Roomba vs. Trilobite

[aniram]

Thinking about getting one of this gadget. However, I notice that there are three types for Roomba : Standard, Roomba Red (or is this Pro Lite?), and Roomba Discovery (or the one with SE on it). The price starts around US $150, $225 form Pro-lite and $260 for Discovery. What are the differences in those three? Which one is the best one... the most expensive one (the Discovery)? I like the red colour (Pro lite)... but does it has less features than the Discovery? Then, I saw the Electrolux Trilobite ... a very nice machine, but it costs around US $1600! Why is there so much difference in cost between Roomba and Trilobite? Is Trilobite for real, heavy duty cleaning (rather than a robotic "toy" like Roomba)? Is it worth to get $1600 vacum cleaner in the long run? Has it better quality, service and performance? Need some opinion on this. Thanks. Do any of these cleaners need a special order vacuum bags, which is only supplied by the manufacturer? I also heard about rechargable batteries... How fast that we need to keep buying new batteries? I am a little wary that I can get sucked by these manufacturers, which probably have strategy to sell more of the accessories (just like a cheap printers, when you have to pay a fortune for the ink... or a free cell phone, but you have to pay arm and legs to use it). Thanks for info.

[Matt]

I have to think these things are a passing fad... there is simply no way a unit that small, running on batteries, can clean carpet decently.

Maybe it would be ok for a kitchen floor or something.

I'm sure it would be fun to watch.... for a while... and then one day you realize that you are still lugging out the Hoover every week anyway.

[BruceR]

We tried a Roomba and returned it the next day. It didn't do a particularly good job of cleaning and the carpet looked like crop circles had been cut into it. If you miss the psychedelic 60's you might like that but it looked awful to us.

From:aniram [e-mail]

[Durian]

"BruceR" wrote in news:nS5Rd.3502$VD5.2965 @twister.socal.rr.com:

Wow, that has so not been my experience with the Roomba. Do you have high pile carpeting? It's better with low pile.

The Roomba Discovery is the way to go, even if it is a little more expensive. It has a larger dust bin, its battery recharges faster, and it returns on it's own to is docking bay when the battery gets low. I'm sorry, but what more do you want from a vacuum? I have one and I really appreciate it as a convenience. Now I only do the old fashion vacuuming once a month instead of every Sunday, which I hated. I'm happier and my floors stay clean. Win Win in my opinion.

[BruceR]

Yes we have thick carpeting so maybe it's OK on thinner stuff or berber. Maybe new models are better - we tried it a year ago. They sell a lot of them so they must work for someone and if the choice is Roomba vs. not vacuuming weekly then it's probably worth it.

From:Durian [e-mail]

[Marc D]

There are those of us who don't like or want carpet, and therefore have hardwood floors or tile everywhere. These little suckers probably rock in that kind of environment.

Still waiting for one that will do stairs though. (actually, I'm going to build it soon as I know enough on how to do it...)

[JGCASEY]

Yes I don't think you can throw away the old fashion vacuum. Ours has a vibrator that brings sandy particles to the surface for removal. We need a robot that can use vacuum cleaners the way we do for those monthly cleans :)

[Matthew Gunn]

Or at least a robot one with a rotating brush or some other kind of vibrator. Like you say, that brings the dirt to surface.

[Brigitte]

I also have a question regarding the Roomba...

How do these do in an area where this is both carpet and hardwood or linoleum flooring? Can it go from one to the other and back?

It would seem that going over that "hump" into the carpeted area might be difficult.

Thanks, Brigitte

[Mark Thomas]

I'll have a go at this one. I'd like a Roomba that integrates with a whole-house vac system so that when it docks, it also empties its bin in addition to recharging. Add to that a timer option where I could have it make its rounds at a certain time daily.

- Mark.

[T-Cat]

"Brigitte" sez:

Yep, and it adjusts as needed when doing it.

Ours climbs onto thick area rugs on carpet pads on the vinyl floor with no problems.

[T-Cat]

[e-mail] (aniram) sez:

The Trilobyte is much smarter than a Roomba, but this doesn't turn out to matter much in performance. Hit enough areas and you get them all.

The Discovery series is much more reliable than the Red series and has some other features in it such as faster charging, remote-capable, etc. Also a much bigger bin.

We have a Discovery. It works quite well; it cleans hard floors (wood, textured vinyl) wonderfully even of cat litter, and gets closer in than our vacuums can. It does a nice job of sweeping the plush carpets, but for real cleaning of them, the central vac with the electric powerhead is really unbeatable. So we view the Roomba as a way to keep the house barefoot-clean, with a good vacuuming of stairs and carpets done every other week with real equipment.

Both Trilobyte and Roomba do, though they call them "filters" and they last a long time. And so, of course, does our central vacuum, but again you don't replace it often. And our various other vacuums, except for a Eureka for which Sears sells bags.

Roomba and Trilobyte aren't that way. But if you buy such a beast, I do suggest you get it as a place with a good return policy (in case you don't like it) and that you buy the extended warranty. Sharper Image, for example.

[shinypenny]

Eek! For that price, I'd buy a Roomba to vacuum the house, *and* a Robomower to mow the lawn! (Robomower is a very well made machine and has been worth every penny for us).

I suspect a lot of it is brand name alone. Electrolux is known to command top dollar.

jen

[shinypenny]

Lots of people said that about phones, computers, and t.v.'s :-)

decently.

It's a maintenance tool. It works great if you use it every week or more often. We set ours up to run while we are at work in the morning. If you use it often, there's less need for the heavy-duty vacuuming.

jen

[shinypenny]

Yes, it takes some getting used to. If you have trained your mind to like nice neat patterns on the carpet, and that means "clean" to you, then crop circles will probably drive you batty. I had the same initial reaction until I got used to it.

I also found that I couldn't stand to watch the Roomba work. I'd want to redirect it because it *looked* so inefficient in its patterns. Took awhile to learn to trust that it will eventually, in its own haphazard way, get to every area (and many that I usually skip when using a regular vacuum - like under the bed, under the sofa, under the dining room chairs).

I did find that turning it on before I left the house works best for me. That way, I don't have to stand there watching it. The whole purpose is to save time anyway. Standing over it fretting might've saved sweat work of pushing a vacuum, but it wasn't saving any time.

jen

[Starsha]

"shinypenny" wrote

How do you get it to run while you're gone? I've been saying all along that it is missing a timer so it can be scheduled to do its job while one is gone.

S

[shinypenny]

Just get the room "roomba-ready," take it out of the charger, place it in the room, press the on button, and then walk out the door! It stops automatically when it's done.

Sometimes it does get stuck while I'm out, but we've figured out the potential trouble spots and can elimate them before operating. Although there was this one run-in with a fuzzy red sock. Not a pretty sight. :-(

It does help to have the room picked up and decluttered. Which is one thing I do like about the Roomba - forces you to keep things picked up and roomba-ready.

jen

[Catman]

And here we get to the bot I really want: something to pick up the dog toys before the roomba starts! Humm, the $11 RC missile launcher from Walmart as a base, the Movit robotic arm trainer, CMU cam, sonar, more time in a day,...

Paul

shinypenny wrote: . . .

[shinypenny]

I want a self-cleaning bathroom, kinda like those public toilets they've got in the cities now, where you pay a quarter, and after you use it, it locks down and goes through a complete cleaning cycle. Or at very least, a self-cleaning shower/tub.

And I would like a robotic floor steamer. I like my Bissel floor steamer (my newest gadget) - it is way better than a mop and bucket - but having a robotic version would be totally cool!

jen

[Charles H. Buchholtz]

Catman ( [e-mail]) wrote: : And here we get to the bot I really want: something to pick up the dog : toys before the roomba starts!

Why make it a separate robot? We need a roomba with a mechanical arm! If it detects an object that's too big to vacuum up, but small enough to pick up, it picks it up with the mechanical arm, vacuums under it, and puts it back down afterwards.

--- Chip