iRobot Roomba 530

Best invention ever.....I've now got three!!! – I love Roomba's so much, that yesterday I bought #3....why, I hear you ask? Well my house is tri-level so now I have one on each level as they do such a fantastic job and it means I have time to do other more enjoyable things than cleaning my floors. Having polished porcelain tiles, a Roomba is definitely not a luxury but a 'must have'...the two… Read more

go hand-in-hand and who wants to spend their whole life cleaning floors....not me! Roomba also does a fabulous job on carpets, regular pile rugs, even the bathroom floors, although I have to block her from the shower.....she makes a mess in there if the tiles are still wet!! I love that under the beds are cleaned at the same time as every other nook and cranny.

It was funny a couple of weeks ago when I had Roomba #2 doing her thing and suddenly I realised I couldn't hear her anymore so went to investigate. There she was on the (large) back deck and she had it spotless. It seems the batteries in the virtual wall had gone flat and let her go outside, but in a way that was good because she cleaned up some dry leaves which had blown onto the deck the previous day. Now I will include the deck in her area.

The only hesitation has been the shag pile rug, she can't quite handle it, but that's OK because it only takes a couple of minutes to grab the handheld vac which I need to use on the stairs anyway.

Imho, the problem people have with Roomba's is that they don't clean the brushes/bearings/axles/etc...this is just plain common sense and takes a few seconds when you are emptying the bin. Also the comments about Roomba not being 'logic' in it's cleaning pattern....who really cares?? as long as the floor is cleaned, why worry about if it goes this way or that, the end result is what you need to think about. Sure it doesn't clean the floors on the same track as you would, but if you've got time to watch Roomba clean your floors, then you need to get a hobby.

I tried two of the cheaper clones, but what a waste of time. The first lasted an hour...the second lasted 15 minutes before both motors burned out, they were different brands from different sellers but they had one thing in common...I had to fight to get a refund in the first few days since I bought them.

Lastly, I love it that some people sell off their Roomba's, because I've bought two of them (one on eBay and one on Gumtree) and saved heaps of $$$s, otherwise my budget wouldn't stretch to owning three! I recommend Roomba to everyone, specially those with a bad back or other medical condition which makes doing their floors a painful experience. Absolutely everything...it's a lifesaver Not a thing....if there was I wouldn't own three of them!

Stunning – We had a Dyson, but it is hard to use under beds and around certain objects, so we decided to look at a robot vacuum. There are quite a large number of them ranging in price from $100 to about $1200, but when you check out the reviews only Roomba appear to have consistently good reviews, so we took the plunge and bought the 780. From day 1 we… Read more

were impressed. It is so efficient and so thorough and simply amazing. In the first few days I can tell you now it is NOT a time saving device....... because you can't help but watch it do its thing!! It is like having anew pet around the house - only this one cleans up after all the others!

After a couple of weeks however it developed a strange electronic problem, so we removed and replaced the battery and it cleared the problem (bit like rebooting your computer) but it would not turn itself off on the dock, so we sent an email to the tvshop people we had bought it from and they instantly arranged for its return - they collected it and told us exactly WHEN it would be collected. We assumed they would repair and return it to us, but within a few days a brand new machine arrived!! THAT is taking service to a new level and impressed us no end.

Our new pet is working perfectly and has been adopted into the family. We have recommended the Roomba to several friends and at least two are about to buy theirs - we KNOW they will be delighted. I can not recommend this product enough and can only urge you to spend the extra to get the one that works rather than a mickey mouse copy which simply isnt up to the task. EVERYTHING! Cleans under furniture... tells you when it needs emptying .. goes back to its dock to charge... gives hours of entertainment when there is nothing on TV! :0) Not a thing!

Wish I'd bought one sooner – I bought my little robot about 8 weeks ago after moving into a bigger home with more grey tiles, so everything showed up. Working long hours I was struggling to keep the floors looking fabulous & being a house proud person, this was driving me insane! We have a Golden Retriever who comes in for a couple of hours a day & an indoor cat. The… Read more ·  1

best money I spent was on my Roomba.

I set it off daily as I walk out the door to work and I come home to a clean floor, I barely have to get my Dyson out, but will weekly do the touch up spots that the Roomba can't reach or I have limited the access to due to get trapped in the furniture.

It does a great job on the floor tiles, and it also does a great job on the carpet upstairs, doing under the beds and all those hard to reach spots.

I highly recommend it, infact my Mum who has 4 indoor dogs & a bad back has since bought one and loves it.

I have no regrets in spending the money we did. It has been a fantastic investment great job, reliable

Saved my back – A crook back from vacuuming was saved by my 2007 purchase of this wonderful robot. I have just updated this year, after 8 years of heavy use on tiles and carpets to the 630. The 530 served us well, and we went through 3 battery packs over this period. We bought them from ebay as they were much cheaper than the irobot versions. These are great… Read more

machines, but at least every couple of weeks you need to clean out the hair, string and other fluff that gets caught in the moving parts underneath - still beats going around the whole house with the vaccum head. It never needed a service, nor have I neeeded to contact irobot . It always amazes me that a small machine can take so much dirt and fluff out of my house. You still need a strong vaccum for some jobs, but we only pull out our ducted vaccum once every few months. Now we have majority floorboards in the the house and roomba is fantastic. Very much recommend.

iRobot Roomba – I purchased one of these but I must say, I think these are much better for larger and open places, I live in a small unit and find while it does clean, I spend more time moving it out of corners. I like it, but I went back to my old vacuum, only because of this issue. In the better world, If I could, I would have a duct vac.

My best friend – I love my robot I even named him herbie he's a great addition to the family! Having a dog and two young children the crumbs, dog hair and grass are constant so herbie helps me out a lot. Often I put him on before I go to the shops and when I get back my floor is clean! Don't expect him to be able to get into tight corners though which as a round… Read more ·  1

robot you can see he can't get into tight corners. The only bad thing about them is I wish it came with more virtual wall things, other than that I have had mine for 3 years now and have never had an issue, wish I had the money to get the newer one! everything need more than one virtual wall

TV Shop borderline Scammers! Roomba not the best either! – We have had our Roomba for a year now. The vacuum is not the most effective in general; it seems to miss many parts of the room and I usually have to set it off to do the room again to get full floor coverage. My sister bought a similar type of vacuum from Big W for less then $200 and it works better than the Roomba that cost us $800! Our… Read more

biggest issue is that the TV Shop (Brand Development) kept taking automatic payments for twice a long as they should have without our permission and then have been extremely difficult about returning the extra funds to us…we are still waiting to have almost $700 returned to us. Terrible customer service and we are curious as to how many people have paid more than they should have and haven't notice…feels a bit like a scam!!

Don't buy IRobot this company are scamers – I have bought a IRobot Vacuum cleaner and it seems to loose power on the battery and parts where failing right out of the box when opening and using. I called there customer centre and they treated me terrible wanting to get more money out of me for a poor product. The product that works on a battery that is rubbish this company wont replace it… Read more

or any part after 1 year even when other companies replace parts or the whole product itself. This vacuum is $400.00 dollars or more depending on what you buy and for that money you can but a vacuum that you dont have to replace parts or pay one ten the amount to use it for that kind of money and be treated like rubbish on the phone trying to get parts replaced, so please stay away from these scamers and buy a better product that doesnt fail and waste your money dont buy any IRobot product from them ever.

Not worth it – We were so excited when the large box arrived. So we charged it overnight and programmed it the next day. Over the next few days Roomba started work on time ... but our excitement slowly faded as we watched the unit wander aimlessly around the Kitchen, lounge and dining room with no pattern or learning capability. The unit runs along a straight… Read more

line and suddenly changes direction when the line of travel has not been completed.

It took around 2 hours for the 3 rooms.

The price is also far too much for what it does.

I called the TV Shop around 30 days later to return it but was told they had Australia Post proof that delivery was 32 days ago so under no circumstances could it be refunded even after explaining we were overseas on holiday for 2 weeks and could send them our proof. Starts on time Does not get into corners or any space smaller than the unit, too expensive for what it does, not replace a vacuum

Best cleaning robot – Had this since 2009 and still working. Very durable and best thing of all is the parts are easily available from eBay. I have serviced and repaired Robert (name I have him) countless time. Every parts can be removed and repaired or replaced. There is a online store called OZ robots which offer a new version of the cleaning kit, it reduces its noise by 3/4 and is more durable.  Show details

4+ years on and still loving it!! – We purchased two iRobot Roombas from Harvey Norman in May 2012. We used one on our hardwood floors and woollen rugs; while a family member used the other on her thick carpet. We both loved the performance straight away; and continue to use these Roombas as our only home vacuum cleaners.

Worst customer service I have ever experienced – Don't get me wrong I LOVE my roomba 530. But brand developers have changed staff in the roomba customer service department and it is shocking now! Machine wasn't suctioning currently at 11 and a half months so I sent it for service, 3 weeks later after pestering them I get a response that there's hair in the bearings and it's $60 to get cleaner… Read more

back because it's not under warranty. Cogs in dustbin which collect fine particles are also broken which they refuse to replace and when I stated I will check it when it gets back and if it's not fixed I'll be sending it back, her response was "if you undo the screws it'll void your warranty". Great tactics at keeping the machine till after warranty ran out. I could've got a refund from big w if it had of been looked at on time. Great machine of working well Terrible warranty service!

Love my roomba – Have had my roomba for 18 months and love it. Did have an error and contacted the Australia ditributor and they were not much help, think it was customer service person lacked training. Bought a new battery and that seemed to fix my problem. Best gadget I have bought. Have recoommended to 4 friends, (who have all purchased) and they also love theirs. Time saving Error message not easy to find problem

Roomba – It seemed like a good idea at the time. Many of my friends said they had seen them in action and that it was the way to go. The Roomba does collect dust and dirt efficiently and it does work. It does manage to remain within its selected cleaning area and it covers all areas needing to be cleaned. It will not climb onto our thick shag pile rug,… Read more ·  1

which covers omsot of the living room floor, so I still need my old push vac to get that cleaned. Compact size. Clean well. No hard copy manual. I hate having to use batteries, esp Cs. Will not climb over hag pile rug

works great when it works, false warranty – Purchased from harvey norman and paid an extra $150 for an extended 2 yr warranty, thats 3 years all up. Worked great for 4 months then broke down, i clean it every 2nd vacuum run, remove hair stuck on rollers etc. Never mis used or abused product. Put it into service and roomba company said it wasnt covered under warranty cuz there is hair stuck… Read more

in bearings. Fair enough but i cleaned it the best i could, what about flawed designed for a $500 product and paid extended warranty. I understand hair gets stuck in rollers, but bearings? They want to charge me $19 to post out, $60 for inspection and havent included repair cost. Thankfully harvey norman replaced me with new one cleaned well when it worked not reliable, not willing to honour waranty

The best thing I have bought in a long time – This this is simply magnificent. Yes it wont clean your carpet and place as WELL as a high powered Dyson, but because you can run it every day or every second day the place never gets build up. Its such a great way to keep your place dust free. I have got a hand held Dyson which helps to empty the Roomba effectively and its the best combo. I… Read more ·  1

haven't used my normal vacuum cleaner in >8mo and my place is spotless. The price went up after I bought mine from about $530 to $800 but its STILL worth every cent. Easy to use, cleans well, very impressive.

Good product when working! - poor customer service – Roomba works well when it is working!, However had a fault with the cleaning module after 6 months, took much arguing to get a replacement part. Now 4 months later that replacement has the same problem, now 10 days past the 2 month warranty and company refuses to replace it - despite it being their part which is faulty again. cleans well, love that it runs when you are out! not reliable and poor customer service Show reply

Good Robot! – Hi all, bought this robot at costco for $369. I have a special needs child and don't have the time or energy to clean. The roomba 530 does an excellent job of cleaning our wooden floors and rugs. Better then my wife does... he he he. This has been an excellent purchase. My only gripe is sometimes the roomba returns to dock too soon and I only… Read more

wished it would keep cleaning until it's batteries are almost exhausted, then return to dock. I believe the higher models have this function though. To get around this, I turn off the dock, then it will keep cleaning and will only return to dock when I turn the dock back on.... dodgy but it works.

The virtual wall works perfectly for me. I empty the robot after every use and it always amazes me how much dust it picks up!!!

I always make sure the brushes are clean and all hair is removed from the nooks and crannies of the moving parts. Excellent cleaning ability and gets into the edges and corners. Does not get tangled on power cords. Returns to dock too soon sometimes.

Works well but – This gadget does a truly fantastic job. My only gripe is that the lighthouses which set up to limit it to one area don't work properly unless I take the batteries out and put them back in. I wrote to to customer service but no reply. Pretty disappointed. Won't recommend Cleans beautifully. Extras don't work. No response from customer service.

Excellent product! – I love my roomba, it does my slate tiles perfectly and is fantastic on my normal tiles and carpet too. Always does a better job than I ever could with just the press of a button. I only have to empty the crumb catcher once a day. Picks up more dust than my usual vacuume cleaner and has completely stopped my allergies.

Dyson fan – I love my Dyson and I am very house proud but after having a baby I was finding it frustrating sitting on the couch to feed for an hour looking at my floors and not having the time or energy to pull the Dyson out. I was surprisingly impressed by the iRobot Roomba 530. It does not replace the thorough clean the Dyson is capable of but it is perfect… Read more

for making a room look and feel cleaner inbetween cleans. The battery lasts enough to do a few rooms but then needs a good charge inbetween. It doesn't get hooked on cords etc underneath cupboards and beds which I was also surprised by. I am particularly impressed with the job it does on our hardwood floors too, gets right into the corners where the dust accumulates.

I am one of those people who always buys the 'top of the range' model of anything and this was an exception for me as I was sceptial, this model is one of the bottom of the range and I confidently recommend the iRobot Roomba 530, especially if you're a new mum or working full time. I wish I had of bought mine earlier. Convenient, reasonably thorough and not as loud as anticipated

Can't believe this wasn't invented earlier – Just love going to work now and not thinking that I have got so much vacuuming to do when I get home from work. The floors have never felt cleaner. It is just unbelievable how much dirt actually gets picked up which you didn't realise was even there. And yes works fantastically on carpets too. Sometimes gets stuck under the couch.

Roomba is amazing and great for lazy people – I hate vacuuming so Roomba is perfect. I've had mine for over a year now with no problems. It doesn't quite pick up as much dirt as a manual vaccum does but that's to be expected--and it's a small price to pay for the convenience and time-saving aspect. I feel it saves me a lot of time and stress, as I can just put it on and leave it to vacuum.… Read more

Conveneint, easy to use, saves time, relatively quiet. Does require some monitoring, needs regular emptying.

roomba, samba, rumba! – My Roomba arrived yesterday, got to work today, my floor has never been so clean, and it was pretty dirty, I am in the country, 2 dogs and I have long hair; I love it. It has a mind of its own and you feel like telling it: 'you missed a bit there' but it goes back to it. It does a much better job than my Volta vacuum cleaner and best of all it does it by itself.

Why so many raving reviews? – This product is excellent for people who live in small homes, work all day and have no kids or pets, I found the erratic pattern it worked in frustrating. It (yes I got rid of it) would go crazy in my open plan home, cleaning one line of the kitchen and then disappear into a bedroom all the way down the hall only to return to its docking point to… Read more

recharge and it missed the whole kitchen/dining/lounge area.

Something they don't tell you is that it will not clean black - so my black rug which takes up my whole lounge area was not able to be cleaned by this machine.

In the end it was so noisy it scared my kids and I couldn't leave it on when out because it would set off the alarm. The clean was not worth the hassle either - I can vacuum in 1/100th of the time that this thing does and with more accuracy. Set it and forget - could fit under the bed Didn't work in a systematic pattern and missed whole chunks of the house before retiring to the docking station

Good – Great time saving machine, if only they made one that does the rest of the housework. Would recommend to others but would also suggest taking up extended warrenty - it will be a solid investment. I don't have the vacuum myself is the major pro!!! Its great when you need to vaccumm and do something else at the same time. A little noisey but quieter… Read more

than other standard vacuums. Works great on tiles and floor boards and even reaches into corners. Love knowing that the dust bunnies under the bed get captured. Having pets I put this on quite a few times a week. Recommend taking out extended warrenty if offered In 3 years have had to send back to distributor twice (not the quickest or friendliest repairer). Hair often get caught in the front wheel which I havent been unable to workout how to remove. You use to get two virtual walls with the roomba the old model and now this only comes with one. Parts can be expensive to repair - replacement battery costed $150

Floor scratcher – I am gutted. I thought this was going to be my dream machine! Unfortunately, after the very first use, we arrived home to find a clean but very scratched polished wooden floor. We have a dog and it seems that the hair (and possibly fibres from a rug) quickly gets caught in the front wheel causing it to seize and thereby scratch the floor. The… Read more

hair was completely removed and the roomba was set to roll again under close supervision. Within less than 10 minutes the same thing happened again. It's going back to the shop.

Roomba customer service told me the only solution was to clean the wheel after every clean, but this is not a solution as the wheel seizes after only 10 minutes, leaving a non-rolling, scratching wheel for the remaining 80ish minutes of the clean. Cleaned the floor well On the very first use it scratched our polished wood floors all over. Pet hair was removed from the front wheel, only to find it seized again within 10 minutes and started scratching the floor again.

A trusty little helper – This product is a generally statisfying entry into robot cleaning. Its simplsitc in its programing with only 3 buttons which basically make it start cleaning mode, start a concentrated spot mode and also the try an find the charging mode. Roomba lacks a bit of direction in the house and sometime seems to prefer areas to other which is frustrating… Read more

when you know where the dirt is. Roomba is a bit noisy and when you might be on the phone or having a conversation, the noise might be overbearing. Battery life is ok but the charging life of the batteries could be improved or the price of replacements decreased. Generally a good helper that a perfect cleaning wizard for when you aren't in the house. reliable, sturdy, easy to maintain poor battery life, noisey

This has made my life alot easier! – Works well on my uneven slate floors and mounts rugs easily. Navigates its way around furniture well. As a mother with 4 boys and 2 large dogs inside I needed to vacuum every day to keep the dust, sand and hair to a minimum. I was sceptical that this would cope with dog hair but it does very well. I still need to give the rooms a proper vacuum… Read more

once p/fortnight to get into the corners and do the skirtings but Roomba makes my life so much easier. I press "clean" on my way out the door and come home to find a nice clean floor every day!

I've seen people complain that it gets clogged but I find it very easy to clean and the brushes remove simpley to clean also. Any vacuum cleaner requires cleaning of the filters etc... cleans well, works on uneven surface, easy to use and fairly quiet, easy to remove and clean the brushes to keep it running well I think the compartment where you empty the dust from could be more durable. I'm always worried that this part might break as its a little "flimsy" but other than that, no cons.

Like having an extra set of hands! – I've had my Roomba iRobot 530 for sometime now and could not do without it. Turn him on and the little robot delights in methodically cleaning my floors irregardless of whether they're carpet, tile or wood. He not only cleans the bedrooms but vacuums under the beds, twirling little side brushes seeking out any sign of dust or dirt on skirting or… Read more ·  12

carpet edges. Dirty mats offer little resistance when the spot clean cycle on the iRobot is set. Dog hairs, crumbs and lint are quickly gobbled up, and emptying and cleaning is quick and easy. When there's little notice given of unexpected visitors, I set the iRobot and have time to tidy myself up while it tidies the house ... my friends think I'm a cleaning freak as my carpets have that "just done" look - easy when you have a keen little robot to clean up for you! easy to operate and empty, fast and efficient cleaner, docks itself when the battery is low, best timesave ever!! Batteries are expensive to replace but if you follow all advice in the manual regarding cleaning you will definitely get your money's worth

Excellent – I am totally in love...its 4 mths now and still in love with my Roomba. My grand daughter loves it and my husband loves it. Does that make it part of the family? I have hard floors, a couple of rugs and pets. Sand comes in the house always, and sweeping or vacuuming never seemed to get it as well as my little chap. I walk barefoot now, cos no… Read more

sand. It thinks its because he gets to places you just dont always get to. Cant help but think those little wheels n stuff could be made a little less awkward to clean. Christmas ribbons n hair get caught in the wheels, tighten and can be fiddly to clean out.

A wonderful machine!!! – I recently purchased the irobot roomba thinking it will be handy to do a light clean. Well I use it everyday and the amount of dust and fluff it is collecting amazes me. It really does clean, I will still need my standard vacuum for the tight corners and ceiling spiders though. If you have a large home and you're not home during the day I think… Read more ·  1

it would be worth buying the next model up with the timer and two lighthouses with it as the 530 cruises to wherever it can back and forth between rooms and I feel to get one room clean at a time is better so I block mine into one room at a time. Overall I am over the moon with the roomba as the vacuuming gets done while I do other jobs, it saves me time and my carpets and floor look cleaner all the time now. One of my friends with a toddler has recently purchased one and she also loves hers, she is finding it very handy when he brings in a tonka truck from the sandpit spilling sand onto the floor using the 'spot' clean to clean up. Everything!! time saver, good cleaner.

It has stood the test of time – I thought it was about time to update my review as I have had my Roomba for approx 1.7 yrs. It still continues to perform and has been relatively hassle free. Please note that the unit does require some regular maintenance. I have taken it apart and cleaned all the fluff and dust around the internal components (it is amazing how much fluff… Read more

collects inside the unit).

The brushes and filter require regular maintenance. All of this is very easy to do as long as you have a small paint brush and a Phillips head screw driver.

I am not particularly mechanically minded and being a girl I find it very easy to maintain. Easy to re-assemble as the parts only fit on one way. Maintenance is very quick and easy. It takes me approx 5 mins each time I use the Roomba to clean the brushes, wheels and empty the bin. I think this is a very small investment of time for the amount of cleaning it does.

In the time that I have had my Roomba 530 I have had to replace some parts. I lost one the the yellow nuts off the end of a brush & changed the filter several times. The only major expense has been replacing the Cleaning head module as my Roomba got stuck under a shelving unit and trapped by a thick rug, it then stopped working. I was able to purchase the Cleaning head module off *Bay and could install it myself.

The parts are easy to find and relatively cheap without having to go to the manufacturer.

My Roomba cleans just as well as the day I first purchased it and I am very happy with its performance to date. Would I purchase another Roomba....yes I would. So much so that I have upgraded my original rating.

Why don't I give it 5 stars? It still hates my ensuite and does a very average job around the edges of rugs.

Great vacuum, easy to source cheap parts, easy to maintain and best of all my back doesn't ache. Great performance to date Not a lot to be honest

Love it – Easy to use. I put it on in the morning when I am leaving for work. When I get home clean floors. Brilliant Easy to use