iRobot Scooba experience

[Jubooo]

My robot was sent via VPost, actually not that bad... paid the shipment on a Saturday and the package was delivered on the following Thursday. Only thing I don't like about VPost is, they do not call u b4 deliver and once u missed it, u either have to arrange for redeliver or collect @ Post Office - 2 working days later.

That was fast. Actually most of the shipping company do not call you for delivery. They will leave a slip for you to rearrange delivery for every failed attempt.

 

[Jubooo]

Hi guys,

Can anyone me know what is the significant difference between Roomba 560 and 570?
Of course 570 is much expensive than 560. But other than that, is the performance much better than 560? Is 570 a much better option to go for? Or 560 is more than enough?
Thanks

The major difference is that the 570 supports lighthouse other than a free set of brushes and remote.

 

[dankoo]

hmm,...unless iRobot changed the features but my 560 also comes with lighthouse.....

 

[Yaroopig]

That was fast. Actually most of the shipping company do not call you for delivery. They will leave a slip for you to rearrange delivery for every failed attempt.

is it? cos i remembered few years back when i used comgateway, they do called me to check if they can deliver.

 

[Yaroopig]

hmm,...unless iRobot changed the features but my 560 also comes with lighthouse.....

hmmm... original 560 does not come w lighthouse de... could the one u mentioned be a remanufactured model?

 

[uno_bliss]

Hi guys,

Can anyone me know what is the significant difference between Roomba 560 and 570?
Of course 570 is much expensive than 560. But other than that, is the performance much better than 560? Is 570 a much better option to go for? Or 560 is more than enough?
Thanks

560 = scheduling + Auto Virtual Walls (24/7 always-on barrier)
570 = scheduling + Virtual Wall Lighthouses (wireless auto-on barrier/time-based gantry)

Lighthouse is a great feature, iRobot calls it Room-to-room navigation, ie. Roomba cleans area-by-area.
560 prior to the late 2009 revision had this feature, but alas, this feature was removed probably due to cost cutting (3 bluetooth chips per unit) & push-marketing of 570 & above.

I also suspect another reason for removal of Lighthouse is "less-techie customer" complains.
I personally have customers who have but don't use Lighthouse cos they can't figure out suitable placement.

i) Lighthouses & dock must not be placed too close together, else Infrared cross-beams will create "Zone of Confusion" for Roomba, Roomba can be trapped in Limbo until battery flat.

My floor layout is straight forward = room 1, corridor, room 2
No risk of Infrared cross-beam.

ii) Each Lighthouse separated area will get equal cleaning time (~30 mins), regardless of floor area. Splitting floor area into 3 equal parts require some planning, and one should exclude areas where Roomba can't squeeze in.

My floor area of room 1, corridor, room 2 are all roughly equal, so I just place Lighthouses at room doorways. Simple & effective.

iii) Eventual reduction in battery cleaning time (eg. 70 mins) leads incomplete cleaning of Lighthouse 3rd area, ie. Area 1 = 30 mins, Area 2 = 30 mins, Area 3 = 10 mins, then Roomba goes back to dock for charging.
Simple solution is split floor area into 2 equal parts instead of 3. The fact that each area is now bigger, Roomba will take longer to find & cross Lighthouse, hence each area should get ~35 mins, ie. 2x 35 mins.

BTW, for benefit of other forumers, if ur 560 came with Auto Virtual Walls, don't go & buy Lighthouses cos it won't work due to lack of Bluetooth support.

 

[mkaung2000]

yup forgetting abt v-bot, went to read this thread from pg 1 to last page. some owners here have owned many models and commented on how it died and got replaced w a roomba.
so excited to get refurnish roomba 560 @ 249.48USD. am getting via vpost cos its approx <60SGD and plus a remodded 240v charger @60bucks..the set will be 460SGD..
borderlinx only accepts citibank, comgateway too exp, tarzaa is approx 22SGD for delivery they shop direct amazon and for overweight items (more than first estimate) there's an extra 6bucks plus.

Why not try local eBay. There are a few choices.
http://shop.ebay.com.sg/i.html?LH_PrefLoc=1&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A2396&rt=nc&_nkw=irobot&_sticky=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_sop=3&_sc=1

 

[kun1he2]

BTW, for benefit of other forumers, if ur 560 came with Auto Virtual Walls, don't go & buy Lighthouses cos it won't work due to lack of Bluetooth support.

Hmm, didn't realize it was bluetooth - thought it was iRobot's proprietary RF signaling?

 

[foreveru13]

Borderlinx is the cheapest and comgateway is just slightly more expensive but they are the fastest with an average of 4-7 days delivered to Singapore depending on the day you shipped.

Vpost does not have insurance and they are the slowest, 2-3 weeks at times. Tarazz, worst!!! 1 month.

I would suggest you to go with comgateway as they offer repacking service at a small cost especially if you purchase from Amazon. Amazon is famous for shipping with a huge box and I won't be surprise to hear that your shipping cost for a roomba exceed US$100. Yes, that's half the price of your roomba!!!

borderlinx is good reviews but i don't have citibank card. and comgate way - repackage also need $.

think i'll stick to vpost as it has new member discount and the quoted price was cheaper. only thing im worried about is the ban shipping of battery.

 

[tekster]

borderlinx is good reviews but i don't have citibank card. and comgate way - repackage also need $.

think i'll stick to vpost as it has new member discount and the quoted price was cheaper. only thing im worried about is the ban shipping of battery.

vpost will ban u, dun bother. my gps so small also cannot ship.

 

[Jubooo]

think i'll stick to vpost as it has new member discount and the quoted price was cheaper. only thing im worried about is the ban shipping of battery.

I know of someone asking me for help due to vpost refusing to ship his roomba but I also know recently many of them ship with vpost sucessfully. The repacking fee of CGW is consider cheap if you can save up to US$80.

 

[Yaroopig]

borderlinx is good reviews but i don't have citibank card. and comgate way - repackage also need $.

think i'll stick to vpost as it has new member discount and the quoted price was cheaper. only thing im worried about is the ban shipping of battery.

the new member discount is capped @ max $20. so if your total shipment is less than $130, then ok, but if more than $130, then look out for 15% discount will be better.

i just got my 2 robots shipped successfully 1 month ago via VPost!

 

[tekster]

the new member discount is capped @ max $20. so if your total shipment is less than $130, then ok, but if more than $130, then look out for 15% discount will be better.

i just got my 2 robots shipped successfully 1 month ago via VPost!

they never question you?

how long it took for the robots to reach from the time you match the package?

 

[kimsim]

Hi, can I asking about Roomba 400 series is previous model or just selling in difference country?
But I saw it in china still selling 4000 series.

Thanks

 

[Yaroopig]

they never question you?

how long it took for the robots to reach from the time you match the package?

question? no lei...

took about 4 days to reach me.

 

[Jubooo]

Hi, can I asking about Roomba 400 series is previous model or just selling in difference country?
But I saw it in china still selling 4000 series.

Thanks

The 4xx is the newer of the 4s series. It's construction is still the same and noise level is higher than the 500s. iRobot had ceased production on 400s series.

 

[Jubooo]

took about 4 days to reach me.

Seems like Vpost is picking up now.

 

[norteklaser]

mint

There's a new robot called mint that can both sweep and mop. Easy to clean up after each use (which is a must). Anyone use it before?

Am thinking of either mint or scooba.

 

[uno_bliss]

There's a new robot called mint that can both sweep and mop. Easy to clean up after each use (which is a must). Anyone use it before?

Am thinking of either mint or scooba.

I commented on Mint before here: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showpost.php?p=51881847&postcount=7480

I'm not saying it's completely no good, u just have to make sure floor doesn't have sharp debris eg. stapler, sand, etc.
If floor is all laminate, then Mint is suitable while Scooba is probably too wet.

Comparing with Roomba, Mint doesn't have a vacuum bin, so u must change/wash the microfibre cloth very regularly.
U can't do what Roomba owners do, like empty Roomba bin once every 1 or 2 wks.

 

[Jubooo]

Uno is right with his comment on mint, I would like to add a little more on the mopping.

You have to buy those wet swiffer cloth (in US) or the alternative in singapore I would say is something like the wet magic clean fibre cloth. This cloth dries up in a few minutes and you will find that it cannot even mop half your room effectively without changing it frequently.

In this case, it is adding more work to you rather than having it work for you. The cost also adds up. Scooba just use water, press clean & you will need intervention only after close to an hour.