iRobot 610 Roomba Professional Series Review

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(More customer reviews)I've used the Roomba 610 and 560. I now have two refurbished 560s in our house, at the same price as one 610. And it's definitely a better value.
Before I talk about the 610, let me share what's good and bad about Roombas in general, based on my experience with both the 560s and 610:
Pros:
- You don't have to vacuum, the Roomba does it for you
- Scheduled cleanings so you don't even have to worry about it or be home to hear the noise
- Floors stay clean without much effort
- One button start it and forget about it
Cons:
- Absolute pain in the butt to clean these things. There's the two brushes, the front wheel, the spinning brush (which requires a screwdriver to remove), and the dust bin. All of these must be disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled, at least once per cleaning session.
- It's not effort free. As I said above, lots to clean, which requires 5-10 minutes each time you want to run the Roomba.
- With pets, the fur gets wrapped around EVERYTHING. Maybe without pets our cleaning of the Roomba would be easier, but the whole point of these devices is ease, and they do not deliver.
So the nice things about the 610 are:
- Easier brush cleaning than the 560. Not much easier, but easier. Hair & fur still get wrapped around the edges of the brushes and into the mechanisms, but it's 5% easier to clean on the 610.
- The accessories case and accessories. The brush cleaning tool is nice, but it doesn't clean the brush holders, where all the stuff actually gets wrapped up and is difficult to clean.
Not so good things about the 610:
- No carrying handle. This seems inconsequential, but after having a way to pick up my 560 without having to pick the whole thing up from the bottom, where all the dust and dirt accumulates, you appreciate a carrying handle. Why didn't they include this on the 610?
- Only two lighthouses. They say it can clean four rooms, but they only include two lighthouses. My experience has been that three rooms is pushing it, so unless you have small rooms two lighthouses may be OK.
So why did I get two 560s if I have so many problems? I hate to vacuum, and I'd rather clean all the brushes and edges once a day than push the vacuum around for 45 minutes. So it's a trade-off.
Read other forums and you'll see that the 610 is not recommended, it's basically a 560 with lipstick.

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Designed for small business owners or those with larger areas to clean, the iRobot Roomba 610 Professional Series vacuum cleaning robot covers up to 4 rooms on a single battery charge. It efficiently vacuums dirt, debris, pet hair, dust, allergens and more from carpets and hard floors into a bagless bin that's easy to empty. And it's amazingly simple to operate--just press the Clean button and the Roomba 610 does the rest. Finished with industrial strength paint and bumpers, the Roomba 610 comes equipped with an additional High Capacity Sweeper Bin, a complete set of replacement brushes, replacement filters, and a convenient storage case.
The Roomba 610's compact shape allows it to vacuum beneath beds, couches and other hard-to-reach places while its innovative, spinning side brush removes accumulated debris along kickboards, cabinet edges and corners. A sturdy bristle brush digs deep into carpet fibers to grab dirt, debris, pet hair and more, while a fine filter traps dust, pollen and tiny particulates inside the bin. It even detects dirtier areas and spends more time cleaning them.
You can schedule up to seven cleaning times per week at times when it's most convenient for you, and when the Roomba 610 is finished it automatically returns to its compact, self-charging Home Base to dock and recharge between cleanings. The Roomba 610 comes with 2 professional-grade Virtual Wall Lighthouses that create invisible barriers that block Roomba from entering off-limit areas or direct Roomba to completely vacuum one room before sending it to the next room.
You can choose between 3 cleaning modes--standard Clean Mode maximizes coverage for a room after calculating its size; Max Mode for cleaning larger areas until its battery is nearly depleted; and Spot Mode for concentrated cleaning in an area up to three feet in diameter.
The unit measures 17 by 18 by 5 inches and weighs just over 16-1/2 pounds. It's backed by a 2-year warranty.
What's in the Box iRobot Roomba 610; Professional Series Virtual Wall Lighthouses (each requiring 2 C-size batteries, not included); self-charging home base; power supply; 2 brush cleaning tools; extra set of brushes; rechargeable battery; 2 extra filters; debris bin; high-capacity sweeper bin; storage case

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