iRobot Roomba 4210 Bagless Robotic Vacuum

I've been needing a new vacuum cleaner for a long time. The one I've had for the past three years is shamefully starting to croak on me. I started nagging my husband Bill about our need for a new vacuum a few months ago. For all my nagging, though, I truly do hate the actual chore of vacuuming. I've had my eye on the iRobot Roomba 4210 Bagless Robotic Vacuum for awhile, but was scared off by the high price and my skepticism about how well a robotic vacuum would actually work at my house. You see, Bill and I are governed by two inquisitive beagles who are not exactly low key. I suspected that they would either be scared of a robotic vacuum or would feel the need to attack it. Nevertheless, this past Christmas, I curiously found myself with some extra cash. I found my Roomba Discovery 4210 while browsing on Amazon.com. I bought it reconditioned at the bargain price of $179.99, down from $279.99. Better yet, Amazon.com was running a special, offering $25 back for home and garden orders over $125. All told, I bought my Roomba for about $155!

The first thing I noticed when I got my Roomba was its petite size. Compared to my usual backbreaker of a vacuum cleaner, the Roomba Discovery 4210 is practically a midget, weighing in at just over 12 pounds and measuring at just 3.5 inches tall and 13 inches in diameter. I pulled my new white machine out of its box, immediately noticing it's cute little round shape and the two heavily treaded wheels on its base. The wheels remind me a little of monster truck tires, designed to roll over things. Next, I found the two "virtual walls". I didn't understand what they were for at first, but as soon as I started using the Roomba their purpose became clear. Also included was a remote control, an APS (advanced power system) battery, an extra filter, an integrated rapid charger, instructions, and a wall mount with a holster.

I found the instructions that came with the Roomba easy to follow. Basically, all I had to do to get things started was plug in the charger and insert batteries into the virtual wall units, the remote control, and the Roomba. It's important to note that while the Roomba comes with it's own rechargeable battery for the vacuum itself, it does not come with batteries for the remote control or the virtual wall units, which call for two AAs and four D cells (two for each unit) respectively. As I was inserting all these batteries into my new unit, it occurred to me that I could probably vacuum my house during a power outage if I wanted to! Once it's charged up, the Roomba works entirely on battery power. It's easy to charge the Roomba. Just plug the rapid charger into a wall socket and place the Roomba at its dock.

I have to admit that I was very eager to try out my new machine, so I only let it charge for a couple of hours before the first time I used it. I've read from other people that new Roombas are supposed to charge for at least 16 hours before the first time they are used. Perhaps I was able to use my machine sooner because it was reconditioned. In any case, I noticed that my Roomba was giving me a "green light" after only three hours on its charger. It displays a "red light" when it's low on power. I figured it was ready to go.

I took the Roomba to the middle of my living room and pressed the "clean" button. With a flourish of musical sound that reminds me of electronic games from the 1980s, my little robot came to life immediately. It ran across my wood floor with relative ease, but struggled a bit when it ran into the fringe on my fake Persian rugs. To be honest, I was afraid that the Roomba would have trouble with the fringe, however, I was surprised to see that the Roomba didn't always get stuck, even if it did seem strangely attracted to my Christmas tree.

It wasn't long before I realized why I needed to use the virtual walls. Unhindered, the Roomba will go in a random direction until it hits something; then, it will spin until it finds itself able to move onward again, continuing until it runs into another barrier. The virtual walls serve to make the Roomba run more efficiently, keeping it from escaping a room before it's finished its job. You turn on the virtual wall and set it behind a doorway; the instructions show you the best way to do this. Once the Roomba is finished vacuuming the room, you can set the virtual walls up in the next room. Be sure to turn them off when you're finished, since they do run on batteries.

I haven't used the remote control much, mainly because I don't yet trust the Roomba to run on its own. I watch my robot compulsively to make sure it doesn't get stuck somewhere. When it does get stuck, the Roomba will emit another 1980s era electronic sound. I've never found it hard to free the Roomba when it gets stuck, nor do I get the nasty burnt rubber smell I usually get with my big vacuum when it gets stuck on something. Our house doesn't have stairs, but I understand that the Roomba has built in technology that tells it to avoid stairs. I've noticed that the Roomba is also much quieter compared to my conventional vacuum cleaner. One of my dogs was a little afraid of it; the other one seemed to think the Roomba was a new playmate and kept doing a play bow before it. Neither of them started the incessant barking that usually goes on when I run the big vacuum.

One thing that I really like about the Roomba is that it goes under my furniture. I have asthma and am allergic to dust and mold (among other things). The first time I ran the Roomba under my bed, I was absolutely disgusted out by how much dust it dug up. Since the Roomba will supposedly run until the job is done, I probably could have kept my robot going for as long as the battery lasted and still not gotten up all the dust. My regular vacuum won't go under the beds or my other furniture, so I count this as a definite plus. I'm sure my lungs will be thanking me soon.

The Roomba Discovery 4210 offers some features that earlier models don't. There's the Max mode, which, when selected, tells the robot to clean until it's completely out of battery power. And there's also the Spot mode, which tells the robot to intensively clean one area of a room three feet in diameter. When the Roomba comes across a particularly dirty spot in its normal mode, it automatically puts a little more effort into cleaning the area. You'll know it's found a dirty spot when a blue light comes on and the Roomba spins around in circles. The Roomba is also able to guide itself back to its dock when the battery runs low or it finishes its job. I've seen my Roomba do this a couple of times (when it doesn't get hung up on fringe). It's very cool.

According to the manufacturer, the Roomba Discovery charges 60% faster than earlier Roomba models. It's capable of cleaning three 14 by 16 foot rooms before the battery needs to be charged and it holds more dirt than earlier models do. This is one area where I think the Roomba falls a little bit short of conventional vacuum cleaners. Since I have two dogs, my house gets pretty dirty. I like to get my vacuuming done as soon as possible. The Roomba moves slowly and it's filter and dustbin need to be cleaned frequently. Since it runs on batteries, I often find that I can't do the whole house in one sitting. I have to give the Roomba a break so that it can recharge. The recharging process takes about three hours. I stay at home most of the time, so this isn't a big problem for me, but I don't think it's a terribly efficient way to get my housecleaning done. The last time I vacuumed, I used the Roomba in a couple of rooms and, while it was running, used the big vacuum in the other rooms. That made the process of vacuuming a bit faster.

As it stands now, I think the Roomba Discovery 4210 vacuum cleaner is a handy gadget to own. It entertains at least one of my dogs and does a great job cleaning under my furniture. I'm not so sure if I'm ready to give up my conventional corded vacuum cleaner yet. In fact, I've told Bill that we will probably need to get another conventional vacuum cleaner sometime this year-- something with more power and storage capacity than the Roomba 4210. I do think it will lighten the load for my other vacuum cleaner and make it easier for me to keep the house clean. Some folks might think that it would have been a lot more practical for me to have just bought a regular vacuum in the first place, but I've kind of got my heart set on a new Dyson and I can't quite afford it yet. As it stands now, I think the Roomba has something to offer that other vacuums don't have, although I am glad I bought it reconditioned instead of brand new. I'm not sure it's really worth its $200+ price tag. However, I'm hoping that as time goes on, the technology for robotic vacuums will only get better. I think iRobot is definitely on to something big.