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iRobot Scooba

iRobot Scooba
Hanukkah Harry must read CNET, because iRobot's Scooba topped my 2006 Crave holiday wish list, and next thing I knew, a charge for one of the floor-cleaning bots showed up on my Visa bill!

I can't say my Scooba experience started out smoothly, as repeated problems with a clogged pump led to more time spent talking to iRobot tech support over the course of a month than with my family and friends.

I admit it, I almost gave up and went back to the mop. But once my new BFFs at iRobot determined I had simply scored a bad bot, I traded it in for a free update, a Scooba 380, and I've enjoyed sparkly linoleum and hardwood ever since.

The Scooba scrubs floors more thoroughly than the average human would, whirring around for about 45 minutes per designated space and cleaning under cabinet edges, tables, chairs, and other hard-to-reach places. And I love how you can opt for other, lazier tasks--like watching TV or taking a nap--and still end up with super-squeaky floors.

In a perfect world, the Scooba would be able to self-clean after operating by emptying its own dirty tank and de-gunkifying its own darn brushes. But I nitpick...

--Leslie Katz

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