Hi;

I ordered the scooba I380 from the website today. They list them for
450 and they throw in a roomba 4000 for a bonus. I paid an extra 100
and instead of the roomba 4000, they sent me the roomba with the
scheduler. It is supposed to be a much nicer model. Any thoughts or
recommendations? Should I have paid the extra 100 dollars? If you have
a scooba / roomba, How do you like it? is it worth the money?

My house is about 1700 square feet and I have hard wood floors through
out. I dont even have throw rugs. I do have about a 1/2 inch high
transition going from the hard wood in the dining room to the linoleum
in the kitchen. Will the unit be able to cross that?

Thanks for any advice
Pat

I have one and have used it often in the past three years. I have both
carpet and tiled floors It can get it's little self up on the throw rugs
with no problems. A couple months ago it began running in circles. All the
time. I got in touch with the company and they send me a thingy I attached
with no problem to reprogram the machine. I mailed it back after a week or
so and have no problems since.

--



BetsyB



"komobu" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi;

I ordered the scooba I380 from the website today. They list them for
450 and they throw in a roomba 4000 for a bonus. I paid an extra 100
and instead of the roomba 4000, they sent me the roomba with the
scheduler. It is supposed to be a much nicer model. Any thoughts or
recommendations? Should I have paid the extra 100 dollars? If you have
a scooba / roomba, How do you like it? is it worth the money?

My house is about 1700 square feet and I have hard wood floors through
out. I dont even have throw rugs. I do have about a 1/2 inch high
transition going from the hard wood in the dining room to the linoleum
in the kitchen. Will the unit be able to cross that?

Thanks for any advice
Pat

On Jun 6, 5:14 pm, komobu wrote:
Hi;

I ordered the scooba I380 from the website today. They list them for
450 and they throw in a roomba 4000 for a bonus. I paid an extra 100
and instead of the roomba 4000, they sent me the roomba with the
scheduler. It is supposed to be a much nicer model. Any thoughts or
recommendations? Should I have paid the extra 100 dollars? If you have
a scooba / roomba, How do you like it? is it worth the money?

My house is about 1700 square feet and I have hard wood floors through
out. I dont even have throw rugs. I do have about a 1/2 inch high
transition going from the hard wood in the dining room to the linoleum
in the kitchen. Will the unit be able to cross that?

Isn't it usually wiser to ask these questions BEFORE you purchase a
product?

Isn't it usually wiser to ask these questions BEFORE you purchase a
product?

Welcome to alt.home.repair, you must be new here.

Isn't it usually wiser to ask these questions BEFORE you purchase a
product?

LOL...as far as the room transition goes, I can live with it either
way. If I need to, I will do each room on different days. The main
reason for the post is that I have 30 days to return it for a full
refund. So if I hear that there is basically no difference between the
old model and the new, I will return it and purchase the old model
because it is 200 dollars cheaper.

Take Care
Pat

Keep us posted on how this works for you. I often wondered are these useful
devices, or simply a waste. Seems like yo may be happy with it. I have
hardwood floors and maybe this would be a reasonable approach to keeping
these clean of surface dirt?

"komobu" wrote in message
oups.com...

Isn't it usually wiser to ask these questions BEFORE you purchase a
product?

LOL...as far as the room transition goes, I can live with it either
way. If I need to, I will do each room on different days. The main
reason for the post is that I have 30 days to return it for a full
refund. So if I hear that there is basically no difference between the
old model and the new, I will return it and purchase the old model
because it is 200 dollars cheaper.

Take Care
Pat

"Jacque Asse" wrote in message
news:fGEai.1345$wL5.1123@trndny04...
Keep us posted on how this works for you. I often wondered are these
useful devices, or simply a waste. Seems like yo may be happy with it.
I have hardwood floors and maybe this would be a reasonable approach to
keeping these clean of surface dirt?

I second Jacque's post. Definitely tell us how you like it. I've always
sort of wanted one, but have been suspicious that they can't possibly work
well enough to justify the price. So report back, if you would. Enquiring
minds, and all that.

Donna

I have one. It does a reasonable job picking up dog hair on hardwood
and vinyl floors. I do one space at a time, taking out the kitchen or
dining room chairs so it can move around freely. I don't use the scheduler.
Liz

Jacque Asse wrote:
Keep us posted on how this works for you. I often wondered are these useful
devices, or simply a waste. Seems like yo may be happy with it. I have
hardwood floors and maybe this would be a reasonable approach to keeping
these clean of surface dirt?

"komobu" wrote in message
oups.com...
Isn't it usually wiser to ask these questions BEFORE you purchase a
product?
LOL...as far as the room transition goes, I can live with it either
way. If I need to, I will do each room on different days. The main
reason for the post is that I have 30 days to return it for a full
refund. So if I hear that there is basically no difference between the
old model and the new, I will return it and purchase the old model
because it is 200 dollars cheaper.

Take Care
Pat

Liz Megerle wrote in
news:tASai.311$hp5.163@trndny05:

I have one. It does a reasonable job picking up dog hair on hardwood
and vinyl floors. I do one space at a time, taking out the kitchen or
dining room chairs so it can move around freely. I don't use the
scheduler. Liz

Jacque Asse wrote:
Keep us posted on how this works for you. I often wondered are these
useful devices, or simply a waste. Seems like yo may be happy with
it. I have hardwood floors and maybe this would be a reasonable
approach to keeping these clean of surface dirt?

"komobu" wrote in message
oups.com...
Isn't it usually wiser to ask these questions BEFORE you purchase a
product?
LOL...as far as the room transition goes, I can live with it either
way. If I need to, I will do each room on different days. The main
reason for the post is that I have 30 days to return it for a full
refund. So if I hear that there is basically no difference between
the old model and the new, I will return it and purchase the old
model because it is 200 dollars cheaper.

Take Care
Pat






I have had the discovery, the cheap one, for about a year at this point and
for someone adverse to housework it has been great. I do have to de-clutter
the room to remove any traps for the robot, things like shoes or bed covers
hanging onto the floor. It takes 2 minutes to clear stuff max. and then I
can let the vac go. It is kind of like dealing with kids in that you listen
with half an ear and if you hear something that you shouldn't you go and
investigate, but generally it does a very nice job of cleaning carpets and
vinyl floors. It does not have a large dirt cup, but is so easy that I just
run it everyday so there is not as much dirt to collect

Since I do not have to actively vacuum, time is not a problem as I do other
things while it is running. Overall I would certainly get one again as it
was less than an upright vac and does as well at cleaning (making up for
lessor deep cleaning by doing it much more often) and since it is very easy
to do, I tend not to put it off.

Just my two cents.

I have one. It does a reasonable job picking up dog hair on hardwood
and vinyl floors. I do one space at a time, taking out the kitchen or
dining room chairs so it can move around freely. I don't use the
scheduler. Liz

I recently got a Roomba DirtDog robotic sweeper from Fry's for $90, shipping
included. Very impressive. Clearly this is an evolutionary product. It's
not a vacuum, like other Roombas, more like a mechanical carpet sweeper.
It's meant for concrete workshop floors and picking up spilled nuts, screws
and nails. It worked so well I took it upstairs to do the hardware floor,
kitchen tile and pretty flat carpet. I've got two dogs that love to shred
paper and plastic and wood and rope and wire and well you get the idea! The
DirtDog picked up after them the way only a powerful vacuum with a beater
brush could. And with no effort from me! I'll bet it consumed 1/100 the
power of an average powerbrush vacuum as well. Sleek, smart and
eco-friendly!

They've got a spinning corner "whip" brush that does an adequate (although
not
spectacular) job of get stuff of corners. The next version needs at least
one on the other side, if not two or three more little. It swept up cloth
swatches, peanut
shells, bottle caps, tissues, dog kibble, tons of dog hair and other debris
without incident. Choked on a whole paper towel, though.

NiMH quick charging battery pack, a much larger bin than the first units I
saw, cliff sensors, status beeps, very interestingly designed spring-loaded
wheels, each with their own motor. Has a bad tendency to crawl under things
and die, though. I had to fish it out from under the bed where it was
copulating in one shuddering frenzy with a pair of shorts that it had pushed
under the bed. It beeps mournfully when it's in trouble, but eventually it
just powers down and you have to hunt it down.

The dogs just love it because it "bumps" them and "runs away" and steals
food from them as it sweeps up around their dog bowls. They don't want it
when it's lying there, but when the DirtDog goes after the spillage, they
assert their ownership!

It can sweep up 1/4-20 bolts and nuts with ease. The brushes take up the
kind of stuff that nothing short of a multi-HP shopvac will retrieve. The
bin's too small to suck up mounds of saw dust but it does a pretty good job
of clearing wire scraps, nails, staples, screws and nuts. Unlike the brush
attachments for the B&D battery powered upright I have, it doesn't get all
bogged down on pieces of phone wire or twist'ems. They do get wrapped
around the brush drum and it seems after five or six scraps of phone wire it
really bogged down, but that's actually pretty good compared to other
powered roller brushes I've used that gag on just one scrap of wire.

It does need cleaning almost every time but that's OK since it saves a lot
of time otherwise and the small bin encourages me to dump the contents in a
small tray to make sure no diamond earrings or other valuables get swept
away.

I didn't get the electronic fence or the home base recharger but if it
survives more than a month, I think I will. It works on carpet, too, but
not anything very deep. I was astounded at how much dog hair it beat out of
the living room carpet. The dogs don't know what to make of it, because if
they get too close, the little rotating corner whip brush bops them on the
nose. It's hysterical because after bouncing back and forth with them for a
while, it will appear to take straight off after one of them. It's worth it
just for the entertainment value.

It's pretty noisy but that's not a big issue. The weakest part is how it
handles the corners. Ten years from now it will come mounted with a robotic
vision system that will go after every last bit of dirt but for now, it will
do, especially at a price under $100. When they first came out I didn't
think they were worth the steep price but this little gem is going to get a
brother soon because I want to have one per floor.

It's astounding how much dog hair it beats out of the carpet on each
cleaning run. I think it's actually collecting dark matter from a parallel
universe because it beats out dirt that the upright Hoover doesn't appear to
be able to capture. Each time I empty the bin I ask myself "where is this
coming from?" It's a cleaning machine, for sure. I think it's the cleaner
to own, and not the vacuum version.

Best part? It cleans under the bed without moving it!!

Worst part? It pushes slippers waaaay under the bed if you don't pick them
up beforehand.

No financial interest but I am thinking of opening up a robot store. This
might be Roomba's home run. Not many other cleaners, even human guided, can
pick up the variety of junk it can capture nor give a *very* short pile
carpet the kind of "beating" clean that the DirtDog does. I've paid
cleaning services more for just one visit and the floors looked equally
clean on each occasion.

--
Bobby G.

Donna wrote:
"Jacque Asse" wrote in message
news:fGEai.1345$wL5.1123@trndny04...
Keep us posted on how this works for you. I often wondered are these
useful devices, or simply a waste. Seems like yo may be happy with it.
I have hardwood floors and maybe this would be a reasonable approach to
keeping these clean of surface dirt?

I second Jacque's post. Definitely tell us how you like it. I've always
sort of wanted one, but have been suspicious that they can't possibly work
well enough to justify the price. So report back, if you would.
Enquiring minds, and all that.

I don't understand the popularity of these devices. How do they vacuum
ledges, door jambs, skirtings and furnishings? if they only do half a job
and one has to resort to other means to clean those areas then one may as
well get a vacuum out with attachments in the first place, the floor takes
no time at all anyway with a decent vacuum as long as it's a clutter free
floor.

This may come as a shock, but a lot of us don't vacuum ledges, jambs,
skirtings, and furnishings every time. I agree that you still need
another vacuum to do deep cleaning on a regular basis, but it sure is
nice having a Roomba to keep the floors nice in the meantime.

Jo Ann


I don't understand the popularity of these devices. How do they vacuum
ledges, door jambs, skirtings and furnishings? if they only do half a job
and one has to resort to other means to clean those areas then one may as
well get a vacuum out with attachments in the first place, the floor takes
no time at all anyway with a decent vacuum as long as it's a clutter free
floor.

This may come as a shock, but a lot of us don't vacuum ledges, jambs,
skirtings, and furnishings every time. I agree that you still need
another vacuum to do deep cleaning on a regular basis, but it sure is
nice having a Roomba to keep the floors nice in the meantime.

Jo Ann
It doesn't come as a shock dear, I am well aware that there are plenty in
this world with no pride in their homes.

It doesn't come as a shock dear, I am well aware that there are plenty in
this world with no pride in their homes.

There's a fine line between taking pride in a home and an OCD.

On Jun 13, 11:33 am, wrote:
It doesn't come as a shock dear, I am well aware that there are plenty in
this world with no pride in their homes.

There's a fine line between taking pride in a home and an OCD.

I agree -- not to mention having nothing better to do with your time.

Larry Bud wrote:
On Jun 6, 5:14 pm, komobu wrote:

Hi;

I ordered the scooba I380 from the website today. They list them for
450 and they throw in a roomba 4000 for a bonus. I paid an extra 100
and instead of the roomba 4000, they sent me the roomba with the
scheduler. It is supposed to be a much nicer model. Any thoughts or
recommendations? Should I have paid the extra 100 dollars? If you have
a scooba / roomba, How do you like it? is it worth the money?

My house is about 1700 square feet and I have hard wood floors through
out. I dont even have throw rugs. I do have about a 1/2 inch high
transition going from the hard wood in the dining room to the linoleum
in the kitchen. Will the unit be able to cross that?


Isn't it usually wiser to ask these questions BEFORE you purchase a
product?




Poisonally, I thought SNL's Woomba robot sketch was a real hoot:

http://www.slashdong.org/movies/woomba.avi

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

Jeff,

The Woomba avi was outrageous!! Thanks for the link.

73's,

Smarty


"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...
Larry Bud wrote:
On Jun 6, 5:14 pm, komobu wrote:

Hi;

I ordered the scooba I380 from the website today. They list them for
450 and they throw in a roomba 4000 for a bonus. I paid an extra 100
and instead of the roomba 4000, they sent me the roomba with the
scheduler. It is supposed to be a much nicer model. Any thoughts or
recommendations? Should I have paid the extra 100 dollars? If you have
a scooba / roomba, How do you like it? is it worth the money?

My house is about 1700 square feet and I have hard wood floors through
out. I dont even have throw rugs. I do have about a 1/2 inch high
transition going from the hard wood in the dining room to the linoleum
in the kitchen. Will the unit be able to cross that?


Isn't it usually wiser to ask these questions BEFORE you purchase a
product?




Poisonally, I thought SNL's Woomba robot sketch was a real hoot:

http://www.slashdong.org/movies/woomba.avi

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.