to want a robot cleaner?

[ChinaSorrows]

DH thinks I am...
Not exactly like Rosie, the Jetson's robot (see awesome pic attached) but a robot vacuum cleaner.

History...Our vax has given up after 4 years. The seals on all the extendy, reclippy, dust drum bits have spent the last 3 years "screaming" (I wish there was a better description but they scream) and now, the rolly roundy brush has pretty much fallen off.

I think a robot vacuum would clean the floors whilst I was out (it's programmable dammit) and ensure that we come home to fluff free carpets. It's rather exciting! (Also, in my home it will be called Geoffrey, I may or may not be looking for giant googly eyes for Geoffrey and I will also hope to teach him to do laundry)
DH thinks I'm delusional and it will be an expensive waste.
We live in a 2 bed flat.
No stairs for Geoffrey to worry about.

We can afford him. We can't afford to buy him and then a replacement if he turns out to be shite.

Any wise MNers have a robot vacuum?

I'm specifically looking at the iRobot Rooba 651 in John Lewis here

Are Neato's as good as Roomba?

I think neatos are better coz of the shape - not round - and get into corners and striaght lines better

I'm eyeing up a neato on amazon...

Hahaha, dh is readng neato reviews...

ask him to let us know what he thinks!

He wants to buy one Right Now!

Based on this thread I bought a Neato the other day. It's charged overnight and will be getting its first test run soon!!

I shall report back...

Nigel my Neato is upstairs hoovering while I'm
Watching tv and on mn

Fabulous !!!!!

But what happens if you set off a robot hoover and floor is not entirely clear. So Looking around now I see a cord to plug into a phone, a kids slipper, and a dumped jumper. Would all these items cause it to switch off, or would it wreck them / the hoover or what would happen?

Thanks (from a would be robot hoover owner).

its the same as using a normal hoover, ie you pick those things up/tuck them away

meant to make you a tidier household

or as a friends one did turned into an adrex puppy as got loo roll caught under his wheels

So, caveats first....

My floor hasn't been hoovered for a week so was filthy slattern

It does say to 'optimise battery life, charge full and discharge fully 2- times

I was moving things in its path while it was hoovering

First impressions.

Didn't appear to pick up all the bits, especially near the edges which was disappointing as I bought a Neato specifically as it was apparently better at this. However, the dirt bin was full to bursting with dust and pet hair so it obvs picked up loads.

It missed some bits... Probably as I was changing its 'flight path' as it was hoovering.

It stopped 3 times to tell me it 'couldn't see where it was going'. Probably due to the sheer amount of dust

It stopped half way through to trundle back and recharge itself... I thought it would do downstairs on one charge. (4 bed house tho). It charged for 30 mins then took itself back to 'pick up' where it left off. Pick up. Geddit??

It's quieter than I thought. Much quieter than my Dyson. I bought the Signature Pro which comes with the combo brush, not the blade brush. Apparently this makes it quiter. You can buy the combo brush separately and it it to the non pro version.

I think that after doing a decent clean with the Dyson it will actually do a good job of a'maintenance clean' but it definitely won't replace the dyson.

Two of my four cats didn't run away immediately. I am measuring them both up for a shark suit.

Boo , was hoping the Neato would change my life!

It's taking way to long for my neat o to arrive

if room hadnt been hoovered a week then maybe neato struggled ......

why put things in its way?

it needs to scan and get to know your rooms so will take a few tries to do it, but generally mine goes round the edges of room, then diagonal then in straight lines so looks like a cricket picth with lines

but has to get to know your room so yes prob missed bits out as you changed its course .........

NEVER been told nigel couldnt see

how much dust do you have?

Ha! Sorry I meant moving things that were in its path out of the way!

Yes, it needs another 'fair' run after the carpet has been Dyson'd. Just wanted to see how it did when there were visible bits IYSWIM.

I need to look at the 'vision blocked' (not can't see, I've just remembered) message. The carpet wasn't great, but wasn't that bad. Will be a pain if it stops each time due to that. A quick Google tells me it might be due to things being moved.

I shall report back after more tries (with less dust) dreading it trying under my bed for the first time

furniture and usual objects it will work out and avoid, mine turns just before table/sofa as it knows it is there iyswim

very occasionally will bump into something and reverse but rare

xmas tree puzzled it at first as had been cleaning room for a few weeks without it so new the layout but after a day or two it just added into its scan and worked round it

and today as took tree etc down it went back to hoovering in its place

and picking up those annoying needles

I have a big sheddy dog called Geoffrey. Can I swap him for a roomba of the same name?

knew