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Thread: Roomba - robot vaccuums

  1. #1
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    Roomba - robot vaccuums

    Ok, so if you have ancient pile of shabby chic inspired chaos maybe not for you, but we bought one for ourselves for early Christmas pressie and can I just say....

    Bloody brilliant piece of kit.

    Yes, most suited to people who keep a reasonably tidy house anyway and especially if you're a minimal fan but having a robot do kitchen daily and rest of house once every couple of days keeps our hosue clean enough that it's only a once a month job to get out the dyson and do the bits it didn't reach. No more crouching down to do under sofas/tables either.

  2. #2
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    Got to agree, we bought a Robovac in the Black Friday sale (we went for Eufy X8 Hybrid). Best purchase of 2021.

    Our house is on two floors, and whilst it’s capable of learning multiple floor maps we just have it set up downstairs… got it doing the whole bottom floor every day (kitchen/hall/dining room/lounge/utility/toilet/office). Downstairs is what gets the most footfall and where the dog spends most of his time… so this daily routine is a great timesaver.
    I’ve yet to try out the mop feature, meant to do that last weekend but the wife tends to like doing a steam clean of the floors every month anyway … but need to make a point of giving it a go with the robovac.
    Last edited by gorrie; 30th December 2021 at 20:35.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scepticalist View Post
    Ok, so if you have ancient pile of shabby chic inspired chaos maybe not for you, but we bought one for ourselves for early Christmas pressie and can I just say....

    Bloody brilliant piece of kit.

    Yes, most suited to people who keep a reasonably tidy house anyway and especially if you're a minimal fan but having a robot do kitchen daily and rest of house once every couple of days keeps our hosue clean enough that it's only a once a month job to get out the dyson and do the bits it didn't reach. No more crouching down to do under sofas/tables either.
    That was the best part of it. We’ve never been good at keeping things in order, but the robot vacuum (Roborock S5 Max) has forced us to keep things in order. It has really made a huge difference to our quality of living. Used to be that we needed a proper tidying up before anyone could come over. Now everything is shipshape and Bristol fashion nearly all the time.

  4. #4
    Grand Master wileeeeeey's Avatar
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    We have two Eufy RoboVacs and they’ve been great. Can’t replace a proper hoover but does keep the place clean during the week. Great to have something cleaning under the beds and wardrobes.

  5. #5
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    I think one of the best things with ours is that it forces the kids to pick up their toys!

    Annoyingly all of our furniture seems exactly the right size for the vac to get stuck in at times. Great bit of kit though, the amount of dust it removes daily has got to be a good thing!

  6. #6
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    I have had a vintage Roomba 530 for decades now...
    I am pleasantly surprised I can still get spares for it... and even upgrades are available.

    Whilst it doesn't do every nook & crannie, used regularly it does a great job with the added benefit of keeping the overall house dust to a minimum... helping to keep surfaces dust free.

  7. #7
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    I think I'll buy one! Just been on Amazon and there are nearly a million different models out there... I'd just want it to do the ground floor which is all tile or wood floor. No mopping needed - though the ability to say do this room or schedule times etc would be great. Would anyone be able to recommend one?

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    I’d suggest steering away from the basic ‘bump and go’ models as it sounds like you want some intelligence.

    You don’t necessarily need one with a camera/laser but I think that’s the way most of them are going now.
    Eufy have Ł90 off their G30 at the moment, which has some intelligence built in.

    The deals on their X8 have now finished but you can get the non-hybrid (doesn’t include the mop feature) for Ł449 directly from them.
    The X8 is worth the extra over and above the G30, not just because of the laser guidance but also because it’s got twin turbines).

  9. #9
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    Here’s what the Eufy app looks like for a bit more info (this is the X8 hybrid but I guess the app will be similar for the X8):



    After it’s been round the house for the first time, the map was created. It tries to automatically determine rooms, but you can also edit the map (ours needed me to manuallly separate the hall and dining room).
    You can then set ‘no go zones’ which I’ve set my office as for the moment. I’ve also set a ‘no mop’ zone in the centre of my lounge as I have a rug there.
    I’ve got two schedules running… one just for lounge which I did on a lower suction setting, and then another schedule for the rest of the house on full power. It does have a feature built in to change the suction on the go depending on the surface but I just chose to do it this way.

    I’ve got wooden door thresholds between hall and utility room (and toilet)… was a bit sceptical that it would be able to navigate them as they are raised, but the robot has a little ‘lifter’ which helps it get over hurdles like that.

  10. #10
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    very useful - thanks! i'll likely wait for a deal on one of these better models.

  11. #11
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    Definitely forget about the old bumparound models. Lidar FTW. As mentioned I’ve been quite happy with my Roborock S5 Max. The app and its functions are very similar to gorrie’s Eufy. At first I set up my Roborock to integrate with Google Home, so I could tell my Google assistant to vacuum a specific room for instance. I used the feature maybe once a month or so, or used to use. For some reason Roborock stops responding to Google after some weeks of being unused. I set it up again a few times but then gave up on it. Not worth it to me. If you don’t mind the flaky Google connection then it can be bought at a decent price. Another con is that you can’t upgrade it with an emptying station.



    I had some trouble with mirrored cabinet doors. The vacuum thought it could go to the other side so I created no-go-zones to the cabinets to solve the problem. I like it that it vacuums in a criss cross pattern when you tell it to vacuum twice.

    I’d say that key features you should have are:
    -Operable with app
    -Mapping
    -Virtual walls / no-go-zones

    Features to consider whether you need them
    -Emptying station
    -Mopping (I have it but don’t use it)
    -Connectivity with other smart home systems
    -Scheduling (I have it but don’t use it, rather start manually with app)

    Edit. Be careful with the specs. If the manufacturer says it’ll handle a 2.5 cm threshhold it means 2.5 and not 2.6 as some people have found out the hard way. Likewise check the clearance carefully to ensure it’ll fit under your furniture.
    Last edited by Possu; 1st January 2022 at 19:32.

  12. #12
    We’ve had a dyson Heurist for about 10 months and for the first 6 months it was great but slowly issues have crept in. It does weird stuff sometimes like gets lost and ends up hiding underneath the sofa. The wife moved the dogs toy box from one side of the room to the other and replaced it with 2 star Xmas decs which were smaller and in the same place and it couldn’t cope with it at all. It’s still fairly good but I’m planning to remap the downstairs and see what happens.
    When it is working it works a treat and keeps the dog hair at bay during the week, when it’s bad like today, the pick up tube which leads to the dust box got blocked and it deposited everything it picked up from the lounge in the kitchen.

  13. #13
    This thread has me sold. I bought a robot mower in 2019 and its been a game changer in terms of how much time it has saved me so hoping a robot vacuum can do the same.

    I'm stuck between the Roborock S6MAX V and the Xiamoi Eve Plus.

    Main differrence is the Xiaomi has a self emptying dock which can hold up to 3 litres but it can not do room by room or do mop avoid areas like a rug.

    How useful is the self emptying dock. I know this will vary dependent on user but how often do you empty the robot hoovers internal dust bin for those of you who have one?

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by eagletower View Post
    This thread has me sold. I bought a robot mower in 2019 and its been a game changer in terms of how much time it has saved me so hoping a robot vacuum can do the same.

    I'm stuck between the Roborock S6MAX V and the Xiamoi Eve Plus.

    Main differrence is the Xiaomi has a self emptying dock which can hold up to 3 litres but it can not do room by room or do mop avoid areas like a rug.

    How useful is the self emptying dock. I know this will vary dependent on user but how often do you empty the robot hoovers internal dust bin for those of you who have one?
    I need to empty the internal bin at the very least every three cycles. I try to do it every time, because it’s really not a chore. Thing Is that we have three long haired people in the household. The main brush will require de-hairing about every three cycles anyway, so that would make it a weekly operation anyway. In my use I don’t see the point to an emtying dock. Also I have the charging dock placed under a bed. If I had the emptying dock I’d have no place to hide it.

    I’d say think about where you’d place the dock and whether the amount of hair might be a problem. IME it’s great to be able to vacuum specific rooms only. If the kids have taken control of the living room I can still vacuum the entry way and the kitchen for instance.

  15. #15
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    I don’t see value in the self emptying dock either. All you are doing is then having to empty that at some stage. I tend to empty the container on mine every day or two.. it takes 20 seconds.
    I’ll rinse the filter weekly.

  16. #16
    read some more reviews , you can do no go areas so went with the Xiaomi eve , the dock is appealing to me.

    looking forward to getting it.

  17. #17
    Grand Master wileeeeeey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gorrie View Post
    Here’s what the Eufy app looks like for a bit more info (this is the X8 hybrid but I guess the app will be similar for the X8):



    After it’s been round the house for the first time, the map was created. It tries to automatically determine rooms, but you can also edit the map (ours needed me to manuallly separate the hall and dining room).
    You can then set ‘no go zones’ which I’ve set my office as for the moment. I’ve also set a ‘no mop’ zone in the centre of my lounge as I have a rug there.
    I’ve got two schedules running… one just for lounge which I did on a lower suction setting, and then another schedule for the rest of the house on full power. It does have a feature built in to change the suction on the go depending on the surface but I just chose to do it this way.

    I’ve got wooden door thresholds between hall and utility room (and toilet)… was a bit sceptical that it would be able to navigate them as they are raised, but the robot has a little ‘lifter’ which helps it get over hurdles like that.
    Fantastic name for the robot! I have ours set as Upstairs RoboVac and Downstairs RoboVac. No schedule but I start then both via the Google Nest assistants which are dotted about.

    Here’s what our upstairs one gets up too. My wife’s office is a mess so it can’t get in there at the minute.

    The front of our house is higher than the back so each floor in our house has two levels. Only two steps but I can’t justify having two per floor. Wish I could.

  18. #18
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    I've had a Eufy Robovac 30C for a couple of years now. It just does the random meandering pattern of cleaning but does a good job. I tend to lift up whatever needs moving and shut it in the room for 45 mins or so. I always need to empty and clean the brushes each time due to pets and long hair round the brushes. Best bit is it gets under things like the sofa that you tend to never clean much.

  19. #19
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    The newer mapping robots can map multiple floors. Whilst you'd probably want one for each floor in a large house, it is possible to just carry the robot to another floor or if you have a couple of steps up it'll map that as a different floor too

  20. #20

    Roomba - robot vaccuums


    Arrived set up and first run done. Very , very impressed .

  21. #21
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    We got our Eufy G30 delivered today and we're very impressed. It quietly goes about its job and then goes back to its base when it's had enough. Looks like it'll make a positive contribution to our very busy lifestyles.

  22. #22
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    We've had a Eufy Robotvac 15c for 18 months and it's fantastic - the best gadget I've ever bought according to my wife.

    Ours if the random bump model but TBH if you are using it every day (as we do) then the bumping about randomly doesn't bother me too much as if it misses an area today it will catch it tomorrow.

    We've completely stopped using our big hoover now and only use the handheld to get the bits noodles (the kids named him) can't get to in the corners. If i time it right i can do the basement in the morning, ground floor at lunchtime and then upstairs in the late afternoon / early evening.

    Our house has never been cleaner.

    The only thing i'd say is you do need to spend time time cleaning the machine every month or so to keep it in tip top condition.

    I'd love a mapping version but the cost to change just now seems a bit high.

  23. #23
    Grand Master wileeeeeey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by eagletower View Post
    Arrived set up and first run done. Very , very impressed .
    Careful it doesn’t chew those wires
    Quote Originally Posted by andytyc View Post
    We got our Eufy G30 delivered today and we're very impressed. It quietly goes about its job and then goes back to its base when it's had enough. Looks like it'll make a positive contribution to our very busy lifestyles.
    I remember setting ours up in the evening and when it got low on battery it docked to charge. Didn’t know there was a setting on by default to send it back out to finish the job once it had recharged. Ours is under our bed and oh my god did it scare the life out of me at 1am when it resumed cleaning.

  24. #24
    Craftsman Lazydonkey's Avatar
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    If you get a Eufy you can contact them and get another charging station for something like a Ł10. Makes a big difference if, like us, you live in a thin but tall house. Means our chargers are all hidden away.

  25. #25
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    Finally got around to attaching the mop to my Eufy X8 Hybrid today. The first real flaw I’ve found with the X8.
    When hoovering, she gets pretty much right up to the edges. When mopping, she hoovers from the front and the mop follows as it’s attached to the rear… so whilst it’s great that you can send her around to hoover and mop on the same run, it does mean that you tend to only get the mopping part up to around 4 inches away from the skirting board.
    Still a time saver, but I think it’s something that could surely be improved by the logic in the software when she recognises that the mop has been attached.

  26. #26
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    Ours wants to chew on electric cords.

  27. #27
    12 days in. Game changer , love this machine .

  28. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by wileeeeeey View Post
    Careful it doesn’t chew those wires

    I remember setting ours up in the evening and when it got low on battery it docked to charge. Didn’t know there was a setting on by default to send it back out to finish the job once it had recharged. Ours is under our bed and oh my god did it scare the life out of me at 1am when it resumed cleaning.
    Haha I can imagine it would have. Nice Monday laugh from that!

    Still not allowed one, even with the logic we have hard floors in every room & swiffer twice a day.

  29. #29
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    I was thinking they were a great idea till my mates smeared dog shit all over his kitchen in what he described as “The starting grid at Brands Hatch”
    RIAC

  30. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by 100thmonkey View Post
    I was thinking they were a great idea till my mates smeared dog shit all over his kitchen in what he described as “The starting grid at Brands Hatch”
    Yep, but cat shit for the gross out win.
    Owners with pets need to pray that they don't deficate or vomit in their absence.

  31. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tifa View Post
    Yep, but cat shit for the gross out win.
    Owners with pets need to pray that they don't deficate or vomit in their absence.
    Ours is great with his litter tray, had not even thought about the vomit potential. Or any bird he brings in.

    I am out.

  32. #32
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    We had an elderly cat and now have a kitten - never had an issue with robovac and pets. It's great for the litter said animal drags out of the litter tray. The kitten enjoys "attacking" it

  33. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lazydonkey View Post
    We had an elderly cat and now have a kitten - never had an issue with robovac and pets. It's great for the litter said animal drags out of the litter tray. The kitten enjoys "attacking" it
    Ours is scared of the handheld dyson, other people, leaves, things that have been static in the room for hours.

    Such a device will likely cause him to move out.

  34. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by 100thmonkey View Post
    I was thinking they were a great idea till my mates smeared dog shit all over his kitchen in what he described as “The starting grid at Brands Hatch”
    Brilliant!

  35. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by 100thmonkey View Post
    I was thinking they were a great idea till my mates smeared dog shit all over his kitchen in what he described as “The starting grid at Brands Hatch”
    The new ones can avoid pet mess too .

  36. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by eagletower View Post
    The new ones can avoid pet mess too .
    Only if you install the anti-shit-spreading app.

  37. #37
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    BBC News - Robot vacuum cleaner escapes from Cambridge Travelodge
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...shire-60084347

    Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

  38. #38
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    Just seen that the Eufy X8 is now discounted from Ł450 to Ł360
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZN3N7WS/

  39. #39
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    Same price direct from Eufy or from Curry’s.
    Curry’s also have the hybrid version for Ł399 just now… so if you combine that with a cash back site/app then you could get a tidy saving.

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