Quote:
Originally Posted by wireframe
Has anyone used one of the cheaper robot vacuums? Eufy, Ecovacs, ilife, etc.?
I am thinking of buying a robo-vac and I want to know if the extra cost for a Roomba is actually worth it.
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I have an iLife and I like it for basic upkeep in between major sweeps of my main floor. But it's older model/tech so it doesn't map rooms etc. and just does its thing until it randomly finishes the entire floor. Its ability to pic up micro dust on hardwood is great though. The hard wood floor looks almost polished after a sweep when there's no micro dust on it. We bought the Ecovac for my inlaws and it's essentially the same, but it can be controlled via wifi (a feature my iLife doesn't have).
These lower feature robots are essentially like an idiot machine that motors around semi aimlessly that will finally get your floors reasonably clean after around an hour or two. It's so stupid it gets tangled in cords/soft and long surfaces (certain rugs/blankets etc.) if you leave those open and about. It's pretty good about not falling off things though. Too good. Sometimes my iLife gets trapped on my thicker anti-fatigue mat because it thinks it will fall to its death into if it goes off the edge of the mat. Think... blindfolded guy on a log. It also seems to move aimlessly as mentioned before, kinda like watching those water bugs in lakes and ponds.
If you want something methodical and whatnot, I think the higher quality robots like Roomba etc. are much better for that. But I paid something like 1/3 the cost of a Roomba for mine, so I'm am aware of the issues and lack of features that come with it. As mentioned before, you get what you pay for. I don't mind the lesser features and I usually keep an eye on the unit initially to ensure I didn't miss any thing it could get tripped up on (which I usually just raise slightly off the floor and tangle avoided).
EDIT: I guess to mention, I don't know about the Roomba, but for the iLife and Ecovac, I usually have to clean out the filters every 5-6 hours of vacuuming or so. So much dust clogs up the filters that the suction is significantly affected if I don't do this. It's easy to do though. Just pop open the dustbin and use your hand to wipe the dust/hair off the air filter as if you were cleaning dryer lint before a load.