The Roomba Saga

I finally got tired of the dog hair around our house, so I decided to purchase a Roomba. I purchased the Roomba 560 as it had a number of features that I liked and with the 20% off coupon at Linens N Things, it was $280. At the same time, they had the Scooba 5800 on sale for $250 and with the 20% off coupon, it was $200. I was pleased that we had a chance at clean floors; nether my wife nor I like to clean, but like to have the house clean which creates a problem.The Roomba started making funny noises and the Scooba stopped charging, so I took them back and exchanged them. The next set worked better, but I soon learned that the virtual walls of the Roomba 560 were not compatible with the Scooba, so I’d have to buy extra walls for BOTH devices as we have a large area that I need to clean in sections. Even if cost were not an object (extra virtual walls are about $30 a piece), having 2 sets was not realistic.So, I returned the Roomba and ordered the Roomba 416 direct from iRobot as it was $200 + tax with free shipping (Linens N Things had it for $200 – 20%). iRobot had a special where I’d get a free accessory kit that included 6 replacement filters, a set of replacement brushes, a remote control and another virtual wall. This time, however, the virtual walls of the Roomba and Scooba could be interchanged. The Roomba arrived today and while I didn’t get the remote control, I did end up with an extra virtual wall. So, I now have 5 virtual walls that work with both devices. I like the Scooba and it is doing a decent job; the Roomba seemed to do an acceptable job, but unlike the 500 series, it really bangs into walls. I’ll keep putting both devices through their paces and hopefully I’ll be pleased with my purchase.

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