[Robot]: Roomba: Discovery, reviewed by ced1106 (4/4)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10883.phtml

Cedric Chin's Summary:

While the Roomba saves time and allows one to ruminate far more about vacuuming than necessary, it does require more simple, but necessary care than your average vacuum cleaner.

Go to the full review for more information.

Post originally by kester pelagius at 2004-12-08 14:41:14
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I'd like to say that I thought this review, especially bits like this:

>>>Oh sure, it has an algorithm -- based on minefield robot research -- but it's still a vacuum cleaner. Or at least a kinda noisy carpet brush scrubber thing. Essentially, it's selling point is that, instead of lugging an annoying metal object with one or more centers of gravity, you sit on your ass watching Invader Zim and writing reviews that will cause people researching for vacuum cleaner gadgets to associate them with Dungeons and Dragons.<<<

Was BRILLIANT!

Funny, yet accessbible.

BTW: They reviewed this product, live, on one of the local news stations. All it seemed to do was push the heavier lint and, when the newscaster tried to pick it up, it sort of fell apart on her.

:-)

Post originally by Shannon Appelcline at 2004-12-08 15:43:50
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And he marked it diceless.

Heh.

Post originally by Larry Lade at 2004-12-08 17:01:07
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And not sci-fi?! Hrmf.

Post originally by Hunter Green at 2004-12-09 08:59:23
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For what it's worth, I've had several Roombae since the first one came out three years ago and I wouldn't be without one. The first model (the one pictured) was a little prone to failure of the sensors, but the Discovery (the one the review is actually named for) is much more rugged. It's true that the algorithm isn't what you'd do, and it also takes longer than you'd take, but it's quite literally press a button and walk away, and it works, so who cares if it vacuums a spot more than once? Control freaks can't stand it; they walk around following it saying "don't vacuum here, it needs to be done over there!" Everyone else just goes and does something else.

That said, if you have a lot of deep carpet, you'll spend almost as much time cleaning the brushes out as you would have spent vacuuming. The more hard floors you have, the more valuable Roomba is. I go about a month between brush cleanings myself, in a fairly large but carpet-free home.

Post originally by Peter at 2004-12-15 18:32:38
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...have lots of carpet here, do clean the brushes a lot but not every use, and doesn't take long.

Whoever saw it on TV just pushing lint and falling apart was possibly not looking at a Roomba (there are cheap and nasty similar beasts). These things really CLEAN!