Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is our third attempt at a robo vac. A Roomba 960 kept getting trapped in corners in our family room, so it went back. A Neato was doa, so also a return. This one is a keeper. I was reluctant to make a third attempt, and in my search I was focused on "smart" models that map the space, rather than not so smart ones that rely on extended operation to ensure complete coverage with random patterns. I was on the verge of going for a new Samsung model that solved a major problem -- the older models were too tall -- when I came across this item. Two things caught my attention. One was the price, which was less than half the Samsung model I was considering. The other was the five five-star reviews, which then turned into 8, then13, all with none lower. What had struck me about robovac reviews before is that no matter how much some reviewers gushed over a certain model, there were usually a goodly number of neutral and sometimes negative reviews. Not with the N79. Those two things changed my mind. This is one of the not so smart types, though it is smarter than some. It has a sensor that detects obstacles ahead and slows down, then changes course to avoid contact. Mostly, at least. It seems to have difficulty seeing very dark or black objects. In those cases it will make gentle contact, but its front bumper then sends it along in a different direction. The only other drawback worth mentioning is that this little guy can choke on long rug fringes. No harm done, but you will need to set him free if your home has any of these. Shorter fringes are not problematic. Everything else is A+. It is surprisingly quiet. I ran it this morning while my wife was sleeping, and she was unaware that I had done so. It's sweeper brushes work well to pull in the bits and pieces that "decorate" our dark-stained hardwood floors. The dust bin is an adequate size, the filters are very effective, and it seems to run a good long while on a charge. The remote is very effective. I haven't used the app (as with some others, it requires access to parts of the phone's data that seems somewhat invasive, though I doubt any of the data gets back to Ecovacs, it's just a matter of the software design, still). As of now, it works fine without it., and I'll probably never download it. Our home is a traditional layout, with living and dining rooms off of a central hallway, which leads to a kitchen/eating area in the back, with a den off of that. This guy wanders fairly easily from room to room. I haven't let it run until it was out of juice, so I can't say that it will always find its way back to recharge, but an occasional assist in that regard, if needed, is a minor annoyance. The review that mentioned how great customer service is was dead on. I was having difficulty registering mine online, but an email to support was answered in about 90 minutes, explaining that that page on the site was down, with a solution on the way. I admit that is a small thing, but small things can matter, too. The extra filter and brushes are a nice touch, and the batteries that are supposed to come for the remote were missing, as another reviewer noted. Anyone using one of these devices will surely have a couple of spare AAAs around to fill that gap. It's unclear to me how deeply this cleans a carpet, or for that matter how deeply any of them do. It probably isn't as effective as a traditional manual vacuum. An occasional manual vacuuming is probably a good idea. In short, this device is not the 100% solution to floor care, but it will greatly reduce how much time and effort you spend keeping your floors and rugs clear of dust and such.