Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Hi all,

Believe it or not, Roomba has already reached the five-year mark. How time flies.  I've attached a link to an article regarding improvements that will make the Roomba sturdier and allow the little machine to deal with tassels on carpets and elecrical cords that may be lying about.  (Something I'd never considered.)

Per the article, 2,000,000 Roombas have been sold so far.  However there appears to be some question as to how well they survive daily use, which really would be the best way to employ them.  Models prior the new 500 series had only about a 150 hour lifetime.  A company head claims that this gadget in its newest form will be able to put in an hour a day everyday for three to five years.  I wanna see this.

Try out the link -- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_on_hi_te/techbit_robo_vac_redesign_2

Best,

Venson

Venson wrote:

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Hi Venson,

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Have you seen this new Roomba demonstrated on HSN yet?  It’s an amazing sucker, it is shown to out-suck a 5hp ”Ridgid” shop vac per the Roomba rep's demo.  It amazes me to see how HSN goes along with carnival type selling on their network.

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Video clip - watch an amazing stick vac and the "inventor" claiming it has "The power of an upright and light as a flashlight."

Video clip - a 5hp shop vac vs. Roomba.  A little past half way on the clip is the shop vac vs. Roomba.

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DIB

CNBC’s “Business Nation” series has a piece on the founder and inventor of iRobot/Roomba.  This show typically repeats for one month, before a new show replaces it.        DIB

Apparently, the iRobot vacuums have "spooked " many of the household pets who view the intruder as an univited and disruptive guest on their turf.  The company explains on its web site what owners and users of iRobots can do to ameliorate the condition. 

Carmine D.

Terrorizing our pets is not a good feature.        DIB

DysonInventsBig wrote:

Hello DIB:

Like the gawdawful ratcheting noise in the dyson DC07 and 14.  Whenever I took it out, my dear Wife and my English lab left the house.  Drove them crazy.  They couldn't stand to hear that noise.  My lab gets use to most new things: The big screen TV, the oscillating tower fan, the grands daughters, etc.  Loves the ORECK.  And the Kruz, which is gone now.  Don't know yet about the iRobot, haven't tried one in the house/garage.  On my list!

Interesting to read the remedies posted by iRobot for pets.  Obviously iRobot is sensitive to the household 4 legged members and wants the owners to know it.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
Sounds like Oreck has gone to the dogs.

HARDSELL wrote:

Hello HARDSELL:

More correctly, ORECK is the top dog!

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

Carmine,

Your “ratcheting” stories are legendary here.        DIB

DysonInventsBig wrote:

DIB:

And so are my comments about the puny dyson brush bars in these models.  And my noting of the absolutely ridiculous u bend airway on the DC07 that constantly fell off when people pressed the tab with their feet thinking it was the handle release.  Dyson, in its infinite wisdom, did not show users how to attach it.  Not even mentioned in the 50 page Users Guide.  Took the BEST BUY staff 20 minutes and they still couldn't do it.  After I suffered long enough with their ineptitude, I showed them.  One was a sales supervisor with years of experience.

I more likely accomplished perhaps what all the 450 dyson engineers and a swat team of designers could not:  The discontinuance of these dyson models and the scrubbing of the ridiculous clutch/brushbar on all the later dyson models.  Constructive criticism is good.  Even when I have to pound away at it for years before it is heeded. 

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

Dyson is a modern vacuum meant to be used by intelligent people.  It is too advanced for the likes of you.  I bet you also balked at the auto transmission in vehicles, TV and air conditioning.