Irobot's Latest Product - Verro Pool Cleaner

[mahernan]

I was surfing the Irobot website and noticed that they just introduced a new pool vacuum. Actually, two different versions - one priced at just under $800 and one under $1200 (retail, of course). Was hoping they would surprise us with a lawnbot (because I don't have a pool), but I imagine this product will be a hit for the upcoming summer months! Keep em coming, Irobot.


Moderator Edit:
Added pictures and the product name to the title of the post for clarification.

[reinmund]

Nice, looks pretty cool.

Maybe it can clean my bathtub

[THX-1138]

Thanks mahernan! Our fellow forum member "MAG48" reported it first, seems like he likes to check out iRobot very much! :

iRobot's New Pool Cleaning Robots

[littlequincy]

I don't have a pool either. So the only thing that excites me about this is the possibility that IROBOT is on track/schedule for introducing its new products. I'm also waiting for the Lawnbot, or somesort of surface cleaner. What I'd really like though is a Robotic carpet steamer. Not sure why IROBOT hasn't come out with that yet...seems natural.....Roomba, Scooba....why not STEAMBA?

[mahernan]

Sorry THX-1138. Must have missed that post.

[kaidomac]

I don't have a pool either. So the only thing that excites me about this is the possibility that IROBOT is on track/schedule for introducing its new products. I'm also waiting for the Lawnbot, or somesort of surface cleaner. What I'd really like though is a Robotic carpet steamer. Not sure why IROBOT hasn't come out with that yet...seems natural.....Roomba, Scooba....why not STEAMBA?

I'm with you there, I'd buy a carpet cleaning robot in a heartbeat

[kaidomac]

Nice, looks pretty cool.

Maybe it can clean my bathtub

Nah, you just need one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-S600 ... 0009EY0PS/

[littlequincy]

$800 is a little pricey for a bathroom tub cleaner. Lol. Unless, maybe, it was Brad Pitt (or substitute other, attractive celebrity icon) cleaning it by hand in a pair of shorts.

Actually, they had those Black and Decker scrubbers on Woot last Tuesday (Two-fers)...but the reviews that people on that forum were giving them were generally pretty bad, so I was afraid to take a chance. Otherwise, I would have bought one (er...two). If anyone has them, and they really work, let me know.

[greyhound]

I have one that is a few years old (BandD scrubber). Has an entire cleaning kit. It does a decent job for what it is. With the right cleaner (scrubbing bubbles), though, a regular scrub sponge does just as good a job and is quicker.

[kaidomac]

I have one that is a few years old (BandD scrubber). Has an entire cleaning kit. It does a decent job for what it is. With the right cleaner (scrubbing bubbles), though, a regular scrub sponge does just as good a job and is quicker.

I'll give Scrubbing Bubbles a try. It's about time to clean the tubs and I dread looking forward to it. I usually use Comet, a scrub sponge, and about half a day of work to get them back to white. Ugh

[Clams Canino]

I'm also waiting for the Lawnbot

The concept of a lawnbot makes me nervous, so many things, terrible, awefull things, can go wrong.

It begs for a Letterman type Top 10 List. I'll start.

#10. The Roomba tried to eat my socks - no problem, but then the lawnbot tried to eat my dog!

#9 We know what happens when a Roomba escapes it assigned work area, what exactly happens when a lawnbot gets loose?

-W

[kaidomac]

I'm also waiting for the Lawnbot

The concept of a lawnbot makes me nervous, so many things, terrible, awefull things, can go wrong.

It begs for a Letterman type Top 10 List. I'll start.

#10. The Roomba tried to eat my socks - no problem, but then the lawnbot tried to eat my dog!

#9 We know what happens when a Roomba escapes it assigned work area, what exactly happens when a lawnbot gets loose?

-W

Nah, the latest models are pretty nice. Check out the videos on some of the manufacturer's sites - they have bump sensors, tilt sensors, etc., so they won't eat your pets or chop off your kid's fingers, plus the work area is sectioned off by an in-ground wire, which seems more reliable than an infrared system.

[littlequincy]

I'll bite:

#8. (See also #9) The police gave me citations for my unregistered , unmanned lawnbot driving the wrong way down our main street at 5 mph. It also ran a light and a stop sign.

#7. Lawnbot accidentally found its way into my garden - instant tossed salad!

[probot]

Although iRobot is an innnovative company, they apparently chose to private label the Aquaproducts brand of Pool cleaners.

The Vero 3000 is simply an Aquajet in a different color and a sleeker housing. The give away is the square discharge ports

Look for yourself!

[kaidomac]

Although iRobot is an innnovative company, they apparently chose to private label the Aquaproducts brand of Pool cleaners.

The Vero 3000 is simply an Aquajet in a different color and a sleeker housing. The give away is the square discharge ports

Look for yourself!

I think that iRobot made a good choice by choosing to team with Aquajet for the Verro line of robotic pool cleaners. iRobot's core competencies are the AWARE system software and roboticized hardware oriented towards vacuuming, while Aquajet is already good at making pool cleaners. Put them together and you get a robot pool cleaner, rather than just an automatic pool cleaner. From what I understand, iRobot took Aquajet's design and added an artificial intelligence system to aid in the cleaning process. Check out the press release for more reading:

http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=86&id=322

[probot]

#6
A Lawnbott is adopted by Al Gore so he can reduce his Carbon Credits spending.


All kidding aside, these units really do work and have proven to be extremely safe. Considering that ten's of thousands are seriously injured in the US every year by traditional mowers, these are really tame.

Steve
http://www.probotics.com/

[kaidomac]

I also think that iRobot is doing a good job is making robots simple enough for the average person to use. I mean, just look at the Roomba - how hard is it to hit the "Clean" button?? They've made it so easy that it's even fun to use the Roomba. Shoot, I've had mine for over a month and I still like to play with them. The videos how how easy the Verro robots are to use - hook them up, drop them in, wait an hour. When I had a pool, it was a real pain to get everything hooked up, then slowly push the pool vacuum around the pool to suck up algea and other contaminants. I sure hope this thing gets positive reviews!

[geekgranny]

I just ordered a Vero 300 from HSN. Total Price at HSN with shipping, $22.95, (no tax) is $722.85 ..... Total price from iRobot with shipping, $49.95, (no tax) $849.94.

HSN also has FlexPay=four payments of 174.97.

gg=alice

[TikiMan]

Sounds awful pricey to clean a pool. Cool looking product though!

[geekgranny]

Sounds awful pricey to clean a pool. Cool looking product though!

Yes AND right now I have to run my main pool pump and Polaris sweep pump, auxiliary pump, about 12 hours a day to 1) Circulate enough water through my Nature 2 cartridge for sterilization (ionization), 2) Circulate water enough to filter out fine debris and dead micro-organisms (main pool fiter), and 3) Keep the larger debris, i.e. sticks, sand, leaves, berries from trees, other stuff from trees, dust, dog hair, bug, etc., kept up and out of pool (sweep). The Polaris Pool Sweep pump won't come on unless the main pump is running. Pool fully open, normally, 10 months a year. That is a lot of electricity.

My plan is to run the main pump 4 hours a day, use a Floatron (solar activated ionizer) instead of Nature 2, requiring much less circulation (electricity) time, and run Vero 300 one to two hours a day vacuuming, scrubbing, and circulating the water. That should save me enormous amount of money and I'll be doing a little bit to help the environment too. I'm hoping, this summer, to put the pool pump on direct solar energy, using two 90 watt panels I have (may need to purchase one or more but haven't checked it out yet) and purchase of not too expensive pump designed for solar power, with a switch for "emergency", on grid, electricity, (It usually goes the other way with solar for the emergency use .) (pump with switch and installation <$300). Also, my Polaris pump, has gone bad so don't have to purchase a new one, or have it installed.

I'm figuring even with the monies spent for Floatron, and Vero just those two costs will be paid for by the electricity I don't use in one season.

I'm, also, not having to purchase and pay for installation of new sweep pump (> $200), and not having to purchase new Nature 2 vessel, $269, and cartridge, $129, that only last 6 months (old vessel froze and cracked this past winter), a system that requires at least 6 hours run time per day of main pump. The Floatron, $269, will work up to three seasons before cartridge needs replacing and requires mush less circulation time than Nature 2. Heck I may even be able to cut out even more main pump run time if the Vero circulates and filters well enough.

So I should be coming out ahead just this year's pool season.

Vero, also, has the (claimed) addition of "micro" scrubbing the surface with water pressure jet action, probably cutting out any need for hand sweeping, however little I've needed to do, but time saved does equal money. The Polaris sweeps/scrubs with small coarse sponge on the end of its tail. Take a lot of run time to accomplish, in days, what the Vero is supposed to do in one session of 60-90 minutes.

Vero 300 should be waiting for me at the UPS Store right now. It will certainly go to work today.

BTW... I, also, purchased the extended two year warranty from HSN for $89 giving it a three year warranty which is still less than iRobot's price including shipping.

Of course I'll give reports.