Roomba - good or gimmick?

[MaunderHunt]

Does anyone have one? Are they good? I am looking at the 681 but crikey the prices are eye watering!

i have one and it is useful to set it running for a quick clean but the batteries run down really quickly if you let it run out of charge. you then need to buy a replacement battery at £40ish.

Thanks for the reply. Does it not take itself back to base when the batteries get low?

Yes but if you have any period of time when you're not using it and you want to turn it off at the mains and not have it sitting on standby constantly then you run the risk of the battery dying.

I have a Neato and I love it but the dirt box is small and needs emptying every time.

I love mine. Had it 5 years and it was some of the best money I ever spent. However I would say it will only suit you if you're willing/ able to be fairly organized about decluttering the floor so it can get round without getting tangled. Also, I have hard floors everywhere downstairs. It does work well on carpet, but because it has no suction, I end up alternating it with the Hoover on the carpets in order to make sure the dust is zapped, as well as just the debris.

I love my roomba. Picks up far far more dirt, dust, dog hair than either my Dyson or Miele. Will never be without one now, I've had it for about 5 years. Yes, you have to check the floors, but that's all part of the tidying up/cleaning process anyway for us so it works out fine, and just means everywhere looks really neat and tidy after it's been round. We've got the 770, but recently bought one for upstairs and just got a basic knockoff copy one from Amazon, and it's just as good.

It isn't a substitute for a normal vacuum cleaner but its a good thing to use in between.

On my list for this weekend though is a new battery and new circular brushes.

They're very good. It's in the top 3 of my list of best electrical items I've
ever bought.

I love my roomba. Makes my life so much easier. If I was to get another I’d shell out a bit more for a WiFi enabled one so I could integrate it with smart home stuff... but even without that it is a massive help on a day to day basis.

My Roomba is far better than my standard Dyson was.
Use it on carpets and hard floors (use a small hand held for stairs)
I love it!