Robot vacuums-are they worth the money?

[Daenerys77]

And do they need a lot of maintenance?

[Eloise666]

Yes definitely worth it; absolute game changer!

I have a Eufy 30c max and it hasn’t need any maintenance except emptying it and occasionally clearing the roller bit.

I bought mine in December 2020 and it’s honestly one of the best things I’ve bought for the house (along with dishwasher and sage coffee machine).

[DockOTheBay]

We have a eufy and it's good. It does get tangled in things or stuck under furniture occasionally, but it just stops and beeps until you extract it.

It doesn't have very strong suction so it doesn't such up as much dust as a proper vacuum - more like a surface clean. So I find i still have to do a "proper" hoover with the Henry once a week or so.

[Yellowsubhubabubbub]

Yes they are
No they dont.

[DetailMouse]

Life changing. Life changing I tell ya

I've got Eufy. I actually think he's more thorough than my Dyson, certainly better at your normal everyday, not moving moving furniture vacuuming session because he can reach parts the upright hoover can't.

[SlightlyJaded]

I've just been on the Eufy website and there are so many....
How do you choose?

And has anyone got a hybrid/mop one? Can't imagine the mopping is up to much, but quite tempted.

[sweetkitty]

I love my Eufy, he’s on everyday, you think he’s not picking up much until you empty him. We have 4 cats, a dog and 4 DC so he is priceless just do do a maintenance clean daily. I just Hoover once a week now. He’s the best!

[byvirtue]

No I have an Eufy but prefer my cordless dyson.

I have to prep the area before it starts ie. Take up rug with tassel, lift up coffee tables, plant pots etc.
It’s ruined the paintwork where it tries to climb onto doorledges in front of doors and French windows.
It frequently gets stuck
It takes forever, I can’t be in the room with it when it’s on as it seems to constantly aim for my ankles.
You can’t quickly hoover something up. You can manually direct it to a specific spot but it’s a pain.

They are ok but given the choice cordless dyson every time.

[TabithaTittlemouse]

I really want one but we’ve got wonky floors and I worry it would feel sea sick/get stuck

[OneEpisode]

My Eufy is a she. She is fine with small ups and downs, and small ridges. She is scared of big drops and will wait for someone to put her up (or down). She can get confused by in between, so half steps/slopes, and can go wrong. We trust her to work at night but sometimes have to call her in the morning (phone app) to see where she has gone…

[Jellybean81]

Definitely! Yes! I splashed out and got a roomba self emptying one. It has an app that tells you how it's doing and messages for help if anything gets jammed (Lego people). My baby has just started crawling so it runs everyday

[negomi90]

Got a self emptying Roomba a few weeks ago. I finished night shifts this morning. I've been dozing on the couch all day directing it from my phone so I now have clean carpets.
I can't run her anti social hours because the self emptying is loud (a few seconds of noise after every hour or so of cleaning). I also live in a flat, so all one floor which makes it easier.
I absolutely love it, its a game changer.

[Chasingsquirrels]

Love mine - Eufy 30C max.
Got it Aug 2020.
Just had to get a new battery as it was just cutting out and not getting back to base in the last month - when I replaced it I noticed the old one was dated 2001, which I thought was really odd.
It goes on every night in about half of the downstairs, I then put it on 2 or 3 times a week in the other half, and once a week upstairs.
Empty it 3 or 4 times a week, bang the filter out, periodically wash the filter - although have recently started vacuuming the filter with my old upright when I get that out to do the coir doorwell area (which eufy doesn't cope with).

Still need another vacuum for the stairs, car, doorwell.

[oviraptor21]

@KeepingAnOpenMind

Why are people calling their hoovers ‘he’. Surely ‘it’? 🧐

It's about time the blokes did the hoovering.

[SkankingMopoke]

I love our Eufy. I dithered for ages worried that they were a bit of a gimmick, but like a PP, I wouldn't be without one now. Our floors look so much better with a daily hoover, which in turn makes the whole place look tidier. I don't find I often need to do the corners etc myself, but perhaps this is more of an issue for those with carpet? Eufy only does the downstairs as DCs have too many tiny toys scattered across their bedroom floors for him to hoover upstairs (I've bought a cordless for the stairs and bedrooms, which is also a better option for spills). He's easy to maintain too. He's a bit slow and bumbling, and was definitely at the back of the queue for brains, but he does the job well. I usually set him off just before we leave for the school run, and by the time I get back to gather my bits for work, he's done.
The only thing I wouldn't bother with is the mop function. 'Mop' is overstating things somewhat: it is actually a wipe with a damp cloth without detergent. It does extend the time between proper mopping, but not enough to justify the additional cost IMO.

[Chasingsquirrels]

I also got a irobot bravaa jet (mopping robot) about a year ago.
I like this, but I'm not as impressed with it as with the robovac.
I dithered over buying it, mainly because I wasn't sure how good it would be, but overall I'm glad I did - but mainly cos I'm lazy and it does the job for me, but it does need more managing than the robovac.
It has to be set up (filled, placed) and then put back on charge (remove battery and put in charger) afterwards.
I tend to put it on once or twice a week in the kitchen, conservatory & utility - having first put the robovac in there for an hour or so. I've been mainly working at home for the last couple of years, so this works well. Wouldn't be so good if I was in the office all the time, but going forwards I'll probably be 50:50, so I'll just put it in on when I'm working at home.

[MayLeaveADentInYourSofa]

Oh gosh yes. Don't even hesitate. It is a game changer.

[NewYearCalavicci]

@Chasingsquirrels, look at my post up thread yesterday at 18.56ish for a car / stairs vac

[Chasingsquirrels]

[quote NewYearCalavicci]@Chasingsquirrels, look at my post up thread yesterday at 18.56ish for a car / stairs vac [/quote]
I already had a cordless, and still have my old upright plus a vax cylinder carpet washer so am sorted on the whole vacuum front!

[Stealhsquirrelnutkin]

This is my third robovac, they seem to improve with each new incarnation.

I'm too feeble to manage a full sized hoover, can't hardly drag myself around, never mind dragging a full sized vacuum cleaner. It was a lot more depressing than I expected, having messy floors and being stuck indoors all day trying to ignore them.

Having the robovac trundle forth each day is a small miracle. I only wish someone would invent a robodusting machine for bookshelves and light fittings, a robotic bed changer, and a self regulating robo-window and mirror washer.

I have it set to come on at 8pm every day, which is more often than I hoovered myself, back when I was fit and healthy. The dust container only needs emptying once a week. I use a hand held shark vacuum to clean the filter after emptying the pan, and I wash the HEPA filter and brushes every month or so.

My house has hard flooring throughout, except for a couple of faux sheepskin rugs by the bed, and a washable mat in the bathroom. The bathroom mat has a rubberised underside which keeps it flat to the floor and the G30 goes over it without problems (except that the suction is so strong that the dust box was full of teal fluff for the first 6 months, and now the teal mat looks threadbare).

The thick fluffy faux sheepskin rugs are problematical. Sometimes the Eufy climbs over them with ease, but other time it will push them across the floor until they bunch up into ridges that form high walls, and quite often it manages to push the rug until it has formed a small corral for itself, inside high walls of fake fur and a corner of the room. Then it realises that it can't escape, sends out a plaintive message to the app and switches off.

That was annoying so now I try to remember to shut the bedroom door before the vacuum starts up in the evening. Except for Sundays, when I lift the rugs, give them a bit of a shake, lay them on the bed, and leave the bedroom door propped open so the Eufy can get in there too.

Someone mentioned kittens and robovacs earlier in the thread. Having seen some really grim roomba/dogshit disaster videos on youtube I'd say it's probably best to have a human keep an eye on things when the vacuum cleaner is running and possibly incontinent pets are around.

[Gingerkittykat]

@Greattimestroubledtimes

The burning question is, do your cats sit on them?

We now have new kittens, and one of them definitely looks like she would... but would my money be wasted?

Nope, but my youngest cat plays chase with it.

As soon as she hears it beep she follows it and then when it changes direction she runs away from it.

She didn't like it when she got bored of the game and it ran over her tail!

I have one of the cheapies from Amazon, it cost £90 becuse I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I might not use. I love it and might end up upgrading to a Eufy at some point since people rave about them.

I have a ragdoll and a short haired cat and I spend quite a bit of time cutting white hair off the brish bar.

[ouch321]

No
I got the Eufy when there was a sudden load of people all saying how great they were.
I used it for a few months and then gave up.
It would turn itself on randomly in the middle of the night waking me up, and no it was not set on a programme.
It also used to trail out dirt and dust from the back of it despite cleaning.

Got a Shark Cordless since then, so much better.

[CuckooClocked]

I have an Eufy. I haven’t done anything g but empty the dust collector and hoover the filters. The brushes are bent and there are threads caught in the roller thing. The book does say they need regular maintenance and you so get spare brushes in the box. What happens when those get bent I don’t know.
I find it a nuisance having to remove everything off the floor , including lamp bases. It does do a good job though, and can get under sofas etc which is useful. Cables and wires need to be removed .
I’m not sure they are worth all the hassle really.

[CuckooClocked]

Also mine needs to be charged after quite a short time now. I’ve had it a few months so really it should I work for longer .

[silentpool]

I have a Eufy which is magnificent. It tootles around keeping the place looking respectable, while I watch. Very little maintenance.

[NewYearCalavicci]

@CuckooClocked,
You can swap the whiskers with each other ,( they pull off ) which stops them getting to bent in one direction . I swap mine over about once a month.

How quick is the battery going flat? It should run for about a hour/ 1.30 .
( or at least the 11s model does )
If it's considerably shorter than that I would recommend you get in touch with Eufy the customer service is great and they should be able to help you out