Oh, that’s such a shame. Neato made some really good vacs and cost somewhat less than iRobot.

I’m interested in trying one of those combination mop vacuums as well. Whenever one of mine dies, I’ll probably try that. They’re both going strong for now, however.

What I would not recommend is going for a cheap brand. We got one (before getting the Roomba) as a housewarming gift and it did not work well and it broke after a few months. So we ponied up and bought a Roomba to replace it.