Robot Vacuums

[Todd Wilson]

Anyone out there have experience with the Roomba robot vacuums out there? Thinking of xmas presents this year and thought one of these would be cool if they truely work the way they should? I dont know anyone who has one and would like to find out if they do work.


Todd

[Old Moparz]

This is funny, I was just planning to post a vac topic this weekend, but not the robot one. Mine bit the dust & I have to replace it, but it's an upright. I might get another upright or a canister type, but also gave thought to installing a central vac.

Back to your question though. I don't have, or know anyone with the robot, but my opinion is that unless you have a very empty room, it's probably almost useless. I can't see how this thing would cover the entire room efficiently, but if I'm wrong, I'd like to hear about it too. I think it's a great idea, they have similar swimming pool vacs that clean the bottom of the pool.

Whether the robot vac works well or not, I'd bet it's a lot of fun to chase the cat with.   

[Guns N Rotors]

Robot vacuums...

Isn't this how it all started?

[Todd Wilson]

This is funny, I was just planning to post a vac topic this weekend, but not the robot one. Mine bit the dust & I have to replace it, but it's an upright. I might get another upright or a canister type, but also gave thought to installing a central vac.

Back to your question though. I don't have, or know anyone with the robot, but my opinion is that unless you have a very empty room, it's probably almost useless. I can't see how this thing would cover the entire room efficiently, but if I'm wrong, I'd like to hear about it too. I think it's a great idea, they have similar swimming pool vacs that clean the bottom of the pool.

Whether the robot vac works well or not, I'd bet it's a lot of fun to chase the cat with.   

I've seen em work on tv and they seem low enough to really go under stuff and the sonar lets em go around stuff but how well do they vacuum and move about in a real world situation of shoes and dogs and toys laying at random places isntead of a nice falt clear tv living room demo area.  Just curious.

We bought a new Dyson vacuum 3 years ago. The old lady was bitching about Special K  my old school Kirby not doing a good job so 500$ later we went to get the vacuum she wanted. Its a plastic unit. Only metal I could find on it was the electrical plug in. I was skeptical about it but we got it home and I put it together and that thing sucks!!!!!! In a good way. THose Dyson vacuums kick some serious ass when it comes to cleaning carpet. I was amazed that evening running it around as how much it pulled out of the carpet.   As I got it together and going I stood there and vacuumed back and forth just in the range of motion of my arm making sure things were rolling and staying together and in that time it filled its tank and we had to empty it. Ended up going thru the whole house that night and I dont know how many times we had to empty it.  Super good units. Its lasted so far 3 years.


Todd

[Old Moparz]

I wondered about how well the Dyson was, I saw it in Home Depot. I guess the days of $50 vacs that work & last, are long gone. 

I saw a place on line that offers a cast aluminum Kirby that's reconditioned for $499. I was skeptical until I saw the motor on the reconditioned unit comes with a 10 year warranty.

I would think that the small robot vac has a small, & much less powerful motor. It might be great for a wood floor or something, but I know what you're saying about pulling dirt up from a carpet. We have a Kenmore my wife found for $200 & it worked better than any other one we had. It pulled dirt up & filled the cannister in one day. That's kind of scary if you think about how much crap stays in the carpet with a shitty vac.   

[Charger1973]

When I used to do maintenance at apartment complexes I was always amazed at the amount of vacuums people throw away.  We used to snag stuff like that and stockpile it for a garage sale.  75% of the time there was either nothing wrong with them at all, or they needed a belt.  I dunno about you guys but i'll take free any day. 

[Todd Wilson]

I wondered about how well the Dyson was, I saw it in Home Depot. I guess the days of $50 vacs that work & last, are long gone. 

I saw a place on line that offers a cast aluminum Kirby that's reconditioned for $499. I was skeptical until I saw the motor on the reconditioned unit comes with a 10 year warranty.

Heres my old trusty Kirby. Its been retired to storage as I couldnt bring myself to toss it. I think it works fine. You got to empty it more then once a year for it to continue to pickup dirt but thats a whole other story with my wife. She never could figure out that you got to lift it up on the dumpster and open the bottom door and empty it.





Todd

[bull]

Right next to the anvil collection, eh? Any engine blocks in that room?

[Old Moparz]

Right next to the anvil collection, eh? Any engine blocks in that room?

[Todd Wilson]

Right next to the anvil collection, eh? Any engine blocks in that room?

I started collecting anvils many years ago. I couldnt find anyone that had one or any around so I thought it would be a good thing to collect. They have gotton so hard to find anymore. Lots of people keep them hidden away. They are handy to have. Had to put them away when the baby started moving about. Wife was scared the baby would clonk her head on one of them.


Todd

[bull]

Not a bad choice in collectibles. Not very easy to steal I imagine, except the little ones.

[68chrgrwife]

I have had my Kirby fpr over 3 years now and that thing rocks....The only time it doesn't suck well enough is when the bag needs to be changed.  My in-laws have had their Kirby for so many uears they forgot how long they had it and they love the ting...Just remember that a Kirby is expensive, but it does more than vacuum.  It also shampoos your rugs, sands, does hard wood floors, is a leaf blower, a painter, a plant waterer, buffer, etc.....

[Really?]

Kirby's are the cockroach of vacuums- they perform and last. Not cheap to buy new, but they pay off over time (my old roommate still has the one his mom gave him in 1988). My wife's got a Sharp-brand vacuum, got it as a wedding present (from my grandmother's brother Ole) almost 10 years ago w/no problem but a burned out bulb. As far as 'Roombas" are concerned, I've never seen them used on anything but short-pile ( Berber) carpet w/nothing more than very light dirt if that.

[Todd Wilson]

As far as 'Roombas" are concerned, I've never seen them used on anything but short-pile ( Berber) carpet w/nothing more than very light dirt if that.

Yeah they work slick on tv but I cant find anyone that has one real world. I know it wouldnt be a replacement for the big dog vacuum but  if it could buzz around the house and the vinyl floor kitchen area that would be a big help for my wife.


Todd

[Todd Wilson]

I have had my Kirby fpr over 3 years now and that thing rocks....The only time it doesn't suck well enough is when the bag needs to be changed.  My in-laws have had their Kirby for so many uears they forgot how long they had it and they love the ting...Just remember that a Kirby is expensive, but it does more than vacuum.  It also shampoos your rugs, sands, does hard wood floors, is a leaf blower, a painter, a plant waterer, buffer, etc.....

If I coulda got my kirby to do a few more things I wouldnt need my wife around!!!!!!!!!               



Todd

[dodgecharger-fan]

With the perception of the small motor in the Roomba, I would think it would be fine for a place was already clean. It would work well to keep it clean - picking up the light stuff that collects throughout the day.
With it being a robot, in theory, you'd let it loose more often than you'd manually run a normal vacuum around the house. So, the Roomba would work out fine...
http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=122

They have one for workshops and garages that can pick up screws and the like. So it must have decent power, but I'll stick to my theory above. Look for the Dirt Dog on that site.


All that said, I'd still have a good vac around for bigger cleanup jobs and a once or twice a year major cleanup.


and I so want a Looj for the gutters!!!!

[PocketThunder]

I wondered about how well the Dyson was, I saw it in Home Depot. I guess the days of $50 vacs that work & last, are long gone. 

I saw a place on line that offers a cast aluminum Kirby that's reconditioned for $499. I was skeptical until I saw the motor on the reconditioned unit comes with a 10 year warranty.

Heres my old trusty Kirby. Its been retired to storage as I couldnt bring myself to toss it. I think it works fine. You got to empty it more then once a year for it to continue to pickup dirt but thats a whole other story with my wife. She never could figure out that you got to lift it up on the dumpster and open the bottom door and empty it.





Todd

Wow look at the door casing on the door.  Your house must have been built pre-1900 or real close to it.    I'm gonna guess around 1885?

[Todd Wilson]

Todd

Wow look at the door casing on the door.  Your house must have been built pre-1900 or real close to it.    I'm gonna guess around 1885?

1916 if I remember right from the deed when I bought it. I wish the old owners had not painted all the wood work that color. I still have that stuff around the windows and doors. I'd like to have it the original wood color.




Todd

[moparstuart]

Anyone out there have experience with the Roomba robot vacuums out there? Thinking of xmas presents this year and thought one of these would be cool if they truely work the way they should? I dont know anyone who has one and would like to find out if they do work.


Todd


     bought my wife one for christmas last year works great on hardwood floors  she loves it

[nh_mopar_fan]

We're got 2. One for each floor. Had one for about 6 months now. We have the programable models. They go to work 2-3 days a week after we leave for work and they're back in their base recharging when we get home.

The only issue that we had with one of them is that we have an open concept level that sometime causes the Roomba is not make it back to the base before it loses power. It goes for well over an hour before it either dies or heads back to the base.

I have no complaints. It does a good job and goes over 2-3 different carpets as well as hard wood and tile without an issue. I expect if you have pets, the thing would be a godsend in keeping up with the daily pet hair. Having owned a residential cleaning franchise  for a few years, I can tell you that if you're looking for a vac that will not cost more than what you paid for some cars, check out the Hoover C1439. That was all we used and we had 5 teams cleaning 4-5 house a day, 5 days a week. These things took a beating. We tried other brands and always came back to the Hoovers. You can't beat that for less than $140.

Check out buy.com or woot.com for some deals on the Roomba. I got ours on woot but have seen good deals on buy.com as well.

[Charger_Fan]

That's pretty cool, I haven't heard of robot vacuums before...well, besides little kids toy ones.

[moparstuart]

Anyone out there have experience with the Roomba robot vacuums out there? Thinking of xmas presents this year and thought one of these would be cool if they truely work the way they should? I dont know anyone who has one and would like to find out if they do work.


Todd

[Todd Wilson]

Thanks for the info. Still deciding on which unit to get.  Wife was interested in the Scooba unit that does vinyl and flat floor stuff with the cleaning solution. They got a deal now buy it and get a Roomba 400 unit for free. Its the small roomba version. Also got the Dog unit that cleans garage and shop floors. Its not too expensive either 129$.  Wonder what it would do in my oil spot on the garage floor! HAHA!



Todd

[BrianShaughnessy]

Pay the $, buy a Dyson...  ph8ck the rest.

[Todd Wilson]

Pay the $, buy a Dyson...  ph8ck the rest.

Last time I checked with Dyson on a robot vacuum they had one overseas and it was 10grand.


Todd

[PocketThunder]

Thats it, i cant take it anymore, i have to post this.. 

[nh_mopar_fan]

"and I see your schwartz is as big as mine....."

a classic.

[moparstuart]

Thanks for the info. Still deciding on which unit to get.  Wife was interested in the Scooba unit that does vinyl and flat floor stuff with the cleaning solution. They got a deal now buy it and get a Roomba 400 unit for free. Its the small roomba version. Also got the Dog unit that cleans garage and shop floors. Its not too expensive either 129$.  Wonder what it would do in my oil spot on the garage floor! HAHA!



Todd

we have the big one and it rocks   scooba looks cool also

[BrianShaughnessy]

Pay the $, buy a Dyson...  ph8ck the rest.

Last time I checked with Dyson on a robot vacuum they had one overseas and it was 10grand.


Todd

Sorry... didn't know you were actually serious about those roomba type things.     

I got her the DC-14 Animal 2 years ago.    She went thru several other vacuums previously.   She's happy now.     

[Todd Wilson]

Sorry... didn't know you were actually serious about those roomba type things.     

I got her the DC-14 Animal 2 years ago.    She went thru several other vacuums previously.   She's happy now.     

We got the Dyson Animal unit now and it works great. Trying to automate things and make it easier around the house.

Thats why I was looking into the irobot units to help out with things around here.



Todd

[Old Moparz]

Get a few of them Todd, you can become a choreographer.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UX3idbokug

[moparstuart]

  anyone watch robot chicken ?

[Brock Samson]

I lost track of this thread, but when i saw this new dino just reported on i thought it would be interesting to post it here... 



     http://www.plosone.org/article/slideshow.action?uri=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0001230&imageURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0001230.g002#

  the entire article...
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0001230

  anyhow their calling the "Hoover" of the dinosaurs be cuse it would vacume up low foliage... 

[derailed]

I retired the 20 year old Kirby and picked up a ball Dyson last year. not sure what model it is but its articulating. Pretty nice machine. I was a little skeptical about the plastic also but it does a nice job.

[nh_mopar_fan]

woot.com has the floor washing model for $99 today.

[moparstuart]

  cool thanks might me the wife new christmas present

[Todd Wilson]

Well I bought the IRobot  Scooba today. Its the unit that mops floors. It does a pretty good job. Was a trip to watch it work. I put a new floor down in the kitchen and was searching for a way to keep things clean. My wife constantly bitches about doing house work and I dont clean floors so I thought this unit would be a good one to get. It spun in circles and zig zag'd and went here and there and forward and backward and cleaned things up. May have to get a Roomba vacuum for the carpet. They also have a shop vacuum that is not real expensive. Would be nice to turn it loose in the garage and let it keep the dust and stuff off the floor and go under the Chargers and clean too.


Todd

[2Gunz]

woot.com has the floor washing model for $99 today.

Where? I want one.

[Todd Wilson]

[Charger_Fan]

That thing's a trip!
I should get one for my wife, for the next gift occasion.