I bought 2 of these new a few months ago when they offered them. They are awesome little vaccums. I have 10 dogs inside my house and I run mine daily. (I foster for Animal Rescue Foundation Tulsa) I had a wheel module go out on one and iRobot's customer service was absolutely great, they sent me one right out and I had it in a matter of a few days. It was an easy fix and Roomba I was back in service! Someone else I recommended them to bought a refurbished one on the last go 'round a month or so ago and she loves it! I bought three tonight and may buy more......guess what everyone get's for Christmas this year!

braymeck wrote: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.

I keep my cleaned up, it beats having to do the vaccuming myself....not a bad trade-off! I clean his brushes and wheels and wash out his tummy (bin) take the bottom off and blow him out with the airhose about once a week. I run my Roomba daily though, sometimes twice!

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

I have hardwood floors and no problems, I LOVE my Roomba!

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?

Why do people feel the need to repost giant posts in their entirety? Is there a stupid department of stupidity at posters.com?

duckcake wrote: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.

You've sort of got the wrong idea. It doesn't suck at all, it sweeps. It sweeps a lot, it sweeps over and over. I got my carpets very clean on a daily basis and my tile floors are spotless. But when I used it on my carpets maybe once a month or so I would use the big sucky vacuum to get dirt deep inside.

Once a month or so. Not daily, like the roomba runs, once a month or so.

julieacooper wrote: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 have 10 dogs in my house, no, that is NOT a typo! I foster for Animal Rescue Foundation in Tulsa. I bought 2 of these a few months ago, the new ones. Had to have a back-up
I run mine daily and sometimes twice. I highly recommend these little bots! I have been waiting for them to list them again. I bought 3 and may buy more in the morning!

I have 2 of the 550 models which have the Lighthouses (instead of the virtual wall only units) and the scheduler. I definitely recommend the 500 series Roombas for anyone who has short pile carpet or hard surface floors. It does do a good job on large-pile carpet but won't pick up everything.

As far as little objects on the floor getting stuck... I had a chunk of a dog bone about a quarter inch big and it got stuck in the brushes and stopped the unit. So if the object is something that can get tangled in the brushes (like a long, skinny piece of plastic wrap or a farely large chunk of debris) it will probably stop the unit.

The 500 series model is definitely the way to go since you can replace a lot of the parts on it such as the wheel modules, side brush module, etc.

If you have pets that shed a lot and you don't plan on emptying the bin a lot there is a high capacity sweeper bin available for $20. It holds three times the amount of dirt as the regular bin. IIRC this is the same bin that comes with the Roomba Pet series robots (such as the 532). However, I wonder if you'll be able to fill the bin before the robot needs its brushes cleaned...and if you've already picked it up to clean the brushes you might as well just empty the dust bin. Also, this high capacity bin doesn't trap as small of dust particles as the bin that comes with the robot.

http://store.irobot.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3257388&cp=2804606.3358508&ab=CMS_SelectRoomba_500_102308&parentPage=family

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?

Roomba will go around anything big enough and heavy enough for the bumper to sense. And even though the vacuum suction is modest, tiny items could get picked up by the brushes. Mine has never jammed.

The robot is surprisingly smart and thorough. The first couple of uses, it's even entertaining to watch it work.

Even though most of us here love the robots, Roombas historically have suffered from durability issues. If you buy from Woot, the Square Trade warranty is recommended.

For those of you with numerous roombas I recommend this little delight

http://teextile.com/1034

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?

Yes, it does. I got the 535 in a wootoff a while ago, and it works pretty well. Of course you need to clean it pretty much after every usage. And let me also say that I have hardwood floors and not carpeting, so I don't know how well it can handle the combo of carpeting + animals.
My dog gets hair everywhere, and the little roomba does a pretty good job. I was astonished by how well it took the hair out of the little rug we have by our front door. It was completely covered in fur, and the roomba got practically all of it out. I mean, there was some left, and afterward the thing was 100% full of hair, but after cleaning it out it was good to continue.
I think that if you use it regularly it shouldn't really be too much of a problem. I've only had the roomba get completely full like that after not vacuuming for a while.

oh.. wish it was a new one

more roombas, GD when will it end

I bought this when it was on in July. LOVE IT!!! We have 3 dogs and a cat and it picks up all the furballs that float around on our wood floors. My floors have never looked so good. I have 2000 sq ft and I split my house in 2 sections and alternate days. You do have to clean the bin and brushes after every use, including the bearings. Not a big deal, takes about 5 minutes to do thoroughly. Worth it. It runs for about 90 minutes and gets pretty much everywhere.

I've been waiting for a Roomba on Woot for months now. There wasn't even one during the Woot Off a few weeks ago! I got one awhile ago and like it so much I want another one (upstairs and downstairs).

But this model is a step lower than the one I got awhile ago (535) and doesn't have the lighthouse technology. I guess I have longer to wait.

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 MinPin, 2 Pomeranians and a long hair cat. Works Great!!

So far so good. I previously got one of these about 3 months ago. Easy to clean out and empty.

The two problems I'm having though.

The first: the roomba doesn't like to dock itself all the time. It starts running low on battery and wants to, but sometimes doesn't find its way back. I will come back from work and see the roomba in the middle of the floor and shake my head. Poor roomba, just couldn't get everywhere it wanted to in life.

The second: It picks up a lot of stuff. Even parts of my carpeting. Mind you I live in a crappy apartment so maybe your carpeting in your house will be much more resilient to the roomba's pickup. An added note here, the space for dirt to collect is a tad small. I try to be around to stop the roomba in the middle of cleaning to empty it out. I only do it one time though, and it could just be that I'm paranoid that it will run out of space to put dirt.

Overall, worth the investment with holding a job and being a full-time student. Hey, I'm lucky to be even cooking my own meals. All in all worth the investment for me.

Edit: It does make a bit of noise going over tile. There isn't enough tile in my place to really say how good it is on tile. But from what I've seen , it does a pretty good job.

prateeko wrote:What's the deepest carpet these can effectively work in? I just moved and the carpet in my new pad is oh-so-plush...

I have about a 1 inch "shag" in my living room. It works pretty well on it but sometimes has trouble going from the wood to the carpet because it is so plush

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 my 530 until I figured out that I had to take the little yellow caps off and clean out the bearings and oil them. The first time took me around 30 minutes with tweezers and dental pick because so much hair was wrapped around them from months of neglect!

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?

Mine will usually just turn away unless there are strins hanging off the toy, then sometimes they get caught around the brush and the unit turns off. I'm talking about dog toys also

yeawuteva wrote:what are the chances this vacuum is going to scratch my baseboards and walls? How accurate is the sensor?

I have the roomba 560, and wood floors w/ baseboards, and I haven't had any scratches in the last 6 months.

wrampton wrote:is it HEPA filtered?

No, but you can buy Hepa type filters for it on Ebay

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

They take the old furb out, and put a new furb in.

Any idea how this is different from the one CostCo stopped selling due to too many returns?

Does this have a clock built in so it will automatically start up and clean the room e.g. every day at 09:00, after breakfast?

Will it sufficiently torment the cat daily to warrant such a price?

ckeilah wrote:Any idea how this is different from the one CostCo stopped selling due to too many returns?

Does this have a clock built in so it will automatically start up and clean the room e.g. every day at 09:00, after breakfast?

Will it sufficiently torment the cat daily to warrant such a price?

This model doesn't have a clock and if you're cats anything like mine, he ignored it after the first day

Do you have to keep all clutter off the floor? I mean -- let's say you have the morning newspaper stacked on the floor, or you left a dirty sock by the bed, etc. How does the roomba handle that? How noisy is it?

Decided this is the model I want. Still curious on how it will ship...

I could order now, or wait 4 hours til I get home and double check with the husband... Last time I waited, it sold out before I got home from work.

EDIT: I am in. For one!

http://www.woot.com/forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=3237096


Here is a link to read all of the previous reviews and postings when this was last offered. I bought it and love it. If you're on the fence, just buy it, I was extremely satisfied with how much lazier it enabled me to become. I'm in for another so I don't have to carry it up the steps to my second floor.

midshipmanWOOT wrote:...I'm in for another so I don't have to carry it up the steps to my second floor.

They should come out with a mini roomba that does steps!!

I use mine on a voltage converter outside of the US (specifically, here in Israel where we have SuperDuperDust) (but holy!). It works just fine on my tile floors on on my Flor brand carpet tiles too, but they are very low-nap carpets.

Do not disregard the extreme entertainment value for toddlers as well. However, I do recommend showing toddlers videos online of the Roomba in action before introducing the actual robot to your home.

Can anyone with a Roomba look at the back of their power supply and see if it is auto-switching? It should show someting like Input 120v or 100-200v.

I'm living mostly in Europe and I'd love to have one for my apartment here.

Don't buy it, it is not good. I bought a brand new one and it worked for like 2 months and died.

And then I bought a refurbished one from Woot and when I received it, it never worked!

YOu just end up mobbing the floor, it is better.

Late to the party, but just wanted to say, I have this model, and I've never regretted it.

One tip: Use your REGULAR vacuum for cleaning the chamber/filter on the Roomba (which should be done every couple uses, since it's small).

Using the "real" vacuum makes the cleanup job last about 2 minutes!

In for one - after a good long while of wanting one!

Everyone I know that has a Roomba has been satisfied with theirs. Can't wait to see how it works!

Had an older model. Good while it lasted. Unfortunately, it didn't last long enough. Died after about its 20th go round. Like the Bic Lighter of vacuums. More expensive than El Cheapo. Works great, for a little while. Then you throw it away. The difference is, I won't be buying a new one.

Awesome machine. At first I didn't like it because I have to clean it every time I use it, but then I realized that is way better than pushing around a vacuum which I still have to clean after I use it!

I have 2 dogs and a cat and this one works great. I am getting a second one for the upstairs.

jonesygirl wrote:They should come out with a mini roomba that does steps!!

I totally agree!

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?

Works great with dog hair...we have along haired Pomeranian. Don't forget to clean brushes after every use.

I got this last time it was up and LOVE it. Have a 4000 sq.ft. home and take it from room to room. Carpets and hardwood floors. The regular vacuum cleaner has not been out since I got it.

I bought a 510 from woot almost two years ago... The thing was amazing and did a great job but stopped working after about 7 months...

I have heard of other people having similar issues with 5xx models reliability... That being said I bought 1 today...

Hopefully if this one dies I can make one good one out of the two broken ones...

Been waiting over a month for one of these to show up on Woot again. In for 1!

I'm now an official Wooter