Where to find the best prices on Roomba and Scooba robots

[DVTO2]

I bought a 550 at Costco for $230 in Enfield CT last week - love it!

[Roombascoobatastic]

I noticed Costco Canada now carries the 595 for $330 ($300 US). It has the upgraded aerovac bin and newest brushes.

The reviews are glowing and it has 5 stars. Finally, affordable Roomba for all!

Here's the link.


http://www.costco.ca/iRobot%C2%AE-Roomb ... 33968.html

[914Mike]

I noticed Costco Canada now carries the 595 for $330 ($300 US). It has the upgraded aerovac bin and newest brushes.

The reviews are glowing and it has 5 stars. Finally, affordable Roomba for all!

Here's the link.


http://www.costco.ca/iRobot%C2%AE-Roomb ... 33968.html

Yes, it's in all the US stores as well. http://tinyurl.com/Roomba-595-Pet

Even comes with the C batteries for the 2 virtual walls. I had to add a handle, but now my 531 has a nice new black faceplate that replaced the scratched up white one. (That won't last long, I have a custom faceplate and handle for it too, just waiting for the paint to cure.) Insert cute smilie of Roomba watching paint dry here...

[MoneyT]

I'm planning on getting either the Roomba 650 or the Neato Signature, can't really decide. I like the Neato because of the laser mapping technology and returning to the last spot after a recharge, however I can't get over all the reliability issues. I like the Roomba, however i can't stand the fact that it bounces from wall to wall and doesn't return to it's last spot after a recharge. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[vic7767]

Move up to a Roomba 880 or consider the new Botvac from Neato.

[djur]

A good place to hit up for a Botvac is bed bath and beyond, they have the BotVac 85 model for $499 and 20% off coupons for new customers are pretty easy to come by, free shipping over $49 brings the total to a little over $400 with tax... The return policy is stellar, with no time limits.

[mofan]

FYI Costco now has the Roomba 595 on sale for $249.99. The price tag has the Costco "star" on it, which means that Costco is permanently clearing out inventory of the 595, presumably to make way for a newer model. Costco never seems to get the newest generation so I would guess it will have the 700 series. it would be awesome if they would carry the 800 series but I don't think I Robot would introduce the 800 series at Costco this early in the product life cycle.

[ventureforth]

FYI Costco now has the Roomba 595 on sale for $249.99. The price tag has the Costco "star" on it, which means that Costco is permanently clearing out inventory of the 595, presumably to make way for a newer model. Costco never seems to get the newest generation so I would guess it will have the 700 series. it would be awesome if they would carry the 800 series but I don't think I Robot would introduce the 800 series at Costco this early in the product life cycle.

Costco has brought in the 655 at $349, shipped. Kinda surprised they didn't go for the 700 series, either.

Walmart.com sells the 650 for the same price. However, they also sell the 780 for $599 and the 880 for $699.

[AlexzRoss]

I bought my Roomba at Amazon.

[vic7767]

Woot is offering a refurb 560 for $199 plus $5 shipping.

[Atlanta4210]

Any thoughts on maximizing cost vs. value? For example: If I can get a new 8xx for $600 and a new 5xx for $400, is there really $200 difference? To get the most bang for your buck, one would do better buying two used 500s instead of an 800?

I ask because I LOVE my 4210, and you can usually find them for $50-125. I realize the newer ones are more efficient, but I can't see why I shouldn't build a "fleet" of 400s (one in every room ) for the same price.

[gregj]

There's a world of difference between 5xx and 8xx.

[Atlanta4210]

There's a world of difference between 5xx and 8xx.

Please pardon my ignorance, but can you clarify? It is just the efficiency of the cleaning algorithm or the design of the unit itself? I'm curious because of the value/cost question. If I can put 10 less efficient Roombas in a house for the same cost as one efficient Roomba, that may be a better value proposition (noise aside)

[vic7767]

It is just the efficiency of the cleaning algorithm or the design of the unit itself? I'm curious because of the value/cost question. If I can put 10 less efficient Roombas in a house for the same cost as one efficient Roomba, that may be a better value proposition (noise aside)

There are a multitude of reviews posted online and also on this site that detail the features of the new 800 model Roombas. Of course the design has changed from the earlier models. iRobot has been designing and improving the Roomba for 10 years so their latest model has lots of goodies incorporated. Removal of the external charging jack, incorporation of the Power Supply and home base into a single unit. Improved battery performance, complete redesigned Cleaning Head Module and brush deck. Better anti tangle programs for both the main cleaning brush deck motor and side brush. Major improvement on overall noise during a cleaning session. The best part of the Roomba redesign began in the introduction of the 500 and is in the 800 models as well and that is the modular component concept. Now IF some parts need replacement all that the owner has to do is remove some screws, lift out the module they want to replace and insert the replacement module.

[jdong]

There's a world of difference between 5xx and 8xx.

Please pardon my ignorance, but can you clarify? It is just the efficiency of the cleaning algorithm or the design of the unit itself? I'm curious because of the value/cost question. If I can put 10 less efficient Roombas in a house for the same cost as one efficient Roomba, that may be a better value proposition (noise aside)

Both and more. The vacuum pickup power of the 700 and moreso of the 800 are dramatic improvements over low end Roombas. So these Roombas can pick up dust and especially deep carpet dirt that the earlier models will never pick up, even with 10 of them.

The maintenance for the 700 and especially the 800 is much lower and the 800 is almost maintenance free once you get past the initial catch-up cleaning phase. That's a pretty major difference too if you are considering a large robot army. You'll be spending an hour or more a week picking stuff out of brushes and crevices.

The 700 and 800 also have an additional set of rear cliff sensors, allowing it to back away from obstacles (not just rotating around). They also have a better suspension design compared to the earlier Roombas, which prevents it from getting stuck on obstacles. Since a stuck robot won't clean anymore without your intervention, you have to factor in your willingness to free stuck robots and/or spend additional effort modifying your furniture / environment to prevent Roombas from getting stuck.

(this is of course, in addition to the 7xx/8xx moving faster and hence cleaning faster / more efficiently, which can be compensated by adding additional robots. The other points above are ways where the 7xx/8xx are superior where the benefit cannot be compensated by adding more low end robots)


Overall, I wouldn't recommend getting a large army of low end Roombas versus a single or pair of high end ones.

[Atlanta4210]

Excellent synopsis. Thank you very much.

[gregj]

What they have said

[dzmiller]

Any thoughts on maximizing cost vs. value? For example: If I can get a new 8xx for $600 and a new 5xx for $400, is there really $200 difference? To get the most bang for your buck, one would do better buying two used 500s instead of an 800?

On carpet I think you get the 800 series. On hard floors all Roombas do a great job of cleaning if run frequently. If you have a lot of rooms on one floor then Neato and possibly iClebo become very interesting.

[iRocksRoomba]

I just got my roomba 870 pet and allergies model and it is the best vacuum purchase. I can't believe how while it works. I have been used to my Dyson, and there is no comparison. It was purchased from amazon for $578. Below is the actual model that i got. I still can't believe that this list device is so good at what it does.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LKQ ... 6HWUAP6555

[iRocksRoomba]

My wife has fallen in love with the roomba vacuum so much that she is looking to get the scooba. We have tile in the kitchen along with the eat-in dinning room. I have been looking around and found it on amazon. Its like $560, it that the going price for this guy. Has anybody used this model and can recommend it?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DCC ... 5T5ACUUHDL