Meet the Family

When the first Roomba Vacuuming Robot appeared on the market in 2002, sales immediately took off. You might think that between their popular new product and the handy PackBots clearing danger zones in Afghanistan and Iraq for American soldiers, iRobot might want to rest on its laurels for a bit -- but no one told them that. The company started expanding its product line almost immediately.

Today, the Roomba line includes six different models. The least expensive, at $149, is the basic Roomba Red (as crimson as its name suggests), an "entry-level" robot that comes complete with extra filters, one battery, one charger, and a Virtual Wall. Its sister product, the Roomba Pink Ribbon Model, comes similarly equipped at $180, but $36 of each sale goes to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation -- and that's worth buying it right there.

Next up is the Roomba Sage, a sage green model that comes with all the above plus a wall mount and an extra Virtual Wall, just in case you need a little more help reining in your Roomba than one Virtual Wall can handle (and hey, don't forget the extras only cost $30). The Sage checks in at a penny shy of $200. For another 80 bucks, you can step up to the Roomba Discovery, the company's flagship model. You'd still be paying less than you would for most floorvacs, and you'd get a better-performing electric vacuum that does all the work itself and even plugs itself in when done. The Discovery (MSRP $279.99) comes with everything the less-expensive models do, along with a self-charging home base and, yes, a remote control! And it only builds from there. The Discovery SE (for special edition, naturally) comes with a fast-charger wall mount too, for only $20 more.

Finally, there's the "vactacular" Roomba Scheduler, the fruit of most of a decade of robovac development and the most expensive of the lot, at $329.99 (still cheaper than most Electroluxes). In addition to everything SE can offer, you also get replacement beater and bristle brushes, and the piece de resistance -- a remote control scheduling ability, not just for Roomba but for your Virtual Walls too!  Now the Virtual Walls don't have to be on all the time, and if you're clever you can set various VMs to go on and off at different times to herd Roomba from one place to another. Just think: put a little thought into it and be on hand to occasionally send it back to its charger and clean the debris bin, and you'll no longer have to worry about your floors at all. Plus, you'll be able to set the Roomba itself to seven different cleaning schedules, one for each day of the week. The scheduling remote comes with a cool LED screen, and it's fun to use. How clever of iRobot to make us a toy we adults can play with without feeling guilty!

On top of everything else, all Roomba models come with a one-year manufacturer's warranty, just in case your model decides to take a swan dive off that upstairs landing after all. Not that that would ever happen or anything.

On to part eight :: The new relative's all wet :: Back to Roomba Guide Index