We have owned the iRobot Roomba 535 since December 2007 and the experience has been very satisfying – we appreciate its relative quietness and the low labor input from us. As with most products designed to handle household chores, proper maintenance is an essential element of the equation. The parts requiring periodic replacement with Roomba are the brushes – in particular, side brush leads that listing. The main brushes are very sturdy and are holding up well for us. But, the side brushes are in a different league altogether – we have had to replace them a few times as one of the six spokes eventually comes apart.
iRobot must have been paying attention to customer input regarding the side brushes as recently the design of this accessory changed: Instead of a six-sponge design, it is now a three-sponge design. We asked Roomba customer support why the three-sponge design is deemed better than the original six-sponge design. Below is the response from Roomba customer support:
The three sponge is made out of a much more durable material it is designed to last you longer, this brush do not snap in place it just screws on.
Interestingly, our Roomba’s brush is also screwed on leaving the main difference to be the material. One still has to wonder why a three-sponge one would be better overall compared to a six-sponge one. We will wait and see!
We also asked Roomba customer support whether the new design brushes would be available to us under warranty coverage. They asked for some product registration details and almost immediately replied they have processed an order to send us a new spinning side brush. The notification also mentioned we should receive it within 7-10 days. A little later, we received another notification indicating that the side brushes are currently on back-order. Strangely enough, the product is available for purchase through their online store. We pointed this out to customer service and their reply was:
Thank you for writing back. The inventory for in warranty replacement parts sent free of charge is separate from the inventory for purchased items. However, we have just received a shipment of the side brushes to our warehouse. Please allow an additional 4-6 business days for all orders to be processed and released for shipment.
Overall, the experience turned out fine but for immediate results, a little bit of research and prodding was necessary. On the whole, we rate the Roomba’s customer service top-notch, given our request didn’t strictly qualify under warranty coverage.
Other parts that need replacement, albeit less frequently include the batteries and what is termed the Cleaning Head Module (CHM). If you have pets but own a 500-series robot as opposed to the PET-series robots, purchasing the Aerovac upgrade kit for around $70 is a good option to consider.
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Last Updated: 04/2017.
iRobot must have been paying attention to customer input regarding the side brushes as recently the design of this accessory changed: Instead of a six-sponge design, it is now a three-sponge design. We asked Roomba customer support why the three-sponge design is deemed better than the original six-sponge design. Below is the response from Roomba customer support:
The three sponge is made out of a much more durable material it is designed to last you longer, this brush do not snap in place it just screws on.
Interestingly, our Roomba’s brush is also screwed on leaving the main difference to be the material. One still has to wonder why a three-sponge one would be better overall compared to a six-sponge one. We will wait and see!
We also asked Roomba customer support whether the new design brushes would be available to us under warranty coverage. They asked for some product registration details and almost immediately replied they have processed an order to send us a new spinning side brush. The notification also mentioned we should receive it within 7-10 days. A little later, we received another notification indicating that the side brushes are currently on back-order. Strangely enough, the product is available for purchase through their online store. We pointed this out to customer service and their reply was:Thank you for writing back. The inventory for in warranty replacement parts sent free of charge is separate from the inventory for purchased items. However, we have just received a shipment of the side brushes to our warehouse. Please allow an additional 4-6 business days for all orders to be processed and released for shipment.
Overall, the experience turned out fine but for immediate results, a little bit of research and prodding was necessary. On the whole, we rate the Roomba’s customer service top-notch, given our request didn’t strictly qualify under warranty coverage.
Other parts that need replacement, albeit less frequently include the batteries and what is termed the Cleaning Head Module (CHM). If you have pets but own a 500-series robot as opposed to the PET-series robots, purchasing the Aerovac upgrade kit for around $70 is a good option to consider.
Related Posts:
- Roomba 900, 800, 700, 600, and 500 Series Comparison/Review (980, 960, 880, 870, 790, 780, 770, 760, 650, 630, 620, 610, 595, 585, 580, 572, 570, 564, 562, 560, 555, 550/551, 535/540, 532, 530).
- Best Value Robotic Vacuums - A Comparative Review.
- Roomba 400 & 500-Series vs Infinuvo CleanMate QQ-1, QQ-2, QQ-2 Plus, QQ-2 LT QQ-3 Comparison/Review.
- Roomba Parts/Accessories Replacement (Side Brushes, etc) (this post).
- Roomba 535 - Our Experience.
- Features of the different Roomba-500 series models.
Last Updated: 04/2017.
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