New robot cleaner from Sharper Image.

[Kenwood True X]

I was looking at Amazons robot vacuum cleaner section today and noticed a new one has come out. It's called the "e Vac", and is made by Sharper Image. I don't care for the name really, but the vacuum itself looks really nice. Apparently from what I have read, it uses the evolution robotics software, which is also what the Sony Aibo uses, so it does seem to be fairly advanced. It costs 299 which is a little pricier then the Roomba, but still much less then something like the Trilobyte. Here is the website for it: http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/productview.jhtml?pid=675167273&pcatid=22&catid=22

It seems competition in the robot vacuum cleaner market is really starting to heat up now!

[robotreviews]

Interesting indeed!

I'm going to order one and will try to get around to posting comparisions among all of the new models soon.

Craig

[Guest]

It's pricier than the Roomba Elite, but the "no disposable bags or filters to replace" design may make up over the long run, depending on how often and how long it will be used.

[Inquiring Mind]

At 5.5 inches high, I question whether it will clean under my bed like the Roomba. I have exchanged my Roombe 5 times in 6 months, (all due to them finally spinning, stopping and beeping 4 times) with Brookstone and am told that the new one is a lot better...I hope!

[PaulB]

Agreed. Any advantages the eVac had over the Roomba seem to be beaten by the new Roomba models. And the eVac costs more than the top of the line Discovery SE with alot less features.

[bloocanary]

so does anyone actually know if this thing has any advantages over roomba? the most obvious disadvantage is the height. however, the salesperson at sharper image claims that the roomba is more of a "sweeper" with weak suction, whereas the evac has "powerful" suction. it sounded louder in the store, but then again, louder could just mean crappier design.

that said, there's also the fact that the salesperson very authoritatively told me "the evac has suction, whereas the roomba is just a floor sweeper". um, but isn't it a "vacuum"? and isn't that a breeze i feel under the roomba there? so much for "knowledgeable" sales people.

b

[Rick]

Even the crappy zoombot has some suction. I'm not sure about the older roombas, but as far as I know the new roombas have more suction that any of them - including the evac.

I guess we won't know for sure until someone tries them, but that's what I believe from early reports.

[PISSED OFF]

I was looking at Amazons robot vacuum cleaner section today and noticed a new one has come out. It's called the "e Vac", and is made by Sharper Image. I don't care for the name really, but the vacuum itself looks really nice. Apparently from what I have read, it uses the evolution robotics software, which is also what the Sony Aibo uses, so it does seem to be fairly advanced. It costs 299 which is a little pricier then the Roomba, but still much less then something like the Trilobyte. Here is the website for it: http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/productview.jhtml?pid=675167273&pcatid=22&catid=22

It seems competition in the robot vacuum cleaner market is really starting to heat up now! :shock:

I have used the Evac from Sharper Image and it doesa much beter job and has plenty of suction. Even the new Roombas still have a lower power design and will never compete!-Despite what iRobot claims. This has a real motor with suction like a household cleaner which is why it is bigger. It does not have all the wizz bang features or go under a bed as easily as the Roomba. irobot adds features because they are behind in their development. It is in irobots interest to keep selling "new and improved units" as that is the only way they try to compete. If they got the design right from the beginnng (which they could have) they would be missing out on selling 500k replacement units for the inadequate units they sold in the beginning to fund their development for a real product that works closer to what is advertised. That is why they are now trying to stall the market with their "new improved machines" and get people to "pre-order now" for a promised August delivery(which you know is going to slip and there will be new problems) so they delay buying better products now! You cannot even pre-order a unit if you try.....Ask anyone who has used the original. I may try the new Roomba when they come out, my old/original Roomba sits in the closet (broken again) and Roomba will not do anything other than tell me to buy a new one!!! I am happy with the Evac ( except for the price) and if you decide to buy a Roomba, ONLY BUY THROUGH THEIR RESELLERS, DO NOT BUY DIRECTLY FROM iROBOT!!! Their policies, prices stink and the stores will give you a better price, enough time to figure out if you got ripped off or not, and will take returns up to 90 days or more depending! Irobots 30 days is not enough; they obviously do not want to stand behind their products beyond 30 days because they would have had too many returns and would be underfunded to fix them! I was a enthusiatic owner in the beginning and really wanted it to work that I denied the truth. If you re-survey original owners, you will find their attitudes have significantly changed. BUYER BEWARE!!! Best to wait 30-60 days before you buy anything!!

[Evac Customer]

Agreed. Any advantages the eVac had over the Roomba seem to be beaten by the new Roomba models. And the eVac costs more than the top of the line Discovery SE with alot less features.

Yes but remember that evac is on their first tech cycle and Roomba on the second if not third. Compare the evac to the original Roomb's price.features and it delivers on the promise much better than IRobot did and may still outperform the new Roombas as well. I have no doubt Roomba will have delays/problems and will not ship until September. For the money spent the evac is better in that it actually has decent suction, the Roomba does not and the new ones will not be that much better at the core service. Go buy and try it from Brookstone before you buy a Roomba, and buy the Roomba from a dealer not directly from iRobot! That way you are protected and can take the time to do a serious comparison. Thera are always trade offs with everything, but they should at least do the basic function they advertise!

[Agro]

Agreed. I don't know why anyone would ever buy directly from iRobot. They always charge the full retail price regardless of how much other resellers are discounting, and they don't give any better support.

A perfect example is the new Discovery. I was considering pre ordering it from iRobot, but if I were to buy it from Hammacher instead, I'll get a lifetime warranty for the exact same price, plus it's a bit cheaper because hammacher will ship it free if you use that free shipping code they listed.

I am still waiting because I have a roomba pro that I got from hsn that is still going pretty well. Still, it would be nice if they gave us some incentive to buy directly from them.

[guest]

I'm on my 3rd Roomba and am just hoping to be able to coax it through to the end of a year's use. I'm not interested in a Discovery until I get some user feed-back as to whether this version is sensitive to dust as well. Might consider an e-vac if the battery is compatible with the Roomba's. In order to get my house done in a reasonable amount of time I use the quick charger and a second battery. The instruction manual didn't have any battery pictures. Does anyone know if the rooomba battery can be used in the evac?

[GoSox]

The eVac will definitely NOT work with your Roomba battery, they are from two different companies and they are completely different shapes.

From what I understand, the new Roomba models WILL work with the older battery, and vice versa.

[guest]

Thanks for the info. 45 minutes work for 7 hours of charging isn't enough for my needs. I did like the raised height of the evac since the roomba, if it approaches at a certain angle, gets stuck under the edge of my couch and kitchen counters.

[pdagal]

I have the original Roomba, and just got the e Vac from Sharper Image.

Good things: it sucks! It has a vacuum style system and a powerful motor that is much better on carpet.

Only one bin to empty. It doesn't have three separate compartments to clean. Does not get gummed up with hair and doesn't require surgery.

It doesn't hit furniture as hard (important since we have some antique furniture). While Roomba is cute playing bumper cars, it is less than restful to listen to its constant aggressive collisions with furniture.

More nimble, can turn on a dime (very fun and responsive with remote).

The vacuuming pattern isn't superior from what I can tell so far, just different. Though it is better at cleaning the edges of a room where wall meets floor-- very thorough and intelligent algorithm. Also the straight front edge helps it clean these areas well. It vacuums more like a human would: working hard on the edges where wall meets floor and focusing on an area at a time. It is less predictable than Roomba- I can easily see Roomba' patterns and know where it will go next. e Vac sometimes surprises me and I have to jump out of the way when following it around to see what it will do next.

Bigger wheels, can cross over area rugs and door jams. The wheel guards sometimes can get stuck on soft overhead surfaces like a couch that it can't quite fit under. One must rescue it if this happens (it shuts off).

Roomba beats it in the following ways, because Roomba can:

Can fit under more places.

Does a bit better job on hard surfaces. It's design seems tailored to hard surfaces.

Don't have a Discovery yet, but the dirt detector would be a great feature!

Roomba runs longer on a charge.

So far, I prefer the e Vac. It's much better at carpets, very good at edge cleaning and seems to require much less maintenance. If only it had a dirt detector-- I'd be in heaven!

[pdagal]

Well, now I have both the Sharper Image eVac and the Roomba Discovery. Hard choice between the two! Disco runs much longer on a charge, and that's a huge plus. I wrote a comparison article for a new site we're starting (pardon the dust!) and it's here: http://www.everydayrobots.com/index.php ... =5&Itemid= .

[Guest]

Agreed. I don't know why anyone would ever buy directly from iRobot. They always charge the full retail price regardless of how much other resellers are discounting, and they don't give any better support.

A perfect example is the new Discovery. I was considering pre ordering it from iRobot, but if I were to buy it from Hammacher instead, I'll get a lifetime warranty for the exact same price, plus it's a bit cheaper because hammacher will ship it free if you use that free shipping code they listed.

I am still waiting because I have a roomba pro that I got from hsn that is still going pretty well. Still, it would be nice if they gave us some incentive to buy directly from them.

gtggggggggggggggggg

[Guest]

gtggggggggggggggggg

What the?? I ahh miss foreign language class yesterday?