They also have the Samsung Powerbot Essential -60% off at $479
Roomba 780 $499 (RRP $999) + More @ Myer
![](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/g/38.jpg)
Last edited 26/03/2016 - 19:44 by 1 other user
Related Stores
closed Comments
—-UPDATE——
Have used my Roomba for the first time. Incredibly impressed!!
Took 16 hours to charge overnight.
It does seem to clean in a haphazard fashion as it goes in all directions allover the room, but it appears to have covered everywhere. I have a smallish apartment and it finished in just under an hour.
Went under all the furniture, under the bed. Even got under the table and did under all the dining chairs, despite the fact the gap between the legs was about 2mm wider than the Roomba itself!
It does (?deliberately) bump into everything as it works its way around furniture and tight gaps, but this is very gentle, and it has a rubber bumper. It doesn't seems to have caused any damage.Very impressed at its ability to manoeuvre in tight spaces. If it is physically able to fit through a gap it will go through and clean everywhere around there. This is where its round shape comes into its own, as it rotates on the spot and inches forward in tiny little increments to get every lats little nook and cranny.
Watched an official youtube video about maintenance, and spent a few minutes cleaning the brushes and wheels afterwards, although in reality this is probably more of a once a week job, not once a day. Comes with some handy tools for maintenance too, for cleaning the brushes.
Haven't used the 'lighthouses' yet which can help it navigate between rooms, but in my 1-bed apartment it had no trouble doing the two individual rooms and corridors without a lighthouse. For large houses with many rooms i imagine these would help it finish one room before moving onto the next.
The only patch it has missed is a tight corner next to the bin where it clearly wasn't able to get close enough into the corner. About 2-3cm little eclipse shape in the corner that the dyson hand-held fixed in a second.
Been wanting one for ages, glad I finally found a reasonably priced deal, and I don't think there will be any going back!
I bought the Samsung powerbot at $479' I must say it's quite impressive. We have a Dyson animal pro and use it quite often and it was surprising to see how much dust the powerbot pulled up from the carpets.
When did you buy it and how long have you been using it for? I'm leaning towards the Samsung but there's obviously less reviews on it over the Roomba
I've only had it a week, however, did extensive research and it's worked pretty well and seems to get a bit better each time it goes out. It always returns to it's station when low on power when it's in the same room, however the two times it's gone flat in other rooms it didn't return. Overall I'm impressed with the performance for the price. We have carpet throughout the apartment at the moment so I've had to empty a couple of times whilst cleaning. We will eventually move to floating boards, so I don't expect to empty it during cycles in the future.
As with any robot vacs, you still need to manually vac once in a while to get the tight corners. I'll post again in a few months once I've had more time using it.
Tried to read user reviews, and someone mentioned that you can not schedule it (ie so it can clean while at work). Is that right?
@fruxo: Nope there's no scheduling built-in but I expect that I need to empty the dust bin so rather running on a full dust bin I can empty and run it straight after.
Alternatively teach an internet connected-infrared remote and schedule a mobile app to start a clean job or manual start it while away from the house.
@fruxo: As per @fruxo comment, you can't schedule, however as with any robot Vac unless you have hardwood floors, I've found I've had to empty at least once per clean, also it's gotten stuck a couple of times which would have been annoying had I not been here to help it. It's reasonable quite (for a vac) definitely quieter than my Dyson.
I just bought one today, I'm very impressed with its ability to navigate around and towards obstacles rather than hitting against walls and objects it appears to be aware and slows down or avoids.
Does anyone know the difference between the two Samsung Powerbot vacuums? They both look the same except for the price tag.
According to their eBay page, model number for the red (cheap one) is SR20J9010U
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Samsung-Powerbot-Essential-Ro…
Checked the review here. Its basiclly the same as the VR9000
http://www.cnet.com/au/products/samsung-powerbot-essential-r…
Have impulse bought the Roomba as have a myer gift card and westinghouse visa card so it will cost me $99 but I really don't know if I need this. I'll sleep on it but might end up cancelling. Either way I'll need to refund and rebuy instore tomorrow if I decide to keep it. I really should use the money for an entertainment unit for the tv :/
I have a neato vx+21. I wasn't sure about it at first but now find myself vacuuming at most once a month and that is mainly in the corners or cracks in the floor boards , etc ( hard to reach spots). It's handy and can be put in a timer so it begins when you have already left for work. makes life a little easier.
Attach your Iphone/Android music player on to the Roomba & Presto you have DJ ROOMBA great for parties… no need to thank me - C/O Parks & Rec:)
Is this the Samsung - POWERbot VR9200
http://www.samsung.com/au/consumer/home-appliances/vacuum-cl…
If so, how does it compare to the Roomba?
No. See post about 3 above with eBay link.
Is the lowest price ever for roomba 780?
Apparently it sold for US$322.90 on Oct 27, 2014 at Amazon
So approx. AU$362.80* at the time
*before delivery
Thanks OP. Decided to go for the Samsung. It's available on the Myer eBay page so got an extra 1.25% through cash rewards.
A quick read through different reviews comparing the two recommend the Roomba over the Samsung, primarily because of the brand being involved in this market for longer. Secondly, the Samsung has the disadvantage of not being able to navigate as well as the Roomba or cleaning along the walls. I have only personally tried the Neato Xv - 21 which had to be sent back as it simply died.
Are there any other offers that we could combine to get a better deal?
Also found that Samsung battery is only 30 min, heavier, and louder.
How do these robo vac cope with thick rugs? (A rug that literally can't be vac'd by a robot due to it's thick pile). Will it get stuck, or can you somehow program it to not enter the area where the rug is?
The device comes with x2 'Virtual Wall Lighthouses'. These are little plastic turrets that you leave on the floor. They can function in two different modes (they have a switch). You can use these either:
1) To create a 'No Go Zone' - they cast an infrared beam that the robot won't cross - a 'wall'. This is your best bet, although would not be ideal if the rug is in the middle of a room.
2) To notify the device when it crosses the beam, that it is entering a different room / area of the house, so that it can find its way back home later more easily, and clean the individual rooms more effectively.To be honest, if it was me, i'd just gently fold the rug in half at cleaning time, and then the roomba won't be able to get onto of it and will leave it alone.
You can buy more of them if you need more, but they cost about $60AUD each
Cheers for the reply.. Can't really fold the rug as it's pretty damn big and my couch sits on top of it, about 2/5's of the rug is "Exposed" where the couch doesn't sit on it. I guess if I get one of these, I'd want to be certain the "no go zone" actually works..
Is this any good for Carpets?
This is gonna be great for listening to music. DJ Roomba in the house!!
This roomba vacuum is really old though, released in 2011 I think. Has the technology really not improved since then? I mean it looks like it has pretty much the same features as the newer models, but it still doesn't feel right buying technology which is that old.
In other words, should I buy this one or would a cheap no name robotic vacuum be just as good as this 5 year old brand name one? I would have thought the cheap ones would just have copied everything from earlier models by now. Sure, the quality control might not be as good, but I assume price is also much lower.
Vacuum tech still sucks.
I wish I could buy these robots with my DS gift cards ;(
I bought LG Roboking Square Red VR64702 during ebay techie sales for 640 bucks. I haven't opened the box yet so still can return it. My questioin here, is this Roboking really $140 bettet than this Roomba780?
Bought the Samsung - thoughts so far:
It is really good at sensing stuff and navigating around. And it picked up a whole lot of dirt on its first go. It did get stuck on some cords in one room, and you could hear it crying for help until i picked it up and sent it along its way.
It also really is just an essentials vacuum - no scheduling or towers/gates to stop it going into places, which does suck. I guess the only thing I can do is run it right before leaving for work in the morning. On the first go it did find its way back home, but then again I'm in a fairly small apartment. Let's see if it makes it back home later tonight.
I didn't go for the roomba because of the 'old technology' comments, plus this one is red, and looks more badass. :P Let's just hope that makes it worth $480
Thanks for sharing. Was about to get Samsung myself. Found a review saying the battery can only run for 30 min and louder than roomba. Mind to share if this is true? As for roomba, it can be at least 1 hour or more. The robotic software in vacuum is still about the same for the last few years. Roomba 780 still uses similar technology as with newer models. For new models, the different mainly in having "extra" but no advances in robotic. Extra can be in smart phone controller, bigger dust bin, better battery life, etc.
There are 2 suction modes for the Samsung, low and high. I've found I prefer it on low because it is quieter, still does a good job in my house of sucking off both carpet and hard floor.
Goes for longer than 30min on low suction but mileage varies as it seems to have a auto sensing function to increase suction if it thinks it's required.
Fantastic half price deal on Roomba.
This model is a little dated compared to some in the Roomba range, but price makes it worth it.
Samsung is newer model (2015), and is more powerful, and reviews have generally been positive, but in the end I opted for the Roomba due to its ability to get under furniture, and iRobot's (Roomba manufacturer) long history in the market. Some reviews in the Samsung commented about poor support from Samsung and no availability of replacement parts (batteries and filters).
Also had an old voucher for $120 for Myer, so I paid $380 for a $999 robot! Feeling chuffed.