[Samurai]

Has anyone using iRobot (Roomba or Scooba) in India?

iRobot Corporation: Home Page

It is extremely hard to find household help in my area. Even the ones we get really pathetic/unprofessional and demand too much money. Actually we don't mind paying high if they do a good job, but they don't. Often we end-up doing it ourselves after they do it. In other words, I am all set to follow NRN's example and do it myself, although for a completely different reason namely Majboori.

Although I am familiar with Roomba since my days in US, I never gave it much attention. Recently an elderly couple who visited from US told us that the current generation of Roomba/Scooba work very well. It isn't too expensive, so I am wondering. Should I check them out...

Has anyone used them India, can they survive the dusty envoironment of India?

[tsk1979]

Wow!
The only concern would be what kind of detergent it would need. Will standard non foaming dishwasher detergent do or you would need to get it from US
At around 150$ the vaccum cleaning unit is a steal!

[Rehaan]

Samurai,

Ive never seen these in action, other than sitting on a shelf, but something that might interest you is that a lot of them (or is it one particular one?) comes with open source code!!

cya
R

[DerAlte]

No, Indian dust won't faze it.

The new generation, with a central controller and charging unit, makes more sense: the main problem used to be "return to base", since wheel slippage would stymie its coordinates enough not to make it to the standard outlets.

At most, one would have to worry about the voltage and socket.

[tsk1979]

So if you want both wet and dry cleaning, you have to buy 2 of those?
How easy are they to train for the map of the hose? Can't they just study the floor patterns and figure out where they are?

i was worried about service and repairs, so did not buy one when i returned. the nearest service centres are in china and singapore. its a nice product.

[Thad E Ginathom]

The worst parts of our house are the parts that such a machine could and would never reach: the corners, the half-hidden places.

Top of the list of these is behind my desk, where there is a heap of cables, sometimes half buried in dust.

Our domestic cleaner doesn't get to these either, and nor would I let here near my tangle, as much for her safety as that of my gear --- but the extension hose from an upright vacuum cleaner does.

I think one would need a very uncluttered house for a roomba to work properly.

It would be great to sit back and watch a machine doing it --- but I think that, if I had no alternative but to do it myself, I'd choose a combination of Indian and Western technology: a grass broom and a squeegee mop!

[aah78]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I think one would need a very uncluttered house for a roomba to work properly.

I've been using an earlier model Roomba vacuum robot for a few years - not in India though.
Although it does get confused by a lot of obstacles, a minor sorting of tables & chairs doesn't faze it too much.

As DerAlte mentioned, the 'return to base' feature is fairly useful, though it doesn't always work.

It works well for a tiny little thing, in dusty conditions - clears up a lot of dust but the filter needs to be cleaned regularly.

They do give you two laser / infrared blocks which prevent the Roomba going beyond certain points, eg. to prevent it falling down stairs.

[adya33]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

So if you want both wet and dry cleaning, you have to buy 2 of those?
How easy are they to train for the map of the hose? Can't they just study the floor patterns and figure out where they are?

My cousin who has used it (not in India) was telling me that you have to keep it in center of the room and it goes in spiral direction and figures out room layout.

[spadival]

Just take a print out of the Robo, show it to your maid and tell her thats gonna be her replacement.. I am sure she will be scared enough to do a better job !!

[Samurai]

Actually they will be indifferent. Around here, poor people prefer to work in sweat shop conditions for less money in factories rather than do domestic work for more money. It is prestige issue for them. Anyway, no point discussing it.

I guess the main point I need to know is whether it can work on local detergent or needs special detergent from iRobot.

[tsk1979]

The dry one does not require detergent.
As for the wet one, the special detergent thing is what is important.
If any detergent which does not create lather(eg. front opening automatic washing machine detergent, dishwasher detergent) can be used, then its a good idea.
If it requires a particular brand and nothing else will do, then its more like a useless toy.

[dadu]

They recommend their own detergents as they mention that usage of other detergents will cause electronic corrosion and slippages. Couldnt read the rest.

But I guess any low sud washing machine formula should work.

[ST7677]

I have used Roomba in India, but gave up after some time...

It is noisy, it is slow and it is random - you can;t predict where it will go, doesn;t map the room properly and often leaves few areas uncleaned.
The battery life is low, you do a room then charge again (for few hours), then do a room then charge again, or else buy multiple batteries. Hair gets tangled in the wheels. The unit went kaput after 3 months of occasional use.
Found easier & quicker to use a broom

Initially it's appealing as a toy / gadget, but not really something practical that your wife will really appreciate after a month of use...

[deepaktpatil]

Hi All,
Does anybody know where to buy a roomba in India. Rather is it available for sale in India. Any information on place to buy in Bangalore would be helpful.