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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)

#61

Post by miked85 »

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #57
klingonopera wrote: post #49

> " Dammit, Amazon, it's so hard to quit you. " What? I'm not even in the US, but DDG'ing the "Eufy RoboVac 30" brings me straight to the manufacturer's website, where it's even $40 cheaper. Why give "Lord Bezos" a piece of the cake, when he doesn't even need to have one? Maybe it wasn't so at the time of writing, but I have a weird feeling it's en vogue to claim to be against Amazon, but to then find some half-assed…

When I buy something off another site… - Will I have to register an account? Will I have to take time unsubscribing from the email lists they sign me up for? - Will the checkout form work? Will it be secure? Will it be a single page, or will there be separate pages of shipping info, billing info, payment method, confirmation of sale, and receipt? - Will any of those pages be broken, forcing me to start over? - When w…

You do have the real possibility of receiving a counterfeit item from Amazon though, which you do not have directly from the manufacturer.

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

#62

Post by amelius »

klingonopera wrote: post #49

> " Dammit, Amazon, it's so hard to quit you. " What? I'm not even in the US, but DDG'ing the "Eufy RoboVac 30" brings me straight to the manufacturer's website, where it's even $40 cheaper. Why give "Lord Bezos" a piece of the cake, when he doesn't even need to have one? Maybe it wasn't so at the time of writing, but I have a weird feeling it's en vogue to claim to be against Amazon, but to then find some half-assed…

I guess you should read kaskavalci's comment for a good reason to still buy from Amazon.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22592661

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

#63

Post by aasasd »

raducu wrote: post #50
aasasd wrote: post #14

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 ha…

I don't like the cleaning I have to do before I let the robot loose -- pick up toys; I could vacuum much faster than the robot does and without heavy lifting of items in my crowded flat. But I usually don't vacuum, so overall I'm satisfied with my roborock.

I don't know your particular setup, of course—but personally I quickly stopped worrying that the floor is occupied by something—unless it's small enough to be gobbled by the vac. The reason being, even if it's there today, I'll probably move it tomorrow or in a few days, and the robot will clean the spot after that. I guess someone could even split out a corner for toys with those infrared divisors, and occasionally let the robot loose in there manually.

Might be an application for more advanced computer vision in vacuums—to figure out which things are not to be sucked up. Though it smells of generic AI.

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

#64

Post by klingonopera »

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #57
klingonopera wrote: post #49

> " Dammit, Amazon, it's so hard to quit you. " What? I'm not even in the US, but DDG'ing the "Eufy RoboVac 30" brings me straight to the manufacturer's website, where it's even $40 cheaper. Why give "Lord Bezos" a piece of the cake, when he doesn't even need to have one? Maybe it wasn't so at the time of writing, but I have a weird feeling it's en vogue to claim to be against Amazon, but to then find some half-assed…

When I buy something off another site… - Will I have to register an account? Will I have to take time unsubscribing from the email lists they sign me up for? - Will the checkout form work? Will it be secure? Will it be a single page, or will there be separate pages of shipping info, billing info, payment method, confirmation of sale, and receipt? - Will any of those pages be broken, forcing me to start over? - When w…

> "Will I have to register an account? Will I have to take time unsubscribing from the email lists they sign me up for?"

Registering an account would shoo me away too, but with PayPal and a study that showed this'll scare 75% of potential customers away, that mostly seems to be a thing of the past. Subscription lists in the EU have been greatly reduced by GDPR. Some still offend this, granted, but they are occuring less and less.

> "Will the checkout form work? Will it be secure? Will it be a single page, or will there be separate pages of shipping info, billing info, payment method, confirmation of sale, and receipt?"

The bureaucratic things you mention are governed by law here in Germany, so I needn't bother with that, for their (prolonged) existence presumes compliance. The technical security details are legit concerns in my opinion, too. OTOH, sticking to one merchant brings with it the risks of mono-cultures.

> "Will any of those pages be broken, forcing me to start over?"

Come on.

> "When will it show up? I'm not even so impatient that I need the "two day thing" (I usually pick a later date for a $1 Amazon digital credit anyway), but, when? There are nearly never estimates, and about half the remaining MIGHT send a tracking number later."

I usually can plan such purchases in advance, that a delay of even a week doesn't bother me. Parcel delivery services in Germany rarely require more than 5 working days for national shipments.

> "Other things crop up, but basically there's countless little things that can go wrong and you if you pick Amazon they _all_ go away. "

For this, I appear to have eBay. I feel they grant more autonomy to the merchant, which I believe to be actually better for the customer in the long-run. Amazon feels closer to the customer, but such a customer strategy runs the risk of a bait-and-switch to the disadvantage of the customer, once their monopoly solidifies.

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

#65

Post by Eric_WVGG »

klingonopera wrote: post #64
Eric_WVGG wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I buy something off another site… - Will I have to register an account? Will I have to take time unsubscribing from the email lists they sign me up for? - Will the checkout form work? Will it be secure? Will it be a single page, or will there be separate pages of shipping info, billing info, payment method, confirmation of sale, and receipt? - Will any of those pages be broken, forcing me to start over? - When w…

> " Will I have to register an account? Will I have to take time unsubscribing from the email lists they sign me up for?" Registering an account would shoo me away too, but with PayPal and a study that showed this'll scare 75% of potential customers away, that mostly seems to be a thing of the past. Subscription lists in the EU have been greatly reduced by GDPR. Some still offend this, granted, but they are occuring…

"Come on" what? It happens all the time.

You just countered my list with a list of "this usually doesn't happen" responses. But sometimes they do, and it adds up. And don't get me started on eBay, where about 15% of stuff I've bought has gotten lost somewhere in the void.

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

#66

Post by rini17 »

Yizahi wrote: post #46
rini17 wrote: post #25

Nobody seems to mention: How do you empty the dust compartment without stirring up the dust? My vacuum (Robzone) collects it in plastic box that is to be opened and cleaned out into trashbin with attached brush, the dust inevitably gets airborne.

You stop caring about 1% of dust escaping after a few cleanings :)

Even when it lands on me?

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

#69

Post by zepolen »

distances wrote: post #13
Tade0 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 wonde…

Just make a small ramp for it.

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

#70

Post by hyperbovine »

kaskavalci wrote: post #55

I do not trust Eufy brand anymore. We had a Eufy RoboVac and within its warranty period, battery went bust. When attached to its station, it gave some sound errors which is apparently tied to its battery. I contacted support several times, reminded their obligation for warranty period but they did nothing. They asked me to find a "certified technician" to get a report such that this malfunction was present when I mad…

iRobot is a great company. They'll sell you parts to repair your robot. The take refurbished units and sell them for educational purposes [https://www.irobot.com/about-irobot/stem/create-2], with a fully open and documented platform [https://www.irobot.lv/uploaded_files/File/iRobot_Roomba_500_...]. It's so obviously a company that started as somebody's grad school project, and remains so to this day, and I mean that in the best possible way.

As usual, a bunch of ripoff Chinese competitors will sell you a cheaper piece of shit that you'll find yourself throwing away in three years. Resist the temptation.

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