iRobot Roomba 3000 Robotic Cleaner

The Roomba that I have has some great features and some things that have been improved on with later models, and still some things that could be improved on in the future.

I love the fact that it goes back over areas where it finds more dirt. It also moves smoothly under furniture, something I am unable to do with my vac. My kids find this (so far) more like a toy, and don't mind setting it up to go clean a room (which also means they will pick up their games, shoes, clothes, whatever is in a room, preparing it for vacuuming!!!!) I love the fact that so far it does not pick up coins or tangle in power cords, and moves smoothly between carpet and tile, cleaning both very well. I really like the external small edge tool sweeper that brushes little bits of dirt into the path of the Roomba, getting further into corners and under counter and low appliances even further. I did not think such a small machine would have much pickup vacuum, but it seems to pick up the fine dust even better than my full sized vac. I think of this Roomba more as a maintenance vac that will be good for in between good cleanings with my full sized vac, and will let me go longer between manual vacuuming. I like the idea of the virtual walls - otherwise my Roomba has to be picked up and kept away from rooms it's not supposed to be in just yet!

I don't care for how loud the vacuum is - it is louder than a TV (to the people whose job it would normally be to get up and vacuum...), and it does not remember its room setup. It would be nice if there were an option for it to remember where furniture was, and to map where it had cleaned so that it does not miss any spots. Some spots get cleaned much more than others.

Some of the newer models return home to their charger and have preset cleaning schedules, so they may be mapping and scheduling as I would love to have.

My last wish would be that the vacuum be EVEN a bit stronger so that it could pick up chip/cracker crumbs if a bag were spilled on the floor. Mostly what this one picks up (very well) is dust and pet hair.

If you're one of those who collects vacuums as a hobby, then this is a must have for collection. However, for everday extensive professional cleaning, then you will not want this Roomba and instead, purchase a Dyson Vac.

The Roomba is cute and all, but it is very limited of how much dirt it can hold. For its size the motor has to be small therefore it won't have the power like standard upright vacuum cleaners does. And for the price, it's better to find another vacuum that will actually do the job than for looks.

I liked mine so much i bought a scooba mopping robot (and it is even easier)and I am now looking to buy a second one for a very large house. I have two cats that shed and it still does the job. I also have oriental rugs with tassles. Sometimes the tassles do present a problem for R1C1 (my robot's name) but I have solved that one by rolling up the edges (thus also cleaning under the rug) and by using the virtual wall to kee R1 off the tassles. I frequently clean R1's brushes and that does give back some of the time I save over using the vacuum cleaner. Also, I clean in cornors that R1 cannot get to. However, I still dedicate less time than before to vacuuming, tend to vacuum more, and the time i spend is relatively efortless. One day, I mowed the lawn while I vacuumed and mopped inside. Today, I vacuumed 3 floors and mopped one at the same time that I worked on responding to e-mail messages for my employment, looking in on my roomba and my scooba, every now and again to make sure they were fine. I am super impressed. In fact, I am going to buy shares in the company's stock, because the future is here. If you have questions e-mail: mailms@yahoo.com.

I have two large dogs with coarse hair that tends to stick in the carpet, so this was a real challenge for my new Roomba! I was quite impressed. Roomba picked up around 75% of the hair on it's first use. It does seem to go in a very random pattern, going over the same area time and time again, but it eventually covers the whole area. My front room, 12ft x 12ft, took 45 minutes for Roomba to clean before it turned itself off. It is a bit of a pain to clean the brush, which must be done after every use, otherwise it doesn't clean as efficiently. The little collecting tray fills up fast, but just takes 2 seconds to empty. I don't think the brush will have a long life span, but they are replaceable, though expensive. The Roomba is OK for in between 'proper' cleans with a normal vacuum cleaner, but it could never replace one. On the plus side, it's excellent for picking up dry spills, such as breakfast cereal, when set on to 'spot' clean. I would recommend the Roomba for light cleaning in a household that doesn't get too dirty!

As many others have said the Roomba (model M-388) is fine for a no-effort once-over, within limits. I use it on wood floors. I found it will not transition from floor to area rugs (it will get hung up on the edge of the rug and these rugs do not have a fringe). The vacuum is weak so the brushes are doing most of the work. I use it mostly as an alternative to a dust-mop. I've also found that it gets hung up when it encounters a piece of furniture that has between about 3.5 and 4 inches of clearance (the handle is about half an inch above what the sensors/bumpers "see" so the sensors go under, the handle doesn't and the machine spins its wheels). It is a nice toy and a good concept but could use some more design enhancements.