Mumsnet Talk

I'm thinking about buying a Roomba and would love to know what you think of yours if you have one? Was it money well spent?

I'm looking at the 770 model. I was wondering about the 780 but it's £70 more and I can't see what makes that model worth more than the 770.

Roomba people, please help me decide!

What is a Roomba?

MrsRajesh It's a robot vacuum cleaner. There are other makes too but I'm tempted by roomba because it seems best going by the reviews. Samsung make one too and it looks good but I just wanted to know if anyone has roomba.

Oh, I see.

Why do you want one? I really cant see that they are worth the money tbh

I'd have to hoover before I let a roomba loose, which would defeat the purpose. I'd be scared it would chew up hair bobbles or random detritus that you can at least spot in time if you are pushing it round yourself.

I love my Roomba (robot vacuum cleaner)!! We bought it 15 months ago and at the time I thought it was just a gadget dh had to have. But - it is fab. I went out this morning and left it vacuuming my bedroom, it did the lounge while I did the school run this afternoon. It still amazes me how much dust it picks up everyday! I thought we needed a new carpet in the lounge but actually after a few months of using the Roomba the carpet looks fine.

It gets used every day as it can also do a circular spot clean so is fab for picking up crumb spillages etc. The timer function is useful as you can programme it to come on at certain times of the day (we set it to clean once or twice when we go away - nice to come back to a cat hair free carpet).

We paid approx £300 at the time but it has been well worth it. We bought the pet version (have two cats) but not sure if that model is still available.

Sorry - THIS has to be posted. It's pretty much compulsory in discussions of this kind.

I love mine. He's just the best thing ever. He hoovers on his timer every other day and puts himself back to charge.
Very occasionally gets stuck under the table if he can't navigate the chair legs, but if that happens he turns himself off.
I've replied to numerous threads on here about how good he is, and don want to sound like I invented it or something
It will be one of the best things you buy, up there with the washing machine IMO.

What happens when it sucks up little pieces of Lego? Will they break it? Can you retrieve them?

Thanks for the video talc!

Is that the video with the kittens all piled on it and they slowly slip off one by one?

Yes, that is all I have to add

Which models do you have Nic & Squirted?

I used to love mine (it's a 4 year old model, so a 530. However, the docking station battery died within a year and now the internal battery is dead so it won't hold any charge. In the 4 years since I bought it, it's probably only been used for two of them.

I would put it on in the kitchen every night at bedtime.

I think replacement batteries are about £70, which seems a bit steep.

We've had ours for 15 months. I love him. He's more like a pet than a hoover.

A couple of points, none of which negate his general awesomeness:
1. He has less capacity that an upright hoover so needs emptied more often. We obviously generate a lot of dust, because I'm constantly astonished how often I have to empty him.
2. He has an unrequited love for out Playstation. If the kids don't tidy the Playstation away, he will unerringly find it and, um, mount it. Once he's got his front half onto the Playstation he can't get off under his own steam, so he stays there sort of...um... humping it.
3. Being circular, he can't get right into corners.
4. He can get trapped by chair legs etc, as already mentioned above, but he does turn himself off. We have a table and four chairs in our kitchen, and I'd say he's not very effective there.

Overall, though, the convenience of just pressing a button and having the hoovering done is wonderful.

Talc brilliant!

Also, I really really want a roomba!

Any pondering I did on the benefits of having a roomba, stopped the moment I read the last MN thread on the subject,

Someone came home to discover it had spent the day trying to clean up runny dog poo.

I have one and like it for helping keep dust and hair hair down. No carpets (other than a couple small area rugs) and it does a pretty good on the hardwood floors and bathroom floor.. The carpets need a real vacum cleaner, as the roomba isn't meant for deep vacuming. You do have to lift up any wires or cords so they don't get caught.
I have not had any lego around in years as do not know how it does for things like that.

*cat hair, not hair hair.

I NEED one of these. We have just bought a new Vacuum cleaner though, so ill have to wait until it dies :0/

Mine is a 555, and its 3 years old now so I've no idea if you can still get that model.
The amount of dust it picks up every other day from under my sofa astonishes and disgusts me in equal measures.
Small things like playmobil hats, peas, bits of cat food just get sucked up into the bin with the other dirt and are easily picked out. The bin needs emptied after every hoover.
I only have hard floors downstairs, no carpet, though I do have a few rugs.

I meant cat food in terms of size comparison. I dont actually pick bits of cat food out of the roomba and give it back to the cat.

Roomba + Dog shit = Disaster + New Carpet

Source: Youtube

I've got the 555. I love him. He's my favourite thing. Still after having him for a good couple of years

Warning!
My SIL has one and loved it until the cat did an out-of-character poo under the table.......it was roomba-ed all over the house in her absence.