I can find dozens of faults with this gadget apart from what is illustrated. Numerous ladder climbs to reposition the thing for forward and backward function. Come to a corner, reposition again . Jamming against internal support brackets that are too low in the gutter. Shakes protuding into the gutter making access impossible. Cascading
crap all over the place. Back up batteries (need a few here). Jamming against immovable debris. Been doing gutter cleaning 30 years qualifies my comment.
@Misha331 Well, duh. Isn't this device supposed to CLEAN a gutter, not polish a clean gutter? Besides, it only takes a tiny twig to stop the Looj in it tracks.
I'm with nvpatentlawyer on this one..the iRobot Looj is a piece of crap and a waste of money. I've owned one for about a year now and after using it about four times, the cleaning job it performs can best be described as "epic fail". Better off cleaning gutters the old fashioned labor-intensive way. Interestingly enough, I wrote a customer comment (albeit negative) on their website and they have yet to post it. Hmm....
I'm with nvpatentlawyer on this one. The iRobot Looj is a piece of crap and a waste of money. I've owned one for a year now, and its cleaning job on my gutters can best be described as "epic fail". Much easier to do it the old-fashioned labor-intensive way. And yes, their customer service is crap as well. Interestingly enough, I wrote a customer review (albeit negative) on their website several months ago and they have yet to post it. Hmmm.
The piece of junk does not remove debris no matter which way it turns. Other videos show a few dry loose leaves. It is easier to remove them with a leaf blower. Put a tiny twig or small clump of wet leaves in its way and it is stopped cold. Consumer Reports has a review this month completely agreeing with me. Read it.
If the operator in the video would have set the auger to go in the proper direction for the direction of the robot, the debris would go to the ground and not onto the roof.
The auger goes both ways. From the way the looj was turning when it jammed, it seems you were having it turn it's augur clockwise, which would throw stuff straight up from the outside edge of the gutter.
In the other videos, people reversed the direction, throwing debris out at an angle from the opposite side, where more junk flew out,
Either way must make a mess, but you seemed quite sure it wasn't working, without bothering to reverse the direction. :/
It makes no difference which way the auger turns or which way the robot is driven. It simply cannot clean any accumulation of debris beyone a tiny bit of DRY LOOSE leaves. Throw in a tiny twig or a bit of wet dirt and you have to climb on the roof and rescue the toy. It is cheaper and easier to hire a kid with a ladder. I stand by my opinion: the Looj is crap and a waste of money. iRobot should stick to vacuum cleaners and bomb disposal robots. Oh, and customer service is nonexistent.
I agree with you 100% that it should not do that but I don't agree that it is crap. Things break, things don't always work right, it's a fact of life, get used to it. Try to figure out what the problem is then talk about that. It sounds to me like the auger is loose and the shaft is spinning inside it when enough pressure builds up to overcome the friction. Or, a gear was not installed properly and is slipping when enough pressure is put on it, it's probably worn down by now.
This toy failed to work when new. Worse, the design is very poor. To start with, just to charge the batteries requires a screw driver and disassembling the thing, unplugging the battery, plugging it into a wall wart, then reversing the process, being careful not to over-charge. It is not user friendly. The failure to work as advertised is not because anything is lose or worn -it simply cannot handle any obstruction - even a tiny twig. It is also a pain to use. I stand by my original opinion.
I have seen other videos of the Looj here on Youtube and they seem to show that it works just fine. Maybe it is a case of operator error.
You claim it is just loose dry pine needles, but you don't say how many years it has been since you cleaned your gutters out. Don't blame anyone else because you are too lazy to clean out your gutters more than once a decade.
The Looj only clears a gutter of very loose, dry leaves (making a mess in the process). A single twig, small amount of moisture or dirt stops it in its tracks. I bought it to make cleaning my gutters easier. You say I am too lazy to clean them by hand before I use the Looj which is supposed to replace cleaning by hand. You, sir, have a huge disconnect. This doesn't even address the huge hassle required just to charge the battery which involves disassembling this toy. Looj is crap.
Yeah, I bought one based on my positive experience with Roomba. But the Looj is nothing like the Roomba. It is an unsophisticated remote control toy tank with an electric drill mounted on the front. It is not automatic and it does not clear even light dirt. A small twig will stop it dead in its tracks. Even charging it is a pain. You have to disassemble it to access the battery which then has to be replugged into a charger. So, not only doesn't it do what it is advertised to do, it is a pain.
First of all, the gutter is not that dirty - just a bit of loose pine needles. Second, the idea of the Looj is to avoid the need to go on the roof and climb ladders. You are 21 years old (from your profile) and I am sure you enjoy the fun of going on the roof and controlling a remote-controlled car with an electric drill attached. I am older and I got the device to clean my gutters, not polish them after I am done cleaning them by hand. Worse, iRobot NEVER even responded to my complaint.
I am not trying to make the product look bad. Nor is gutter "non-standard." The Looj simply does not work except if there are a few loose dry leaves. Even a single twig will stop the Looj cold, causing it to flip over. The debris in the video is loose, dry pine needles. I have tested with all kinds of debris and I find the product a total waste of money. Worse, I cannot get iRobot customer service to even acknowledge my emails or calls. I like iRobot's home vacuums, but the Looj is crap.
I can find dozens of faults with this gadget apart from what is illustrated. Numerous ladder climbs to reposition the thing for forward and backward function. Come to a corner, reposition again . Jamming against internal support brackets that are too low in the gutter. Shakes protuding into the gutter making access impossible. Cascading
crap all over the place. Back up batteries (need a few here). Jamming against immovable debris. Been doing gutter cleaning 30 years qualifies my comment.
elghian 11 months ago
Why don't you just get your hands in there and clear it out?
BandAidUK 1 year ago
@BandAidUK That is exactly the point. It is easier to clean the gutter by hand than deal with this piece of junk.
nvpatentlawyer 1 year ago
@Misha331 Well, duh. Isn't this device supposed to CLEAN a gutter, not polish a clean gutter? Besides, it only takes a tiny twig to stop the Looj in it tracks.
nvpatentlawyer 1 year ago
Thx for showing the video -
vroze 2 years ago
I'm with nvpatentlawyer on this one..the iRobot Looj is a piece of crap and a waste of money. I've owned one for about a year now and after using it about four times, the cleaning job it performs can best be described as "epic fail". Better off cleaning gutters the old fashioned labor-intensive way. Interestingly enough, I wrote a customer comment (albeit negative) on their website and they have yet to post it. Hmm....
ScottC125 2 years ago
I'm with nvpatentlawyer on this one. The iRobot Looj is a piece of crap and a waste of money. I've owned one for a year now, and its cleaning job on my gutters can best be described as "epic fail". Much easier to do it the old-fashioned labor-intensive way. And yes, their customer service is crap as well. Interestingly enough, I wrote a customer review (albeit negative) on their website several months ago and they have yet to post it. Hmmm.
ScottC125 2 years ago
If it does not work AT ALL, then:
1) why are there amateur videos on here showing it working?
2) why don't you post a video showing it spinning THE RIGHT DIRECTION instead of showing improper usage and claiming "you tried the other way too"?
ray3rd 2 years ago
The piece of junk does not remove debris no matter which way it turns. Other videos show a few dry loose leaves. It is easier to remove them with a leaf blower. Put a tiny twig or small clump of wet leaves in its way and it is stopped cold. Consumer Reports has a review this month completely agreeing with me. Read it.
nvpatentlawyer 2 years ago
thenew one is alot better
backintack 2 years ago
Unless iRobot overhauls its awful customer service, I would not buy one at any price.
nvpatentlawyer 2 years ago
If the operator in the video would have set the auger to go in the proper direction for the direction of the robot, the debris would go to the ground and not onto the roof.
mastersvaulter 3 years ago
It doesn't matter which wy it spins. It cannot clear a minor obstruction like a twig.
nvpatentlawyer 2 years ago
The auger goes both ways. From the way the looj was turning when it jammed, it seems you were having it turn it's augur clockwise, which would throw stuff straight up from the outside edge of the gutter.
In the other videos, people reversed the direction, throwing debris out at an angle from the opposite side, where more junk flew out,
Either way must make a mess, but you seemed quite sure it wasn't working, without bothering to reverse the direction. :/
tehSmoo 3 years ago
It makes no difference which way the auger turns or which way the robot is driven. It simply cannot clean any accumulation of debris beyone a tiny bit of DRY LOOSE leaves. Throw in a tiny twig or a bit of wet dirt and you have to climb on the roof and rescue the toy. It is cheaper and easier to hire a kid with a ladder. I stand by my opinion: the Looj is crap and a waste of money. iRobot should stick to vacuum cleaners and bomb disposal robots. Oh, and customer service is nonexistent.
nvpatentlawyer 3 years ago
so do they make another robot for removing the loojes that get stuck in your gutter?
skier210is 3 years ago 5
I agree with you 100% that it should not do that but I don't agree that it is crap. Things break, things don't always work right, it's a fact of life, get used to it. Try to figure out what the problem is then talk about that. It sounds to me like the auger is loose and the shaft is spinning inside it when enough pressure builds up to overcome the friction. Or, a gear was not installed properly and is slipping when enough pressure is put on it, it's probably worn down by now.
Petersworld518 3 years ago
This toy failed to work when new. Worse, the design is very poor. To start with, just to charge the batteries requires a screw driver and disassembling the thing, unplugging the battery, plugging it into a wall wart, then reversing the process, being careful not to over-charge. It is not user friendly. The failure to work as advertised is not because anything is lose or worn -it simply cannot handle any obstruction - even a tiny twig. It is also a pain to use. I stand by my original opinion.
nvpatentlawyer 3 years ago
and i wouldn't be surprised if all the gears inside that hunk of crap are plastic.
gregrocks90046 2 years ago
I have seen other videos of the Looj here on Youtube and they seem to show that it works just fine. Maybe it is a case of operator error.
You claim it is just loose dry pine needles, but you don't say how many years it has been since you cleaned your gutters out. Don't blame anyone else because you are too lazy to clean out your gutters more than once a decade.
I will buy it off of you for $10.
ldog187 3 years ago
The Looj only clears a gutter of very loose, dry leaves (making a mess in the process). A single twig, small amount of moisture or dirt stops it in its tracks. I bought it to make cleaning my gutters easier. You say I am too lazy to clean them by hand before I use the Looj which is supposed to replace cleaning by hand. You, sir, have a huge disconnect. This doesn't even address the huge hassle required just to charge the battery which involves disassembling this toy. Looj is crap.
nvpatentlawyer 3 years ago
P.S. You can have it for free if you come to my house and demonstrate that it actually does what it is advertised to do.
nvpatentlawyer 3 years ago
Ahahaha, you actually bought one?
fiockthis 3 years ago
Yeah, I bought one based on my positive experience with Roomba. But the Looj is nothing like the Roomba. It is an unsophisticated remote control toy tank with an electric drill mounted on the front. It is not automatic and it does not clear even light dirt. A small twig will stop it dead in its tracks. Even charging it is a pain. You have to disassemble it to access the battery which then has to be replugged into a charger. So, not only doesn't it do what it is advertised to do, it is a pain.
nvpatentlawyer 3 years ago
First of all, the gutter is not that dirty - just a bit of loose pine needles. Second, the idea of the Looj is to avoid the need to go on the roof and climb ladders. You are 21 years old (from your profile) and I am sure you enjoy the fun of going on the roof and controlling a remote-controlled car with an electric drill attached. I am older and I got the device to clean my gutters, not polish them after I am done cleaning them by hand. Worse, iRobot NEVER even responded to my complaint.
nvpatentlawyer 3 years ago
I am not trying to make the product look bad. Nor is gutter "non-standard." The Looj simply does not work except if there are a few loose dry leaves. Even a single twig will stop the Looj cold, causing it to flip over. The debris in the video is loose, dry pine needles. I have tested with all kinds of debris and I find the product a total waste of money. Worse, I cannot get iRobot customer service to even acknowledge my emails or calls. I like iRobot's home vacuums, but the Looj is crap.
nvpatentlawyer 3 years ago