Roomba or equivalent?

Shefwedfan · 15-11-2017 10:06pm

Have option of Neato Robotics Botvac D3 or a iRobot Roomba 650, just wondering what people think would be best?

The Botvac will be about 50 quid more.....

woidoi · 16-11-2017 1:52am

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Have option of Neato Robotics Botvac D3 or a iRobot Roomba 650, just wondering what people think would be best?

The Botvac will be about 50 quid more.....

That's a tough one but not for the reason you might think. I had a Roomba but sent it back. It cleaned pretty good but it's bouncing around method of cleaning drove me up the wall and my wife thought it was ridiculous. As mentioned earlier in this thread I happened on a great deal on a Botvac Connected ( the top of the range one) as an Amazon warehouse deal just after Christmas. It was unused, the owner couldn't get the wifi working &#55357;&#56842;. The thing is, my wife said only the other day, that if it breaks, she doesn't care how much it costs, repair or replace it. It's a God-send when you're both working, and it cleans - quickly.

The D3 you're looking at is like the Roomba in that it is a lower end model. Don't worry about wifi as that is just a gimmick - the inbuilt scheduler takes care of all of that. I think I got Alexa to start it once to impress my brother but I've never used it since. The D3 doesn't have a side-brush and that makes it tough for the Botvac to get the dirt out of edges. On the other hand, the Roomba is round, so can't do corners properly and you know - it bounces around randomly.

Both will do an OK job, but once you've witnessed a robot that can map and clean systematically an entire house on one charge, and find its way home easily, it's hard to go for a Roomba.

The older D85 often turns up at a price similar to a D3 so might be worth considering too.

tedpan · 16-11-2017 2:12am

The Xiaomi seems to one of the best for your money these days. I watched a few reviews on YouTube. Awesome bit of kit

Shefwedfan · 16-11-2017 8:58am

woidoi wrote: »

That's a tough one but not for the reason you might think. I had a Roomba but sent it back. It cleaned pretty good but it's bouncing around method of cleaning drove me up the wall and my wife thought it was ridiculous. As mentioned earlier in this thread I happened on a great deal on a Botvac Connected ( the top of the range one) as an Amazon warehouse deal just after Christmas. It was unused, the owner couldn't get the wifi working ��. The thing is, my wife said only the other day, that if it breaks, she doesn't care how much it costs, repair or replace it. It's a God-send when you're both working, and it cleans - quickly.

The D3 you're looking at is like the Roomba in that it is a lower end model. Don't worry about wifi as that is just a gimmick - the inbuilt scheduler takes care of all of that. I think I got Alexa to start it once to impress my brother but I've never used it since. The D3 doesn't have a side-brush and that makes it tough for the Botvac to get the dirt out of edges. On the other hand, the Roomba is round, so can't do corners properly and you know - it bounces around randomly.

Both will do an OK job, but once you've witnessed a robot that can map and clean systematically an entire house on one charge, and find its way home easily, it's hard to go for a Roomba.

The older D85 often turns up at a price similar to a D3 so might be worth considering too.

Thanks, I have read a few reviews and they seem to say the similar....I am systematic myself so I know the older robovac I had drove me nuts bouncing around the house ....

I thin k the D3 might be the best job, also I seen, if it is cleaning and battery runs out it will return, charge and head back out. The Roomba can't do that....I have large house so this would be a great help.

tedpan · 16-11-2017 9:26am

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Thanks, I have read a few reviews and they seem to say the similar....I am systematic myself so I know the older robovac I had drove me nuts bouncing around the house ....

I thin k the D3 might be the best job, also I seen, if it is cleaning and battery runs out it will return, charge and head back out. The Roomba can't do that....I have large house so this would be a great help.

Seriously take a look at the Xiaomi, it has everything you want and does 250m2 on a single charge.

https://www.allhomerobotics.com/roomba-980-vs-xiaomi-mi-robot-vacuum/

Less than €280 at the moment too

Bluefoam · 16-11-2017 9:41am

I had one of these... but wanted more control over where it went... thought about developing a control app but rather than invest in app development, I duct tapped a shtick to the vacuum & now I can walk around with the machine and direct it as I want. Such a great improvement and a definite step forward...

yannakis · 16-11-2017 11:33am

Have been using the Xiaomi (v1) since August and I'm very happy with the performance! It might struggle a bit on thick carpets, but the house has mainly hard floors so that's not a big problem for us. Basically, lift shower mats and whatever is lying down on the floor, and let it run.

Price of the v1 has dropped plenty after the v2 was introduced. Have a look around the likes of geekbuying, gearbest, aliexpress, tomtop etc. And use TopCashback to get some monies back too.

mrcheez · 16-11-2017 11:36am

Just a tip, be sure to invest in some of the "invisible wall" barriers to prevent your guy getting caught in wires etc.

Phil, my Roomba, is merrily cleaning up downstairs while I'm relaxing with a coffee upstairs. No fear of where he'll go as I've got the barriers setup.

Coming down to a clean house in about 10mins

yannakis · 16-11-2017 12:57pm

@mrcheez I actually got 3 of them delivered yesterday, and will try laying them down under the edge of the one big carpet so that we can let it run in the living room as well. As for wires, I'm obsessed, so none of them lying around :P

Irish Gunner · 23-11-2017 11:05am

Still looking at one of these any good offers for black Friday.

Just want to make mine and Miss Gunners life bit easier for cleaning wooden floors and finds base. Not necessarily Alexa or Harmony enabled..

Anyone Bueller ☺️☺️

yannakis · 23-11-2017 1:41pm

Best price I've ever seen the Xiaomi (version 1) https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/updated-2311-original-xiaomi-mi-robot-vacuum-lds-slam-intelligent-route-planning-app-19103-with-code-gearbest-2824679

Kintarō Hattori · 23-11-2017 2:50pm

yannakis wrote: »

Best price I've ever seen the Xiaomi (version 1) https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/updated-2311-original-xiaomi-mi-robot-vacuum-lds-slam-intelligent-route-planning-app-19103-with-code-gearbest-2824679

What sort of plug does it come with? That'd be a concern for me.

yannakis · 23-11-2017 4:12pm

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

What sort of plug does it come with? That'd be a concern for me.

Honestly, why would that be a concern?

Mine came with the Chinese one and a UK plug adaptor.

eddiem74 · 24-11-2017 12:02am

How do these deal with saddle boards? Or do you have to lift over them?

mrcheez · 24-11-2017 12:06am

eddiem74 wrote: »

How do these deal with saddle boards? Or do you have to lift over them?

How high is it?

My Roomba can climb over my coir doormat easily which is about 3cm high

yannakis · 24-11-2017 10:32am

eddiem74 wrote: »

How do these deal with saddle boards? Or do you have to lift over them?

All good with Xiaomi too. In my previous place we had a rather tall "step" between tiles and engineered wood, and it did just fine. Sometimes I noticed on the map that it didn't go exactly straight, but it would reverse/change angle slightly/try again.

Irish Gunner · 24-11-2017 10:57am

Where is the best place to get the Xiaomi? Have not purchased anything from any of the Chinese sites and wondering about reliability and customs etc?

yannakis · 24-11-2017 11:03am

Irish Gunner wrote: »

Where is the best place to get the Xiaomi? Have not purchased anything from any of the Chinese sites and wondering about reliability and customs etc?

Got mine from aliexpress back in August, from a seller shipping from Germany. Many Chinese sites have sellers shipping from around Europe so have a look around.

If you end up buying from outside the EU, calculate VAT+handling fee of Anpost/Courier (~€20).

Irish Gunner · 24-11-2017 11:45am

Looking at websites no real deals. How do you determine if a European reseller?

Kintarō Hattori · 24-11-2017 12:05pm

Hmmm Roomba or the Xiaomi?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/iRobot-Roomba-Vacuum-Cleaning-Robot/dp/B00AXJW94S/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1511517310&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=roomba&psc=1

https://www.gearbest.com/robot-vacuum/pp_440546.html?wid=21&utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=linkshare&siteID=TnL5HPStwNw-_CB85MvaGEe4CAiBigXhlA - can apparently be bought for roughly the same price as the Roomba.

Kintarō Hattori · 24-11-2017 12:07pm

yannakis wrote: »

Honestly, why would that be a concern?

Mine came with the Chinese one and a UK plug adaptor.

I don't mind cheap Chinese electronics that don't need to be permanently left plugged in but those that do, I'm always wary of the quality of the power supply.

How's the quality of the unit with the Xiaomi?

givecredit · 24-11-2017 12:55pm

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Hmmm Roomba or the Xiaomi?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/iRobot-Roomba-Vacuum-Cleaning-Robot/dp/B00AXJW94S/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1511517310&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=roomba&psc=1

https://www.gearbest.com/robot-vacuum/pp_440546.html?wid=21&utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=linkshare&siteID=TnL5HPStwNw-_CB85MvaGEe4CAiBigXhlA - can apparently be bought for roughly the same price as the Roomba.

I own the Roomba 650 for a year now. Great Machine. But if I was buying now, I would definitely get the Xioami. Its the equivalent of the Roomba 980 at circa €900.
Xioami is a much more intelligent robot than 650 roomba. Xioami have taken the best of Roomba and Neato Connected and made their own device at a fraction of the cost.

givecredit · 24-11-2017 12:57pm

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I don't mind cheap Chinese electronics that don't need to be permanently left plugged in but those that do, I'm always wary of the quality of the power supply.

How's the quality of the unit with the Xiaomi?

Xiaomi is good quality stuff

yannakis · 24-11-2017 1:44pm

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I don't mind cheap Chinese electronics that don't need to be permanently left plugged in but those that do, I'm always wary of the quality of the power supply.

How's the quality of the unit with the Xiaomi?

You could throw a Samsung sticker on it and sell it for €850 :cool:

Every product I've tried from Xiaomi is very good quality, very similar standards to DJI, Oneplus, Oppo, and the likes of Top Shenzhen brands.

Shefwedfan · 24-11-2017 3:12pm

givecredit wrote: »

I own the Roomba 650 for a year now. Great Machine. But if I was buying now, I would definitely get the Xioami. Its the equivalent of the Roomba 980 at circa €900.
Xioami is a much more intelligent robot than 650 roomba. Xioami have taken the best of Roomba and Neato Connected and made their own device at a fraction of the cost.

I have loads of Xioami kit and it is great

It mentions on the lin Generation 1. That would be a concern or not?

Irish Gunner · 24-11-2017 3:25pm

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Hmmm Roomba or the Xiaomi?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/iRobot-Roomba-Vacuum-Cleaning-Robot/dp/B00AXJW94S/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1511517310&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=roomba&psc=1

https://www.gearbest.com/robot-vacuum/pp_440546.html?wid=21&utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=linkshare&siteID=TnL5HPStwNw-_CB85MvaGEe4CAiBigXhlA - can apparently be bought for roughly the same price as the Roomba.

How is it buying from Gearbest and customs take this is coming from China. Tempted to buy but don't want Customs to hinder my decision

mloc123 · 24-11-2017 3:30pm

We had a Roomba 770 that we bought 4-5 years ago and I sold off a few months back. Used for about 6 months, I was not very impressed.

Have newer models improved? My issues with it were... it would get stuck under the couch/armchair or it would start a cycle, clean for 10 minutes and then claim to be finished having missed most of the downstairs.

givecredit · 24-11-2017 4:56pm

Shefwedfan wrote: »

I have loads of Xioami kit and it is great

It mentions on the lin Generation 1. That would be a concern or not?

No concern. Its still 2017 model. The Gen 2 has a mob facility.

Shefwedfan · 25-11-2017 12:50pm

Irish Gunner wrote: »

How is it buying from Gearbest and customs take this is coming from China. Tempted to buy but don't want Customs to hinder my decision

I think Gearbest had way to ship direct which might mean you miss customs. Check the forum on bargain!

Shefwedfan · 25-11-2017 12:51pm

yannakis wrote: »

Got mine from aliexpress back in August, from a seller shipping from Germany. Many Chinese sites have sellers shipping from around Europe so have a look around.

If you end up buying from outside the EU, calculate VAT+handling fee of Anpost/Courier (~€20).

Just wondering how does it clean? is it like the Roomba and just bumps it way around? Thanks

givecredit · 25-11-2017 1:00pm

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Just wondering how does it clean? is it like the Roomba and just bumps it way around? Thanks

No, it maps out the room first then cleans in an orderly fashion. User uses similar technology to self drive Google car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m91rEfzp3DA

Check end of video to see it in action. ( Since this video was made, the app is now in English)

Shefwedfan · 25-11-2017 1:22pm

givecredit wrote: »

No, it maps out the room first then cleans in an orderly fashion. User uses similar technology to self drive Google car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m91rEfzp3DA

Check end of video to see it in action. ( Since this video was made, the app is now in English)

My wife will kill me if I buy one but then again she is used to me buying stuff

The small issue I see is the dust bin size. It says it has 0.42ltr. The one I had before was 0.3ltr and it would fill up very quickly

I am just wondering will it be big enough

My house is 3,000 sq ft but in reality I will block off half the house so it will be covering about 1,500 sq ft. I just wonder would it have a dust bin big enough

endacl · 25-11-2017 1:25pm

http://www.scarymommy.com/roomba-meets-pile-of-poop-jesse-newton/

Shefwedfan · 25-11-2017 1:47pm

endacl wrote: »

http://www.scarymommy.com/roomba-meets-pile-of-poop-jesse-newton/

I think that is about the 5th time I seen that posted

givecredit · 25-11-2017 3:07pm

Shefwedfan wrote: »

My wife will kill me if I buy one but then again she is used to me buying stuff

The small issue I see is the dust bin size. It says it has 0.42ltr. The one I had before was 0.3ltr and it would fill up very quickly

I am just wondering will it be big enough

My house is 3,000 sq ft but in reality I will block off half the house so it will be covering about 1,500 sq ft. I just wonder would it have a dust bin big enough

If your robot is going to be cleaning on a regular basis, realistically how much dirt will it gather on each clean?

Shefwedfan · 25-11-2017 4:39pm

givecredit wrote: »

If your robot is going to be cleaning on a regular basis, realistically how much dirt will it gather on each clean?

Have you ever seen 3 kids in action? I hoovered the sitting room yesterday, before I got to finsih the rest of the house I had to go back twice and clean up sections they had already made a mess of :P

tedpan · 25-11-2017 5:14pm

Kintar&#197 wrote: »

I don't mind cheap Chinese electronics that don't need to be permanently left plugged in but those that do, I'm always wary of the quality of the power supply.

Kintar&#197 wrote: »

How's the quality of the unit with the Xiaomi?

It's really high quality, it's built like a far more expensive machine.

Have a look at the reviews on YouTube

Xiaomi are going global at the moment with mobile phones, really impressive company.

Stoner · 26-11-2017 7:50am

tedpan wrote:

Xiaomi are going global at the moment with mobile phones, really impressive company.

Xiaomi are a top brand IMO, very smart, good battery life , well made, latest features etc

eddiem74 · 28-11-2017 8:32pm

mrcheez wrote: »

How high is it?

My Roomba can climb over my coir doormat easily which is about 3cm high

yannakis wrote: »

All good with Xiaomi too. In my previous place we had a rather tall "step" between tiles and engineered wood, and it did just fine. Sometimes I noticed on the map that it didn't go exactly straight, but it would reverse/change angle slightly/try again.

Sorry for the delay... Saddle board is similar in shape to this: https://www.woodies.ie/pre-finished-oak-saddle-board-1m-1078309

Would this be an issue or?

eddiem74 · 29-11-2017 10:29pm

Irish Gunner wrote: »

How is it buying from Gearbest and customs take this is coming from China. Tempted to buy but don't want Customs to hinder my decision

Did you figure out customs?

Shefwedfan · 30-11-2017 12:12pm

eddiem74 wrote: »

Did you figure out customs?

I asked question on Gearbest thread but no answer from them yet

jmBuildExt · 01-12-2017 11:35am

Shefwedfan wrote: »

I asked question on Gearbest thread but no answer from them yet

What's there to work out??
Customs is simple - anything over the value of $22 coming from outside the EU you should be paying duty on.
However, certain channels are more prone to enforcement than others.
So whenever you get a package into the country with a value of more than $22 you have gotten away with being charged.

With DHL I'd imagine they get the price and type of the item on collection, and they know the destination, and it automatically goes into the "process for customs" pool.

With other more public delivery methods its down to whether it randomly gets picked out by customs officials for a check.

Shefwedfan · 02-12-2017 6:10pm

jmBuildExt wrote: »

What's there to work out??
Customs is simple - anything over the value of $22 coming from outside the EU you should be paying duty on.
However, certain channels are more prone to enforcement than others.
So whenever you get a package into the country with a value of more than $22 you have gotten away with being charged.

With DHL I'd imagine they get the price and type of the item on collection, and they know the destination, and it automatically goes into the "process for customs" pool.

With other more public delivery methods its down to whether it randomly gets picked out by customs officials for a check.

Gearbest seemingly offer a shipping method on some items that is quicker and less risky for customs.....I was asking to confirm if that method available for the hoover

Shefwedfan · 20-12-2017 2:24pm

Roomba on special from Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0182G4BO4/ref=pe_3090231_230866191_pd_h1_t

Irish Gunner · 21-12-2017 2:02pm

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Roomba on special from Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0182G4BO4/ref=pe_3090231_230866191_pd_h1_t

Seems to be basic model and just as cheap as elsewhere so going to hold of on purchasing this

Still tempted by the Xiaomi but just cannot justify the price yet

Shefwedfan · 21-12-2017 2:04pm

Irish Gunner wrote: »

Seems to be basic model and just as cheap as elsewhere so going to hold of on purchasing this

Still tempted by the Xiaomi but just cannot justify the price yet

Same here, I would buy tomorrow but gearbest only seem to supply at decent price

SpannerMonkey · 21-12-2017 2:17pm

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Roomba on special from Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0182G4BO4/ref=pe_3090231_230866191_pd_h1_t

thats not really a good deal at all £230 = €260 , especially considering there are better models available at that price . here is the same model for €60 less at €199 https://www.myrobotcenter.eu/en/irobot-roomba-605

i recently bought an Irobot Braava 390t mop from them and its a fantastic bit of kit and they were very good to deal with

Dardania · 21-12-2017 2:49pm

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Roomba on special from Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0182G4BO4/ref=pe_3090231_230866191_pd_h1_t

thats not really a good deal at all £230 = €260 , especially considering there are better models available at that price . here is the same model for €60 less at €199 https://www.myrobotcenter.eu/en/irobot-roomba-605

i recently bought an Irobot Braava 390t mop from them and its a fantastic bit of kit and they were very good to deal with

Interesting about the mop...next item for me.

With myrobotcenter.eu, can't say I had a good experience with them when buying Roomba a few months ago. They disputed whether I had paid or not, were very difficult to get in touch with, opening many support tickets with many people rather than dealing with queries - overall a 1 week delivery took about 3 with a lot of grief. Maybe I was a once off...

SpannerMonkey · 24-12-2017 9:48pm

Dardania wrote: »

Interesting about the mop...next item for me.

With myrobotcenter.eu, can't say I had a good experience with them when buying Roomba a few months ago. They disputed whether I had paid or not, were very difficult to get in touch with, opening many support tickets with many people rather than dealing with queries - overall a 1 week delivery took about 3 with a lot of grief. Maybe I was a once off...

maybe i was just lucky . i asked could i buy from their uk site to get a uk plug and they responded immediately saying they would add one to my order which they did . and it shipped out the next day . delivery was slow though about 10-12 days but other than that cant fault them . especially considering their prices

Shefwedfan · 20-03-2018 11:08am

Sorry to pull this back up, I am still looking for Robo Hoover

I seen the Neato D85 and the D5 connected. The D5 is about 80 quid more and wondering do you need the app?

Anyone any experience?

Can you set the D85 timer etc?

Roomba or equivalent?

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