It seems a lot of people have been getting Roombas now. For the technologically-uninformed, Roombas are those weirdo-looking, round-shaped vacuum robots. I have seen them priced as high as $600! Let me repeat that; I HAVE SEEN PRICES AS HIGH AS $600!!!!! I cannot imagine buying a vacuum cleaner for that price! And ya gotta wonder, are they really and truly efficient?! I’ve heard mixed reviews.
I came across a geek website where some guy tinkered (hacked, actually) the Roomba to do this and that. He said that the company encourages the hacking and even provides some tools (although basc industrial products will probably do the job, too), but hacking the robot voids the warranty. Anyway, he took a long-exposure shot of how the Roomba performed after half an hour. The photo is cool, like a flight map, but it took 30 MINUTES for the Roomba to vacuum this?!
And then I found another review. I don’t know how much he paid for his Roomba, but it looks like it was probably too much! Here’s his review, in a nutshell:
LOL! [Well, watching TV is not exactly a more efficient life, either!]
So while it would be nice to ditch the manual uprights that seem to break every year and get a robot to do the work… I do STILL have four slaves teenagers at home. That’s good enough for me, for now. Heh heh.
Do you have a Roomba? Did you pay an arm and a leg for it, and does the Roomba do the job?
Life is never dull, and exciting things just seem to always happen to me... why me... when I'm not running around the house fixing things, I'm a freelance writer for national media outlets like USAToday.com, Salon.com, and others. I've even been interviewed by TIME and The Wall Street Journal about blogging. Can you believe it?! Here is where I express my zany, creative, motherly side. 
May 26, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I was a very early Roomba-adopter, and after having come to terms with all its finicky quirks (wait, I have to take it apart and pry out all the dog hair? Eew), I still love the little devil. I get a kick out of patting myself on the back for having vacuumed when really I just pushed a button and supervised its maneuverings. Plus, iRobot’s CS is extraordinarily helpful and attentive. I vote YES.
May 26, 2009 at 6:02 pm
My son has one and loves it, sings it’s praises all the time and says he will get a second one when they move into a larger house (they have 3 dogs that shed). This is in addition to the weekly housekeeper.
May 26, 2009 at 7:47 pm
A friend of mine who is on disability bought a Roomba to do the work of vacuuming. She swears by it. Yes, it takes a while to free itself of some tight spaces, but it does do the job over time. She loves it. I got a little demo of it myself and it’s so cute when she makes it go back to the dock to “park” itself. From what I could tell, it did a good job.
May 27, 2009 at 10:51 am
I don’t have one, but I REALLY, REALLY want one! Pushing the vacuum is the one thing that truly aggravates my back problems, to the point where I dread “rug day.” They also have one that mops, and I’d be delighted to hear comments about those users.
Some of us have run out of teenagers. 🙂
May 27, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I would not have one. But then again I have animals and I can’t see it having the suction I would need to pick up hair. I think I will stick with my Dyson, lol! I am glad others seem to like it, but it just would not be a good fit for what I have to pick up, lol!
May 28, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Wow, the Roomba fans are coming out of the woodwork, I see! I’ll have to reconsider. I’ll never pay $600 for it, though.
Yes, akaGaGa, I have often wondered what will happen to me when my teenagers run out… *sigh*
May 30, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I have a Roomba (Rosie) and I love her! She does a great job under the bed and under chairs (I could never vacuum there). She continues vacuuming long after I would have become totally worn out! She’s great!