iRobot 330 Scooba Floor-Washing Robot
by iRobot
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List Price: Our Price: $229.00 You Save: $170.99 (43%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of iRobot 330 Scooba Floor-Washing Robot
Customer Review: For the lazy, maybe. For the super busy, OH YEAH!
Summary: 5 Stars
Product for the lazy? Maybe. Product for the super busy..OH YEAH! One person claimed that this product is purchased to cater to laziness. Uh, I beg to differ! I work 8 hours a day, take care of my 98 year old grandmother, 4 year old daughter, husband, 2 dogs, do all the cooking, cleaning, gardening, and home maintenance. If I can save an hour or two not vacuuming and mopping I'm happy. Lazy no, busy yes! With that being said, I LOVE Scooba and Roomba!
I always read the reviews before I buy a product. When you read that many mixed reviews you have to believe that some of the people are committing operator failure, some are misunderstanding the true function/design of the product, and a few just got a true lemon.
I'm a habitual cleaner. Two hairy dogs, a four year old and allergies! Needless to say I vacuum and mop every day. I'd seen Roomba for years but when they came out with Scooba I started doing my research. I took the plunge and bought a Roomba and a Scooba.
Love, love, love, both. But Scooba is awesome! A true time saver. We have a 200 square foot kitchen with vinyl flooring and it does a great job. It does leave some moisture on the floor, but not enough to complain about. It leaves no more moisture than a regular mop.
As for the complaints about noise. Yes, it produces noise. Duh, it has a motor. How many motors do you see that don't produce noise? Does it interfere with television watching or phone useage? NO.
Complaints about start up...my box came with instructions and a bulb syringe to use to prime the the pump. Maybe older products that have been sitting on the store shelf don't have those instructions. The instructions were simple. READ THEM first. Don't freak out if the thing travels in a circle every now and again...it's supposed to do that.
Maintenance...rinse out the tank, rinse out 2 small parts, clean the lint trap and you are done. 2 minutes. What's the big deal. It takes longer to rinse out your mop and wash out the bucket.
For a large floor you will have to refill, but for 200 to 300 square feet you'll be good with one fill up.
Saves so much time I actually had time to sit down and write this review while Scooba is cleaning my floor.
I can't vouch for longevity since I've only had it a short time but so far so good.
Still not sure?....Get it locally then you can easily return it if you don't love it.
Customer Review: Love it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I injured my back and have been unable to sweep or mop (and will probably never be able to again.)
My husband gave me a Roomba 560 and a Scooba 5800 for Christmas, 2007. They are wonderful!
The Scooba is very easy to set up (fill the tank with water and cleaning solution and push two buttons) and easy to clean (empty and rinse the dirty tank, remove the brush and rinse, remove the filter and rinse, remove the vacuum port and rinse -- these are all much easier than they sound - they just lift out.)
I was skeptical about the cleaning ability of this thing because I have porcelain tile throughout my home. I didn't think it would work well enough to clean the grout and the tile (especially since the floor isn't smooth.) I was wrong!
I was surprised at how well this cleans. The brush actually scrubs the floor. My husband leaves for work at 5:30 am (before I get up, of course) and sometimes spills drops of tea on the floor -- being a man, he doesn't wipe it up and it dries on the floor. The Scooba will get every bit of it clean. I use it at least once a week and am always amazed at how dirty the water is after it finishes. The cleaning tank and the dirty tank are completely separate so the only thing that ever touches your floor is the clean solution.
Scooba can be used with the Scooba solution or with plain white vinegar. I have used both and far prefer the Scooba solution. I think the solution cleans much, much better. The only problem with the Scooba solution is that you can't find it in stores and have to order it on-line. I ordered it from IRobot and was able to buy several bottles at a discount.
I have had only two problems with my Scooba, and one was my own fault. The first time you use your Scooba, you have to prime it. I did not do this correctly, so the Scooba would not run. After several tries, I figured out what I was doing wrong. You are given a sqeeze bulb that must be inserted into a small hole into which you force air. I did not have the bulb inserted correctly and a vacuum was not created. Once I figured this out, it was easy.
The second problem was that my particular Scooba had a defective battery. It would stop before the cleaning tank had been used up. I called IRobot and they immediately sent me a new battery for free.
This product gets five stars! It is easy to use, cleans very, very well, and IRobot stands behind their product.
-Donna ><>
Customer Review: Lovin It (so far)
Summary: 5 Stars
I will freely admit that I have only owned this guy long enough to use it once. I will post updates as time goes by because i know from first hand experience (we own the Roomba 560) that i-Robot products can be extremely finicky and customer service is hit or miss. Still, I can't help gushing. I LOVE SCOOBA! Mushy, gooey LOVE! "Me and Scooba sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
Seriously, there's nothing I hate so much as cleaning floors (unless its cleaning the bathroom). Our house is all tile and hardwood floors, I love going barefoot but hate the gritty feeling that inevitably builds up. We have a dog, a cat, and two people, so the floors get pretty gross, what with my aversion to mopping. It had been at least a month since i had cleaned them (gross i know) when I put Scooba down for his first test. That little blue guy cheerfully swept and mopped and dried, and in no time my floors felt FANTASTIC!!! Way cleaner than I have ever had the patience to get them! The Scooba Juice (a very tiny bottle comes in the package-it's made by Clorox and you can only use that or plain vinegar and water lest you ruin Scooba's electronics) smelled very nice while the cleaning process was going on. Best of all, I was off doing something else entirely while Scooba did all the work (Oh I lie! I was watching Scooba in fascination-everyone does the first couple times you use them).
So far Scooba is very easy to use and to clean. It does a great job on both tile and sealed hardwood floors. I wish we could have afforded to get the upgraded 350 model with the better tank and battery, because I can see where emptying and charging all the time might become a pain, but I am not really complaining because my lovely, smooth floors are just too delightful!
**UPDATE**
Is now 7 months later. Just used Scooba today and he's still going strong. Love my nice clean floors. I run Scooba about 3 times a month through the whole house. I am now using the vinegar and water solution which doesn't smell as nice as the Scooba Juice but costs almost nothing. A faint vinegar smell while Scooba is cleaning quickly goes away after cleaning is done. I will continue to update this. My Roomba needs a new battery after only two years of use and the battery is $90.00. I wish i-Robot products were more durable! But durable or not, I cant live without them! Long Live the "Ooombas!"
Customer Review: Very pleased with robot and customer service
Summary: 5 Stars
I was impressed with the ease in which the Scooba operates. Every part is clearly marked on the machine and the directions are uncomplicated. The first time I used my Scooba, it started out working fine. But then the "Check Tank" light came on without any apparent reason. I opened and closed the tank, making sure it was securely locked and it started right up again. I left the room and, when I returned after the cycle was completed, the floor was VERY wet. When I emptied the dirty tank, there was barely any water in it! It was obvious that the vaccum system that squeeges the floor and sucks the dirty water back into the machine wasn't working properly. I called Customer Service and they were very helpful and immediately sent out a replacement part at no charge to me.
Actually, it turned out that the machine was working fine. When I opened and closed the tank, the vaccum portal had some water around the opening and didn't seal properly when the machine started up again, making it impossible for the machine to create enough suction. I recommend that anyone having this problem wipe the vaccum opening free of any water or debris and close the tank carefully to assure a proper seal.
I've owned my Scooba for a couple of weeks and have used it several times since without any problem. It gets the floor much cleaner than I would myself and I love knowing its cleaning my dirty kitchen floor while I'm taking care of business elsewhere. After the cycle is completed, I take an old towel and, using the moisture left on the floor after the cleaning cycle, mop the corners with my foot. It's quick and easy! It goes under my baker's shelf without any problem and cleans the dog's feeding area beautifully. One rainy morning, the dog left muddy footprints all over the kitchen floor so I put my Scooba to the test and it passed with flying colors!
I think I'm in love! Prior to getting my Scooba, I paid my teenage daughter to do the mopping and other house cleaning for her allowance. Believe me, I'd much rather be the employer of "Scooba," my personal and pleasant Merry Maid! She does a MUCH better job and she doesn't grumble and complain when I request that the floor be mopped. Scooba hums instead of whistles while she works, which is music to my ears! (I'm giving my daughter her notice this week.)
Customer Review: Even better than I'd hoped for!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have both a Roomba and a Scooba. (When a Dustba comes out I'll be first in line to buy it!) For me, cleaning chores have always felt like, well, chores. I had a weekly cleaning person for a number of years, but that got very costly. I find most housework boring but not overly taxing; however floors are the hardest for me to get motivated to do.
While it's true that these robots may not clean quite as thoroughly as a person who vacuums or mops for the same duration and frequency, the robots literally take fewer than 2 minutes to set up and then they work for 25-45 minutes with minimal supervision. It takes 3 or 4 minutes to clean the brushes, etc., and put them in their chargers for a few hours before they're ready to go to work again. I have a 2500 square foot house with two adults, three kids and two dogs (one of which sheds constantly) and try to run both bots once or twice a day. Though I have the lighthouses to keep them contained to certain areas, I prefer to just let them loose (the scooba stays on flooring or tile though; it automatically turns around when it hits the carpet) Between them they manage to hit virtually everywhere every couple of days.
Having the Scooba wash my floors every day keeps them a whole lot cleaner overall than I do by mopping grudgingly every other week. Ditto the Roomba and vacuuming.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend either of these to clean freaks who give the corners a white glove test at the end of each run, but for my money they are a pretty cool way to keep our floors clean and presentable.
Speaking of money - Even if these little suckers only last me a year, I'll have gotten my money's worth. $2.00 a day to have my floors vacuumed and washed with minimal effort on my part? A bargain, for sure. Even better - my warranties are automatically doubled to two years because I paid using AmEx. My cleaning lady used to cost $60 for one day a week...
Final thought - Do these robots do a more thorough job of vacuuming and floor washing than humans can? No, but they're pretty close. Are they easier to motivate and do they handle the jobs without whining? Yeah, and they win that one hands down!