bObsweep bOBi Pet Robot Vacuum

I first submitted this review over 2 years ago, but never noticed Amazon rejected it, probably because I named a competitor. I am resubmitting this after running my bObi for almost 3 years. I still consider it the most practical and worthwhile investment I’ve ever made in a household appliance. I had been monitoring robo vac technology for years, since the inception of the first product. For nearly as many years, I considered the robotic vacuum a trendy gadget that was more of a curiosity than a functional machine. I had begun exploring another highly-advertised brand model, and read dozens of reviews. But the reviews unexpectedly ended up steering me away, and ultimately pointed me towards the bObi, which hadn't even reached my radar. When I made the decision to purchase this, I was still skeptical of the good reviews and the comparatively low price. But I purchased it with the firm confidence that I could quickly return it, as I expected to give it a trial run which it would promptly fail. I was so wrong. The Good: The bObi was beautifully packaged and easy to set up. Its robust ability to clean surprised me. It has a true beater bar underneath, similar to a regular vacuum. One of my concerns with a robotic vac was that it wouldn't reach all areas adequately, but it does a better job than I do. Unlike my upright vac, bObi gets under the kitchen cabinets and the bathroom vanities and doesn’t smack into table legs. I love that it gets under cabinets into the toe-kick space. It's quite adept at getting under side tables and chairs as well. The little revolving brush unit looks somewhat useless, but actually works effectively at getting into edges and corners and kicking debris into the vac. Its cleaning path is mysterious and seemingly random (maybe it is), but examination of the carpeted areas proves that it has reached every section of the floor. It manages to get back to its base every time, despite having to turn a corner or two to receive its signal. I hate machine noise; to the extent that I wear earplugs to run my blender. Noise tolerance is relative, but I could comfortably talk on the phone while the bObi is running. As others have mentioned, this decibel level doesn't record accurately. If you video the bObi in action, the recorded noise is higher-pitched and far more grating than it actually is. Bear this in mind when reviewing videos. My house is ideal for this machine, as it's a single level with tile and wall-to-wall carpet floors. There are several low-profile, braided rugs on the tile which the bObi has no problem with. This surprisingly strong little vac pushes my wrought iron upholstered chairs away from the table and sometimes a chair foot catches under the rug and bObi gets stuck there. The master bath has a throw rug which I simply remove when the bObi is in there. Side benefit of the robotic vac: I keep things picked up better. For these same reasons, I don’t recommend running bObi on a schedule or when you’re not home to intervene if it gets into a jam. Another benefit is that since bObi is just sitting there ready to go, I can run it every day. I have a free-range house rabbit who seems to be in a state of perpetual shed, and it is such easy maintenance now to just let bObi go. My bunny’s fur is very fine and soft, and ends up everywhere. I empty the dust chamber every time I run bObi, and am always surprised how much debris – and huge amounts of bunny fur - accumulates in two days’ time. bObi runs roughly an hour and change on a charge. There is about 1200 sf of floor space, and it takes 2 - 3 charges to clean the whole house. I run bObi around the main living area every few days and sometimes trap it in the bedrooms so the entire cleaning session is spent there. When I trap it in a bedroom, the air is noticeably fresher upon re-entering – it has a sweet smell reminiscent of the way my home smelled when I used an ionic air purifier. I don’t notice it in larger rooms, but it’s nice to know it’s happening. The Not So Good but I Can Live With It: bObi can get stuck and, unable to get out, keeps cleaning where it is trapped. The major trap location is a guest bathroom, where it can't exit over the marble threshold, which is about 3/4 inch high and angular. It manages to get its front edge over, but then one wheel gets caught on the threshold while the base is unbalanced. It doesn't waste it's time trying to escape its dilemma though; it just continues to clean the room furiously until I rescue it. I find that an efficient alternative to running down the battery while literally spinning its wheels. This is easily remedied by simply closing the door. My charging station is located in the open kitchen/living area, and this is where bObi does a great job cleaning. It seems to have a propensity for turning left over right. It will travel down the hall and hang left into the guest bathroom repeatedly, but is not as willing to hang right at the same juncture and enter the guest bedroom directly across the hall. I think it’s important to leave its base in one place, as it does seem to “learn” the layout, and if I run it several times consecutively, it will travel to different areas and ultimately cover the entire house. You can’t expect it to hit the entire house in one cycle though. I haven't determined exactly how much time it needs to recharge in the base, but I’m estimating it’s 3 -4 hours before I can send it out again. bObi works very hard in my house, and over the years, I’ve had various mishaps: A small plastic hinge holding the swinging door on the dustbin broke after about 3 months of use. At one point, the wheels stopped turning properly. After nearly three years of use, the battery needed to be replaced. These should have been irritating incidents, but thanks to stellar customer support, they were not. Support is incredibly responsive, friendly, polite, and English-speaking; and in my case at least, I have had the same support rep over the 3 years I’ve had bObi. This is fantastic, because this person has my bObi’s entire history. In each case, the company promptly sent me a replacement part, except for the time bObi had to return to the “hospital”, and returned clean and shiny with new parts. Most of this was at no cost to me. These are still leading-edge products, and still a nascent and expanding technology. When dealing with a newer technology, customer support is EVERYTHING. This is where bObsweep truly shines. In identifying these not-so-good points, I want to stress that I'm trying to be balanced about this, but none of them are annoying enough to diminish the bObi's value in my household. I am honestly surprised at its effectiveness and convenience, and am so glad I took the time to read through the reviews to assist in my original selection. Even the bunny dealt with this new household member better than I expected, and this was a huge plus. I was concerned he’d be terrorized by it, but I’m afraid he’s more inclined to terrorize bObi, as he follows it around. bObi will sometimes locate him in the midst of a snack, and clean up his mess in progress. In summary, as you might have guessed, I never thought twice about sending my bObi back. This is a total win, and a complete life-changer for me. I would be miserable without bObi in my house!