Customer reviews from store.irobot.com
iRobot - Roomba Bagless Robotic Vacuum Cleaner - Black/Silver
Average customer rating
4.2
(436 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 436 reviews
5 Stars
223
4 Stars
147
3 Stars
34
2 Stars
15
1 Star
17
90%of customers recommend this product.
(
378 out of
422)
Customer Reviews for iRobot - Roomba Bagless Robotic Vacuum Cleaner - Black/Silver
Customer Rating
3
A very expensive habit ...
on March 9, 2011
Posted by: Just 'Roomba'
from South Burlington, Vermont
Verified Purchase:No
I got my first Roomba 570 in Jan 2008 - loved it! Got a 562 Pet Series in November for upstairs. A month past warranty the 570 stopped working. Service was great - they replaced as if still in warranty, AFTER doing extensive helpful troubleshooting. A little over a year later the 562 kept wanting brushes cleaned when nothing was there, and hiccupped as it moved; a few months after that the warranty-replacement 570 Roomba literally lost it's mind and could not dock or go forward. Again Customer Service was helpful to a fault - we tried various fixes and cleaning module replacement for the 562 without fixing the bumpety hitch and stop, so they let me pay $116 for a core replacement into which I refitted battery, coverplate, cleaning module etc. I caved, and bought my own replacement for the poor crazed unit that had replaced my original 570, but only after clearing bumper sensors per instruction got me nowhere. Halleluja - my place went back to trim and neat upstairs and down despite cats and plants and all. But now again in spring 2011 - both Roombas are stopping every few minutes with a "clean Roombas brushes" error although there's nothing to remove at all and the brushes are rotating fine. I've cleaned out, tested, and examined every item Service taught me to look for, but to no purpose! Of course there's no warranty left on either unit, and no service program available, as iRobot doesn't have an authorized repair service or program for their customers. So tallying up: over three years that's 5 robots including 3 brand new top of the line robots, a warranty replacement and a refurbished core assembly. I have spent $1300 along the way, only to discover that not one of these units EVER makes it much past the limited 1-year warranty. These little guys are fantastic when they work: the scheduled maintenance has me spoiled absdolutely rotten. But a product line that costs $399 or $499 per unit and advertises as daily work appliances, should NOT consistently fail like clockwork a month or three past warranty. So am about to go cold turkey. The irony is that when I thought the product was meant to last reasonably, I was willing to pay the rather high price. Now I know I'm just buying roughly a year of cleaning convenience, sweet Roomba is a seriously pricey indulgence I really can't afford.
Pros: And people hair, Cleans when I don't, Easy To Empty, Easy To Use, Efficient, Excellent Help Desk, Leaves carpets groomed, Picks up cat hair, Quiet
Cons: Built for a short life, Poor Design
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting store.irobot.com
Customer Rating
3
Happy customer...could be happier
on March 14, 2011
Posted by: Mike
from San Francisco, CA
I very much hope that the people at iRobot read this. It's a fantastic product and I'm now a happy customer... but there are some opportunities for improvement. On the one hand, it's nice not having to vacuum. With the Roomba, it actually gets done. When you have to haul out a vacuum cleaner, it doesn't get done. The problem is reliability. Our floor is not that cluttered. There are several power cords and a few floor lamps. Yet at least 60% of the time, the Roomba is unable to complete its run because it gets caught up on one of these things. It's especially annoying when it suddenly chokes on debris and calls it quits under the sofa. (Mine's been running while writing this review and it's choked on debris twice. "Please Remove and Clean Roomba's Brushes!") But it is THOROUGH. It may not have the world's best suction, but it runs over the floor multiple times. Including under the sofa. When I looked under the sofa for a dog toy, it was spotless down there. No dustbunnies! When the Roomba has run, we have barefoot floors. No grit. I'd recommend it and I even gave one as a gift. But I think Roomba has some challenges to address.
Pros: Easy To Empty, Easy To Use
Cons: Noisy, Poor Design, Unreliable
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting store.irobot.com
Customer Rating
3
Buy it to clean better, not save time
on March 7, 2010
Posted by: Roomba Ralph
from Washington State
I've owned my 560 for two years now and have learned a lot about it; both good and bad. The good is that as a floor cleaner, it has few equals. Before you run your robot for the first time, vacuum with your old vac. Then prepare to be amazed at what your robot will find! It will also vacuum under beds, tables, chairs, dressers, etc - especially nice if you suffer from allergies. The bad is that in order to maintain its out-of-the-box effectiveness, you must constantly, painstakingly, and thoroughly clean your robot; hence the "Buy it to clean better, not save time" title. That's because the amount of time you save not having to vacuum, will be spent cleaning your robot - something I choose to do after every use. It's not difficult (mostly) but it is tedious. And that's the biggest downfall to the Roomba's design: Its propensity to attract and hold debris (primarily hair) in places that seriously compromise the robot's efficiency; and in some cases can render it inoperable (see attached photo of what surprises I found in my robot's brush gearbox). While the 15 amp motor in your upright does nothing but run the suction motor and has enough power to ingest small rodents without even hicupping, you have to remember that your little battery-powered robot is trying to do four things at once: Propel itself, power a suction motor, power two main brushes, and power a side brush: It's like comparing a Harley to a bicyle. Any way that you can reduce friction (i.e. keep out debris or remove it), the more effective and efficient your robot will be. In fact I like to joke that I need three vacuums to clean my house: The Roomba, a cannister vac to clean the Roomba, and a shop vac to clean the filter of my bagless cannister! All joking aside, you will need to keep a supplemental vac for stairs, occassional touch-ups along walls, and for corners. The other "bad" aspect to Roomba use is the fact that it will scratch, scuff, erode, and mar the finish on your furniture and cabinets. This is especially noticeable on pieces that have raised sections just far enough off the ground so that the only part of the Roomba that comes into contact with them is the hard plastic infrared sensor on top of the robot. While the Roomba didn't turn out to be the Freedom Machine I expected, all-in-all I'm happy with my robot. It makes my floors cleaner and that's really what a vacuum is for.
Pros: Effective, Efficient, Lightweight, Powerful/Good Suction
Cons: Poor Design, Scratches Furniture
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting store.irobot.com
Customer Rating
5
Really Cool
on March 28, 2012
Posted by: Mary
from Northville, MI
I've had the 560 for a few weeks and I have it programed to run every day while I'm at work. At my house I have it vacuume about 1,000 sq feet of hardwood and carpet when it runs. It cleans my formal living and dining room (hardwood), my kitchen (hardwood), powder room (hardwood) and great room (carpet). I have two children under the age of 10 and one dog. The 560 is able to navigate between the carpet in my great room and the hardwood throughout the rest of my main floor without any problems. I have several rugs laid out on the hardwood and it easily climbs over them. It even climbs on top of my marble tile in front of my fireplace which is probably 1/2 an inch higher than the carpet. We have stairs leading to the basement and the 560 knows to stop at the top step to avoid falling down. We noticed that since we've been running the 560 every day for about a week that the bin is getting less full than in the beginning. We attribute that to the floors being cleaner now that they get vacuumed every day. My only suggestion or advice about this product is that you remain patient with it. The 560 will eventually clean the entire floor space but you have to let to run on its own and allow it to do its thing. It roams around in a very random pattern which can be frustrating at first if you really want it to focus on a specific area. If you just allow it to run it will eventually get to the spot you're concerned about. I am very happy about this purchase and I recommend you purchase it too, it will change your life :)
Pros: Easy To Empty, Easy To Use, Efficient, Lightweight, Powerful/Good Suction
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting store.irobot.com
Customer Rating
5
You won't understand until you have one
on February 28, 2012
Posted by: Roombie
from Sydney, Australia
I am a batchelor who has a 560 scheduled to clean the carpets in my unit once a week. It comes on while I am out, cleans the floor, and goes back to the dock. I originally had it programmed to clean more often, but found that it really wasn't needed. It cleans far better than my old vacuum, and I don't have to touch it other than to empty it (once every couple of weeks), or do some minor maintenance and brush cleaning (about one a month or so), and I do that in front of the TV. Yes - in answer to the drawback everyone says: it won't clean in corners - it's round !! - Duh!! It had some technical problems in the wheel motors at around 2 years old, but I just flipped it onto it's back on the dining table, went to the iRobot online support videos, and they showed step by step how to fix the problem. The manufacturer even states in the videos what some of the obvious flaws of such systems are - eg: dust in the wheel motors - but their solution worked. I found that honesty refreshing and I found the ability to perform my own repairs liberating. If parts were needed - they were there to buy. I let it perform it's own battery maintenance, and dock itself. I never really need to use the buttons on the top of it, as I use the remote if I need to do any spot cleaning. It lives under a china cabinet on legs, where his dock is underneath against the wall. He is out of the way - but ready to do his scheduled clean. Most guests never even notice him. I find it very freeing and even bought one for my mum, and she loves it. I suspect some reviewers were expecting a lot more of the machine - so remember: it is just a machine. But each generation of these seems to get better. The 560 I have has faithfully served me for about 3 years now. I expect to have it for some years to come, and will repair or replace parts or the machine as required. Because living without it after you have it would be hell. Until you have been freed from doing vacuuming you just will not understand the difference. I am now just waiting for the robots that clean windows, toilets and shower screens. I'll get each when they become available.
Pros: Easy To Empty, Easy To Use, Scheduled, Self Starter
Cons: Noisy
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting store.irobot.com
Customer Rating
4
Good Product
on February 1, 2009
Posted by: Jim the Runner
from Seattle, WA
The bottom line is: This product is more convenient than a traditional vacuum and cleans just as well. The reality of owning/operating an Roomba: It may take several sessions before you figure out where to place the Virtual Walls/Lighthouses. Using too many Lighthouses caused my Roomba to remain in each room too long, which resulted in the battery dying before it finished. I repositioned/removed the Lighthouses and now my Roomba does just fine. Like I said, it took several sessions to fine tune it. I also had to use double-sided tape to secure my small area rugs - Roomba would cause the corners to bunch up and it couldn't vacuum the rug completely. Maintenance: Emptying the bin is super easy. I clean the brushes after each session which is more than iRobot recommends. I do it just to avoid any problems - it's quick and easy. Now that I figured out the nuances, I love it. I was impressed enough that I bought a 400 model for my 2nd floor. I recommend getting a hand-vacuum to handle spot-cleaning and for getting to the places Roomba can't (which isn't many). I ready to get rid of my traditional stand-up vacuum.
Pros: Cleans Effectively, Cleans Under Furniture, Covers Entire Room, Deep Cleaning Ability, Large Debris Bin, Long Run Time
Cons: Can Get Stuck, Frequent Maintenance
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting store.irobot.com
Customer Rating
4
Overall a well engineered product
on August 17, 2010
Posted by: CondoDweller
from Toronto, ON
Verified Purchase:No
I was very skeptical about getting a Roomba, but a friend of mine gave a good review so I thought it would be worth a shot. It takes a couple of days to learn to trust the Roomba, but its amazing how it doesn't get tangled up in cords and covers almost the enter floor space. I ran it after vacuuming with my upright, and was amazed to find how much additional dust it picked up. It's especially effective at vacuuming under beds, couches and other tough to reach areas. The price is a bit steep, but it definately delivers on performance. And its just such a cool product to own, almost like having a robot pet :) A couple of cons include not being able to use it on delicate carpets that shed (and require single direction strokes), and not being able to navigate through crowded areas (like a table with many chairs whose legs can get in the way).
Pros: Easy To Empty, Easy To Use, Efficient, Lightweight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting store.irobot.com
Customer Rating
3
Fair
on March 5, 2010
Posted by: Monie
from Chicago, IL
I was blown away like others when I first purchased this in 10/07, but let me point out that this will never replace your vacuum cleaner. It does a fair job at best! Requires costly maintanace (battery does not last long and costs as much as a care battery). Brushes wear out, fall off, etc. If you do not mind shelling out $$ to keep it going, I quess it is a fun toy. I paid $500 for mine and did not expect to have to pay over $100 for additional overpriced maintanace parts within 2 yaers. Also it marks up may white baseboards when it hits and it has never done more than one room without draining the battery. It is an expensive toy and I would not buy another one. I also am a Scooba (ok) and a Dirt devil owner. The Dirt Devil worked great until it started spinning and never stopped(after 3 months). I have been scrupulous about maintanace of all 3 top of the line products and they have been used very lightly. Cleaning lady would have been cheaper but not much fun!
Pros: Easy To Empty, Easy To Use
Cons: Unreliable
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting store.irobot.com