We have officially entered the land of the Jetsons. We are living it, my friends. I’m doing a bObiPet v. Roomba review because nobody likes cleaning their floors.
And I am convinced you need today’s version of Rosie the Robot – a machine that will help you keep your house clean while you work hard. Or while you surf the Internet and drink wine.
I literally do not judge what you do with your time. I just don’t want you to have to clean your floors.
That’s why there isn’t a doubt in my mind – if you have a household to keep clean, any combination of kids/husbands/pets, and want to HAVE A LIFE … you need a robot vacuum.
I’ve talked about my vacuum for years. I know several of you have bought them over the years and loved them, too. And I get a LOT of emails and questions about it. (Is it worth it? Yes. Do I still use it? Yes. Did I miss it in the barn? OMG. YES!)
And now, I’m back for a bit of an update – and a review of the new robot in town.
Since we moved into the new house, we’ve taken a new bObiPet for a spin to keep our floors clean. This doesn’t mean we have any serious gripes about our last vacuum, but we are really digging the shiny new model. And I thought it would be fun to share the nitty gritty about the two robot vacuums so you can make a good decision for your household.
First up, a disclaimer – I’m comparing a brand new bObiPet to a 3-year-old Roomba 650. (I have actually had two Roomba 650s so I am considering myself a self-proclaimed expert.)
I’m aware that you may argue that this is probably not a super fair fight – technology changes and something brand new probably has an upper hand. With that said, I’m going to try to share my experience with the Roomba over the past three years – because there are some serious differences between the two vacuums that are worth mentioning.
bObiPet v. Roomba Review
I’ve covered what the Roomba 650 does in this post. It is designed for sweeping and vacuuming – it does a fairly good job at picking up dog hair with a combination of agitation, sweeping and suction.
Some other notes:
- I ran the bObiPet for the first time an hour after running the Roomba. It vacuumed up two full canisters of dust and pet hair! So, it seems that the Roomba was leaving a lot more behind, especially on the longer carpeting.
- Both vacuums can handle hard surfaces or carpet.
- Neither have torn up my rugs or done any damage to trim work or belongings.
Price
Both vacuums are ringing in at right under $330 on Amazon right now. This isn’t pocket change, so I understand why some people hesitate when pulling the trigger. But I figure that this is pretty on-par with the cost of most high-end vacuums today. (And believe it or not, the prices have seriously come down in the past three years when I received the first one.)
Aesthetics
Because these vacuums must be left out to really get used, it is important for me that they aren’t hideously ugly. We have a spot for them in a small cubby in the living room with an outlet. It’s out of the way but central to the entire downstairs.
This is subjective (big time), but I prefer the look of the bObiPet. It’s RED and just looks a little sleeker. The top isn’t cluttered with buttons that gather dust.
With that said, there’s nothing wrong with the Roomba’s aesthetics, I just prefer the bObiPet at this point.
Scheduling and use
Both of these models allow you to schedule the vacuum to run as often as you’d like. In my case, I have it run every single morning.
To me, scheduling functionality is the most important part of having a vacuum. If you have to remember to turn it on every day, it loses some appeal. (I’m totally a card-carrying lazy mom.)
Both are relatively easy to schedule – but the bObiPet has a remote that is actually pretty cool once you figure it out. You can even run it yourself (like a remote controlled car) if you need to pick up something specific.
Guess who loves that function in our house? (Cough: Henry.)
Noise
Both the bObiPet and Roomba make noise – the Roomba is a bit louder and tends to “bump” more. I can’t sleep through it by any means. The bObiPet is more of a “hum” and does a better job hovering around walls and furniture without bumping – I could definitely sleep through it or listen to the television.
Efficiency
Both the bObiPet and the Roomba take the road less traveled when it comes to vacuuming your floors. It’s not going to make sense to you. Just let it go. Where you would go in straight lines and make sure to cover every spot, the robot vacuums make their way around in unique ways.
The bObiPet has seemed to do a better job at getting all parts of the downstairs, where the Roomba seems to get parts of the downstairs each day before going back to the charger. (But I have to give the Roomba the benefit of the doubt because it’s battery is three years old.)
Something I keep in mind is that just running a vacuum every day is going to make your home cleaner, period. I figure that some things may get missed some days, but it will get taken care of the next day. In all, I don’t notice dirt and dog hair in corners and under furniture – so that’s a win.
And the fact that the bObiPet picked up SO MUCH MORE than the Roomba makes it the clear winner in cleaning and efficiency. It also seems to get better and better – cleaning up more and better the more it runs.
Finding the charger
I have had a lot of questions about this – because if you want your vacuum to run every day, it needs to find its charger every day after it’s complete. It seems like this is a problem for others.
Technically, my charger space is a bit too small – the bObiPet requests 2 feet of clearance on each side and 10 feet in front of the charger. (Since it’s a nook, it’s not 2 feet on each side.)
But, this spot is very central and open so both the Roomba and bObiPet have no trouble finding the charger and docking.
I do like that the bObiPet also has a button on the remote for “Juice,” if you want to tell the vacuum to go charge right now. (Like, for example, if someone visits and you don’t want the vacuum bothering you.)
Maintenance
The key to longevity for any robot vacuums is regular maintenance. ALL models require it and both of these are fairly similar in requirements. Basically, you need to empty the canister every day and check for anything blocking the brushes, wheels, sweepers or sensors. This typically takes me the amount of time to walk from the vacuum to the garbage (30 seconds?).
On a monthly basis, I try to take it apart and do a quick deep clean – this is when I make sure to cut any hairs or threads that are wrapped around the brushes, wipe down all the inner parts, etc.
In this area, I would say both the Roomba and the bObiPet are simple to maintain – but it just takes a little thought. (Way less time and thought than vacuuming everyday myself, by the way.)
Errors/problems
The only issue we had with the bObiPet was the side brush getting stuck in the coffee table the first day. (We have metal legs on the floor.) Luckily, it only happened once.
My biggest beef with the Roomba was that it gets stuck under furniture – and it happens fairly regularly. This is still an issue. I’m not sure WHY it happens, but it does. It almost always happens under our sofa in a certain spot.
So how did the bObiPet stack up?
It. Hasn’t. Got. Stuck. Once.
BOOM. Mic drop.
In the end, I feel like bringing the bObiPet into our home was similar to upgrading a car. The old model was fine, but the new one is just nicer. I love that it sanitizes and filters the air, too. And the option to mop is just plain cool.
Here’s a little video of the Bob making its way around our new house. As you can see, the dogs don’t even notice it’s happening in front of their eyes.
Learn more about the bObiPet and the other bObsweep models.
Disclosure: I was provided with a bObiPet for the purpose of a review. All opinions are mine.
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Kim says
I have white trim and cabinets in our new house, and the engineered wood floors also make me worry about scratches. I know you said it’s better at not “bumping” but how gentle is it as it runs?
John says
I’ve never had any problems with mine scratching my wood floors, but I also don’t actually know what “engineered wood floors” are so I guess I can’t say for sure that they wouldn’t scratch yours!
Sarah says
What does it do about steps? I have a sunken living room (because our house was built in the 70’s, and am wondering if it would sense the step down area and turn around, or take a tumble when it got to the step?
Kim Woodward says
Neither will go up or down stairs. It would just go to the edge, but it shouldn’t fall down them, either.
Lindsey says
How does it do on corners? I have two dogs who shed enough to produce a litter of puppies each day, and it likes to collect around the trim and in the corners. I’ve basically given up keeping my house clean, but if a robot could do it…
Sarah says
Kim –
How does either fare with Henry’s toys that get left on the floor? Do I have to play 52 toy pickup or will it avoid toys (puzzle pieces, stacking cups, etc)?
Kim Woodward says
You’ll definitely need to have the majority of things off the floor. I’m a crazy person so we usually have everything picked up anyhow. There have been times that it has sucked up a Lego or got a stuffed doggie toy twisted around the brushes, but it’s part of our routine to have things off the floor. (And as a perk, it keeps our house cleaner overall because everything has to be picked up. Sort of like having a cleaning lady and picking up before she comes.)
Gretchen@BoxyColonial says
I’ve wanted a robot vacuum for so long! It’s sort of ridiculous that I have 5 pets and don’t already have one
Shelley says
I keep asking for one. So far, I haven’t gotten it. Probably because I HAD to have the Dyson a few years ago. Which clearly doesn’t run itself. Please tell me you saw THIS circulating on facebook last week, because I am actively trying to hide it from husband who doesn’t need any more ammo on “Reasons why NOT to get a Roomba/self-vacuuming thing.” It’s a HILARIOUS recount of what happens when Rooma meets dog poop.
https://www.facebook.com/jesse.newton.37/posts/776177951574
Kim Woodward says
Yes, I have so so so seen that. And cringed through it because I WOULD DIE.
G Lainey says
You are a very lucky girl!