iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, Black and Silver
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, Black and Silver
Customer Review: Saved me from prozac!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first time I've ever left a review but I feel so inspired to by this product. Lets begin by the fact that I live in a house with 3 boys, a dog, and a cat. I have hard wood floors on the main floor and I was constantly walking on grit. I was swiffering daily and not keeping it all up and probably not getting everywhere I should because I was sick to death of doing it. Despite my husbands discouragement, I bought this product over 3 weeks ago and I have not been disappointed in the least, and even converted my husband!!!! Now, it does take some maintenance but 5 min a day is still less than what I spent vacuuming before. I run this thing daily on my main floor and am astonished by the dust it still gathers. Yay for allergies, right? I never see pet hair or bunnies along the hallways anymore either (huge pet peeve, literally.)
If you are considering this product be aware of these things:
1. I have a fairly simple straightforward floorplan of 1200 sq ft on the main floor. With 2 lighthouses, Roomba cleans very well all rooms and docks back when he's tired. My mom bought one and returned it because her's "went all over willy nilly." I told her she probably just needed a couple more lighthouses to keep it working in the right rooms longer because she's got more sq footage and open concept rooms. So basically, it will work better if you have a complex floor plan w more lighthouses, don't give up on him so soon!
2. Clean him after every time he cleans. It doesn't take long at all and it keeps him happy.
3. If you have doors that shut easily, you may have to prop them open. I've come upstairs to find that he has shut himself in a room on accident. Poor guy.
That's really all I can think of right now. I have been so pleasantly surprised with this device and even my husband likes to brag about how it cleans better than I do. (Like he ever picked up a vacuum or mop before!!!!)
Customer Review: Saved my marriage!
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought this for my daughter for her birthday! I have never bought an APPLIANCE of any type for a gift!! I do not believe in cleaning things for gifts! But she has asked for this for years!!! I broke down and gave it to her. The next morning she called to tell me "it saved my marriage!" It worked beautifully that night...even with a very hairy Golden Retriever!!! Time will tell, but so far after a few weeks it is loved!!!Customer Review: Say goodbye to Vacuuming (almost)
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my second roomba. I purchased the Discovery model two years ago and after one quick return for eating a powercord I left lying around has given two years of faithful service. On seeing the new 560 model I was intrigued to see what it would be like and as I can retire 'Lucy 1' to the beach house for a well deserved rest I got 'Lucy 2'. If you have upgraded to this model you will notice that iRobot have not been sitting around doing nothing.
The 560 is big advance on the original models. The soft bumper is fun to watch, and also reasures as it now just gently touches the wall, the old discovery model tended to 'bang' around alot.
I love the scheduler built in and it works a treat, now I come home to a clean floor everyday (I have hardwood floor here in Tokyo). You do still have to make sure the floors are clear of junk that tangle, but this is not a bad thing.
The bigger capacity means it can go for a few days without cleaning, and the sealed system means all the dirt and dust is in one place. I've not had to clean the brushes yet as they still seem clean.
One thing that I've noticed is that when the roomba gets into a tight space the rotating brushes stop which means they aren't pulling in the dirt all the time. Also this model is alot more powerful and seems to get into places that the disovery didn't. (ie I found it in my shower area today as it had pushed open the door!
It fantastic at cleaning under things which we never tend to do with normal vacum (there is not a spec of dust under my bed or sofa).
Nothing is perfect and you still need to do abit of manual cleaning behind doors and in the corners, but this is a very minor problem given the huge amount it does get. And as it runs daily I'm sure its cleaner than a weekly regular vacuum. I loved the discovery so much I suggested my mum get one, she loves it as well!
Overall the 560 is a great first time buy and good upgrade if you can recycle your disovery. Oh and if you have hardwood floors the Scooba is fantasitic as well. I have both and never had cleaner floors!
Customer Review: Scratch Vacuuming Off Your List! (Almost)
Summary: 5 Stars
Did you ever just fall in love . . . with a piece of well-designed technology? I sure fell for this one. How lovely to have something else take care of one of my least favorite chores!
Why I love this gizmo:
(1) Goes about cleaning the floors quietly (forget the noise of a conventional vacuum cleaner);
(2) Does a better job than I ever could because it can get under the beds fully to get out all the nasty little dust bunnies, and it crawls along the baseboard to pick up the bits that hide on the edges of the room;
(3) Cleans for a predetermined amount of time, and then puts itself to bed (while it recharges itself);
(4) Can be scheduled to run whenever you choose; and,
(5) Does a great job of picking up cat hair (my old vacuum did not).
Problems?
Yes, but mostly they were just getting used to its operation. I had to learn to pick up throw rugs and clear the area of cords. I had to learn the robot's eccentricities and plan for them.
I also discovered that a cat landing on the Roomba in the middle of the night would start it going - so we woke up to clean floors.
Worth it?
You bet!
Five stars, and a big thanks!
UPDATE: October 4, 2007
My Roomba produced an error message that I was unable to clear. So I called (not emailed, but called) the support center. The Roomba needed to be reset, and, with the help of the support person, I accomplished this and we're back in action.
The support was superior, so if you have a problem, just give them a call. If your call is like mine, you'll find them highly responsive and eager to help solve your problem.
UPDATE: November 30, 2007
About four weeks after my initial review, the side brush fell off. The part that holds the brush screw was broken.
I called the company who said they'd send out another part in five days or so. That was followed by an email that said a month. Now it is six weeks later . . . still no replacement part.
While the vacuum still works, the baseboard cleaning is absent without the side brush. And I am in the dark as to when I will receive a replacement. This would cause me to reduce the number of stars I give the Roomba 560, if Amazon would allow me to do so.
I still think this is a good product. It still does an adequate job of cleaning up cat hair and other debris. But, I think the price is too high given the quality of that brush.
In my book, iRobot has some 'splaining, and apologizing, to do.
UPDATE: Augst 1, 2008
Now my roomba has developed horrible screaming noises that might be coming from the wheels, but who knows. And I now have the replacement gizmo for the side brush (after 9 months).
I am sorry that I cannot adjust the stars on this review. If I could I would now rate this product one star (can't give zero). I strongly recommend not buying a Roomba!
Customer Review: Second thoughts on this purchase...
Summary: 2 Stars
Purchased our 560 Roomba a little over a year ago. Although it does a decent job of picking up dirt/pet hair there's always some left behind. It would be a decent daily maintenance tool on tile floor but not perfect. We've got a cat AND golden retriever that is a hair machine so the Roomba was definitely taxed by the challenge we presented to it. Began having issues a few months ago with the rotating brush just "pushing" hair around and/or leaving clumps of it on our area rug. I DO NOT RECOMMEND for carpeted areas...just too much for this little robot.
Been having charging problems recently and after my third call to iRobot they tell me I need a new $70 battery. I am regretting this purchase and wish I'd just bought a good vacuum cleaner instead. Too many hassles with this little robot.