iRobot 330 Scooba Floor-Washing Robot
by iRobot
 |
List Price: Our Price: $229.00 You Save: $170.99 (43%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
Product Details
Manufacturer: iRobotBrand: iRobot
Edition: Kitchen
Model: 330
Color: Blue
Publisher: iRobot
Studio: iRobot
Music Label: iRobot
Product features:
- Floor-washing robot cleans sealed hardwood, tile, linoleum, and more
- Can handle up to 250 square feet on a single battery charge
- Uses water, water and vinegar, or Clorox Scooba cleaning solution
- Preps, washes, scrubs, and dries; cliff sensor; 1 virtual wall included
- Measures 14-3/4 by 14-3/4 by 3-1/2 inches; 1-year warranty
- iRobot 12501 Looj 125 Remote Controlled Cordless Electric Gutter Cleaning Robot With Belt Clip
- CTA Digital Universal Charger
- iRobot 5950 Clorox Scooba Cleaning Solution
- CTA Digital DB-D2PK Nickel Metal Hydride General Purpose Battery - Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) - 12000mAh - 1.2V DC
Tools and Hardware Reviews of iRobot 330 Scooba Floor-Washing Robot
Customer Review: Expect it to break eventually ... but even then you have replacement option from iRobot
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're a single guy who likes gadgets and hates cleaning house, iRobot products are true blessings!
I have tiled floors downstairs in my condo and purchased a Scooba to see how it would go. I made my purchase on eBay. This was a big mistake. It was advertised as "new, not a refurb" but I suspected otherwise because the serial number sticker was missing when I received and opened the box ... that was the chance I took by buying it at a discount, right? Well, the missing serial number turned out to be a problem because after 1 month of heavy use, it had electrical problems and I didn't have a serial number for warranty coverage. Read on, there is a happy ending here:
Despite what other reviewers said about iRobot's support, I had no problem reaching them and you shouldn't too, if you don't mind being put on hold for about five to ten minutes (hint, doing something else while using a cell phone headset during non-peak hours ... you can call them on Saturdays). I got through on three separate occasions. First time, they provided some suggestions to fix my unit ... didn't work. Second time, upon my asking of their out-of-warranty repair services (there aren't any through them, but you can google some repair services), iRobot responded with an offer for an out-of-warranty exchange: $179 + S&H + tax. Third time, I called back to accept offer. All three calls I did were through their normal tech-support phone routing.
IRobot's out-of-warranty exchange included a 1-year warranty on their replacement unit, which you will absolutely need if you're a heavy user like I am. Though my condo's tiled area is small (about 900 sq ft), I still need to run my Scooba 5800 four separate times to get the whole floor thoroughly ... Scooba 5800 has a small capacity and I have a lot of obstacles in my floor plan. If you don't like this part, then spend the extra $100 to $200 for their higher capacity 350 or 380 models (I have no idea how they came up with their model numbering sequence). With the smaller capacity with the 5800 model, there is the hassle of cleaning the brush, cleaning the removable filters, cleaning and refilling the tank between each clean cycle but it's MUCH easier than sweeping and mopping the whole floor yourself since the Scooba parts that requires cleaning are rather small and you can do all this rather quickly in a tiny area on your kitchen counter.
Scooba is a bit noisy, about as loud as a handheld vacuum cleaner, and this noise will go for the full clean cycle of about 45 minutes. But if you clean when you're at work or clean at night with your bedroom door closed, the noise should be no problem.
As stated by some reviewers, you will have to watch Scooba the first time it cleans. It doesn't like computer cables, electric cords, etc., on the floor. In the end, I had to tie-tie them and tuck them snug against the wall or tie them up high on my computer desk. If you don't watch Scooba during it's first clean cycles, expect it to catch on cords and pull on them ... even had a PC mouse get yanked and murderously dragged on the floor. (I like to think it's just some machine-on-machine rage.)
Bumping into things isn't a big deal if you have cheap furniture like me. If you have a glass menagerie collection in a sturdy bookcase, you don't have to be too worried. But if you have a delicate display case for your glass collection, then I'd worry if I were you ... or at least think of a better home for it.
If you have a dog or cat, you'll love seeing Scooba's (or Roomba's) effect on them. Scooba runs a series of pre-programmed patterns in a seemingly random order. It's mesmerizing to watch it, even for humans. In the end, every spot of floor should be covered by Scooba at least three time, thus ensuring it's pretty clean. You may have to manually hand wash with a brush any tough spots that you see after Scooba is done but you don't have to worry about the other 97% of the floor. For corners and dust stuck against the wall, you'll have to do a quick sweep with a broom to push it into the center where Scooba can gobble it up. As for mopping in these areas where Scooba can't get, I never have to worry about that since all my gunk and light mud tracking that needs cleaning is more centered in the floor where Scooba can get it.
Scooba's stair detection works like a charm. I use Scooba to clean the lower surface level of my coffee table (collects house dust) and that is about six inches off the ground ... NEVER fell off once.
Over time, you will become emotionally attached to your iRobot products in much the same way folks become attached to iPods. It becomes part of home environment. Hence, you will become VERY irate when it breaks down. I think iRobot underestimated the heavy use their products get put through. For instance, me being slightly OCD, before house guests come by and given at least a day's prior warning, I always put Scooba through it's paces. I honestly don't think Scooba was designed for that level of use, so if you're like me, you as a consumer will want to protect yourself and make sure you're covered by a warranty at all times, whether it would be with the original purchase or with an exchange arrangement (like in my case). There are lots of moving parts in iRobot products so you definitely want to cover yourself. But even then, it's worth it if you can use your free time for better and more productive things (I'm an hourly contractor so less house clean means more billable hours). Also, if you hire a maid to clean your floors for a year, it'll be much more expensive than the price of getting replacment Scoobas each 12-month period. Don't believe me? Do the numbers yourself. $179 + S&H + tax + inflation adjustment per year is much cheaper than the lowest priced maid service ... and you don't have to worry about anybody mucking around your personal belongings when you're not there watching them. As for the continuity of iRobot's replacement program, IRobot has worked hard to capture the market share they have, so I wouldn't expect them to do away with their out-of-warranty replacement program at a price point that is probably profitable for them ... just think of it as a leasing program that they're offering you.
As for me, I'm getting a Roomba for my carpeted upstairs and a Dirt Dog for my garage and patio (has same cement floor texture as my garage), all with warranties of course. I am truley impressed by iRobot's ability to provide value at their price points. I have so much time now, as you can see, that I can write these lengthy reviews on Amazon!
Description of iRobot 330 Scooba Floor-Washing Robot
It's time to stop mopping. From iRobot, the makers of the top-selling iRobot Roomba Vacuuming Robot, comes a revolutionary new way to clean your hard floors. Meet iRobot Scooba Floor Washing Robot, the world's first floor-washing robot for the home that preps, washes, scrubs, and dries your floor--all by itself. Scooba not only does the job for you, but does it better. Unlike mop and bucket methods that just spread dirty water around your floor, Scooba uses fresh Clorox Scooba cleaning solution from start to finish. With the press of a button, the robot will leave your floors clean, dry, and ready to walk on. Scooba is simple to use, and safe on all sealed hardwood, tile, and linoleum flooringRobotic Vacuums
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