Roomba Sage For Pets: I love Robots.
Written: Apr 15 '07 (Updated Apr 24 '07)
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Pros: vacuums so you don't have to, animals aren't afraid of it, recharges quickly
Cons: expensive, must purchase replacement filters
The Bottom Line: Roomba Sage For Pets is a wonderful little gadget that helps pet owners keep their floors clean.
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| njchicaa's Full Review: Roomba Sage For Pets 4170 |
My first experience with a cleaning robot was with my Scooba which is a fun little floor-washing gadget but not an absolute necessity. The Scooba leaves floors damp after it passes over them so you can only use it in a room if you know that you won't have to go in for at least an hour. (45 minute cleaning time + 10 minute drying time) Because the Scooba is a high-maintenance machine, I wasn't in a big hurry to try out the Roomba. . .
And then my parents got a Roomba Sage For Pets. They raved about it and even bought a second one for the second floor of their home. My parents are not big spenders so the fact that they bought another one was a big deal and a big vote of confidence in the vacuum. I told my boyfriend in no uncertain terms that I wanted a Roomba Sage For Pets for my upcoming birthday and, being a smart man, he ordered it.
What The Heck Is A Roomba?
Roombas are robotic vacuums that will automatically move throughout a room and suck up dirt, dust, and debris. It cleans the floor all by itself which leaves you free to do something else. Roombas are about three inches high and can vacuum tricky spaces including under the couch and under the bed. This robot looks like it moves randomly across floors but it actually maps out the room and any objects contained within. After one full cleaning cycle, the vacuum will have covered every inch of floor that it can access. It “learns” what the room looks like and how to clean it. The battery has a life of about an hour so you can clean one or two rooms before you have to recharge your Roomba.
These robots come with one or more “invisible walls”. These devices emit an infrared signal that Roomba won’t cross. Invisible walls are very helpful because they can contain the vacuum to just one room or area which allows it to thoroughly and completely clean the space. If you were to let your Roomba just meander throughout your house, you’d wind up with many rooms that were only marginally cleaned.
About The Roomba Sage For Pets
The Roomba Sage is similar to the red base model but it has a new setting (MAX will make it run until the battery is completely empty) and is compatible with numerous accessories like the speed charger, wall mount, self-charging home base, and “Advanced Power System”. The Roomba Sage For Pets is the same model but it also has the Easy Clean Brush and Easy Clean Brush Tool to make post-cleaning (read: vacuuming loads of fur) maintenance fast and easy. This robot also comes with two invisible walls and one replacement filter. When my boyfriend ordered it, iRobot had a special offer that included a self-charging home base for the price of the regular Roomba Sage For Pets.
Before You Run Your Robot
I thought that you had to charge the battery before use like I did with my Scooba… until my boyfriend started the robot up and had it cleaning the front room about five minutes out of the box. You’ll want to pick up any large bits of debris on the floor and any loose cords for laptop computers, video game systems, etc. I typically have to pick up the newspaper and pieces of 2x4 under the macaws perch, the power cord on my laptop, a couple of cat toys, and a handful of dead Pointsettia leaves before I can run the Roomba. You will also need to set the invisible wall into place to keep the vacuum in the room. At this point, you can turn robot on and let it do its thing.
Running Roomba Sage For Pets
This robot is fun to watch. It zips around a room, bumping into things and then setting itself on a new course. My boyfriend and I have spent more nights that I’d like to admit betting on the next direction the Roomba Sage For Pets will take. It will zoom through the room, mapping it out, and will spend extra time on dirty areas. When the sensors on this vacuum detect a large amount of dirt, a blue “dirt detect” light illuminates and the machine spirals over the spot until all of the debris is removed. A lovely little feature of this machine is the spinning brush on its right side. This brush will grab dirt along the edges/corners of a room and push it directly into the path of the Roomba Sage For Pets to be picked up. This vacuum fits easily under chairs, beds, desks, bookcases, and even bird cages. It will fit under many couches though, unfortunately, not under mine.
My home is mostly hardwood with the occasional area rug or doormat. This vacuum moves effortlessly from rug to wood and vice versa. I even have a thick wool rug on top of a thick rug mat and Roomba Sage For Pets moves on and off of it seamlessly. The only time I’ve ever found this robot stuck is the time it beached itself on a door-jamb when the door was open and only the storm door in place. I now close any exterior doors in the room before setting the robot free and haven’t had an issue with the machine getting stuck anywhere.
Roomba Sage For Pets does an excellent job of picking up cat/dog fur, bird feathers, dirt, dust, cat litter, and even bits of wood. Because it moves around the room, it covers the entire floor several times which maximizes cleaning performance. There's never been a time that the Roomba cleaned a room where I've thought "I'm going to have to break out the Dyson and pick up what the Roomba missed."
When this vacuum is finished cleaning the room (or has run the battery empty if you select the “max” cycle), it will dock itself back onto the self-charging base if you have one. If you don’t, it will just stop where it is, shut down, and wait for you to plug it into or place it on a charger. You must empty the dirt chamber and pull the filter out after each use. I’ve actually found that I get better results from my Roomba Sage For Pets if I stop the robot mid-cycle and clean out the dirt chamber and filter. It’s also important to look over the beater brushes and remove any large tangles of hair, fur, thread, etc.
And The Pets That Inspired Me To Purchase This Robot…
The cats have had a lot of experience with the Scooba so they basically ignore the vacuum. Foster puppies have no problem napping for the entire time that Roomba Sage For Pets runs through the kitchen and past their crate. Even my nervous macaw (who still flies out of the room many times when I run the Scooba) is quiet and comfortable with this robot moving around the room and under his perch.
Cost and Availability
My Roomba Sage For Pets (and free self-charging base) cost $219.99 direct from the iRobot web site. You also need to factor in replacement filters which will have to be replaced regularly every couple of months. The iRobot site sells a 3-pack for $15 plus shipping. The company site also sells replacement brushes and such which leads me to believe that they will have to be replaced regularly… I’m just not yet sure how often.
You can buy Roombas in Target, Linens N Things, Kohl’s, Macys, etc. If they are sold out in your area, you can always order directly from irobot.com like we did.
Overall Opinion
I really like the Roomba Sage For Pets. I use it almost every single day and it does a great job of cleaning the rugs and hardwood floor. If you own shedding pets and don’t really enjoy spending each day vacuuming the house, you need to check out a Roomba Sage For Pets. You won’t be sorry.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 219.99
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