Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is my third Roomba. The first one I purchased many years ago and it was great. I started it when I left for the day and it vacuumed when I was gone at work and when I got home I would come home and put it back on its dock. The battery died after 2 years and I replaced it and it was fine until I got a newer version a couple years later. The second Roomba i purchased had new styling, very similar to the new 614 model. It was smarter and would return to its dock most of the time when it was finished cleaning. It did seem to get stuck under the same pieces of furniture once in a while which was annoying but overall I was very happy with that unit and it still works today after 3 years or so. This Roomba 614 is the brand new 2016 model entry level vacuuming robot that looks almost identical to the older model, but it is more intelligent. It doesn't get stuck under my furniture anymore. It seems to be smarter where it goes, and it always is able to return to its dock. I am not sure what they did, but it's somehow smarter and it's noticeable. The filter and dust collection bin has also been redesigned and it works great, although I didn't have a problem with the older one either. One other improvement I've noticed is the smooth transition from wood floors to carpet or rugs. It seems to have less of a problem going over my rugs, when sometimes the older model would treat thicker rugs like a wall and go around them. I'm sure the sensors combined with newer software just makes it seem "smarter", even on this entry level model which is great. I don't use the Roomba exclusively in my house, but I do use it almost daily on my hardwood floors and rugs. It makes regular vacuuming much faster and easier, and I only use my big vacuum about once a month now. You can probably get away with never using another vacuum, but I am picky about how clean my house is. I've always been impressed with these little vacuum robots. This newest version is the best one I've ever used, and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't like to vacuum. As long as you have a hard or carpet floor without a lot of junk on it, the Roomba can do its job and you will always come home to a vacuumed house. If you have pets that shed a lot, you may want to consider a higher model to really get all the hair, and so the dust bin doesn't fill up too fast. One last note: my cat is scared of all Roombas, and runs away from it. I have tried for years to get her to ride around on it but it's not going to happen. Your results may vary.