Robotic cleaners and automatic vacuums reviews

iRobot Roomba 530 cleaning robot was released in the year of 2007, and remains one of most prevailing cleaning robot product in the market. Here are the things you need to know before buying.
Rommba 530 is equiped with two high speed, counter-rotating brushes to pick up pet hair, food crumbs, and other debris. And some innovative spinning side brushes to grab dirt and debris from corners and along wall edges. All these brushes together provide fast cleaning speed and full coverage of your home.
Special sensors
Cliff Detection Sensors allow Roomba to avoid stairs and other drop-offs.
Dirt detecting sensor, it can detect dirtier area and spend more time cleaning it.
Virtual wall sensors, it builds boundaries for the robot.


Dustbin
The powerful vacuum sucks up the debris and deposits it into a large, easy-to-empty bagless dustbin. However, there is no Full Bin Indicator, you have to check the dustbin on a regular basis to make sure it is not full.


How about battery and how to charge it?
Battery is one of the key aspects of a cleaning robot. No body wants it to run out of batter just after cleaning one/two rooms, or died under the couch/refrigerator etc.
For iRobot roomba 530 auto cleaning robot, when battery goes low, it automatically returns to

How about carpet/rug?
Many people were thinking that the robot can only clean hard floor well but not carpet. Well, that's never true for iRobot Roomba 530. Actually it has many cleaning modes according to the floor surface. If it goes on to carpet, it automatically adjusts itself to "carpet cleaning" mode and cleans it.


What's included for iRobot Roomba 530?

• 1 iRobot Roomba 530


• 1 Compact Home Base


• 2 Compact Virtual Walls (Require 2 C batteries each, not included)


• 1 Extra Filter


• 1 Battery Charger


• 1 Rechargeable Battery


• 1 Brush Cleaning Tool


• 1-Year Manufacturer's Limited Warranty On Robot, 6-Month Limited Warranty On Battery

Specifications:

• Package Dimensions: 17 x 18 x 5 inches


• Package Weight: 12.3 lbs.


• Robot Dimensions: 13.4 inches in diameter, 3.6 inches in height


• Robot Weight: 8.3 lbs.


• Videos:

If you've strolled down the aisles of Target or Bed, Bath, & Beyond lately, you may have come across a curious sight-that of an honest-to-goodness vacuuming robot for sale. iRobot, maker of the brave little PackBots now deployed extensively by the U.S. military, has been selling its Roomba robot floor vacs for years now. In fact, the company has just launched its latest flagship model, the Roomba 560. This third-generation Roomba boasts a bunch of slick improvements along with a slew of sophisticated features such as a built-in scheduler and multiroom cleaning. Although it isn't without its quirks, this more robust bot has bigger wheels, better suspension, and a redesigned wall brush, and it picks up more dirt in places older Roombas couldn't.

Special sensors
Cliff Detection Sensors allow Roomba to avoid stairs and other drop-offs.
Dirt detecting sensor, it can detect dirtier area and spend more time cleaning it.
Virtual wall sensors, it builds boundaries for the robot.


Batteries
The iRobot Roomba 560 has a rechargeable battery that takes about 16 hours to power up for first use. When fully charged, the Roomba can complete one thorough cleaning cycle of about 60 minutes, or several shorter cleaning cycles. Subsequent charging takes about 3 hours. Operation is extremely simple. The Roomba has an oversized "Clean" button to activate the automatic cleaning cycle, as well as a "Spot" button that triggers a 3-foot spiral to clean a concentrated area. There are also program buttons for scheduling an automatic cleaning cycle.


Pros & Cons of iRobot Roomba 560:
Pros:

• It's equiped with a scheduler which you can set to make it start cleaning automatically on time. I schedule it to run when I am gone or sleeping, it is effective at cleaning medium pile carpet and tile, not loud for a vacuum, picks up long hairs my dogs shed, floors get vacuumed every day



• can do multiple rooms without help as it comes with this new "lighthouse" feature for multiroom cleaning



• It has big wheels and powerful motor which make it not easy to be stopped by small obstacles.



• Sealed chassis to prevent dust clogging its sensors.

Cons:

• It takes the vacuum a long time to finish a room, sometimes it is not able to find its homebase


• need to clean hairs from rollers/roller bearings


• does not contain a HEPA filter

It makes air cleaner too?
According my own experience and some other users' feedbacks, the answer is 'yes'. The robot features two high speed counter rotating brushes that pick up fine dust, and larger, tougher debris. It utilizes a three stage cleaning system that iRobot's official web site claims "picks up 98% of all dust and debris." In addition to its two, bag-less dustbins, the 560 also includes a fine-filtration system that traps small allergens, such as pollen, to help improve air quality. One reviewer on Amazon actually noted that they seemed to breath better in the house, and that really stood out to me.


What's included for iRobot Roomba 560?

• 1 iRobot Roomba 560 With Handle


• 2 Auto Virtual Walls (Require 2 C batteries each, not included)


• 1 Compact, Self-Charging Home Base


• 1 Extra Filter


• 1 Battery Charger


• 1 Rechargeable Battery


• 1 Brush Cleaning Tool


• 1-Year Manufacturer's Limited Warranty On Robot, 6-Month Limited Warranty On Battery

see iRobot Roomba 560 cleaning robot unbox video:

Specifications:

• Package Dimensions: 17 x 18 x 5 inches


• Package Weight: 12.3 lbs.


• Robot Dimensions: 13.4 inches in diameter, 3.6 inches in height


• Robot Weight: 8.3 lbs.

Summary:
I have been using this product for about a week now, and I feel it is doing a good enough job for me to recommend it. Like myself, I'm sure you have areas of your home which are dirtier than others and could use a more thorough cleaning. I have 3 dogs that shed a lot and the robot has been very helpful or else I have to spend lots of time picking, cleaning hairs.

As one of the latest models in iRobot Roomba 500 series, 570 does come with some great enhancements.


The 570 features an array of options for your cleaning needs, although the features may not be enough to warrant an upgrade from your previous Roomba vacuum. The biggest enhancement has been the addition of a wireless command center so that you can control where your Roomba is vacuuming.



Enhancement:

• Increased capacity (4 rooms over 2 rooms)


• Shorter charging time (3 hours versus 7 hours)


• light touch bumbers


• 2 virtual walls


• wireless command center


• better dirt detection


• automatically recharges itself

why the remote control matters? well, it really does for some people. for example, my grandma, who spend most of her time on a wheel chair. I bought two roomba 570, one to my wife and myself, the other to her as a gift last month and she totally likes it and awed by the amount of dirt and hair found by the robotic vacuum each and every day!
A little tip, I find the 5 minutes or less of maintenace each day extends the amount of actual time Roomba efficiently cleans. My old, old carpets and floors look new again. In fact, I can see the tack boards since no dust plumps up the carpet fibers! It saved me hiring a steam cleaner or getting new carpeting.

Pros:

• wireless remote control


• short charging time (less than 3 hours)


• light touch bumpers make sure furniture does not get damaged.


• cleaning scheduler enables you to set it once, and it will do the work routinely.

Cons:

• Not very good for corners


• Takes longer to clean than a handheld vacuum

Summary:
Roomba 570 robot cleans all kinds of floor surfaces now, hard floor, carpet, rugs, stairs. Overall, I am very satisfied with its performance, and I think it is doing a better job than me, trying to cleaning the entire floor !

As we all know that Roomba 500 series products can clean 2 or 3 rooms pretty well already, why do people still need Roomba 610 Pro then? Well, 610 Pro certainly has its edges over the 500 series.
iRobot Roomba 610 Pro is perfect for you if you own a small business and have office spaces , or have a big house which has more than 3 rooms. Although it costs more than regular iRobot Roomba 500 series, but if you think about how much money you can save from cleaning services, it is not expensive at all.

3 cleaning modes:
Roomba 610 pro gives you 3 cleaning modes to select according to different situations. Regular cleaning mode can be used to perform daily cleaning job. Maximum cleaning mode is set in a big mess situation, like after-party, conference meeting etc. Spot cleaning mode makes the robot focus on a small area to clean, for example, under dinning table.

Dustbin
The iRobot Roomba Pro 610 Cleaning Vacuum Robot comes with 2 kinds of dustbins in the box. One regular dustbin for everyday vacuuming situations and another high-capacity dustbin for heavy duty cleaning in high traffic area. The high-capacity dustbin can hold around 3 times more than regular one.


What's in the Box?

• iRobot Roomba 610;


• Professional Series Virtual Wall Lighthouses (each requiring 2 C-size batteries, not included);


• self-charging home base;


• power supply;


• 2 brush cleaning tools;


• extra set of brushes;


• rechargeable battery and 1 year manufactures warranty on battery


• 2 extra filters;


• debris bin; high-capacity sweeper bin;


• Professional style carrying case for all of the Roombas accessories


• Owner's manual


• Manufacturer's 2-year limited warranty

For those who are familiar with all the robotic cleaning products in the market, they all aggree on one fact, that Neato XV-11 all-floor cleaning robot is one of most powerfull and best products. It is easy-to use, smart and powerful. It is a high-performance vacuum robot which can remove all kinds of dirt and cleans all floor surfaces--carpets, rugs, hardwood, laminates, tile.


Navigation:
Neato XV-11 uses a laser based room positioning system for navigation. Before start cleaning, it will first scan the entire room to build a map, detect walls, doorways, furnitures and other obstacles, and it defines the best cleaning paths. And after it finishes one room, it will follow one of its recognized doorways to start cleaning the next room.
With this built-in laser based GPS, XV-11 can efficiently avoid hitting obstacles and drops down stairs.


Batteries:
The Neato XV-11 comes with a home base which can charge the cleaning robot. Once it finishes cleaning the rooms, it returns to home base by itself. Or if it run out of power in the middle of cleaning, this robotic cleaner also returns to its home base to get recharged.
The charging time from empty to full is about 3 hours and it can clean 2-3 rooms after that.

Comparison with iRobot Roomba:
1. Roomba can avoid hitting obstacles better, especially for irregularly shaped objects which XV-11's laster can not detect them very well. So if you use XV-11 robotic vacuum, it is better to prepare the area by removing fragile items and furnitures that might be in the XV-11's path.

2. Neato XV-11 cleans the rooms faster than iRobot Roomba. The Neato cleans a 16X12 den in 11 minutes on average.

3. Roomba robots' betteries last longer than XV-11. With one full charge, XV-11 can clean 2-3 rooms while Roomba can cover 3-4.

4. Both are easy to use, with one push of button, they will start cleaning. If you have an advanced Roomba version, like Roomba 560, Roomba 570, you will find that they have the same job scheduler as Neato, with which you can set the routines for them and they do the cleaning job automatically daily/weekly. But if you have a Roomba 530 cleaning robot, it does not come with the job scheduler.

What's in the Box?

• Neato XV-11 robot vacuum


• charging base


• power adapter


• batteries


• boundary markers


• filter replacement package


• quick start guide


• user guide. Backed by a 1-year limited warranty.

Some customer reviews from Amazon:
"This little robot vacuum does a great job! I have a German Shepard who sheds a lot... This vacuum sucks it all up. I'm quite impressed that it cleans my living room, dining room, kitchen, sunroom, bedroom and two bathrooms on a single charge, doesn't get lost and docks itself when done.
Well worth every penny! "

"I totally love my Neato. I've had it for several weeks now and it works great. It's amazing to watch how it navigates through the house and finds it way into all rooms. I have three cats and mostly wood an tile floors throughout the house. I run Neato every 2 or 3 days and it does the job for the routine day to day clean up. My house always looks swept. No more dust bunnies in the corners. :) "

"Wow. This thing is amazing. This is my first robotic vacuum and it has exceeded my expectations for the first day. The room mapping system seems to work beautifully. Now we'll see how long it lasts. "

More Reviews

Evolution Robotics Mint Automatic Cleaner 4200 has been in the market for some time and receives lots of good feedbacks from consumers. I used one for half a year now and I have to say, it did save me lots of time and energe from cleaning my home floors.


It's not a vacuum!
I use to hear a complaint from someone that this mint robotic cleaner he bought can not vacuum. So my recomendation will be: do not assume what a product can do before buying it, read the detailed product description. Yes, this evolution mint 4200 cleaner is not a vacuum, and it only cleans hard floor surfaces, for carpets, rugs, they will be just obstacles to it. It sweeps and mops your floor.



Navigation system
The NorthStar Navigation System satisfies many users and personally I like it too. It firstly scans the surrounding environment and build a map, then it starts cleaning. The open areas will be cleaned and then around the obstacles, like furnitures, rugs, chairs etc. I remembers the places it has been to so that never make duplicate efforts. It can sweep 1,000 square feet and mop 250 square feet efficiently.

Sweep & Mop modes
Evolution robotic mint's dual modes let you easily maintain all your hard surface floors with one device. In Sweep mode, Mint uses a dry sweeping cloth to pick up dust bunnies, pet hair and grit from your floor. In Mop mode, Mint cleans with a pre-moistened cleaning cloth and a special back-and-forth mopping motion to pick up deeper dirt and grime. All it takes to switch modes is a fresh cleaning cloth and a press of a button.


What's in the Box?

• Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner


• NorthStar Navigation Cube with 2 C batteries


• 2 dry sweeping microfiber cloths


• 1 wet mopping microfiber cloth


• power adapter


• quick start guide


• user manual


• Backed by a 1 year warranty.

Microfiber cloth
Another good thing about this mint floor robotic cleaner is the microfiber cloth. It is reusable and durable. If you can take good care of the clothes following the instructions below, they can be used for long time.


Care instructions for microfiber clothes:
To keep your cloths in good shape for hundreds of hours of cleaning, please follow these laundering recommendations:

• Machine wash warm.


• Tumble dry low or air dry.


• Do not use fabric softener or bleach as these can degrade the cloth fibers over time.

Some other cool things:

• Easy to use, with one push of button and it is ready to go


• Long-last battery, around 3 hours cleaning per charge


• Very quiet, you can set it to clean the floor before you go to bed


• Barely need any maintainance efforts. There is no dustbins to empty or filters to change

where to buy?
If you are looking at buying one already, you can get one from Amazon at the cheapest price you can find online.