We have a Lab that sheds like crazy. We have hardwood floors throughout. Does this work well on wood?

It's my wootiversary!

Love this little vacuum.

ginito97 wrote:We have a Lab that sheds like crazy. We have hardwood floors throughout. Does this work well on wood?

This works AMAZINGLY on wood. I think it picks up the dust better than a broom or something, but honestly, after I run the robot in the living room, the floor is gloriously sparkly and makes me so happy. Mine is getting a little old and slow, and I'm considering upgrading to a fancy newer one soon. As others have said, it doesn't completely replace a more conventional vac, for corners and drifts of animal hair, but I've made do with a roomba and a Shark for three years and two pets (cat with super fine hair, dog that sheds like your lab) and two long haired peoples. This is a good intro price if you haven't tried one before. (In my family, we bought one for my grandmother for Xmas, she loved it, and the roombas spread through the family like a cold.)

EDIT: And I just checked my woot history to see my current one is older, so I replaced it. If a 530 comes along at a good price, I'll just pass this one on to my mom.

Ever wondered whether a Roomba really covers the entire room? Here's a great time-lapse photo of a Roomba cleaning path:

www.signaltheorist.com/?p=91

Hey all,

How much was the roomba 530 again when it was posted here?

I'm thinking if I should hold off and wait for the next 530 deal, if the price difference is not that big.

Anyone?
Thanks!!

Will Roomba operate well if I attach a R2D2 form atop it and paint myself gold?

This may be a silly question to you Roomba pros, but what is a virtual wall?

I have the 530 and just like with any roller brush, the hair gets wrapped around the brush. It does come with a cleaning tool that works well (the 530 does, I'm assuming this will too). If you clean it every time you use it, it doesn't get built up and takes just a few minutes.

I went through 4 used 400-series Roombas before the 500-series came out, and if I were Roomba-free right now I would spend the extra money for a 500-series. They are built differently so there is more separation between the dirt and the electronics, so there are far fewer breakdowns.

Tired of seeing Roombas on here. Thanks woot wasted my time today checking your site. You usually have worth while products but not today.

Will this model schedule with the scheduling remotes? And will it dock with the docking station?

I know it doesn't come with those items. I have two old discovery models, so I already have docking stations and scheduling remotes. Just wondering if I could integrate this roomba into that plan.

Just checked with Roomba and they said, about docking station question, All the 500 series and 700 series robots on our site currently come with docking stations(charging stations).

antny024 wrote:how many roomba's can you sell? good god every week there are roomba's.. come on diversify already!

Woot! just thinks that their customers are filthy, filthy people...

Personally, I'm a bit insulted.

The heck with roomba its time for scooba!

hustlertwo wrote:4 C batteries for the Virtual Wall? With the amount it would cost to power those, seems like it'd be a better bet to just throw up something more tangible, like a pet barrier.

The batteries last a long time because the unit turns itself off automatically. I use adapters for AA rechargeable Eneloops in my unit - removing them only if I need to use them elsewhere.

Also I have long hair and using scissors, long handled tweezers, and one of those envelope openers with recessed blade - it takes little time to clean. Much quicker than trying to clean a normal vac.

I've owned the same Roomba since 2006 replaced the original battery last year and replaced filters of course. I deep clean it every couple of month. I have given them as gifts - all of them still working.

My home is cleaner because I run the Roomba very often - much less dusting too. Never thought it would last this long or simplify my life so much. If it did nothing more than go under furniture and beds it would still be worth it.

To address need for virtual walls - I've used rolled up rugs, towels, or even shoes and that works fine. Any thing it can bump against will do the trick.

gill2003 wrote:This may be a silly question to you Roomba pros, but what is a virtual wall?

Not a silly question at all. They're small towers that send IR (infared) light over short distances that the Roomba won't pass through, hence the "virtual wall". They're intended to be placed by stairs / rooms you don't want Roomba to fall off of / clean.

In the last Woot-Off, a wooter was complaining that s/he missed the Big Orgasmic Climax because s/he was vacuuming... maybe that's why so many wooters seem to desire a Roomba?!

tim74 wrote:Will Roomba operate well if I attach a R2D2 form atop it and paint myself gold?

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Bought this during this weeks' Woot-Off and it was delivered this morning. Already charged and has cleaned the floors. For a normal house with a few (4) dogs and cats (8), I recommend it!!!!

paramex wrote:Hey all,

How much was the roomba 530 again when it was posted here?

I'm thinking if I should hold off and wait for the next 530 deal, if the price difference is not that big.

Anyone?
Thanks!!

It was $160. Note tho that the 530 was a refurb with 90-day warranty, while this is a new one with 1-year warranty. Also, this comes with two compact virtual walls, while the 530 only had one. (I've been trying to figure out if these walls would be compatible with the 530 and I've pretty much decided that they must be, tho I have yet to use the one wall that I got... so far boxes have worked fine to contain it.)

The 530 is my first Roomba, so we (two daughters, two cats, and I) are still in the wow, cool phase. (Well, one of the cats is mostly in the basement or another room away from the Roomba, but the other one likes to watch it go around, sometimes from only a few feet away.)

I got the 530 for two reasons: I don't vaccuum often enough and my younger daughter is getting into Robitics (Robotics Team in school next year, microcontrollers (e.g. Arduino), etc.) so I figured a Roomba would make a decent robot base.

So far, I am very happy on the vacuuming part (the Roomba does an excellent job on cat hair, better than I do with my ancient but still good Hoover upright). Still need to track down a coouple of 7 or 8 pin mini-din connectors to actually talk to the Roomba, so not so much on the hacking part.

I'm considering this one as I want another one for the basement, plus one for the daughter (that doesn't sound right) but I'm thinking I might just wait for 5XX's myself.

susanhobbs wrote:Bought this during this weeks' Woot-Off and it was delivered this morning. Already charged and has cleaned the floors. For a normal house with a few (4) dogs and cats (8), I recommend it!!!!

8 cats is far from a normal house!

WARNING: Roomba has been known to "go rogue" and violate the Three Laws of Roombotics:

•Roombas must not suck up jewelry or other valuables, or through inaction, allow valuables to be sucked up.

•Roombas must obey vacuuming orders given to it by humans except when such orders would conflict with the First Law.

•Roombas must protect their own ability to suck up dirt as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second law.

Here is a first-hand account AND photographic proof of this chilling development, as reported in The Onion:

www.theonion.com/articles/roomba-violates-all-three-laws-of-roombotics,2184/

Of course, that guy had a Scheduler model, so maybe today's Woot is safe?

mastrbob wrote:i thought it changed over at 12midnight pacific time? what the heck... i was about to get those cameras surveillance, no joke... what gives?

It actually changes at 10 PM Pacific time. Sorry!

I somehow get the feeling that Roombas are like Macs and I should wait for the next series before buying one.

Is there that big of a difference between the 400 series and the 500 series? Or would it be worthwhile to wait for the 600 series to come out?

I wish iRobot would come up with a gold Roomba as a homage to Dr. Theopolis.

jeanerz13 wrote:I tend to shed my long hair that I often have to cut out of my current vacuum when it gets wrapped around the roller...how does the roomba do with this kind of thing? Would I have to spend a lot of time digging the hairballs out with this as well?

Yes, it will wind the hair up on the brush ends. I use and xacto knife and tweezers to extract it. A #10 scalpel works also...

Sorry, this is off topic, but can anyone tell me why when I downloaded Explorer 7 (I have Outlook 6) I lost my tool bars? Any insights on how to get them back? If I remove Explorer it affects my Outlook for some reason. Well I am perplexed..

natron15 wrote:Yes, it will wind the hair up on the brush ends. I use and xacto knife and tweezers to extract it. A #10 scalpel works also...

I only used mine to do my bedroom and I set up all the little bumpers, etc, babied it, it took more time to clean than it worked on my one room of carpet, thing burned itself out in less than 5 months.. Big waste of money.

Not all Roombas suck, that great. A regular vacuum cleaner is almost always better. If your regular vacuum does not work better than a roomba, it is time to get another one.

However, every Sunday in my apartment while my clothes are in the washer and dryer I attack my apartment on three fronts.

I release the Kracken--> Rumba and use my regular vacuum and swifter. The Rumba does pre cleaning for the swifter in the kitchen and bathroom so I do not need a broom.

Now for the sweet part, why if you have never owned a Roomba, you really need to buy one and this a great price.

SHOUT---> IT CLEANS UNDER MY BED, it moves all the cat toys out. IT WILL CLEAN UNDER YOUR BED..................................!!!!!!!

IT WILL CLEAN UNDER YOUR BED..................................!!!!!!!

IT WILL CLEAN UNDER YOUR BED..................................!!!!!!!

Like, when was the last time you cleaned under your bed? 1 years, 3 years, 5 years, don't want to think about it!!!

They are taking me away Ha Ha.

I am in for one because my current one has done like 350 jobs and I have been waiting for a new one at a good price for a long time. The current one is ok, but I don't want to wait another year. I had a referb that lasted a year. My current one is going on 2.5 years. I am in for one and will have two Krackens and have a Wally experience.

I received my RUMBA today. I can't wait to start using it in the house. Finally, I have a robot to clean my house. The only down side is that I need to wait for the battery to recharge. I will let you know how my "WIENER" is cleaning my house. I call my robot "WIENER"
zap

gill2003 wrote:This may be a silly question to you Roomba pros, but what is a virtual wall?

It's an IR barrier to keep the device within (or outside of) a particular area of your home.

I bought one a long time ago on Woot. The 530 series that i call my Roomy. I love my Roomy cause I dont have to deal with vacuuming anymore. No cords to mess with, no walking around trying to maneuver a stand up vacumm into and under crevices or furniture. All I gotta do is pick up my dogs toys before he runs and empty the trap and filter when Roomys done. It's great! I haven't touched a real vacuum since I bought it. Every other month I pay a cleaning lady once to do the things Roomy can't. The more time I have is worth every penny of the roomba's cost.

2woot2woot wrote:Sorry, this is off topic, but can anyone tell me why when I downloaded Explorer 7 (I have Outlook 6) I lost my tool bars? Any insights on how to get them back? If I remove Explorer it affects my Outlook for some reason. Well I am perplexed..

Download explorer 8 or the new one is explorer 9.I had problems with explorer 9,so went back to ex 8.

I have two longish-haired fuzzcats and one long-haired, high-shedding dog, and I love my Roomba (a 560 that's well over a year old and still going strong). Yes, they do need to be kept clean to work well, as do all vacuums - even my Dyson gets pet hair wrapped around the brush. That's not unique to the Roomba.

What I like about the Roomba is that it can go under the bed and munch on the dustbunnies before they multiply, ditto for the living room sofa and other furniture that's heavy to move, and it makes quick work of the pet hair. It's also a LOT easier to remove the Roomba's brushes for cleaning and then put them back than it is on other vacuums (even my beloved Dyson).

When the brushes need cleaning, I use a stainless-steel nut pick (like from those old-fashioned nut bowl sets) to snag the pet hair from the end fittings on the brush, and then just sweep my hand over the bristles. The whole "clean the brushes" routine actually only takes about two minutes.

stingray761 wrote:Just checked with Roomba and they said, about docking station question, All the 500 series and 700 series robots on our site currently come with docking stations(charging stations).

However this is a Roomba 400 series (ie: Discovery). They're good, no question about it, but the 500 is a bit better.

Roomba 400's can all be programmed and scheduled using the 400 style remote (buy from IRobot). They can also dock with 400 series docking stations.

I'd wait for another 530 to come along for the same price.

Chris
(Has 2 Discoveries, 2 Roomba 530's, a scooba, and a Dirt Dog. They are Gods.)

Polie wrote:Well what's better a real vacuum (vacuuming sucks) or a roomba? I need one or the other since I destroyed my last one trying to suck a dead bird out of my AC unit. (Please don't ask)

well, it wouldn't work for sucking dead birds out of anything, but I have one of these -
http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-LINX-Cordless-Stick-Vacuum/dp/B001PB8EJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308446032&sr=8-1
and love it. 2 dogs that shed like it's their only passion, a 2 year old & a husband who only wears boots, plus a gravel driveway and wood floors. I have a Dyson for rugs & I use the Hoover all the time. Cordless, so it's fast like sweeping but actually gets the mess off the floor. I had a Roomba (500 series) a couple years ago & didn't have the performance problems that all the other folks have posted about, but it just couldn't keep up with our level of mess.

antny024 wrote:how many roomba's can you sell? good god every week there are roomba's.. come on diversify already!

I have to agree with you. This is going on for too long and they're crap or they wouldn't send used ones in the bagz o krap.

gill2003 wrote:This may be a silly question to you Roomba pros, but what is a virtual wall?

a sensor you can place in a room that keeps the roomba from going past a certain point. usefull for keeping the little guy out of areas where he can get stuck, or if placed in an open doorway-from leaving a room before he has done the whole thing.

tim74 wrote:Will Roomba operate well if I attach a R2D2 form atop it and paint myself gold?

It only works if googly eyes are placed on it before you turn it on.

sdc100 wrote:Omigawd, more Roombas! And they're offering the D-size LED flashlight on Deals.Woot. I guess even the recent Wootoff couldn't dump these items off on the mindless masses....

I got three of those flashlights a couple of months ago or so. I love them. I gave one to my daughter, who said it looked like it would be good for self-defense too!