Vacuums are old. Roombas are old. So who cares about a Roomba? When the latter can finally kick the former to the tech trash pile, we care. The dream of having a robot (effectively!) be my personal maid is alive.
Pluses
If you can afford it, the Roomba 770 is probably a viable replacement for whatever mid-range upright vacuum you’ve got in your closet. New guts and HEPA filters deliver improved suckage, while a double capacity bin holds more crap and an IR-beam scouts out dust bunnies and other grime like the Terminator. Not phased by stairs or corners, and it has an improved package of sensors that’ll let it adapt to your room as furniture (or feet) move around. And most importantly, it cleans the hell out of your floor, methodically, and effectively. While you’re doing other stuff. Wood, carpet, and tile were all sucked clean in my apartment, whether covered with hair, dust, popcorn, or other gross, um, nuggets.
Minuses
The Roomba 770 is $US500. There are upright vacs that cost more, but the premium you’re paying here is for robo-autonomy. And sometimes, that autonomy is a little quirky. Whether it’s a fit of IR-detection OCD or just a bad programming, the Roomba occasionally finds itself fixated on a certain part of your room. It can be annoying. You want to move it. Or kick it. MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE, ROOMBA. PLEASE. There are rare moments at which you wish you could just manually control the damn thing – you know, like a vacuum cleaner that isn’t a robot.
It’s great, not perfect. [iRobot]
Aaron
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 10:23 AMAnyone know when I can get one in Australia?
Leigh
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 11:28 AMI’m gonna go with *maybe* in 12 months time.
But you can rest assured that you’ll be paying a healthy premium, I figure you won’t get any change from 800 bucks.
Ordering from the states is the way to go, you can get the power supply modified for 240v or purchase one through the local supplier (again, for a healthy premium)
Bastards.
Craig
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 2:23 PMThey are available:
http://www.roomba.com.au/
But they don’t have all the models available in the US and *sigh* they’re twice the price.
Swift
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 2:56 PMhttps://salton.com.au/products/index.html?offset=30
They appear to be the Australian reseller, but they dont have this model, so as Leigh said probably another 12 months.
Also you will be paying a high premium.
Best to buy from the US, just grab a new power brick, it would use the same dc Australian to US.
GG
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 10:52 PMI would like to see “cleanmate” come to Australia, its half the price and does twice as good a job with a built in UV light that kills bacteria and dust mites, and a fragrance poofer
Paul
Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 12:13 AMI buy all my Roomba’s from this guy, hasn’t updated the site for a while, but can get them in from the USA – http://www.donesold.com.au
Matt
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 1:29 PMShame to see that Aussie retailers continue to rip off the local market with massive mark-ups… Otherwise I’d buy one today!
anne
Friday, June 3, 2011 at 12:14 PMI enquired through the irobot australian retailer, and they will be available in aus in November. I am going to buy one from the US and get a new power supply. Watch out for the dodgy ebay sellers who don’t include everything that comes with the product if you buy it from a legit supplier.