Meet the Family – Retired, Replacement
& Newborn Models

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.

In the beginning, the Roomba line included six different models:

1. Roomba Red
2. Roomba Pink Ribbon
3. Roomba Sage
4. Roomba Discovery
5. Roomba Discovery SE
6. Roomba Scheduler

The least expensive robot was the Roomba Red at an awesome price of $149! As crimson as its name suggests this "entry-level" robot 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 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 was the spectacular Roomba Scheduler, the fruit of most of a decade of robovac development and in its day it was 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! 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!

Recently, iRobot discontinued nearly all its older models, and replaced them with a larger range of new models that tend to be numbered rather than named. Alas, the popular Sage, Pink Ribbon, Scheduler, Discovery, and Discovery SE models have all been retired, though replacement parts and accessories are still available for all of them. The Roomba Red is still going strong, but it's the only original model that is -- and iRobot has recently started calling it the Model 410, so it'll fit in with the rest of the gang.

At the moment, there are eight logically-numbered “main" models: the 400, the 410 (i.e., ol' Red), the 416, the 530, the 560, the 570, and the 580. Most of the price differences from bottom to top of the line involve a different combination of capabilities and accessories that come with the basic robot; however, the 500 Series, which iRobot is focusing on going forward, does have the aforementioned, substantially improved capabilities over the initial Roombas and the 400 Series models, which are based on the original technology. Not that the 400 models are junk or anything; they're the best robo-vacs you can get for the price, but they just don't do the job quite as quietly and quickly as the cocky new kids on the block. In addition, models 560, 570, and 580 work with the Lighthouse, and only models 570 and 580 respond to the Wireless Command Center.

On top of everything else, all new Roomba models come with at least a one-year manufacturer's warranty and a 30 day money back guarantee.

November 2008: Latest updates are in green.

On to part eight:

• The new relative's all wet
  • Back to Roomba Guide Index