Vorwerk Kobold VR200
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Ours is a big fail – I’m simply echoing what others have experienced with this machine..like the others, once the honeymoon period is over..nothing but grief..issues with error messages..failed parts and then those new parts failing within a very short period of time…very long times in service centre..not much communication and now told parts not available..not… Read more
operating..can’t even sell it..l think if Kobold/Vorwerk we’re smart they would come to realise this is very bad press for their other very good products…we are long time customers over 20 years and have purchased so many machines…this Robot VR200 the only one that came with a host of errors and faulty parts..Godfrey’s really don’t want to know..I’m sure they are sick of it too
Terrible to get WIFI. No customer service – Most of the time doesn’t have connection even WIFI is next to it. Horrible. No reliable and expensive. Ni customer service AT ALL Show details
VERY DISAPOINTING – At first we loved or VR 200 but it did not take long before it had issues and had to be sent back to be repaired has has been back several time and is in being repaired as we speak , and from reading the other reviews i can see i am not alone and all the same issues , we are not happy and as far as i am concerned the warranty should start again once repairs have been done , for the money very disappointing Show details
In-depth reviews
Letdown – Disappointed with this machine, I brought this as I knew robots could be hit and miss and was tossing up between top of the range iRobot and this… definitely made the wrong decision. I don’t think I have had one time where the robot has done what it is supposed to. Never finished a full clean without getting stuck, running out of battery half way… Read more
through the clean because it couldn’t find its way back to its base to actually finish the job. My machine is Currently with godfreys for a warranty claim just a month shy of the 2 year warranty as the sensors stopped working. Can’t say I’m thrilled that a $1500 machine can barely last 2 years and considering the first couple of years of use I’m not hopeful that this machine is going to be any good to me in the future. The app is also disappointing compared to some of the competitors. All in all, don’t waste your money. I thought paying a premium price would give me a reliable machine, however i am the only one disappointed with my robot out of everyone else I know who has one (not kobold)
Pretty amazing....once you work out how to work it – I was a bit skeptical, but now really impressed - but you must ensure you have it in the right place t0 find its way back to base and must be careful not to have small tangly wires (such as Christmas tree lights on the floor) or very light almost towel-like mats, as they will curl up. And you need to ensure your whole house has wifi, as it will… Read more
stop if it loses its wifi connection.
The biggest bit of confusion I had was working out why it didn't always return to base. Two things to keep in mind here. 1- it always has to leave from base if you want it to return to base. 2 - it may have problems finding its base in some rooms, so you may need to experiment with the best location for the base. Once I found the best place it returned every time.
And make sure you have the latest software installed on the machine as it dramatically improved its logic. 2.4.1 is the one I installed, yet the original in the machine when I bought it was just 1.4.
So with very little to keep in mind this is a great machine. When the VR300 hits Australia, I will probably get that too!
Works very well – I purchased this product due to my faith into German engineering and product back up. Well, the first criteria was certainly met, but the product back up is not existing!! My VR 200 works very well and needed a new battery after one year use, fair enough, not a problem. Famous last words. I contacted the Australian distributor to purchase a new… Read more
battery and also some cleaning fluid for my Kobold window cleaner. Both products out of stock with no indication when new stock arrives!!!
In disbelieve I contacted Kobold in Germany with aim to make them aware of the non existing service of there Australian distributor. What followed was even more unbelievable. Kobold Germany washes there hands clean of any responsibility regarding there distributors. There simple response was that distributors are independent and Kobold does not carry any responsibility for them
My comment: But Kobold is happy to sell them there product and could not care less if there is a back up service provided or not. Shame on you Kobold. I have now a VR200 (robot vacuum cleaner ) and VG100 ( window cleaner) with a combined purchase price in excess of over $2000 sitting in my store room useless!!
Conclusion: stay clear from any Kobold product, don't get tricked by there good performance, if any help or service is required, it is non existing.
Recent reviews
No parts available – In Australia companies must stock parts and service for their products a minimum of 15 years after the last sale of the model. No more parts available after 8 years. I'm going to the ACC in Australia to get a refund due to false product support stated in their warranty agreement in AU. Let me know if you have been treated the same way....enough if us can make it a class action. Thanks, Show details
I loved my kobold – I loved my kobold vr200, but I can no longer get parts for it from Godfrey's and I have had two ebay orders refunded due to no parts. I now have a persistent error message that I can't fix. I will miss my kobold. James is now 5 years old. Show details
Not the best – Worked great for a few weeks then the system errors started, have taken it back now 6 times and it works for awhile before another error. Think it time to start looking at another brand Show details
best purchase of my life – I cant live without this robot vac. it is so powerful and cleans my hardwood floors in between big vacums. it also cleans my carpet impressively. the tank is very small, it would be really good if a bigger one could fit in there but it does the job its counter parts do poorly, very well. I have a vorwerk vacum and thats incredible too, so vvorwerk is my go to! Show details · 1
Would be great if it didn't break down every six months – Cleans my hard floors very well. However, the lidar system fails approx every 6 months. A complete waste of money - you will spend more getting it repaired than you paid for it. Show details
Terrible product. Constant problems under warranty and without it for months at a time while repairing "minor issues" – Used on hard wood floors only. Our entire house is wooden flooring and it continued to break down with easy cleans. The first couple of times becoming disorientated and struggling to find its way to base and then constant issues with brushes. Yes they're small issues but they aren't managed by the company and you are without a vacuum for months at a time. Show details
Hi, We are sorry to hear of the issues you are… Read more
Not worth the money – Used on polished concrete, carpet and tiles. Cleans well on all surfaces. This machine frequently comes out of its base, turns straight into the wall and alarms to "clear my path". It goes under lounge chairs and couch and gets stuck and alarms "clear my path". We have dining chairs with U shaped legs which it can't climb over, so we come home and find it stuck there with a flat battery. Show details
Find out how Vorwerk Kobold VR200 compares to other Robot Vacuum Cleaners
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So not worth the money – We bought this model about 3 1/2 - 4 years ago with some money we received when we got married. We thought it was hideously expensive at the time ($1500) but were assured by the Godfreys salesperson that it was the best one on the market. Having three dogs at the time we thought it would be well worth it and that it would last a long time (after… Read more
all, German engineering!). We were so very wrong.
At first it worked just fine but since then we've had nothing but problems with it.
We moved to a bigger newly built house from a cluttered terrace house, but as the layout is flatter and more open with tiled floors, the vac should be having no problems. Our senior citizen dogs have since passed on so we now only have one small dog with a low shedding coat, but the vac can't even seem to cope even with this.
The dust collector is so small that it constantly needs emptying.
The vac gets stuck under the couch almost every time we use it so if nobody is home to free it the house doesnt get cleaned while we're out.
It rams into your furniture and skirtings, to the point of climbing up the angled legs of our coffee table. The house has scuff marks all over it from the machine.
We have a small lip of 2cm into our wet areas which it cannot seem to climb although we were told this would not be a problem. (it has no trouble climbing our coffee table)
One of the hinges on the pop up lid broke early on and the lid has had to be manipulated back into place every time.
It's been back to Godfreys for repair 3 times because it became quite noisy with a weird rattle and had a reduced battery life. The first two times it came back and there was no difference, so I don't think they even looked at it at all
The speaker has become really crackly so the chimes and alert signals sound terrible.
It's constantly glitching and making random sounds
Frequently, it'll make a sound and the error message says to clear it's path when the path is perfectly clear, except that the robot has a skirting alongside it. I also watched it take a full 10 minutes to get out from under a bedside table which should have just been a straight out reverse (so much for the navigation system).
It continually misses the docking station and parks a distance away from it, so the battery goes flat and the house again doesn't get cleaned if there's none home to reposition it.
I just went to move it today and the entire handle snapped off in my hand which was the last straw - hence this review.
Pretty much something (or several somethings) goes wrong every time it's used. If you're looking for a vacuum to "set and forget" while you're at work, make a wide berth around this one. This robot is neurotic and high maintenance and needs to be cajoled and coaxed through the simplest of tasks.
Would never, ever, buy this brand again and will avoid Godfreys as a retailer from now on.
Hi Nik, We are sorry to hear of the issues you have/are… Read more (+2 replies)
dont waste your money. Get a cheaper one – My vacuum broke after 6 months, we don't have pets, we are only two people in the apartment (adults), we work all day and there is not much mess around. Still we made it work every week day. After 6 months it starts giving us signal that is blocked when it clearly isn't blocked, it's just in the middle of the room with no obstacles around. This… Read more
continued for a month.
I wrote to the customer service they took another month to replay that they don't have worldwide guarantee (I bought it in a country and them moved to another one). That was it!
I got the priciest one in the market because I thought it would be the best. It wasn't!
Constantly sent back for repair terrible customer service from Godfrey's and Vorwerk – Had the Kobold VR200 for almost 2 years have had to send it in for for repair 5 times. Comes back works well for a month or two then either a new issue or a reoccurring one comes up. Have tried to get a replacement machine from Godfrey's and Vorwerk but always told never do they replace only repair, even though the individual from Godfrey's told… Read more
me there were some faulty machines and he believes that hey should just replace it. All in all look at other options if you are in the market for a robot vacuum.
Hi, We are sorry to hear of the issues you are… Read more
Buyer beware – Bought 3 yeara ago, was in love. Moved to bigger house, took a bit to get used to it but still did great, fast forward 3 years, I've had it looked at for an issue, never had it fixed but some other issues they found. Godfrys have been a nightmare. Refusing to acknowledge they never fixed initial problem that has resulted in the robovac… Read more
ompletely dying. Offered 50% discount on new one which is ridiculous, you don't lay $1500 to replace a product ever 3 years extremely disapointed.
Love it!! – Compact and easy to find place for base station Easy to set up Easy to clean dust container and brush Switch on and let your robot vacuum cleaner work it wonders I put in and start on my other jobs Show details
Very good in the beginning and problems after couple of month!!! – Its was great product in the beginning but couple months after it stopped working so was sent off for repair and took 2 weeks to get it back. Again 6 months later stopped working and i just dont have time to take it back to shop the get it repaired. It used to clean really well in the carpet and tiles. It used to get stuck under the couches… Read more
very time we turn it on. So if we left it on while we went to work we would come home and find it stuck under the couch and no cleaning done. The company could have put something together to adjust the height of the product as every house has a different furniture height.
Absolutely fabulous! Could not live without it! – We have carpet and tiles and it works well on both. We have had it for approx 18 months. We have it on every couple of days. We don't have any pets so not sure how the container would cope if a house has a lot of pet hair to pick up. Show details
Vorwerk VK200 – Purchased just over a year ago. Has been sent away twice already to be fixed. So total of 8 weeks away. 1st sensor issue then motor issue. NOT WORTH MONEY Show details
Lidar keeps breaking down – When I first got it I was very happy with its cleaning ability I use it almost daily, but after just 6 weeks it stopped error message says code 3000 error. Godfrey's had serviced it and told me the motor for the Lidar burned out it was under warranty it got fixed and worked perfectly only issue then is I wasn't able to re establish wifi. Almost 12… Read more
months have passed since and today it stopped I'm getting same error message again the machine wont work I see the lidar is in the same position I'm wondering if it burned out again will take it back to Godfrey's not happy customer this is the most expensive vacum robot apparently German quality but build in China, I have my right to judge are they poor quality components or poor design circuits? I expecting quality and durability from Vorkweks I only have tiled floors not that dirty, I want a refund or full replacement.
Find out how Vorwerk Kobold VR200 compares to other Robot Vacuum Cleaners
Know better, choose better.
Great when it works. Except that it doesn't and will drive you crazy! – Has such a low capacity that you well end up having to empty it every 10 minutes and it will beep relentlessly at you until you do. There is nothing you can do to stop it. Do yourself a favour and just buy two iroombas instead. They're quieter, more effective, don't get stuck and you still have an extra $400 up your sleeve to buy something else. The worst experience we have ever had with such an expensive product. Show details
Not for Architectural homes – We have large window tracks that sit flush with the floor - the robot gets stuck every time , and I have to move it several times per session . Has also rammed into our skirtings continuously to the point that they are now damaged. On the upside, if you have a house with a simple layout and high windows, it does do a good job of vacuuming but, definately not the right product for us unfortunately . Show details
Good, but too many techinical glitch servicing required – I have had this vacuum for a few years and use this for spot cleaning weekly. It did do a good job especially as we have a pet dog and cats, however in the past 12 months I have had to pay for this to be serviced twice as the vacuum was not registering the dust container. Godfrey’s told me that they serviced it with a good clean and charge around… Read more
$80 the first time.
This issue happened again, I cleaned the system and replaced the filter, brush and lid and still had the same issue and had to bring this in for servicing again. I was told by the retailer this would happen to any robot vacuums and they require regular servicing. Having used other brands I have never had this issue.
Overall it is a good machine, the pop up lid is a bit flimsy and the hinges break quite easily. I would consider twice before purchasing this as it pretty expensive and will personally try something else next time.
Life saver – I absolutely love it. I've had mine for over 2 years and it's been a life saver. I've got bad shoulders and hands so working a normal vacuum cleaner became impossible. I needed something automatic and reliable. I've got tiles, carpets and 4 pets. I section my house off to 3 parts and let it go. Show details
Replaced my vacuum cleaner – Purchased this from Godfreys in 2017 for our home and has never missed a beat. Perfect for our floorboards, floors are always clean and I seldom need to use my manual vacuum cleaner. The remote is a good feature, just pick it up press start and away you go. Brushes and filters aren't over the top expensive to purchase and overall haven't had any maintenance issues with it. Show details
Amazing – My house is mostly carpet and it's amazing. I just put it on and off it goes. It really saves me so much time and my carpets are always clean. It also has a remote I just press rather than getting down to turn on. I love it. This brand of vacuum is definitely worth the money Show details
Vacuem is perfect BUT – I love this Vacuem cleaner it’s light fantastic suction in fact everything you would want except the price of the filter bags $50 for a pack of 6 . Over the top pricing & no after market or competition filter bags so unfortunately you are at the mercy of the retailer. Show details
Broken with clean brush error – Bought 10 months ago and the last 2 months it is simply broken. It always throws a clean brush error. We have tried EVERYTHING to delicately and thoroughly clean every part of the brush. We have read the manual, restarted, updated software....but nothing We use to use it once a day on both time and carpet.. Such a waste of money. Show details
dissappointed – When I first brought this vacuum I thought it was great, but since I have had it, it has been in the shop 4 times needing repair as it always says clean my brush. I constantly clean the brush to no avail, It still won't work. I now have to take it back again as it's doing the same thing and I only had it fixed less than 2 months ago. Show details
Does the job – I have had this machine for a few months. So far no mechanical problems, but then it hasn’t been used as much as I thought it would be (messy children, so I can’t set it to run while we’re out). It is great for picking up the cat hair, and does pick an area and somewhat methodically clean it. But.. it doesn’t do the same cleaning pattern each… Read more
time. To spot clean it only does a 2mx2m area. Or you have to use the app or remote to do it manually. I can’t tell it to go do a bedroom or certain zone, if that gets missed or not done completely (it happens). If the manufacturers could improve their app to be able to load a floor plan, then give the user the ability to send it to a particular room, I’d give it 5 Stars.
One of the best Product and worth every dollar – Save me 1 hour a day to clean the house. Have a dog and cleans the house spotless. Works excellent on tiles and carpets alike. Didn't believe that there was so much hair and dust until i clean the bins. Very good to run in eco mode every day. Gets stuck on very rare occasion. Show details
Excellent - when it works – Had this product for a year and about to take it in for its 5th repair. It consistently fails to dock, we come home to find it sitting about 20cm away from its docking station with a dead battery and a half vacuumed house. Other than that we have the 'clean my brush' message, even taking it apart, cleaning the brush, brush cavity and the sensors… Read more
don't work. The advice last time was to clean it after every use. Really? What is the point in having a time saving appliance if it takes more time to keep it doing its job than what it would take for you to do its job yourself? When it does work it vacuums well over wooden floors and thicker carpet but since moving to a house with textured tiles and thin nasty cheap carpet (yay renting!) it struggles with the undulations in the surfaces and misses some bits. Was really happy with this product to start but unfortunately its durability and suitability for purpose is letting it down which for the price is unacceptable.
great cleaning – i am a great fan of german products. have been using it for 9 months. not having any issue so far. i got 10 years of service guaranty with. my wife just loves this vacuum cleaner. better than irobot romba .recommended by the choice and asthma council. i am highly satisfied. Show details
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Buy a faulty unit. Use it for parts. There are multiple videos on utube that show how to repair. That's how I fixed mine.