1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
560
Date of Review: Jun 30, 2009
The Bottom Line: Skip it.
My first 560 failed after 1 year just inside the warranty period and the replacement they sent me lasted about 6 months. They seem to get stuck going around in circles.
But, while they work they do quite a thorough job cleaning and they are fun to watch. Not fast, about 30-45 minutes per room, but who cares if I'm not home?
Downside is if you figure all the costs, they are really expensive. Figure about $160 per year for a new battery and replacement brushes. More to supply C batteries to the virtual wall units, or you can invest in a bunch of rechargeable C batteries. If you are a geek you can cludge your own battery packs for about $40 instead of iRobot's $85. These operating costs are never mentioned in any of their marketing.
I'm thinking they really are for geeks, engineers and others who don't mind taking them apart to clean them a couple times a week and replace parts, and then to really dig into them when they fail. I'm presently replacing the infrared emitting diodes in the bumper sensors. If you are into that sort of thing, have at it. If not, you're going to be really unhappy with this product.
I've been asked before: Is it a toy or a real vacuum? I don't think it is a toy, but I do believe it is much too complicated and the resulting execution, while very clever in many ways, doesn't deliver in the end.
