robotic vacuums....which one to get?

[ProudGrandma]

I think I have decided to get a robotic vacuum, but since the Roomba has come out, there are so many brands....models...etc.  The Eufy (which was recommended on a past thread of mine) looks good, but one of the reviews on Amazon said it left permanent black marks on their white baseboards.  The house that we are renting has white baseboards so I can't risk that being a problem.  So, can anybody else here speak to that with the Eufy or any other brand of robotic vacuums?  

I do not want to spend a lot of money ($150ish tops...preferably less)....because most of the time there will be only 2 people living our home and we do not have any pets.   

Might there be any recommendations?

Thanks.

[Bambam]

We started with Eufy, because they were cheap and decent. The first one was a dumb one - just bounce around like a billiard ball. Decent - but not great. 

Then we got an Eufy G30 - smarter (theoretically) but not much. It still struggles to find home base on a regular basis. It actually runs into the walls pretty hard.  IMHO, the smart is that it goes in a straight line until it runs into something and then goes back just slightly overset from the previous path - again until it bumps into something, repeat. 

Then I found a Shark 2-in-1 robot vacuum/mop combo on clearance. Oh, my. This thing made a map of my house, and I labeled the rooms. So now I can tell it to vacuum the living room and kitchen and nothing else. I have to put the mop attachment on it, but it does a pretty decent job of mopping. Vacuuming is better than the Eufy too.  And it never runs into my walls. However, two downsides - it is slightly taller, so there are a couple of cabinets it doesn't get under the overhang which the Eufy could do (but it would run into the cabinet itself). And to mop the master bathroom, I have to send it to vacuum it (because it has to go through a carpeted room and when the mop attachment is on, it won't do that), and when it gets there, pause it and stick on the mop attachment, and remove the mop attachment before it leaves. That sounds like trouble, but it really isn't bad - I just follow it to the bathroom, pause it, attach, and since it tells you how long it will take to do that room, you set your phone timer and head back when it goes off. The unit also makes a pleasing song when it finishes, so that is the second clue to go remove the mop attachment so it can return to dock. 

I do have to empty the dust bin every 2-3 days though. Which isn't really a problem, just something to remember needs to be done. 

I try to replace the filters every month. We had my dd's cat for 6 months, but the filters aren't getting as dirty now that cat isn't here, so I may let them go longer. 

So, I'd say - go for a Shark.  I'm planning to pass the dumb Eufy to one dd and the "smart" Eufy to the other. 

But I've not tried a Roomba. 

[ProudGrandma]

Thank you for that.  I will check those out. 

[KungFuPanda]

I’m still happy with the dumb Eufy.  Just waking up to clean floors I didn’t sweep is awesome and I like that it goes under my furniture. The extra parts are SUPER cheap too. I needed an extra spinny brush thing and for $20 I got several filters, brushes, beater bars, and beater bar cap. If this thing only lasts a year it was worth the price. 

[ProudGrandma]

12 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

I’m still happy with the dumb Eufy.  Just waking up to clean floors I didn’t sweep is awesome and I like that it goes under my furniture. The extra parts are SUPER cheap too. I needed an extra spinny brush thing and for $20 I got several filters, brushes, beater bars, and beater bar cap. If this thing only lasts a year it was worth the price. 

do these come in white?  or do they not hit the the baseboards or run along them?

[Innisfree]

7 minutes ago, ProudGrandma said:

do these come in white?  or do they not hit the the baseboards or run along them?

We have a black Eufy which hasn’t caused any problems on the baseboards, fwiw: survey sample of one.

[ProudGrandma]

4 minutes ago, Innisfree said:

We have a black Eufy which hasn’t caused any problems on the baseboards, fwiw: survey sample of one.

do you have white baseboards?  What do you mean to survey sample of one?  Do you mean to buy one and try it out? or something different? 

[Innisfree]

3 minutes ago, ProudGrandma said:

do you have white baseboards?  What do you mean to survey sample of one?  Do you mean to buy one and try it out? or something different? 

We have used the Eufy in two houses, one of which has white baseboards, the other dark brown. Neither has shown marks from the Eufy.

I just meant that my experience is only a sample of one, so not worth that much, but included fwiw.

Edited July 6 by Innisfree

[ProudGrandma]

1 minute ago, Innisfree said:

We have used the Eufy in two houses, one of which has white baseboards, the other dark brown. Neither has shown marks from the Eufy.

I just meant that my experience is only a sample of one, so not worth that much, but included fwiw.

got it!   thanks.   the review I read was also just a "sample of one"

Edited July 6 by ProudGrandma

[Innisfree]

Also fwiw, I am not a houseproud or meticulous housekeeper, so possibly others would notice problems that I haven’t. Personally I’m just tickled to have something vacuuming without me pushing it.

[ProudGrandma]

2 minutes ago, Innisfree said:

Also fwiw, I am not a houseproud or meticulous housekeeper, so possibly others would notice problems that I haven’t. Personally I’m just tickled to have something vacuuming without me pushing it.

which Eufy do you have?

[Innisfree]

1 minute ago, ProudGrandma said:

which Eufy do you have?

Not sure exactly, and I’m not where I can check for a few days, but it’s an old, cheap, dumb one. It zigzags around and gets up a surprising amount of dust and fur. Edges of hallways, where dog hair tends to clump, do look clean after Eufy makes the circuit.

[ProudGrandma]

11 minutes ago, Innisfree said:

Not sure exactly, and I’m not where I can check for a few days, but it’s an old, cheap, dumb one. It zigzags around and gets up a surprising amount of dust and fur. Edges of hallways, where dog hair tends to clump, do look clean after Eufy makes the circuit.

ok...no worries.  thanks

[KungFuPanda]

2 hours ago, ProudGrandma said:

do these come in white?  or do they not hit the the baseboards or run along them?

Mine is black. It does run along the baseboards and bump them, but there’s been no damage or color transfer. It’s more of a touch than a bump, then it turns and goes a different direction.  My floors stay clean now and I’m doing nothing, so I’m not bothered that the pattern is random. I’m not awake to see it.
 

For me the most frustrating part is when it gets itself stuck, runs down the battery, and I have to find it. That happens a few times a month. It might get stuck on a barstool or eat a sock and hide under the couch. You do tend to keep things picked up knowing it’s going to run in the morning. 
 

When I’m ready to upgrade I’ll probably move this one upstairs. 

[Bambam]

If you haven't already purchased, I see that several major retailers are having deal days since Amazon Prime Days are July 16-17. Both Target and WalMart are offering similar savings on a variety of items. 

[ProudGrandma]

10 minutes ago, Bambam said:

If you haven't already purchased, I see that several major retailers are having deal days since Amazon Prime Days are July 16-17. Both Target and WalMart are offering similar savings on a variety of items. 

I thought about that.  I am not in a big hurry and will wait until then.  I will also check Walmart and Target.  thanks.