Hello everyone,
After seeing several discussions about robotic vacuum cleaners in various threads here, we are increasingly convinced that we want to get one of these devices.
The Vorwerk Kobold VR200 and also the VR100 robotic vacuums, which have been mentioned here multiple times, seem quite expensive to me (749 and 599 euros, respectively).
So I went to the website of my trusted online retailer and searched for "robotic vacuum." Then I selected the robotic vacuum cleaner category: 161 results. Prices ranged from around 75 euros to nearly 900 euros.
One model that caught my eye was the Philips FC8820/01 because it reportedly allows you to point the remote control at dirt if something falls on the floor, and it will vacuum it up.
Does anyone have experience with these devices? Can anyone recommend other models?
Do they always only clean the room where you place them, or do they clean the entire floor (assuming the doors are open)?
My requirements:
Thank you very much for your feedback.
After seeing several discussions about robotic vacuum cleaners in various threads here, we are increasingly convinced that we want to get one of these devices.
The Vorwerk Kobold VR200 and also the VR100 robotic vacuums, which have been mentioned here multiple times, seem quite expensive to me (749 and 599 euros, respectively).
So I went to the website of my trusted online retailer and searched for "robotic vacuum." Then I selected the robotic vacuum cleaner category: 161 results. Prices ranged from around 75 euros to nearly 900 euros.
One model that caught my eye was the Philips FC8820/01 because it reportedly allows you to point the remote control at dirt if something falls on the floor, and it will vacuum it up.
Does anyone have experience with these devices? Can anyone recommend other models?
Do they always only clean the room where you place them, or do they clean the entire floor (assuming the doors are open)?
My requirements:
- Initially, only one device for the ground floor, possibly another for the upper floor later.
- Living area about 92 m² (990 sq ft) on the ground floor, with the largest room about 55 m² (592 sq ft).
- Charging station (I don’t want to plug the device in manually every time).
- Good cleaning performance.
- Not excessively noisy (even though we are mostly not at home).
- Good price/performance ratio.
Thank you very much for your feedback.
D
DerBjoern18 Nov 2015 14:45Prepayment is not planned in the first few years. Currently, savings are being put into a home savings contract, which will be eligible for payout in about 2 years. After that, we can still make prepayments. And yes, the interest rate on the old home savings contract is higher than our financing rate.
EveundGerd23 Nov 2015 16:32I can’t comment on that, as we have a Vorwerk.
My sister works in a clinic where a more affordable model is used. However, she only mentioned that the robot moves randomly through the rooms. She didn’t say anything about the results. I can ask her if you want.
My sister works in a clinic where a more affordable model is used. However, she only mentioned that the robot moves randomly through the rooms. She didn’t say anything about the results. I can ask her if you want.
D
DerBjoern24 Nov 2015 08:48I also have no experience with the inexpensive devices.
I have an old Roomba from iRobot (which was a “budget” model at 400€ back then, according to DerBjoern) that manages to keep a whole floor clean, including the kids’ room/playroom, using a random navigation pattern. Apart from needing to manually clean hard-to-reach spots every few weeks, I find it quite decent, especially since we have two cats with very fine hair causing messes as well (the doors are usually left open). The robot vacuum is pretty sturdy when it comes to dealing with objects on the floor, cat toys, ribbons, and other obstacles. Definitely more robust than the Vorwerk VR200, which now takes care of our ground floor.
The VR200 handles the complex layout there better than the Roomba (for example, the kitchen island and other obstacles; the random navigation sometimes didn’t work out well, and the Roomba couldn’t finish the whole area on a single charge). It cleans the rooms very systematically. On the other hand, the Vorwerk struggles more with objects on the floor. Despite its supposedly higher “intelligence” and more sensors, it sometimes navigates around toys in a very odd (and time-consuming) way and has problems with our cantilever chairs and office chairs. This has improved somewhat with a third-party attachment that makes it block at lower obstacles. We have a magnetic strip to confine it in one area, but it ignores it about every sixth time.
The Vorwerk’s suction seems a bit stronger, but both robot vacuums clean effectively about the same. Both devices are generally easy to maintain and empty. However, with the cats’ hair, the Vorwerk’s filter clogs quickly for us, and a fine-mesh screen in front of it prevents thorough cleaning. I bought a replacement filter from a third party with a coarser mesh (not tested yet). Otherwise, I’ll need to do some DIY work here since I don’t want to buy new filters every month.
The VR200 handles the complex layout there better than the Roomba (for example, the kitchen island and other obstacles; the random navigation sometimes didn’t work out well, and the Roomba couldn’t finish the whole area on a single charge). It cleans the rooms very systematically. On the other hand, the Vorwerk struggles more with objects on the floor. Despite its supposedly higher “intelligence” and more sensors, it sometimes navigates around toys in a very odd (and time-consuming) way and has problems with our cantilever chairs and office chairs. This has improved somewhat with a third-party attachment that makes it block at lower obstacles. We have a magnetic strip to confine it in one area, but it ignores it about every sixth time.
The Vorwerk’s suction seems a bit stronger, but both robot vacuums clean effectively about the same. Both devices are generally easy to maintain and empty. However, with the cats’ hair, the Vorwerk’s filter clogs quickly for us, and a fine-mesh screen in front of it prevents thorough cleaning. I bought a replacement filter from a third party with a coarser mesh (not tested yet). Otherwise, I’ll need to do some DIY work here since I don’t want to buy new filters every month.