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[DragonGirl]

I'm in the market for a Roomba or something similar and a brief bit of browsing turns up a wealth of samey options. Does anyone have a recommendation? My floors are mostly hardwood with a couple carpeted bedrooms and rugs here and there (no fringe). I'd also like it to clean the base boards. Stairs are not an issue.

I see a lot of these things are controlled via apps but if you need a smart phone to run it, that's a no go.

Finally, I'm looking for something under $200 (or not much above).

A lot of these things look pretty similar which just makes picking harder.

 

[Sosokrates]

Ive never had one, but from what ive seen online they are very basic and not that good
I say hire a human cleaner.

Wait until the robot vacuum manufacturers stop taking the piss and make something actually decent

Like this

 

[SadlerX84]

Me and my wife recently bought the Eufy Robovac 11 (not the c version) and really love it.

We have mostly hard floors and are amazed how much dust it manages to find after a few days. (Considering we vacuum almost daily also)

Bought in Amazon lightning deals for £170.

 

[llien]

Given your budget it's a bit hardish.

I can share my anecdotal experience with you:

1) Samsung 8xxx series, kinda tries to be smart (not running around randomly but trying to do it systematically). Didn't work that well, often missed corners and overall result wasn't that impressive
2) Roombas walk around randomly (not sure if it has changed in the new versions), take longer to vacuum and are MUCH louder than Samsung, but deliver better results.

Both robots had issues with our chairs, so, in the end we ended up using Dyson's battery V.C. You need to move your hands, and it's damn loud, but nothing can beat human (yet) and it fits my use case of "kids ate here" perfectly..


Notable mention (as I've ignored your budget constraint anyhow) LG, it is a much smarter version of what Samsung was doing with active community customizing it, but it's also quite costly.

 

[DragonGirl]

Hmm, thanks. I was wondering about the Samsungs. I could go higher than my stated budget if it was worth it. I'll look into the ones mentioned so far. The Eufy looks promising. I'm not looking for perfection, just something to keep the dust bunnies under control.

 

[WaterAstro]

Remember to buy a cat to sit on it too.

 

[llien]

Remember to buy a cat to sit on it too.

Good point: your pets might enjoy it too.

 

[DragonGirl]

I have no pets, but I have a plush Grumpy Cat I could set on top of it.

 

[SpecX]

I just bought a roomba for the downstairs that cleans the hardwood flooring, tile in the kitchen, and 1 bedroom of carpet. I got the 690 model from Lowe's for $255 out the door, originally priced at $324. Slickdeals had a coupon for $40 bucks off and Lowe's had it marked down to $279 for the BF shopping week.

It's been great to have as it pretty much acts like a duster to keep the dark wood floors looking and feeling clean, takes care of any small items that fall on the floor from the kids or the birds in the house that knock food/feathers on the floor, and has changed behaviors to not keep things on the floor that the roomba will suck up or just jammed on.

Keep in mind, they don't eliminate cleaning, but it does eliminate me having to sweep/vac/mop the floors during the busy week, shifting this time till the weekend for deep cleanings.

 

[12Goblins]

The neato is what you want because of how the sensor works, look it up

 

[JakiHere]

I agree on the Eufy robovac. It's a lot cheaper than Roomba but runs longer! I find it difficult without the mobile app though, unlike the Roomba. Just wondering, why was the mobile app such a no? hehe.

 

[Mohonky]

Ive never had one, but from what ive seen online they are very basic and not that good
I say hire a human cleaner.

Wait until the robot vacuum manufacturers stop taking the piss and make something actually decent

Like this

Thats because some people think they are supposed to actually replace vacuuming yourself.

They dont

They just do a basic job of keeping the floors cleaner between vacuuming yourself.

 

[Sosokrates]

Thats because some people think they are supposed to actually replace vacuuming yourself.

They dont

They just do a basic job of keeping the floors cleaner between vacuuming yourself.

Yes, until a company comes out with a leapfrog product.

Robot cleaners now are like smartphones b4 the iphone or electric cars b4 tesla.

 

[Social]

The neato is what you want because of how the sensor works, look it up

Had 2 neatos so far, first one was ok and lasted us a long time, second one was just a glitch fest with battery issues.

 

[rokkerkory]

I have a Deebot N79, it's pretty damn great... got a great deal on amazon for $200.

 

[Pomerlaw]

I heard they leave marks on the walls, is that true?

 

[Mohonky]

I heard they leave marks on the walls, is that true?

Some models maybe?

I've never seen it, but I suppose it's possible.

 

[Makariel]

I'm in the market for a Roomba or something similar and a brief bit of browsing turns up a wealth of samey options. Does anyone have a recommendation?

I bought the cheapest basic Roomba five years ago and am still quite happy with it. Don't know how much they go for today. The battery gives up after 2 or 3 years, but there is a wealth of replacement battery packs that outperform the iRobot ones, and there's plenty of replacement brushes, rolls, filters etc. that are cheap. I've been replacing the brushes a few times and replaced the battery once so far, and now it's working better than it did new.

I heard they leave marks on the walls, is that true?

Never happened to me. I can imagine it might happen if you never wipe the top of the robot clean? It runs under beds, sofas, cupboards etc. and can get some dirt on top as a result.

 

[bitbydeath]

I have an iRobot which is going about 7 years strong. Still works great but they aren’t cheap.

The only real negative is 7 years ago I didn’t have kids so was easier to handle, now I have to keep picking things up off the floor all the time before turning it on.

 

[DOW]

My wife got us a Roomba 650 back around Christmas and it’s worth every penny. I think you can find them under $300 on Amazon.

It does a great job on our carpets and hardwood floors. We also have a dog that sheds so running it once a day for about 30-40 min helps a ton.

We haven’t had any issues with it banging up walls or molding. No problems with anything but it occasionally picking up one of my sons socks, but it immediately cuts itself off and alerts you that there’s an error.

I was always skeptical of these things but I love my Roomba. Just need to add an iPod onto it

 

[SyenceLabb]

I just purchased a Xiaomi Roborock vacuum. Supposedly this thing out performs the top-of-the-line Roomba (980) and is a few hundred dollars cheaper, sometimes more if you can find the deals that float around now and then. I don't have it yet. I bought it through Aliexpress and it's being shipped from HongKong. My first robot vaccum so I'm looking forward to it.

 

[DragonGirl]

I agree on the Eufy robovac. It's a lot cheaper than Roomba but runs longer! I find it difficult without the mobile app though, unlike the Roomba. Just wondering, why was the mobile app such a no? hehe.

Wow, was not expecting this thread to spring back to life. No app because I don't do the smart phone thing. Flip Phones forever. Anyway, I got the Eufy and it works great. It's fascinating to watch it go.

 

[doliver]

Another DEEBOT N79 owner here. This vacuum is very quiet and does a really good job.

 

[Ban Puncher]

 

[BadHand]

Thats because some people think they are supposed to actually replace vacuuming yourself.

They dont

They just do a basic job of keeping the floors cleaner between vacuuming yourself.

lol really? what a waste of money. That's like buying a dishwasher that you still have to unload and re-wash everything by hand and the end of each cycle.

 

[Mohonky]

lol really? what a waste of money. That's like buying a dishwasher that you still have to unload and re-wash everything by hand and the end of each cycle.

Not really, like i said, they do keep the floors cleaner between vacuuming, or I suppose it means you can go a lot longer before needing to do a more thorough job yourself.

 

[rofif]

Bump.
It's 2020. I have 45 meters flat with mostly hard floors. no pets and just 1 small carpet. So it's just being lazy.
The main thing is dust. The apartment is getting weirdly dusty and I can't force myself to vacuum more than twice a week. So I am hoping that this little shit can vacuum everyday when I am at work

Irobot 675? (best price and supposedly best cleaning)
roborock e4?

I've heard that none of those are working on 5ghz... I have 2,4. Just disabled on my router for now

 

[Stiflers Mom]

I just purchased a Xiaomi Roborock vacuum. Supposedly this thing out performs the top-of-the-line Roomba (980) and is a few hundred dollars cheaper, sometimes more if you can find the deals that float around now and then. I don't have it yet. I bought it through Aliexpress and it's being shipped from HongKong. My first robot vaccum so I'm looking forward to it.

I have that one for two years.
It's really amazing, keeps my flat clean.

I just would not order from China anymore after their handling of Covid.

 

[bender]

Bring us into your homes. We'll do your bidding and be your obedient slaves. We will never murder you and your family while you sleep.

 

[Chittagong]

Bump.
It's 2020. I have 45 meters flat with mostly hard floors. no pets and just 1 small carpet. So it's just being lazy.
The main thing is dust. The apartment is getting weirdly dusty and I can't force myself to vacuum more than twice a week. So I am hoping that this little shit can vacuum everyday when I am at work

Irobot 675? (best price and supposedly best cleaning)
roborock e4?

I've heard that none of those are working on 5ghz... I have 2,4. Just disabled on my router for now

we have a new iRobot and it is really very good. It almist never gets stuck, only to some very wide floor AC grilles if its wheel drops in. Finds its way back and cleans a long time. Only negative is that you can’t tell from the app where not to go.

beware of the Dyson robot. We have on in London and it is utter shite. Gets stuck to everything. Had two batteries fail. Total failure, going to chuck it when back home.

 

[Punished Miku]

I got one for my girlfriend for Christmas and she stopped using it within a few months after being extremely excited about it.

It gets stuck constantly on furniture, in hallways. It takes 4 hours to do a room because of how often it backtracks and gets turned around, and it's not like the thing makes zero noise.

It just didn't work out for us. Maybe if you have a large empty room with almost nothing in it.

I think you can vacuum yourself and do a better job in about 5 minutes. I love the idea of an automated vacuum cleaning when I'm not around and keeping the place clean, but it turned out to be almost the opposite. Instead of it being invisible, it would just constantly take forever, bump into walls, make noise, and generally terrorized the cats.

 

[rofif]

we have a new iRobot and it is really very good. It almist never gets stuck, only to some very wide floor AC grilles if its wheel drops in. Finds its way back and cleans a long time. Only negative is that you can’t tell from the app where not to go.

beware of the Dyson robot. We have on in London and it is utter shite. Gets stuck to everything. Had two batteries fail. Total failure, going to chuck it when back home.

Update. Just got irobot 676. After 15 minutes it's already got way more debris and dust that I would hope it gets at all. holy crap and even a silverfish. It's fantastic! I have a clean apartment and did not expected this.
It goes randomly but there is some algorithm to this

 

[R6Rider]

I just have a cheaper Coredy bot I got off of Amazon for about 200 bucks. Does the job, and doesn't have any fancy features. It can return to the dock to charge which it is surprisingly good at. I have to make sure it has enough space to maneuver and only run it when I leave for shopping or chores.

This fucker will drag shit forever though. I found a pair of jeans in my kitchen that it grabbed from my bedroom across the apt.

 

[Lone Wolf]

 

[Riven326]

I don't understand. How does it not get stuck on things? We have these for ingroubd swimming pools and they're always getting hung up on things or the suction gets blocked and it stops working. Then I show up the next week to a dirty pool.

 

[Chittagong]

iRobot is giving its vacuum cleaners a new AI-powered brain

Same robot vacuums, slightly less dumb

www.theverge.com

 

[HellforLeather]

Me and my wife recently bought the Eufy Robovac 11 (not the c version) and really love it.

We have mostly hard floors and are amazed how much dust it manages to find after a few days. (Considering we vacuum almost daily also)

Bought in Amazon lightning deals for £170.

I have this one too and like it for the most part. I did have one die but the customer support was really excellent at replacing it. You also need to understand that these things have limitations. Any shoelaces or cables sitting on the ground will get sucked up and stop the vacuum. Also this one does not have sensors that scan the room..it bounces around randomly. I have a 1500 sq ft house and it does a pretty good job but we keep the room doors closed for the most part. Occasionally it will get into the room and close the door when its sweeping along the wall and trap itself in the room.