So what are these things like? Anyone here have one? Do they work as well as a manually operated vacuum? How do you keep them from accidentally leaving their 'assigned' room?
Robot Vacuum Cleaners
- Thread starter Mr. Laser Beam
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Sort of. I got one for my mother, and my roommate has one.
Not in a single cleaning, but I'd guess the higher frequency of cleaning they allow adds up.
You can always close the door. Also, you can buy "lighthouse" devices which generate a beam they won't cross. Or you can set them so that they won't cross the beam until they're certain the room they're in is clean.
My one complaint is the battery life. They don't really last all that long, and the battery tends to get worn out to the point where it's practically useless within a few years.
I've always wanted one of those robots, just so that I can come home and say, "Looks like the cleaner-bots were busy while I was gone." 
AFAIK, the current generation can automatically return to their home base and charge, when they're done vacuuming.
And I believe they follow the Three Laws of Vacuumbotics like this:
- A vacuum robot must not injure a human being's toes
- A vacuum robot must vacuum the floors given it by human beings, except where those orders would conflict with the first law
- A vacuum robot must protect its own trash bag, except where this would conflict with the first and second laws
Do they have the proper amount of suction?
I don't have one, but I don't see any value in having one. My house isn't all that big, and I can move a vacuum around without any difficulty. I have a good vacuum, a dyson, which does quite a good job of sucking up all sorts of stuff nice and quick.
If I had a bigger house and was pressed for time I'd just vacuum one section of the house at one time, and the other section at a different time.
CuttingEdge100
If I had a bigger house and was pressed for time I'd just vacuum one section of the house at one time, and the other section at a different time.
CuttingEdge100
My fiancée has one (the Roomba) in her flat and she's pretty happy with it. It doesn't do any deep cleaning (as Lindley said, it's not as good as a manual operated vacuum), but she programs it to clean a room everyday while she's at work, so it keeps the flat nice and clean all week around.
I don't have one, and don't plan to get one--I find vacuuming oddly therapeutic.
But this thread made me think of Remembrance of the Daleks, specifically the scene where the Dalek levitates up the stairs.
If robot vacuums could do that, I'd consider getting one.
But this thread made me think of Remembrance of the Daleks, specifically the scene where the Dalek levitates up the stairs.
If robot vacuums could do that, I'd consider getting one.
Used a Roomba for a while. They are nothing more than expensive toys really. It was not so good at cleaning, but really good at getting stuck in inaccessable places. It was like a treasure hunt: "Find the the Roomba!"
After only two years the battery wouldn't hold a charge and one motor wheel slowed down and it curved to the right all the time. Never bothered to get it fixed.
After only two years the battery wouldn't hold a charge and one motor wheel slowed down and it curved to the right all the time. Never bothered to get it fixed.
A friend has one; I wasn't impressed. They seem like more work than they're worth. You've got to bother to set the thing up and, as others have noted, they get stuck and can be really random. So you'll likely have to vacuum over the room, anyway.
I do think they'd make a good (expensive) cat toy.
I do think they'd make a good (expensive) cat toy.
Honestly, they're more of a novelty.
Mine works great on hardwood floors. It doesn't work so well on berber carpet, though.
I'd agree that if you're going to get one, get one that returns to its charging station on its own when it is done cleaning.
An additional benefit mine offers, is that I can place it on the floor in the middle of a room, and my dog stays away from it and usually out of that room. It saved me from having to invest in dog/baby gates.
Mine works great on hardwood floors. It doesn't work so well on berber carpet, though.
I'd agree that if you're going to get one, get one that returns to its charging station on its own when it is done cleaning.
An additional benefit mine offers, is that I can place it on the floor in the middle of a room, and my dog stays away from it and usually out of that room. It saved me from having to invest in dog/baby gates.
