If in doubt, go out and buy yourself a Roomba Discovery Vacuum. You will not be sorry. This little machine is so worth every penny you'll pay.

I was skeptical at first, but decided to buy myself a Roomba Discovery vacuum a few months ago. I have to say that I absolutely LOVE IT! I have 7 pets in my home (2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 hamster, 1 guinea pig, 1 iguana), 4 of which shed, and I have to admit it's hard to keep pet hair off the floor.  But now that I have my Roomba, life is much easier.  To use the Roomba you have to pick up loose objects from the floor and then "turn him loose". The unit comes with two "virtual walls" so you can keep it contained into one area, or, let it wander your whole home.  I like to let it vacuum two rooms at a time.

I find that on the hard floors the Roomba does a better job at picking up fine particles than a broom would.  I am amazed at how much dust is on the floor (when you can't even see it!) and how much the Robot scoops up.  And.... I have to say it really does pick up the pet hairs. My one dog is a thick coated border collie who sheds year round but the Roomba is able to vacuum up his hair, usually in one pass.

The unit is easy to use and even returns to it's home base when it needs recharging.  For about $200, it is well worth the money.