This year, Christmas was going to be different. I had decided to use some of my Epinion's earnings to buy my Wife a nice present. I wanted to get her a nice set of diamond earrings. Knowing my Wife the way I do, I decided to let her pick them out instead of picking the wrong set. Just before Christmas with money in hand, we went to the local mall. I took her to one of the jeweler and told her to pick out a set for around $400. She immediately told me that she did not want a set of earrings and mentioned that she had her eyes on getting a new vacuum cleaner, so much for me knowing the right present. She mentioned wanting an iRobot Roomba. We decided to look at Sears and found that the iRobot Roomba 4210 Bagless Robotic Vacuum seemed to have the right model for us. How would this vacuum fare with cleaning up after us and four inside cats? My Wife vacuumed everyday to keep our house clean maybe this was a good present after all.

What's in the box?
The Roomba unit, a three hour charger, Advanced Power Battery, self-charging charger base, two Virtual Walls, and a wall mount were included along with the instructions and other printed information.

What is it and how does it work?
The Roomba is a vacuum that is about 3 1/2" high and is about 13" across. It looks kind of like those old style flying saucers. The Roomba weighs in at about 12 pounds and made mostly of plastic with rubber wheels. It also has two major types of brushes, one rubber and one bristle-type. There are several removable and replaceable parts to make cleaning and repair easier. The dust bin is located on the rear of the machine and is bagless. The operation of the vacuum is quite simple. In the front of the Roomba is a shock absorber type device that causes the machine to turn around when it bumps into something. The idea is that the vacuum bounces from one wall to another until the room is clean. It also bounces off of furniture and other obstacles. The rubber wheels drive the unit and change height independently to keep the vacuum moving forward and cleaning properly. Along with the two major types of brushes there is also a side brush that cleans near walls and other items.

Features and Controls
There are four buttons on the top of the Roomba for controlling its cleaning modes.

Power: Turns the power off and on. Also acts as a charge indicator by changing color from green to red when the charge is low.

Spot: This function causes the vacuum to circle in one area to clean a specific spot. Great for spills and cleaning dry type messes.

Clean: The function is the normal setting for daily cleaning. Mainly for cleaning one room and most times runs for about 60 minutes.

Max: The Max button causes the Roomba to clean until it is completely out of charge. Cleaning several rooms with one press of the button is the goal here. The Roomba will run for near to 120 minutes or until it is just about out of power. It will still return to the home base with this function.

Accessories:
Virtual Wall: This included accessory allows you to contain the Roomba to one room or area. Virtual Wall creates a beam that the vacuum will not enter. When it is placed in a doorway, it acts like a solid wall causing the Roomba to turn around. Virtual Wall can block openings up to 13 ft across and they run on two D batteries. Two Virtual Walls were included with this model.

Remote Control: The remote control has all of the same buttons that are found on the unit (Power, Spot, Clean, and Max). Also there is a manual control that lets you take control of the vacuum. This allows you to manually turn in either direction or move the Roomba forward. A pause button is also included for pausing cleaning for any reason. The remote runs on two AA batteries.

What we like.
The Roomba does a great job of cleaning all by itself. This is important for us since as I mentioned our house needs vacuum about once a day. The charge lasts up to two hours which is enough time to clean almost our whole downstairs area. It also cleans several different surfaces in our house without changing anything on the unit. We have Berber carpet, low pile carpet, linoleum, and wood flooring in our downstairs. The Roomba does a nice job of cleaning all of these surfaces. It also cleans under our furniture which is something that most times is skipped while vacuuming normally. The side brush does a nice job of pushing dirt away from walls and other objects and into the center of the vacuum. There is no worry about the Roomba running out of charge since it automatically returns to its charger when it is low on power. It will be fully charged and ready for the next time after about three hours. The dust filter keeps dust out of the air and is easily replaceable. Having the remote control is important to controlling the Roomba while it is in operation. Otherwise you would have to chase the unit down and press the buttons or pick it up to stop it. Trying to chase the Roomba down has lead to some funny moments in our house. There is also a sensor on the unit so it will not get near stairs. This sensor saves not only the Roomba from damage but also your walls and other items at the bottom of the stairs. I have found that replacement parts are pretty available. They can be found on the website or at some stores that sell these products.

Dislikes and Doubts.

Dislikes:
The Roomba needs to be constantly cleaned in our house. Cleaning the brushes and emptying the dust bin must be done before every use (More on cleaning later). My Wife and I still needs to vacuum with her Oreck once a week. The suction power of the Roomba is no comparison for using a normal vacuum. On occasion this vacuum will get stuck in tight places. It isn't too often in our house, but it does happen from time to time. Mainly the Roomba will make a sound of disgust and stop running. You simply need to pick it up and hit one of the start buttons again.

Doubts:
My doubts are related about durability and two features of this vacuum. Durability is something that remains to be seen. We only have the Roomba for about three months, but I seem to feel that maintenance and cleaning is very important to keeping the Roomba working properly. The fact that replacement parts are available helps calm my fears a bit. The two product features that I referred to, are the room size calculating feature and the dirt sensing feature. In my opinion there is no evidence that either of these features work. Admittedly it is hard to say if the Roomba does figure room size into its cleaning habits by simply watching it work. The dirt sensor is more noticeable because I have never seen any difference in cleaning strength no matter how dirty the area. Also the fact that it doesn't detect pet hair is a major part of the problem in our house. All of these things said, the Roomba still does a good job of keeping our house clean between regular vacuuming.

Care and Cleaning.
Every Use:
Between every use we must empty the dust bin and clean the brushes and moving parts. We use a crochet hook to clear the pet hair from the brushes and areas near the wheels. The filter should be cleaned to insure proper suction.

Once a Week:
We completely take all removable parts out of the Roomba and thoroughly clean them and the unit.

Summary.
Honestly this product has pleasantly surprised us with its performance. It's hard not to like a product that does the work for you and does it so well. The Roomba has saved my Wife and I hours of vacuuming since Christmas 2005. While durability could still be an issue, I think proper cleaning and care will help this product last for quite some time. I highly recommended this Roomba to anyone that has pets, children or both.

Thanks for checking out my reviews!!!
Steelfan


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 259.99