Robotic Hoovers on test

IRobot and Samsung NaviBot

The iRobot uses simpler technology and finds it‘s way round by remembering the route around a room. It is all very scientifically worked out but if you do sit and watch it does seems very illogical. That said it get’s the floor clean.

I have tested both the 500 series version with scheduling and the older 400 version without scheduling.  The 500 series version had the scheduling and so can be set up to run on selected days and times and then returns to the dock between cleaning to charge.  The 400 version does not have the scheduling option but it does the spot and cleaning modes and can be sent back to the dock by using a combination of the commands.

The iRobot finds the boundaries of the room by bouncing into them. So it could be a little noisy with all the bumping sounds.

The iRobot is best not left on charge all the time as doing so affects the battery life. Once you have it charged is stays charged and you can move the base without the hoover going flat!!!

The Samsung uses a different technology using an on board camera so that it does not have to bash into walls. The camera follows along the ceiling to plan the route around the room.  However I do not feel that this gets to the edges of the room. Every time it got near the edge of the room it headed off without cleaning it.

Then the Samsung developed a new feature which is not advertised!!! After running fine for a few weeks it started coming up with “C01” or a ”C02”error. It meant that every time it started up it stopped within seconds. According to the manual this meant an error with the wheel or  brushes being clogged. A thorough inspection could find no fault with the  wheels or brushes. Powering it on and off did nothing to fix this and weeks later the floor is getting really dirty! Impressed…NO.

Secondly there is another fault with this cleaner. You have it fully charged and you unplug the base…and guess what you have to charge the hoover again…but why it was fully charged. This is a waste of power and frustrating as you cannot move the base without having to recharge the hoover.

Then those of you who have a dog will get this one…you know when your dog has a mad moment and races in circles round the house…well the Samsung obviously has a special mode for this as I found it in the hall going round and round in circles. So I nudged it with my foot before it wore a hole in the carpet..and it just carried of circling on the spot

My conclusions

Buy the iRobot out of the two…while the Samsung may in reality have the cleverer technology on board it has some frustrating issues.  At the end of the day it needs to work and the Samsung has spent weeks sulking …I need the floor clean!!!

Over on YouTube, Kakaolv posted this video showing the two different technologies in action