I have this model. I bought it off woot a few years ago. It’s great. I’ve had to make minor repairs (just bought a new power supply for $19 off ebay, and last year a new brush for ~10 off ebay) but it’s a beast.
It takes some effort to dump out the bin, but I love having clean floors. And I hate vacuuming. If you still don’t have one, pull the trigger.
Buy 3.
You need to be crafty bra - buy off brand batteries off amazon for like $30 bucks. Or make your own: Roomba Hacking - Repair a dead battery
I waited, and waited, and waited, for this Roomba to be offered so I could get it for my son. Then, last month my cousins gave him theirs that they never use. Who said good things don’t come to those who wait. HA!
It has been a long time !! where have you been ??? I have purchased one or two almost every time I see them for sale here, there is no better place , with no better price for these great machines, Believe me , Im cheap, and i would not spend an extra penny if I did not have to , these are great !
I have a Dyson hypo25 big 500 dollar machine, and these stupid little roomba will pick up things that big $$ does not.
if you have kids, just toss the roomba after them and no more cheerios , paper snowflakes , cat barbershop experiments , etc !
woot should send me one for free since i have purchased so many of these already !!!
For those of you that have dogs and a roomba, what happens if your dog has an accident in the house and the roomba gets to it before you? Does it avoid it or make a big mess?
Newegg has the 560 for $199 shipped.
(with Coupon Code: EMCKFHB75 (Exp 5/4))
ETA: extra lighthouse + scheduling but “room handoff” is disabled.
A fantastic question and a horrible mental image.
As far as the story goes from one of my coworkers:
His mom runs a puppy breeding thing in florida. Don’t remember the breed exactly, but i think they’re daschunds. Well, with all those puppies, its bound to happen, right?
Well, their scooba, i believe it was a scooba not a roomba, found the little dog piles on a tile floor. It decided to clean it, but wasnt the best at it, and ended up spreading it around the entire floor.
The word of advice from him is: use with caution.
I bought a refurb Roomba a few years bock at Big Lots. It would not hold a charge. I found instructions online for handling the battery when it gets into that condition and it worked like a charm. It’s still going strong.
Here are the exact instructions I used, under the section “Battery Won’t Run a Full Cycle”. Perhaps you will find it useful:
http://www.roboticvacuums.net/articles/2142m-roomba-battery.html
I had the same experience. Bought same model from a previous Woot and it stopped working after six months. Just spins in circles now…
Holy Jeebuus, I’ve been waiting for a Roomba Woot for ages! What took them so long?
I got a generic brand battery on ebay for about $20
Some good information for up-keeping your roomba.
http://www.robotreviews.com/wiki/cleaning
And how to mod it after your warranty is expired.
OK, In for ONE!
The wife will be stoked to have her clean floor buddy back.
Thankfully I don’t have any pets so I don’t have to worry about such a problem but more than likely the Roomba will run over it and happily spread it about the floor. Unless of course the “pile” is large and solid enough for the Roomba to bump into and then steer around. Either way, some sort of mess will result. 
It’s been a long time since there’s been a roomba my friend. I’ve been waiting to restock
Also a word of advice, like most rechargeables, they perform best if you charge them fully and let them drain fully. Meaning, don’t use the docking station. Sure, you have to go hunt down the roomba where it finally died, but you get that extra bit of vacuuming, and the roomba drains completely.
You can charge it by inserting the power cord in the port in the side on the device.
These are also part of the recommended approach if your battery becomes “short life” conditioned.
I know the docking station is neat I had the original roomba with no docking, and couldn’t wait to use the docking available with the 500 series. However, I don’t bother with it any more.
Best,
Candelabra
how does roomba play on wood floors?
my 21 mo old kid loves running the irobot. Every night before bedtime he picks up all of his toys, sets up the virtual wall, and presses the button. It keeps him occupied for around 20 minutes before it docks itself. Then its off to bed for him and my carpet looks great! I love you irobot!
I just bought a 2 story house and have been waiting for a second floor roomba. LOVE THESE THINGS!
FYI here’s iRobot’s battery reconditioning technique (applies to discovery as well as 500 series and others)