only difference between the 560 and the 570 was the 570 came with one more wall and an extra set of brushes but was a lot more expensive..

The original 500's had green brush roll drive assembles. Apparently they had issues and the Red brush roll drive (which the one Woot is selling has) is an upgrade/replacement. The brushes do not interchange between the two.

The 500 does pick up more dirt and the vacuum is stronger than the Discovery series I had before. So if you don't have long hair pets (I have a long hair black cat) and never have do deal with their customer service you probably will be happy with it. Their customer service used to be better but currently is some of the worse I've ever had to deal with.

Do they not deliver to Hawaii?????

jtcarrot wrote:How does this work if it runs into a small obstacle (like a toy) if I happen to miss one picking up? Will it go around it or with the toy jam the machine?

I have a 510. Large toys block it, medium toys get pushed around, small toys may result in the sad "I think I've eaten a sock." noise.

VeloSteve wrote:The suction is considerably less than a regular vacuum. With carpets it is a good idea to use the Roomba for frequent cleaning, but bring out the old fashioned vacuum occasionally to get the deeper dirt.

We use the Roomba on a bamboo floor with no problems. Probably any hardwood with a good coating such as the factory coatings or polyurethane will be fine. If you have an unusually delicate floor, you'll have to test for yourself.

hmm.... considerably less than a regular vacuum... and vacuuming again with a old fashioned vacuum just to get the dirt that matters? might as well vacuum with the old fashioned one 1st and final then =/

but the wood floors (not having to sweep) is a great plus.

I've been waiting for this day... *coupondance*

I'm going to do a little bit more research, make sure this is the model we want and then I'm in!

How does it ship? Doesn't say smartpost, so what is it?

PS: I like the new colors next to our names. When did they do that?

is it HEPA filtered?

zwizer25 wrote:I have a Roomba 560 and it worked well for 6 or 7 months but now it keeps saying it needs to be cleaned even though it isn't dirty. I can't figure it out.

I had the same problem with mine, I took some compressed air and blew all the dust out of it and she cleans like new.

No ship to Hawaii!!!!!! That is a pain. We have dirt too!