iRobot Scooba experience

[belindaongsh]

Want to Buy Scooba and Romba,Need Great advice

I wanted to get a Roomba but found out from this forum that scooba is not bad either. Qn
1. Do i need to buy both?? cause i heard scooba not that good in vacumming as roomba
2. Where is the best site to get??
3. My house, Parquet Room, homogeneous living room, with carpets, i do drop long hair ; what are the potential problems in cleaning ?? what can i do??
4. I will be using the machines frequently, what are the accesorries i need to get?
5. If i buy online, i know nuts about step down...etc or is it better to buy the ac adapter when ordering?

I see that alot of you are GURUs to these robots, please help me to make the best decision, THANKS

 

[uno_bliss]

I wanted to get a Roomba but found out from this forum that scooba is not bad either. Qn
1. Do i need to buy both?? cause i heard scooba not that good in vacumming as roomba
2. Where is the best site to get??
3. My house, Parquet Room, homogeneous living room, with carpets, i do drop long hair ; what are the potential problems in cleaning ?? what can i do??
4. I will be using the machines frequently, what are the accesorries i need to get?
5. If i buy online, i know nuts about step down...etc or is it better to buy the ac adapter when ordering?

I see that alot of you are GURUs to these robots, please help me to make the best decision, THANKS

A1. Scooba will wet wash floor until 98% germ-free, any stickiness will be gone too. But... Scooba is not for the "super busy".
- u need to fill with clean water, then change water after ~50 mins
- floor coverage is ~850 sq ft, and u should split total floor area into smaller portions for effective cleaning
- charging is by manual plug-in, so u need to be around to do that

Roomba is a dry sweeper+vacuum. Long hair, dust & even staplers, rubber band, paper clips will be swept up.
- almost fully autonomous, fast & furious in cleaning style
- can be programmed for auto-start (selected models)
- non-programmable models can just start manually before leaving home
- auto-return to charging base once job is done or battery low
- u can "bo chup" for 1-2 wks, then just empty the vacuum bin & spend ~5 mins maintain the bottom brush (remove tangled long hair)

Scooba cannot be used as a dry vacuum, will not climb carpet unlike Roomba. So each has it's own strength.

A2. U can check out my eBay store: http://shop.ebay.com.sg/uno_bliss/m.html
U can send me HWZ pm, or just email unobliss@yahoo.com

A3. Roomba handles parquet/laminate, all kinds of hard floor (tiles, marble, mosaic, homogeneous) & carpets
Roomba handles long hair, just need to remove tangled long hair from bottom brush every 1-2 wks

Scooba handles coated parquet, all kinds of hard floor (tiles, marble, mosaic, homogeneous). Not suitable for laminate. Won't work on carpet.
Scooba handles long hair, long hair will wrap around the bottom brush, but won't affect performance.

A4. With good maintenance, there's hardly any accessories to replace.
Except the rechargeable battery, which typically lasts ~1 yr if u use once a day, battery running duration will gradually drop with usage, just like handphone or laptop battery.

A5. Ordering from US, the charger will be 110V and will blow instantly in our 240V socket. A reliable step-down voltage convertor will work, but power rating needs to be high (80W for Roomba, 150W for Scooba).
iRobot 110V charger can be modified for direct local use, u can send me HWZ pm, or just email unobliss@yahoo.com if need assistance.

 

[Jubooo]

I wanted to get a Roomba but found out from this forum that scooba is not bad either. Qn
1. Do i need to buy both?? cause i heard scooba not that good in vacumming as roomba
2. Where is the best site to get??
3. My house, Parquet Room, homogeneous living room, with carpets, i do drop long hair ; what are the potential problems in cleaning ?? what can i do??
4. I will be using the machines frequently, what are the accesorries i need to get?
5. If i buy online, i know nuts about step down...etc or is it better to buy the ac adapter when ordering?

I see that alot of you are GURUs to these robots, please help me to make the best decision, THANKS

I believed I do not need to add to the explanation by Uno as it is pretty much detailed

You can also browse my store here for all 240V ready robots.

Robovac iRobot Store

 

[Opps-gal]

http://www.newwavevn.com/cleanmate_qq2.html

Singapore got sell and 1 year warranty. Anyone try this product before.

Cheaper than irobot.

 

[uno_bliss]

http://www.newwavevn.com/cleanmate_qq2.html

Singapore got sell and 1 year warranty. Anyone try this product before.

Cheaper than irobot.

QQ2 has been around for quite some time, usually sold at Tangs.
It's not very fast moving, and the docking is by close-proximity, ie. it'll follow wall clockwise until it is within 1/2 ft of Docking Base.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf6eNkhtvag

My 1st robotic vacuum V-bot RV10 does the same
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqFzPlAs7GQ
A typical scenario: V-bot low batt -> go straight until hit wall -> then follow wall clockwise around the WHOLE HOUSE until finally bump into Docking Base.

Roomba docking is much more intelligent, it can "see" dock anywhere within 3 m & make its approach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFcXdvtmGGg

QQ2 suction is 40W. Air Watt is a measure of suction power, not to be confused with electrical power consumption. It's like if u paddle a rusty bicycle like mad, but slow like tortoise, then ur power consumption is say 50W, but ur speed output is maybe 10W.

In my earlier post: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showpost.php?p=51570045&postcount=7413
I stated that high power vacuum motor will shorten battery life extra fast, and only top quality rechargeable batteries (made in Japan) can sustain such abuse. When u read manufacturer specs, many have ambiguous rating definitions (ie. Sustained vs Short burst).
Japan cells = sustainable high power with minimal damage
Cheapo cells = short burst high power ok, sustained high power leads to damage

I'm 200% sure QQ2 won't use Japan cells. Not sure about Neato, which also has high power vacuum.

QQ2 has 1 bristle brush, which will dig into tile/mosaic crevices & loosen dirt, which will then be sucked up by the high power vacuum. Bristle brush should work well on carpets too. The UV disinfectant is an interesting design.

 

[Yaroopig]

ai yoh... y irobot take so long to ship my scooba out? 2 weeks liao lei... still not pick up by UPS yet

 

[kenloonglow]

ai yoh... y irobot take so long to ship my scooba out? 2 weeks liao lei... still not pick up by UPS yet

Want quick? buy locally lor.

 

[Yaroopig]

i didnt say i want it quick. just puzzle y it takes so long for them to ship out. my other parcels order on the same date from other merchants are already waiting @ vpost.

 

[Jubooo]

i didnt say i want it quick. just puzzle y it takes so long for them to ship out. my other parcels order on the same date from other merchants are already waiting @ vpost.

They might be investigating your CC. You might be rejected.

 

[Jubooo]

http://www.newwavevn.com/cleanmate_qq2.html

Singapore got sell and 1 year warranty. Anyone try this product before.

Cheaper than irobot.

I did own this before and after the battery is dead, off to the trash it goes. It's intelligence is really "artificial". It basically just follow through a sequence of pattern like spiral for few mins, across the room for few mins and wall follow another mins over and over again. Though roomba also does this, you can see the difference if you had seen both of them running together.

I use it for my kitchen where all my dogs are as it pick up the fur in a single pass which is superior than roomba. Roomba needs a few pass to clean up as it tends to blow some fur away. However, roomba picks up a lot of dust which QQ seems only to picks up all debris but not as much dust.

QQ's wall following cleaning sucks big time. It will follow the wall but when it hits it, it moves out only to comes in with another 45 degree approach so it's like zig-zag all the way through the wall and miss out a little here and there. If you were to see how roomba follows the wall and the perimeter of your furniture, you will be impressed.

 

[Opps-gal]

Still comparing:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR4rfVfd_Pw&feature=related
QQ-2

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Le82DlHiok&playnext=1&list=PL902BE9CA6F288ABA&index=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQJ767VCT48
KV8 Robot Vacuum

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APkOJ4n8dEo
iRobot Roomba 520

One good point for QQ2 is getting from local, warranty 1 year, spoil already can go repair for free.
KV8 is still cheapest, but battery might not last half a year. Not much review from people.
iRobot Roomba 520, most expensive among the three above, but lots of reviews to compare notes with.

 

[uno_bliss]

Still comparing:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR4rfVfd_Pw&feature=related
QQ-2

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Le82DlHiok&playnext=1&list=PL902BE9CA6F288ABA&index=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQJ767VCT48
KV8 Robot Vacuum

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APkOJ4n8dEo
iRobot Roomba 520

One good point for QQ2 is getting from local, warranty 1 year, spoil already can go repair for free.
KV8 is still cheapest, but battery might not last half a year. Not much review from people.
iRobot Roomba 520, most expensive among the three above, but lots of reviews to compare notes with.

OMG! KV8 is the 1st gen Roomba which I mentioned here: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showpost.php?p=51818628&postcount=7469

- Front wheel is fixed caster, so it'll draw (aka scratch) circles on parquet
- The S/M/L button is cos it doesn't have room size awareness
- Vacuum bin is small, probably 1/2 or 1/3 of current Roomba models
- My customer ever bought similar m-288 Auto-Cleaner Intelligent Floor Vac from AAS (car workshop) @ $188. The price was so low that he bought m-288 despite already have Roomba Discovery (400 series)

 

[Yaroopig]

They might be investigating your CC. You might be rejected.

no lei... i checked my bill, already charged liao... the status on irobot's website is "Shipped on 12/29/2010".

so i checked with UPS, they replied that they have "only received electronic submission of package data from shipper" and "our system does not show that this package was physically picked up from the shipper's location"...

 

[Jubooo]

Still comparing:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR4rfVfd_Pw&feature=related
QQ-2

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Le82DlHiok&playnext=1&list=PL902BE9CA6F288ABA&index=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQJ767VCT48
KV8 Robot Vacuum

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APkOJ4n8dEo
iRobot Roomba 520

One good point for QQ2 is getting from local, warranty 1 year, spoil already can go repair for free.
KV8 is still cheapest, but battery might not last half a year. Not much review from people.
iRobot Roomba 520, most expensive among the three above, but lots of reviews to compare notes with.

I think if there are anyone here who use QQ's before and might want to stand out and say something about their aftersales and how often you have to fo all the way far west for repairs. I forgotton who is the guy who bought the roomba from me after complaining about cleanmate's reliability.

One thing for roomba is spare can be easily obtained and just how many of you had broken roomba within 1 year besides the battery issue? This might help in making your decision

 

[Jubooo]

no lei... i checked my bill, already charged liao... the status on irobot's website is "Shipped on 12/29/2010".

so i checked with UPS, they replied that they have "only received electronic submission of package data from shipper" and "our system does not show that this package was physically picked up from the shipper's location"...

Base on my experience, you might get a refund soon Cross your finger.

Out of curiosity, which model did you get and how much you paid?

 

[Yaroopig]

Base on my experience, you might get a refund soon Cross your finger.

Out of curiosity, which model did you get and how much you paid?

hopefully not lor... cos 1 week b4, they (irobot) also emailed me to confirm that my order is shipped le... somemore my card already charge le lei... based on your experience, on what stand will they reject in this case? sad lei...

i bought the older 330 @ US$258.32 comes with Deluxe Scooba Kit worth US$100 FOC.

 

[kenloonglow]

One thing for roomba is spare can be easily obtained and just how many of you had broken roomba within 1 year besides the battery issue? This might help in making your decision

Hi, may I know what common problem happened to roomba battery?

 

[kenloonglow]

i bought the older 330 @ US$258.32 comes with Deluxe Scooba Kit worth US$100 FOC.

Hi, you mean your irobot can do dry (vacuum) & wet (wash) at the same time?

 

[uno_bliss]

Hi, you mean your irobot can do dry (vacuum) & wet (wash) at the same time?

No doubt Scooba has 1st stage light vacuum, it cannot do just dry vacuum. It'll not start unless u put water.

 

[uno_bliss]

Hi, may I know what common problem happened to roomba battery?

Before u start worrying, lemme clarify. Rechargeable batteries has service life, the more u use, the earlier it reaches end of life.

When Jubooo say 1 yr, it's for daily users who run battery until flat.