Roomba Vacuum – iRobot Roomba Vacuum

Lowest Price

: 39.99

Brand

: Roomba

Model

:

Lowest Price

: 149.99

Brand

: iRobot

Model

:

Reviewer: fredct| Date:2009-07-11

We received a Roomba 410 as a gift. We used it once or twice and saw how it worked, liked it, but decided to upgrade to a higher model. This was because of some particular feature of our home, which I'll discuss below.

But first, a summary:

1) Very smart device. Goes around randomly, so it takes longer to clean than you would, but, you don't have to do it! It manages to find its way around basically everywhere. Very good as getting into tight places, and, at least eventually, finding its way out. Places where you couldn't vacuum easily, like under tables, shelves, beds, etc.

2) Picks up a lot of of stuff. We have area rugs, and the amount of carpet fuzz this little guy picks up is truly impressive. Its not a total replacement for ever vacuuming, but its pretty close.

3) Very convenient. If you don't take the effort to clean as much as you should (or even if you do), its a great time saver to just press a button and let the thing roam around for half an hour or so. Its a real time saver if you're so inclined.


Downsides?

1) Well, its not cheap. Especially the higher ones. Make sure its worth your while for the convenience.

2) This basic model doesn't have a lot of the more 'intelligent' features. Our biggest problem was it couldn't handle our rug tassels. It might be one thing if you had a small rug you could move, but our entire main room is covered with an area run that has probably 10-12 feet of tassels on either end. It would suck them up, and, while it could get itself off, would get stuck probably 20-25% of the time. This meant we were pulling it off and starting it back up every 10-15 minutes. A real hassle.

iRobot's advice is to fold the tassels under, but you have 20+ feet of tassels like we do, that's a major annoyance.

It also had trouble with even moderate bumps, such as where we have a cable wire going under a rug. I would only use this original 400-series if you have an home without any hassles, very few wires, bumps, or anything else to get caught on. If that's your situation, absolutely buy a less expensive 400 series. If not, splurge on the 500-series, which handles those situations like a champ!


So, I give it 4 stars because it does have the things it can't handle. But if your home doesn't present those kinds of obstacles, its a great choice.

(I will be posting a review on the 530 we got instead, but not for a while, because I want to see how it handles and performs over at least a few months first)

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Thomas Childers| Date:2009-07-10

I hate housework. I don'e even like to vacuum. This robot vac works as advertised and I love it. It entertains the cat as well!

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: D. Alrabiaa| Date:2009-07-05

Since I'm not in the US I had a small problem with the charging cord, its supporting 120V only. Its not like most electrical products that's supports 120 and 240V. I bought a converter and its worked very well. That's it, other than that its great product.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: jk121220| Date:2009-06-29

When I bought the product I thought it would run a mission while I wasn't at home and I would seldom see it operate. Wrong!
It needs help on every mission. Sometimes it needs help five or six or seven times on one mission.
It gets stuck on the dining table legs (round bars along the floor). It gets part way on top of a leg, then can't reverse and get off of it. If I'm lucky that happens once. If I'm not, I get it off the leg, it moves about two feet then returns to more-or-less the same spot and gets stuck again. Sometimes it will get stuck on the dining table as many as five times in one mission.
It gets stuck on the entertainment center stand (a flat bottom less than an inch thick).
It gets stuck between a bed leg and the wall.
Its path is unpredictable. On one mission it will go into the kitchen. The next time it won't. (Nothing is blocking its path, it just never goes in the right direction.) One time it will go through a bedroom door, the next time it will pass in front of the open door repeatedly, but never choose to enter.
The bottom line is it doesn't save much time. Between getting it unstuck and cleaning it, it would be just as easy to vacuum the house myself.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Mary Ferrin| Date:2009-06-27

iRobot Roomba 410 Intelligent Floorvac Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, Red
I recently gave this to my sister for her birthday. As her signature decor is red I bought a red Robot. She loved it and bragged about her gift to all her friends.

Review from Review from Amazon