iRobot Scooba experience

[Jubooo]

If I were to get one in Singapore, can it be used in Australia? I will be bringing it along with me to Aussie for 2 years...

Amongst the 500 series, which is the most popular and friendly model? Ido not have a pet and will be staying in a 2-bedroom apartment in Aussie and a 3-bedroom apartment in Singapore. I checked the webbie at http://robovac.weebly.com/roomba.html and realised there are a few models that are already out of stock. Do you provide demo on the products? Thanks!

Hi Pearly, those model that is out-of-stock is the higher end models which we do not bring in bulk. We only bring in 5 units each time but we had more than 30 of the hot selling models 560s on hand and some of the 530 too.

A 530 would be good for your Aussie apartment but a 560 would suits better for your Sin apartment and it also comes with a handly onboard scheduling feature for added convenience.

Robovac's iRobot can be use worldwide with 110-240V power supply. We do free delivery islandwide and also provide a detailed demo on usage and maintainance.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at 81254240 should you require further information.

 

[tekster]

Pearly, most oz homes have carpets. Is yours carpetted too?

 

[ashieru2]

i cant believe wat i see ... official site selling irobot is soooo expensive ...

even buy from amazon also cheaper like hell ...

i assume "uno" self imports them to sell ? thumbs up, i think you do better job then official retailer lol ... anyway, free country, we can import anything to sell as long there is demand.

i was trolling US sites with alot of interest on this little robot thingy.

so just curious, i see on US sites they have 53x , 56x , 6xx and then singapore have the 58x ... what are the differences in them or they are like same intestines for alot of the remarked models? i know 56x have scheduler .... but which is the 1 (other then maintenance) is better in autoroam vac cleaning?

cheers

 

[uno_bliss]

i cant believe wat i see ... official site selling irobot is soooo expensive ... even buy from amazon also cheaper like hell ...

US is the "motherland", distributors outside US have to factor in shipping & inventory logistics (ie. how much of which model to stock for how long).
iRobot repair technicians (I believe it's a team of china workers under some Ang Moh) are based in US, the low level technicians do basic testing & whole module replacement (especially for 500 series Roomba).
Since "motherland" can churn out parts cheaply, no one would bother to narrow down to specific fault finding, since man-hour & training would cost more.

Distributors outside US, would have to send faulty units back to US for repair.
To & fro shipping is costly, and since they do not ship Super Premium Platinum Express, a 1 mth downtime for the customer is expected.

i assume "uno" self imports them to sell ? thumbs up, i think you do better job then official retailer lol ... anyway, free country, we can import anything to sell as long there is demand.

Yes, I'm just a simple guy expressing my techie skills thru the items I sell. It's a guy thing...

i was trolling US sites with alot of interest on this little robot thingy.

so just curious, i see on US sites they have 53x , 56x , 6xx and then singapore have the 58x ... what are the differences in them or they are like same intestines for alot of the remarked models? i know 56x have scheduler .... but which is the 1 (other then maintenance) is better in autoroam vac cleaning?

cheers

There's plenty of documented comparison between iRobot and other manufacturers.
I personally favour iRobot cos they've come a long way:
- Well established fan-base, time-tested US customer support
- Trustable design by MIT engineers, iRobot makes US Military robots & Space Exploration robots
- Designed for real-life environment, eg. Dirt Detect, getting out of stuck situations, brush self-adjustment for various floor resistance
- Ongoing design updates & revisions based on customer feedbacks

Roomba model comparison:
51X = dead-end model without Docking Base, and no possibility to add Docking feature
53X = no scheduling function
56X = with scheduling function
6XX = 56X + lipstick & mascara
58X = 56X + wireless-linked Lighthouses, a very nice feature but can be tricky to use in real-life houses with multiple rooms of unequal area

I hope the 7XX series would improve some AI of Lighthouses.
Of course, if mapping algorithm is near flawless (ie. better CPU + more RAM), then iRobot can save on all the expensive wireless microchips required by Lighthouse.

Take Windows vs Linux. Windows is a RAM-hungry brute-force platform, while Linux is more elegant & bug-free.
We then ask the next Qs, will we be able to find the perfect solution within our lifetime... like Stephen Hawking's "Theory of everything".

 

[ashieru2]

yea i manage to read more n more on this fascinating robot.

yea i like the man thing you mention, which is why this thing interests me so much hahaha

so practically wats the common thing to replace on this gadget? the turning brushes, the middle big roller brush? wheels? like how long before to replace for normal HDB use?

 

[ashieru2]

i saw a foreign posting saying you can self mod the irobot lol ... anyway if buy direct also no more factory local warranty, no local factory anyway haha .... so anybody know anybody who did mod this into something entertaining?

 

[uno_bliss]

yea i manage to read more n more on this fascinating robot.

yea i like the man thing you mention, which is why this thing interests me so much hahaha

so practically wats the common thing to replace on this gadget? the turning brushes, the middle big roller brush? wheels? like how long before to replace for normal HDB use?

Forumer shadowandy did some coding interface before:
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showpost.php?p=50850055&postcount=7361

Most of the robotic project involves iRobot Create, a barebone robot purely for doing non-housework stuff.
We can't modify Roomba 500 series to do much stuff other than a remote control serving tray. Since it moves so fast, ur ice cold beer is likely to topple.

Anyway, there hardly any replacement parts requires, they're all very durable. Rechargeable battery lifespan ~1+ yr if used very regularly.

 

[ashieru2]

oic sounds like a good work horse ...

now i can probably consider letting go all my cages and let all my pets roam free haha

 

[NotsoNeat]

Hi Juboo, just wanna say a big thank you. My Neato is running fine for almost 2 weeks now. You're my life saver

 

[Jubooo]

Hey, great to hear that but seriously I already told you I never did anything beside trimming the squeegee as this seems to be the problem persisting to the thumping. I know nuts about the RPS and I do not think it is a problem to be solve as a user level.

Anyway, thanks for giving me a chance to try on it. GL and hope it remains good for life

 

[thewiseone]

Whats yr impression of the Neato?

Hey, great to hear that but seriously I already told you I never did anything beside trimming the squeegee as this seems to be the problem persisting to the thumping. I know nuts about the RPS and I do not think it is a problem to be solve as a user level.

Anyway, thanks for giving me a chance to try on it. GL and hope it remains good for life

 

[Jubooo]

Systematically, fast and noisy. Very impressive but edges and corners is a total disapointment base on the square end design. It totally leaves half-one inches untouch area on the edges and corners is worst (A bigger arc compared to roomba)

Navigation is cool but I still do not like a single pass as some hairs are blown into the path it already clean and it will never revisit the area again. However, the debris it picks up is still impressive.

It never went under my bed due to the quit as it sees it as an obstacle and avoid it. Roomba will head straight in like commando, CHARGE!!!!!

Overall cool but no support here. Should I ask for distributorship?

 

[thewiseone]

There's no perfect cleaner... u win some u lose some i guess. Perhaps u should consider writing to Neato to express an interest in their product. Who knows... u may be selling Neatos in Asia in the near future!!!

Systematically, fast and noisy. Very impressive but edges and corners is a total disapointment base on the square end design. It totally leaves half-one inches untouch area on the edges and corners is worst (A bigger arc compared to roomba)

Navigation is cool but I still do not like a single pass as some hairs are blown into the path it already clean and it will never revisit the area again. However, the debris it picks up is still impressive.

It never went under my bed due to the quit as it sees it as an obstacle and avoid it. Roomba will head straight in like commando, CHARGE!!!!!

Overall cool but no support here. Should I ask for distributorship?

 

[Jubooo]

IMO, a sidebrush would make it near to perfect

 

[Iandao]

very gian to hoot a roomba for my place.. which model would be suitable for 4/5rm flat?

 

[uno_bliss]

very gian to hoot a roomba for my place.. which model would be suitable for 4/5rm flat?

Regardless which model u get, room layout and obstacles will determine how thorough Roomba cleans.
Some Roomba come with 90 mins black battery, while some come with 120 mins yellow battery.

Most of the time, Roomba will clean the whole house (4-5 rms) for 75-90 mins, then it'll go back to Home Base, "feeling" that it has done a good job.
So based on real-life experience & customer feedbacks, Roomba seldom max out its battery power.

I've sent u a HWZ pm, pls check inbox.
Feel free to contact me at unobliss@yahoo.com

For iRobot products, u can visit my eBay store: http://shop.ebay.com.sg/uno_bliss/m.html

 

[Jubooo]

very gian to hoot a roomba for my place.. which model would be suitable for 4/5rm flat?

You can browse my site Robovac iRobot Store for some useful information.

It is true that most of the time Roomba will clean for 90 mins and return to dock. However, if you get a battery that last only 90 mins, it will degrade very fast over time and roomba will not clean for the desired time it think it should be.

When the battery drops to 12V, roomba will decide to search for it's homebase and user will think that it is roomba's AI deciding to return as it has finished but actual fact is that they are reserving battery power to search for it's dock.

 

[kun1he2]

For those familiar with ordering stuff in US and have low-cost means of shipping them back to SG (combine orders perhaps?), this might be a good deal...

Using 20% off coupon code (DeeplySorry) at buyhappier.com:

iRobot Roomba 560 Vacuum Cleaner - Remanufactured
US$191.20 ($186.40 for 5 units)

Neato XV-11 Robotic All-Floor Vacuum Cleaner. Smart. Powerful. Precise.
US$319.20 ($312.80 for 5 units)

 

[thewiseone]

Sounds like a good deal.... whos going for Neato? Dont really need to buy 5 units... u dont save much by getting so many sets!!! Its the 20% off discount that makes the deal!

Thanks for the heads up!

For those familiar with ordering stuff in US and have low-cost means of shipping them back to SG (combine orders perhaps?), this might be a good deal...

Using 20% off coupon code (DeeplySorry) at buyhappier.com:

iRobot Roomba 560 Vacuum Cleaner - Remanufactured
US$191.20 ($186.40 for 5 units)

Neato XV-11 Robotic All-Floor Vacuum Cleaner. Smart. Powerful. Precise.
US$319.20 ($312.80 for 5 units)

 

[thewiseone]

Hooted!!!

+3 years extended warranty!!!

Sounds like a good deal.... whos going for Neato? Dont really need to buy 5 units... u dont save much by getting so many sets!!! Its the 20% off discount that makes the deal!

Thanks for the heads up!