1) Do they really know how to navigate so as to not keep retracing their "steps"? I can't remember, but I think they do retrace their steps.
2) Does Scooba leave any standing water? Yes, that was a common problem.
3) Scooba's so small. Don't you have to keep refilling? Yes. Size is actually more of an issue with the roomba though (if you have pet hair). It fills up quickly.
4) Has the Clorox cleaner been ok for your wood floors? I have tile.
5) They're really expensive. Worth it or no? No, I returned two roombas to Costco and I gave up on the scooba, which is relegated to an outdoor shed.
6) Any mechanical problems? It needs to be cleaned more than once during each run if you happen to have hairy dogs (two golden retrievers) like I do. The axle is plastic and when it spins the hair cuts "trenches" in it, eventually destroying it. Also, you need to spray it inside frequently with compressed air or it stops working. The wheels, brushes and bearings in my case needed cleaning each time I used it (though I vacuumed almost every day), but I do have a pet hair problem as mentioned.
7) If they get stuck and you don't notice it right away, do they eventually turn off? Mine did.
8) One of my issues is pet hair; any probs there? Yes, see above. I think it could work for a person without pets or maybe even pets with short hair. It was ridiculously bad with my fluffy, long-haired dogs. (That's the roomba I'm talking about).

The scooba was not as high maintenance and cheap as the roomba, but it eventually died within a year. I think the battery may have been the problem. If you buy either, be sure to buy from a place that allows returns.

Btw, keeping the roomba working was more effort than vacuuming; also, I checked the roomba forums for information on how to fix the problems I encountered; there was a lot of info, but eventually, I just was putting too much effort into it. DH teased me that I was spending more time working on the vacuum than with our doggies. You might look there to see how some people seem to love them (miraculously, to my thinking) and others like me were disappointed.

Just fyi, I returned my first roomba because of the problems with the plastic bearing casings being destroyed by hair. Then, I returned a second one which had the same problem, plus it was just too much work to keep it going. It seemed like a cheap toy.

Ask this guy

Here is a link that might be useful: roomba

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my floor robots! I have a couple of Roombas and a Scooba.

1) Do they really know how to navigate so as to not keep retracing their "steps"?
They do retrace their steps to some extent. I used to worry about it, now I just let them do their thing and see the results at the completion.

2) Does Scooba leave any standing water?
No. A little bit of dampness to dry, about five minutes.

3) Scooba's so small. Don't you have to keep refilling?
I have one that goes for nearly an hour, I refill it once during that amount of time.

4) Has the Clorox cleaner been ok for your wood floors?
Sorry, I don't have wood floors.

5) They're really expensive. Worth it or no?
I LOVE, LOVE my Roomba. I really LIKE my Scooba. If I could only have one, it would be the Roomba.

6) Any mechanical problems?
Like a wonderful pet, they are great but do require some care. I empty my Roomba each time it runs (I have five boxer dogs) and I clean its brushes about every three runs. Maintenance is easy and takes a few minutes. Beyond that any problems I have had (few) have been quickly repaired by iRobot sending me a new part.

7) If they get stuck and you don't notice it right away, do they eventually turn off?
Yes, they call you first (beep, beep). If you ignore them, they turn off/wait.

8) One of my issues is pet hair; any probs there?
Well, I have five dogs, LOTS of hair even though they are boxers.

I don't mind paying for something that works, but these days, it seems like everything I buy is a cheap piece of you know what.
If you belong to Costco, they sell the Roomba and are VERY good about returns. Also, Hammacher Schlemmer offers a Lifetime Unconditional Guarantee on EVERYTHING they sell, and they sell iRobot products. I wish I had known about them before I bought through Home Shopping Network. There is a Roomba chat sight where many people have bought and had their units replaced through Hammacher Schlemmer. You can see the guarantee on their home page.

I would no longer be without my Roombas!

Here is a link that might be useful: Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee

1) They will retrace some of what they do but they do go over the entire floor that is accessible
2) It leaves wetness- kind of like a mop- it also left streaks on my HW floors where it was just water waiting to dry.
3) Yes- my old LR was about 17x20 and it had to be refilled- bad thing the empty tank and the solution tank never emptied and filled at the same time one was full before one was out.
4) Yes
5) I got my Scooba on sale for 50% off- and no it was not worth the money.
6) Yes the battery- after maybe a month the battery was bad.
7) If it gets stuck it makes a doorbell type noise to alert you- but yes it will eventually shut itself off.
8) Yes, even if I swept or vacuumed the HW floors first just any little bit would clog the intake then you have to interrupt the cycle to clean it out.

Even at 50% off I was sorely disappointed in the Scooba. I ended up selling it on CL because it did not do a good job.

I ended up getting a Hoover floormate and I love it and wouldn't trade it for 2 Scoobas. The floormate is NOT for carpet but it will dry vacuum, wet vacuum, scrub, and immediately suck up the little bit of water it spits out.

Floormate vs. Scooba

FM has a cord you can clean all of your house - Scooba has a battery to rely on- it took about an hour to clean one room and the battery lasted about 2 hours.

FM empty/fill tanks at the same time and uses 1/4 of the solution that Scooba did.

FM can spot clean- Scooba has to do the entire room.

FM can dry vac (not carpet), wet vac, and scrub. It also picks up all of the little bit of water it puts down.

FM has a good size opening in the front that sucks up the stuff- if pet hair gets in it (and it takes quite a bit)- just pull the piece off, run water dislodge the hair, and snap the piece back on- Scooba has filters, tubes, roller brushes to fool with to get pet hair out of.

I loved (past tense) my roomba while it lasted. It worked well and crawled under my furniture. If it got stuck it beeped and turned off. You can set a timer to have it clean on a pre-set schedule and it will return itself to the docking station. There are 'invisible fences' that keep it from straying. After a year it will only spin in a half circle and it doesn't work anymore. I don't think I will spend anything to repair it. I got it at costco for $289. I was sorry to see it go.

Groominggal - I have a floormate too and I love it. I've had it for many years with no issues. In addition to cleaning, I have used it as a wet vac when the dehumidifier overflowed and when the cat knocked over a picture of water on the hardwood floor.

Hey Guys:

The Roomba is indeed pretty great...though there are times when I've had to get a new battery for it (ugh).

I have the Roomba 400, which is a good one, I think. I went to this place for the battery: www.batterytex.com

Had to purchase a vac-400nmh-33 battery for it, but I'm sure you might know that already.

Happy Cleaning,
GW

If you do purchase a Roomba, make SURE you keep the receipt and any paperwork that comes with it. You WILL need them. The Roomba is a great concept, but is not reliable at all. They always quit working eventually. I've had 3 of them, took great care of them... I don't even have a shedding pet! All 3 stopped working within 2 years. IMHO, the company should concentrate on making their robotic floor care products more reliable instead of adding more and more bells and whistles...

How interesting. I always see these on sale, hmmm does that mean something? Anyways, do you find that they work better on certain types of flooring than others? If so which ones?

I have the floormate and I've had the roomba. I wouldn't trade my floormate for any amount of money! It's been the best thing I've bought in a long time. I told my husband if it ever goes out I'll be buying another one the same day to replace it. I've had mine for a few years and haven't had any trouble with it. Like the other posters said, it doesn't work on carpet, but if you have a lot of wood, laminate or tile flooring you'll be a happy camper with a floormate.

I gave away my Roomba aka Dirt Dog model, because by the time I was finished walking through the house and picking up cat, dog toys, dog chews, and electrical cords, etc. I could have vacummed the entire house myself. Was too much work to allow it to vacuum for me. LOL I didn't like that it couldn't fit under all my furniture and I like to vacuum under and behind all furniture everytime I clean the floor or else I don't feel like it's cleaned properly. I think those machines are good if you have a large room with minimal furniture and no obstructions. Maybe a nice and neat garage floor; which was what my model was built to do. I bought it as I knew I'd need something heavy duty to pick up pet fur and cat litter. It did the job, but not as efficient as me vacuuming.

Wow, thx everyone for all the great info!! There's such a mixture of opinions, tho, I'm not sure that I know which way to go. :) Since there never seems to be enough time in a day to do everything I need to do, I was hoping these robots would help me multi-task. I have cats and it seems like I'm constantly vacuuming to keep up with the hair. For those of you who had problems with pet hair, if you would let me know which model you owned, I would appreciate it. I may try the Roomba if the website guarantees I can return it without problem. As for washing the floors, sounds like Floormate's the way to go.
Thx again,
Betsy

I have a roomba sitting in the closet. I really tried to give it a chance but it is the closest thing to useless I've ever wasted money on. Consequently, I didn't even consider buying a scooba. I bought the roomba based on people on the KT raving about it. Some even claimed to turn it on, leave for work and come home to a clean floor. Balderdash! Mine gets stuck and can't extricate itself. Just sits there making noise until you come to the rescue. If you watch it you will find yourself getting up to nudge it away from a spot it's gone over and over again. I too, wanted it for the pet hair. Believe me. It's a lot faster to get out the regular vac or dustmop and more effective too. I was really convinced the last time I tried to use it. After it had completed it's job, I got out my regular vac and went over everything. You wouldn't believe the dirt.

So, in answer to your question about the scooba. I don't believe it could possibly work any better than the roomba and would be a waste of time and money.