Anyone got a Robot Vacuum or mop combo? Do you like yours? What one would you recommend. It will be mostly on tile floors.

I've always considered a Roomba because we've had hardwood floors on the first floor in both of our houses, but I've never pulled the trigger.

I have the Roomba.  Very cool to let it go. One thing that is nice is that it sweeps under things and you don’t have to move them to clesn

I have the ecovacs deebot.  Ideal for woodfloors, but it will also go up and do throw rugs.  If you don't run it regularly (at least twice per week), it tends to get overwhelmed by the buildup of dustbunnies and dirt.  I think that's typical of most of these devices.

Sort of a poor man's roomba, but often rated pretty close (mine is like 3 years old, so consider that).  Does a decent enough job if you run it every other day - probably covers about 250 sqft, realistically, in an hour of operation.  Probably would take 3 runs to hit all of a 500 sqft floor at least once.

The main problem with this, and even more expensive options (again, tech has probably gotten better the past few years), is they tend to get hung up on stuff.  And I've never been brave enough to test it to run while I'm gone with the alarm set because they do bump into chairs with enough force to move them a tiny bit.

Everything I've read is the mopping options aren't that great.  They either do a pretty mediocre job, or they'll potentially damage your wood floor.

So my advice is to get a recent top of the line sweeper.  And then put in the time to fence off areas where it gets hung up.  Mop your floors yourself a few times a year.

An overlooked issue is how often you have to put in maintenance on the brushes. If you have to spend 15 minutes every week cleaning the brushes to keep it working smoothly then how much time are you really saving?

posted by gut

I have the ecovacs deebot.  Ideal for woodfloors, but it will also go up and do throw rugs.  If you don't run it regularly (at least twice per week), it tends to get overwhelmed by the buildup of dustbunnies and dirt.  I think that's typical of most of these devices.

Sort of a poor man's roomba, but often rated pretty close (mine is like 3 years old, so consider that).  Does a decent enough job if you run it every other day - probably covers about 250 sqft, realistically, in an hour of operation.  Probably would take 3 runs to hit all of a 500 sqft floor at least once.

The main problem with this, and even more expensive options (again, tech has probably gotten better the past few years), is they tend to get hung up on stuff.  And I've never been brave enough to test it to run while I'm gone with the alarm set because they do bump into chairs with enough force to move them a tiny bit.

Everything I've read is the mopping options aren't that great.  They either do a pretty mediocre job, or they'll potentially damage your wood floor.

So my advice is to get a recent top of the line sweeper.  And then put in the time to fence off areas where it gets hung up.  Mop your floors yourself a few times a year.

An overlooked issue is how often you have to put in maintenance on the brushes. If you have to spend 15 minutes every week cleaning the brushes to keep it working smoothly then how much time are you really saving?

Thanks I was actually looking at the deebot

posted by gut

The main problem with this, and even more expensive options (again, tech has probably gotten better the past few years), is they tend to get hung up on stuff. 

QO: Thanks a lot Biden.

posted by sportchampps

Thanks I was actually looking at the deebot

It works on wood floors.  As for carpeting, it doesn't have nearly the same suction as an upright vacuum.  Like I said, mine is several years old and it never really had the power to suck up much more than dust.  A piece of a cheerio or chip just kind of gets pushed around and left in a pile somewhere.

posted by gut

It works on wood floors.  As for carpeting, it doesn't have nearly the same suction as an upright vacuum.  Like I said, mine is several years old and it never really had the power to suck up much more than dust.  A piece of a cheerio or chip just kind of gets pushed around and left in a pile somewhere.

This is our experience.  We bought a Roborock in 2019 (poor man's Rumba I think).  It's okay on the wood floors, although it misses stuff.  On carpeting, its suction lacks.  It makes nice rows, so it looks pretty on when it's done, but my wife ends up using the Oreck afterwards anyway.  I'd give it a C.  Probably would not buy another one until there's a big step change in capability.