iRobot Roomba 510 Vacuuming Robot
by iRobot
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Our Price: $259.00 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $189.99 (click here) Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of iRobot Roomba 510 Vacuuming Robot
Customer Review: Not perfect, but getting there!
Summary: 4 Stars
We got our 510 about three months ago. In a house where everyone seems allergic to vacuuming, Ruby (what we call her) has been a godsend. We were astonished by how much cat and human hair and dirt she picked up. (In one room, she had to have her brushes cleaned three times the first time she cleaned it. This will give you some idea how, um, "sub-optimal" our vacuuming used to be). Anyway, we just love her. She does a surprisingly good job for a vacuum her size. Her foibles include a tendency to sometimes get confused by the curve of the carpeted edge that drops into a sunken parlor. She does just fine detecting sharp drop-offs, but this edge sometimes (not always) confuses her and she plays that sad little "help me, please" melody. She also sometimes gets confused by the heat registers in the floor. We have an end table that has a shelf just exactly far enough off the floor that she fits under it. Initially she'd get stuck under there sometimes, but I put coasters under the legs of the end table and Ruby cleans under it just fine now. The cats were originally unsure just how to regard Ruby. Is it alive? What is this thing, anyway? But now they just gaze upon her as a mild distraction. I think iRobot should make a version of Roomba able to detect cats and play with them. (If it just had an LED laser it could shine around as it cleans, that'd drive the cats bonkers).
For her to be ideal, she'd need some way to dump her own dirt and, especially, to clean her own brushes. Brush cleaning is a small but fussy chore that needs to be done about once every three vacuumings. Still, everyone here would much rather clean her brushes than run a regular vacuum, so this is a big net win. And, if we're preparing a wish-list of what she'd need to be perfect, she'd have some way to vacuum stairs and upholstery. (In theory, we still have to do this with the old upright. In practice, we rely on diffusion of dirt from these unclean areas into areas where Ruby cleans to maintain a constant equilibrium of filth).
The other less-than-perfect aspect of Ruby is the apparent ongoing subscription to maintenance parts. She's already lost one of her five little arms on her side brush. (Which she dutifully cleaned up. Poor little amputee robot). Anyway, maintenance brush and filter kits appear to add around $40-$80 per year to the total cost of ownership, so factor that into your purchasing decision.
As I said though, for a house where everyone always has something more important to do than vacuuming, Ruby has been a huge win.
Customer Review: Basic, fine model.
Summary: 4 Stars
I have my Roomba for about a month now, and I'm generally pleased with him. I reduced my vacuuming chores at least in half. I 'm gonna say right away: Roomba is a good robot, and just an okay vacuum. Convenience between doing your own cleaning is THE ONLY factor that you should be looking for when considering Roomba. If you are looking for a superior suction and a super clean job - this vacuum is NOT going to deliver that! Go buy a normal vacuum that you push yourself.
Pros:
- he is VERY easy to operate
- virtual wall works 100%
- he's very smart: knows when to slow down, when to stop (e.g. a step next to the lower area of the house), when to turn around the corner or a table leg. He knows when to circle around an exceptionally dusty area
- He DUSTS pretty well, picking about 85-90% of dust, small leaves and small particles, including metal nuts. I have two dogs, and Roomba sucks up the dog hair fairly good.
- he is exceptionally good on berber-type rugs
- he cleans one huge room on one charge.Sometimes two rooms
- although he seems to be moving in a random pattern, after 45 minutes he covers the whole room. Don't watch him. Leave him alone and just come back later, you will notice the difference
- emptying dust container is easy
- he never got stuck on any room and rug transition areas
Cons
- Roomba needs a room to roam: if you have tight spaces with bunch of furniture, planters, stuff on the floor- Roomba will be less efficient in cleaning your house, because his patterns are affected by the amount of bumping he will be doing.
- Roomba is not that good on the high-pile carpeting: he seems to just brush over debris that he otherwise picks without problems when on a berber rug
- he is less efficient on hard wood floors as well, as he just spreads the dirt around a lot before picking it up
- cleaning brushes is not difficult, BUT time consuming
- He scares the dogs
I had done quite a lot of research and decided on this basic, least expensive, but fairly current model.Now, do I regret that I didn't get the fancy model with scheduling that would add $100? NO!! The same goes for base self-return that would add another $50. I don't mind bending over to pick him and place him for charging myself.
Anyway, I do recommend this unit. If only he had suction of my Eureka - that would eliminate ALL vacuuming on my part!! Hence 4 stars
Customer Review: Don't buy this model!
Summary: 4 Stars
No, this is not going to be a review telling you how awful the Roomba is. Actually, the 510 is a really wonderful maintenance robot. The problem is that for just a little more you can get the Roomba 530 which comes with the Home Base. What that means is you never have to plug in your Roomba to recharge it: whenever it's done cleaning it automatically goes back to the home base for charging. Although the Home Base is available separately, it is not compatible with this model, leaving you with no upgrade path should you ever want this extremely convenient feature.
More expensive models have a timer for programmable operation (Roomba 560) and even a remote control (Roomba 580t).
All models are identical in terms of performance. The diminutive size and quiet operation would lead you to believe these are little toys akin to hand vacs... until you get back to a thoroughly cleaned room.
I set the 510 loose on the cats room, where the little devils send litter flying everywhere. The room has hardwood floors and an area rug. When I came back, the Roomba was sitting proudly in the middle of the room, and the rug was spotless. There was hardly a trace of litter or cat hair on the hardwood floors, either.
So, the Roomba is definitely a thumbs up. However, I wish I had paid more attention to the product line and at least picked the model that docks back to the home base. The 510 is potentially a tripping hazard, so it's well worth the extra fifty dollars to move up to the model 530.
Customer Review: I Heart Roomba!
Summary: 4 Stars
We had a Roomba Discovery for about 3 years and recently upgraded to this model. This model is wonderful. It will automatically stop when the brushes need cleaning or the bin needs dumping, which I hope will help with the life cycle of the machine. This is great if you have pets. We run ours everyday for cat hair maintenance, and our house has never looked better. I've also noticed that my allergies have improved. My Mom liked mine so much, she got one of her own and loves it as well. We bought one for a friend, but they don't use it much. If you have a cluttered house with lots of "eatables" on the floor, this may not be for you. We had to learn what things the Roomba would and would not "eat" and then adjust. We can't leave certain cat toys or wires and chords on the floor, but that has helped us learn to pick up after ourselves! The only reason I am giving this 4 stars instead of five is because the scheduler kit I had for the Discovery is not compatable. I miss being able to set the Roomba to clean after I've left the house. I heart my Roomba!Customer Review: Easy to use, cleans up well but the little machine bumps a lot of things
Summary: 4 Stars
A friend of mine received the iRobot Roomba 510 as a birthday present. I saw it used a few times at his place and I really liked it. I ordered mine a few months after I finally ordered my own. You have to charge it for 18 hours before the first use. After the first run, my Roomba picked up a lot of things. The bin was all full! It will beep to tell you when it's done. If it gets stuck it'll also beep to let you know to come help him out. I've had it for almost 3 months now and so far so good. I now run it every 2 or 3 days and it keeps my place really clean. The only you have to do before you run it is to move your furniture so it can clean everywhere. It's pretty powerful, it knocked down a mirror that I haven't had to time mount...luckily it didn't break. Or else my Roomba would've had 7 years of bad luck!
I ordered my Roomba on Amazon and it was delivered within 5 days!! :)
I would recommend everyone to get one if you don't feel like sweeping or vacuuming yourself. Just remember to empty his bin after each use.