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The O-Duster from O-Ceder is described as a robotic floor cleaning product, and at a price range of $20-$50, it's hard to resist the impulse buy. I mean who wouldn't buy a robot for under 50 bucks that cleans your floor. In reality, however, the O-Duster is a pretty simplistic device. And there are some things to consider before buying. Let's review what you need to know.
Be Realistic: If you expect the O-Duster to be a cheap alternative to a $400 Roomba, You will be very disappointed. It does not have a vacuum component. It simply picks up dust, dirt and and pet hair by sweeping it up with its disposable microfiber cloth. Also, the O-Duster does not have sensors to keep it from going down the stairs or to focus more attention on more dirty areas. It uses a simple grid pattern making its way over the entire floor.
How does it work?: The underside of the O-duster has two wheels on a rotating axle meaning that the whole device spins sweeping the floor with the microfiber pad while the wheels propel it across the room. It picks up dirt quite well as it moves, and when it encounters an obstacle it will usually self-correct and change direction after struggling for a few seconds.
What you should know: The O-Duster picks up quite a lot, but if you use it on a floor with a lot of pet hair and dirt, the cleaning pads will need to be replaced quickly. Also, if you have a lot of dog hair to deal with, you may encounter the problem I did. The axle and wheel housing is not sealed, so you may have to do some maintenance to remove pet hair that jams up the wheels. After a few uses, my O-Duster stopped moving. It would sit in one spot and spin. I found that the wheel assembly is easily removed and that, in my case, dog hair had become wound around the axle stopping it from moving. After cleaning, the O-Duster went right back to working like it had.
Overall: I'm pleased with my purchase of the O-Duster ($20 impulse buy at ALDI.) It picks up well, cuts down on the sweeping I have to do and gets problem areas like under the couch. It won't replace your broom and dust pan but it certainly helps. It won't perform miracles, but it will save you time and energy around the house, and for a low price, it's a pretty good deal.
