What's the point?

I've seen lots of Roomba knock offs, as answered earlier, the point is just to make money.

With regards to robot vacs in general, my Samsung Powerbot actually works pretty well. I have two cats and a dog, so it helps keep the carpets looking a bit cleaner than they otherwise would in between using the real vacuums. My only real issue with it is that the bin fills up and clogs quickly, I used to have a Neato that worked about as well but didn't have the clogging issue. I've owned many robots in the past, but before I bought the Powerbot I bought a Roomba and returned it. The Roomba never successfully completed a cleaning cycle in the week that I owned it, there was always something that it managed to get stuck on. The Powerbot is good about navigating around obstacles and not getting stuck, I think it has failed to complete a cleaning cycle like 3 times in the nearly two years that I've owned it.

I think that what trips most people up is that they lose sight of the purpose of these machines, they aren't intended to replace a regular vacuum cleaner yet. They are great for someone like me who just wants clean-ish carpets without vacuuming every single day. That being said, there definitely are some people who abuse them and completely rely on them to clean their floors. I have an ex whose family had two Kirby vacuums and an Electrolux, but they exclusively used their Roomba. They had a 1.5" band of black dog hair along all of their baseboards where the Roomba was unable to clean. It was also one of the dustiest houses I have been in, I realized their Roomba had a hole in the filter that was releasing dust every time it ran.

I would like to say something about what Mike said in an earlier post, "...just as a cordless vacuum will never clean as good as corded vacuums do, robot vacuums won't either."

I don't think it's true that cordless vacuums will never clean as well as corded machines. In fact, cordless vacuum cleaners have the potential to be more powerful than corded vacuum cleaners. A corded vacuum in the US is limited to 12 amps at 120 volts, while the power output of a battery can theoretically be even higher than that. I think it is unlikely that we will see cordless vacuums that draw that much electricity, but I do believe cordless and corded vacuum cleaners are getting closer and closer to matching each other in performance. Batteries can have a higher power output than a regular outlet does.


Forum Topics & Rules Manuals & Literature	New users Click-here to sign-up

Post# 426571 6/6/2020 at 14:21 (1,417 days old) by vacuumdevil (Vacuum Hell )
Checkrate/Likes What's the point of all these robotic vacuum cleaners coming to market without navigation in 2020? worse yet why would you name one with a spelling error "robit" that will be auto corrected by every search engine known to mankind?

Post# 426576 , Reply# 1 6/6/2020 at 16:02 (1,417 days old) by kirby519 (Wisconsin)
Checkrate/Likes 1 From What I have read in the past even the "smart" robotic vacuums don't always follow the "mapped" route that the vacuum is programmed to follow. As for the name well what can be said. I for one have no interest in them. I will stick with my Real vacuum with manual steering. I know some one that has one. I went and did some cleaning for her. Plush carpeting with two cats. Her Sears canister hasn't worked in a while. OMG what I sucked out of the carpet with my Kirby Sentria was amazing. I filled the bag vacuuming about 950 to 1,100 sq ft of flooring mostly carpet. The surface of the carpet didn't look dirty. However what was contained in the carpet was amazing even to me.

Post# 426581 , Reply# 2 6/6/2020 at 17:10 (1,417 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes The point is to make $$$$ Ever since the Roomba came out, there has been about 4,000,000 knockoffs of it made. Mostly all of them came and went within 1-2 years and were total garbage and were just an overblown toy. They do not care at all how it works, they just want to make a lot of money fast, collect the money, then close the company down and make another name and do it again. I have seen these knockoffs before under a different name. You know those bump-and-go toy robots and toy cars? Same concept these Roomba knockoffs have. They just aimlessly wander around and via placebo effect (and because a massive amount over overcharging was done on Amazon) you think it is actually working. They also I think have a tiny dustbuster type motor in them providing suction. It would struggle to pick up bread crumbs. Crazy this costs over $200. Also they only work if your house is totally empty and devoid of furniture, and even then it's only a surface cleaner. It leaves all the dirt and grit and debris inside the carpet. These robot vacs always will be a waste of money, but its an easy cash cow for anyone to sell them.

Post# 426634 , Reply# 3 6/7/2020 at 18:23 (1,416 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)
Checkrate/Likes *Hmm* You could literally put a lithium battery in a thunder tumbler remote control car. If you add a vacuum it would probably work better. We bought one a few years ago. The robot went straight ten feet and to the right ten more feet. This blocked the signal from main unit and it got lost. I figured if it gets lost it's probably going to go 25 feet and one foot to the right and vacuum goes down the stairs. I was going to put chairs in its way just to watch it run into them. It got lost before I could try . Les

Post# 426635 , Reply# 4 6/7/2020 at 18:35 (1,416 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)
Checkrate/Likes *robot vacuums* I have an older Neato XV12 robot vacuum, it has good navigation and cleans ok but since it's battery powered, it has all of the limitations of cordless vacuums, just as a cordless vacuum will never clean as good as corded vacuums do, robot vacuums won't either. Mike

Post# 426662 , Reply# 5 6/8/2020 at 01:30 (1,415 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *We put one to work in a cleaning* contest at a VCCC convention. It died a miserable, embarrassing death. Not bashing, just relaying.

Post# 426688 , Reply# 6 6/9/2020 at 09:51 (1,414 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)
Checkrate/Likes Of all the robot vacuums, the Dyson Eye is the only one I would want. It actually has suction and doesn't bump into things aimlessly.

Post# 426708 , Reply# 7 6/9/2020 at 14:06 (1,414 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes One of my other hobbies is R/C cars so I do like these robo vacs for their toy-like nature and to dabble and play around with them and watch them go about, but never would clean an entire house with one. Especially with pets.

Post# 426762 , Reply# 8 6/10/2020 at 14:31 (1,413 days old) by myles_v (Fredericksburg, VA)
Checkrate/Likes I've seen lots of Roomba knock offs, as answered earlier, the point is just to make money. With regards to robot vacs in general, my Samsung Powerbot actually works pretty well. I have two cats and a dog, so it helps keep the carpets looking a bit cleaner than they otherwise would in between using the real vacuums. My only real issue with it is that the bin fills up and clogs quickly, I used to have a Neato that worked about as well but didn't have the clogging issue. I've owned many robots in the past, but before I bought the Powerbot I bought a Roomba and returned it. The Roomba never successfully completed a cleaning cycle in the week that I owned it, there was always something that it managed to get stuck on. The Powerbot is good about navigating around obstacles and not getting stuck, I think it has failed to complete a cleaning cycle like 3 times in the nearly two years that I've owned it. I think that what trips most people up is that they lose sight of the purpose of these machines, they aren't intended to replace a regular vacuum cleaner yet. They are great for someone like me who just wants clean-ish carpets without vacuuming every single day. That being said, there definitely are some people who abuse them and completely rely on them to clean their floors. I have an ex whose family had two Kirby vacuums and an Electrolux, but they exclusively used their Roomba. They had a 1.5" band of black dog hair along all of their baseboards where the Roomba was unable to clean. It was also one of the dustiest houses I have been in, I realized their Roomba had a hole in the filter that was releasing dust every time it ran. I would like to say something about what Mike said in an earlier post, "...just as a cordless vacuum will never clean as good as corded vacuums do, robot vacuums won't either." I don't think it's true that cordless vacuums will never clean as well as corded machines. In fact, cordless vacuum cleaners have the potential to be more powerful than corded vacuum cleaners. A corded vacuum in the US is limited to 12 amps at 120 volts, while the power output of a battery can theoretically be even higher than that. I think it is unlikely that we will see cordless vacuums that draw that much electricity, but I do believe cordless and corded vacuum cleaners are getting closer and closer to matching each other in performance. Batteries can have a higher power output than a regular outlet does.

Post# 426792 , Reply# 9 6/11/2020 at 10:34 (1,412 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *automated carpet sweepers* To call these devices vacuum cleaners is a gross misnomer, as far as I'm concerned. They're really just automated carpet sweepers. I have absolutely no interest in such a device, especially when I can buy a nice, shiny second hand Kirby with all the trimmings for far less money. As the OP said, what's the point?

Post# 426798 , Reply# 10 6/11/2020 at 12:07 (1,412 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes If I had the extra cash, I�d buy a Eufy 11S....it seems like a very good buy at about $220, and it did quite well in Consumer Reports tests. I would never expect it to replace a regular vacuum cleaner, but to have it pick up surface litter every day while I am away at work makes a lot of sense. It would be a really convenient way of getting rid of lots of surface litter without me lifting a finger, really.

Post# 426800 , Reply# 11 6/11/2020 at 12:21 (1,412 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)
Checkrate/Likes *I bought one made by HOOVER* It was on sale....... extremely discounted. I got it to "have", add to my collection. It came our of the box once, to "ooooh, ah". I'd NEVER rely on it to clean this place properly. The cats, I'm sure, would be amused.

Post# 426868 , Reply# 12 6/12/2020 at 15:40 (1,411 days old) by Kirbysthebest (Midwest)
Checkrate/Likes *I bought a Hoover branded robot* For my Sister-in-law. It does an ok job on the hard floors. The carpet, it is just a surface cleaner at best. The biggest attraction, It gives the cat something to play with.

Post# 426877 , Reply# 13 6/13/2020 at 01:50 (1,410 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)
Checkrate/Likes Self propelled floor sweepers with out a handle. Will use REAL vacuums instead!