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I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

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Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#11

Post by drakonka »

jspash wrote: post #4

I'm still in the cynic camp for a few reasons. 1. My flat is small. I can do a decent vac in about 15 minutes. 30 minutes if I do under the bed. 2. When I do the "big vac", I have to move 6 dining room chairs. Then shift the table a few inches. Zoom. Shift if back. Same goes for some other legged furniture. 3. I also do the windowsills. No bot can do this. 4. Don't you end up with little arched dust patterns in every…

I have a Roomba s9 and a Dyon v10 in a 48sqm apartment. The Roomba does not replace the Dyson, but in terms of floors the Dyson is mostly reserved for spot-cleaning. The S9 gets all the edges, and goes around each table and chair leg (though I prefer to put the chairs up on the table for easier reach).

The only thing I hate is that it gets stuff trapped in there so easily. It is meant to have some sort of anti-cord-catching technology, but unless I am very careful I will find it eating a charger or a cat toy or something. It also takes longer than my handheld vacuum, but I don't mind that - often I just quickly pick things up before I run out to the store and let it run as I leave, and then come home to a vacuumed apartment.

My cats also prefer the Roomba even though the noise is comparable. They hide from the Dyson, but couldn't give a crap about the robot running around.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#12

Post by sigwinch28 »

jspash wrote: post #4

I'm still in the cynic camp for a few reasons. 1. My flat is small. I can do a decent vac in about 15 minutes. 30 minutes if I do under the bed. 2. When I do the "big vac", I have to move 6 dining room chairs. Then shift the table a few inches. Zoom. Shift if back. Same goes for some other legged furniture. 3. I also do the windowsills. No bot can do this. 4. Don't you end up with little arched dust patterns in every…

My housemate and I have the exact same vacuum as OP: a Eufy Robovac 30C.

1) It runs around our flat which I think we could vacuum well in about 15-20 minutes, perhaps similar to yours in size.

2) The vacuum happily bumbles around under our table and chairs and it seems to do a pretty good job. If we want it to clean where the chairlegs are, we just move the chairs against the wall the night before and move them back the following evening when we get back from work.

3) I feel like this is a cheap shot: it doesn't clean bathtubs or toilet bowls either (and like windowsills, it doesn't advertise to clean those, either).

4) No. It may be round, but it has two rotating brushes placed towards the front which get dust and crumbs out of corners, but the brush/vacuum portion itself does not reach right to the edges of the machine, so you're unlikely to get deep cleaning on the edges of carpets.

Overall I'm very impressed with it: it consistently comes back with a lot of dust and crumbs in its bin (we run it Mon, Wed, Fri), replacement parts (e.g. brushes) are cheap from the usual suspects in China, the edge cleaning is more intelligent than discussed by the linked article, and the floor under our sofa (a heavy 3-seater) has never been so consistently dust-free.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#13

Post by distances »

Tade0 wrote: post #7
jspash wrote: post #4

I'm still in the cynic camp for a few reasons. 1. My flat is small. I can do a decent vac in about 15 minutes. 30 minutes if I do under the bed. 2. When I do the "big vac", I have to move 6 dining room chairs. Then shift the table a few inches. Zoom. Shift if back. Same goes for some other legged furniture. 3. I also do the windowsills. No bot can do this. 4. Don't you end up with little arched dust patterns in every…

They have a brush. I've found that while it doesn't do a lot of what a human would, it can do it daily . In my case the time savings made it pay for itself in half a year.

> I've found that while it doesn't do a lot of what a human would, it can do it daily. In my case the time savings made it pay for itself in half a year.

My home has pretty high thresholds/doorsteps (what are they even called?), and the robot always gets stuck. Thus, we clean together once a week: it does the vacuuming, and I clean the bathroom, kitchen etc and help it go where it wants.

This kinda works, but I wonder if there are models specifically with higher clearing for getting over bigger obstacles?

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#14

Post by aasasd »

I bought a robotic vacuum more out of curiosity and to see if I should buy one as a gift for my parents. Just one of the cheapest models that still had good reviews.

It turned out that all deficiencies of such a vacuum are offset by its basic function: it keeps the apartment clean each day, every day. Dirty corners? Weak suction? Small container? Somewhat noisy? Not too smart? Gets stuck sometimes? I need to clean hairs out of the rotating brush? I still have to mop the place? Pffft, none of this matters when the carpet and the kitchen are dust-free every day without me doing the vacuuming. If it misses a spot today, it will get it tomorrow. After a few runs the floor is indeed cleaner than it ever was, and stays that way. No rogue crumbs stuck to my feet before the cleanup day. Still managed to find something unpleasant on the floor? Just give the robot a bit of work right here. It's like SSDs after HDDs: you have to worry about having backups, but it'll be amazing in the meantime.

Rather prophetically, the cheap production has shown itself when something got cooked in the electronic insides and the vac entered the eternity of ‘error 03’.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#15

Post by scandinavegan »

Tade0 wrote: post #7
jspash wrote: post #4

I'm still in the cynic camp for a few reasons. 1. My flat is small. I can do a decent vac in about 15 minutes. 30 minutes if I do under the bed. 2. When I do the "big vac", I have to move 6 dining room chairs. Then shift the table a few inches. Zoom. Shift if back. Same goes for some other legged furniture. 3. I also do the windowsills. No bot can do this. 4. Don't you end up with little arched dust patterns in every…

They have a brush. I've found that while it doesn't do a lot of what a human would, it can do it daily . In my case the time savings made it pay for itself in half a year.

Also at the same time as you're doing something else. I often run the roomba as I clean other stuff or do the dishes when I prepare for a visitor. If you run it daily or every other day, the first couple of days it's full of dust and hair, then less and less. I view this as evidence that it's needed.

I don't dare keep it on a schedule nowadays, because I have kids who leave stuff on the floor everywhere, including charging cables for phones that can get tangled up in the roomba. What I usually do is a quick check under the couch and tv bench, then start it manually when I leave for work.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#16

Post by KarlKemp »

I’m immediately put off by the second ‘graphs being fully devoted to publicly putting his girlfriend in her place?

We learn it’s „impulsive“ for her to make spending decisions (for him it would have been „decisive“, probably, given the good opportunity and how quick he is to think on his feet). He even moans about being „incapable of being upset“, as if it would be entirely normal, nay expected, to be upset about one‘s spouse making a sub-$200 spending decision.

Then he decides to „keep her“, as if it’s entirely his choice.

Yes, sure, somewhat outdated role models by themselves are somewhat benign, and probably too widespread to really get upset about. But this just stood out for me, somehow. Try reading it with reversed roles if you did not notice.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#17

Post by misnome »

jspash wrote: post #4

I'm still in the cynic camp for a few reasons. 1. My flat is small. I can do a decent vac in about 15 minutes. 30 minutes if I do under the bed. 2. When I do the "big vac", I have to move 6 dining room chairs. Then shift the table a few inches. Zoom. Shift if back. Same goes for some other legged furniture. 3. I also do the windowsills. No bot can do this. 4. Don't you end up with little arched dust patterns in every…

It doesn't 100% remove the need for a manual clean/vacuum completely, you still have to run over the places it doesn't get - occasionally - and yes obviously it doesn't do raised surfaces, windowsills, stairs or the upper corners of the ceiling... and obviously how much benefit you get depends on your home layout.

We've the exact same model as the article, bought on a sale last year for ~£180, and have been incredibly satisfied. The difference between a once a week/fortnight deeper clean and having it run over every day (before we get up!) has been incredibly obvious. It has also added an... incentive to avoid floor clutter.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#18

Post by gambiting »

KarlKemp wrote: post #16

I’m immediately put off by the second ‘graphs being fully devoted to publicly putting his girlfriend in her place? We learn it’s „impulsive“ for her to make spending decisions (for him it would have been „decisive“, probably, given the good opportunity and how quick he is to think on his feet). He even moans about being „incapable of being upset“, as if it would be entirely normal, nay expected , to be upset about on…

Or you know, it's tongue in cheek. Relationships are not formal, both me and my wife say things to each other which might look "off" without context, but obviously are absolutely fine. You read about a slice of someone's life and try to find issues with what you're reading, you're always going to find them.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#19

Post by [deleted] »

chewxy wrote: post #8

A good way to explore the algorithms of the robot is to set it out to run in the night. At the entrance of the room, set a high obstruction. Set up a tripod. Take long exposure photos every minute or so. Then turn on the lights/wait till day time. Take another photo. Overlay the photos in an editor program. Spot the missing areas. EDIT: here are some examples by other people: https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robot…

[deleted]

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#20

Post by rubidium »

My in-laws just got one for their lake house, and it’s been equally fun to watch.

It’s the perfect thing for there because the last thing you want to do after a relaxing weekend at the lake is vacuum. Just hit go before leaving and you’re set.

Now I’m curious about the lawn ones. Anyone have any experience to share?

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