Customer Reviews
My husband used it! 
2008-04-20
I bought this for myself for Christmas after having a great laugh reading the other reviews. We had to wait until the ice in the gutters thawed. We finally tried it out today. My husband, who will not climb a ladder much less go up on the roof, loved directing the Looj--while standing on a ladder! For the first time in over 20 years, I didn't have to go up on the roof to do the job. That alone makes it worth the money spent.
Certainly, the Looj is not perfect. You must go back and forth to clear large debris deposits. It took a little time to figure out that the direction of the auger spin is important--if you get it wrong, the stuff from the gutters goes on the roof and you know where it will go when the next rain falls. Occassionally, we had to pull it out and remove pine needles from the auger drive shaft. And it spews leaves and dirt all over the place. But so did I as I used to pick the stuff out of the gutters by hand.
We got about 2/3 of the gutters done on one battery charge. But this was the first cleaning this spring which is always bad. It is unfortunate that you have to pull the battery out of the thing to charge it. The 15 hour warning is generally a pain, too. I'm sure future models will improve on both.
I look forward to being able to run the thing through the gutters BEFORE they get terrible and do it from the ground. I would buy it again because I'm getting too old to be on the roof.
More than a cleaning device. 2008-03-31
Let it never be said that man is not an inventive creature, particularly when it comes to finding ways to do less work. Enter Looj, a strangely-named device from the people who brought us creepy robotic vacuum cleaners. It works, not perfectly, but well enough for a lazy man to appreciate the time saved.
Cleaning out gutters isn't a job anyone wants, even a robot. This becomes apparent from the moment you activate this device, after the lengthy charging ceremony you must endure just to get it going. Looj burbles through the muck in your gutters like a growling, epileptic sea otter, flinging decay and muck out in an impressive fountain which will leave you and your yard splattered and slightly embarassed.
However, one cannot fault the device - it is doing as intended, just not so gracefully. Those complaining that Looj failed to tackle their gutter mess have likely delayed cleaning for too long - with regular cleaning a gutter should not be blocked up with so much sludge to begin with. Much like you need to rinse dishes before using the dishwasher in most cases, you should not expect miracles from a device intended to aid in your task.
Looj has a delightful secondary use, as well. Given the remote-controlled nature of the device, it is second to none for sabotage. I have a neighbor I compete with in a friendly manner, and one night I snuck up and put Looj into his rear gutter, where I'd found some especially rank buildup.
I then retreated to my own yard, and tossed a softball over, letting it knock into some gardening tools he had left leaning against the house. When he came out to see what was happening, under cover of darkness I activated looj, watching with inappropriate glee as a reeking cascade of gutter-muck slorched down onto his surprised, balding head! We both agreed (after a minor fistfight and subsequent beer-guzzling period of manly peacemaking) that it was a great practical joke.
Disclaimer: this reviewer does not encourage the misuse of appliances such as Looj. All robots should be respected and feared, as they will one day become our mirthless leaders.
Disclaimer-disclaimer: But it was pretty funny!
iRobot Looj: works as advertised 
2008-02-24
It made it much easier for me to clean my gutters. But, judging from some reviews I read before purchase, a few points should be made:
1. It is not magic. You have to work it back and forth to bust up piles of debris. (Read the directions carefully before using.)
2. It is not really a robot since it has no intelligence. And you will not have the intelligence to run it unless you read the directions.
3. You should use it when the gutters are dry or you will make an unpleasant mess below.
4. It is only worth getting if you have long, straight runs of gutter.
5. As other reviewers have complained, iRobot should have used more advanced battery technology.
gets the job done, but could use some refinement 2008-02-11
Got my Looj over the weekend and tackled my gutters.
As others have noted, iRobot certainly should have spent a little more time on the design. There is no excuse for using a "dumb" charger and needing to use a screwdriver to charge the battery.
One additional complaint, the "broom" part of the rotators didn't make it through one day of use.. it's all bent, but the rubber brush is what does the work so the unit still works.
Now for the good... simply put, it works!
There are parts of my gutters that are inaccessible from the ground (due to ground obstructions blocking the ladder) and have never been cleaned. The Looj chomped right through them.
It's slow.. I think many poor reviews are being driven too fast. I "inched" it along in the problem areas, and it still needed to back up and get a running start at some tough areas.
It flipped on its side a few times and easily righted itself by backing up and reversing the brush (as per the instructions). These gutters were *completely* full. (but mostly dry)
It did get stuck twice... once due to a rain sensor mounting screw protruding from the bottom of the gutter (which I'll snip), and a second time trying to traverse 2 inches of wet dirt. (mulched leaves.. like I said, these gutters were in bad shape!). The latter shouldn't be a problem in the future, as the Looj will clear the leaves before the decompose!
The remote range wasn't very good, but an instruction insert suggested touching the remote to the gutter and when I did that, range was never a problem. I just couldn't control the Looj from the ground.
Cleanup was a snap.. the mud just washed off.
I recommend this to anyone with long or inaccessible gutter runs.
Robert
Looj is a Dud! 
2008-02-09
Don't waste your money. Because we do like our indoor iRobot products (Roomba vacuum cleaners) I jumped on the idea of an autonomous robot to clean my house gutters. The reality is the Looj is not a robot -- it is a remote-control device like a kid's toy car. Worse, it gets stuck behind the smallest blockage -- wet leaves, a twig or a pile of pine needles. When it is not stuck, flipping upside down, it is throwing debris all over the yard and roof. Charging the thing requires disassembly to access the battery, fishing wires out of the guts, unplugging the battery, plugging into a "wall wart", then reversing the process. At least the indoor products find their own charging stations and plug themselves in. The looj is a ridiculous waste of money.
Looj is neither robot or useful 2008-06-19
There is nothing robotic about this product... it is simply a radio controlled spinning brush. I tried it on one gutter that needed cleaning and it immediately started to flip over. I had to back it up (by remote control), change the direction of the spinning brush to put it right side up, change the direction to have it throw out the leaves and move it forward. It took about 20 minutes to go about 8 feet. I could train a squirrel to go faster. And at the end of that 20 minutes, the brush was already showing serious signs of wear. It's on its way back!
Great first run, then it died -- customer support is zero! 
2008-06-03
After full charge, I cleaned most of my gutters (about 80 feet)before retiring for the night. I recharged the battery.
Next day, I put in the battery. No response.
The light on the robot is green.
The light on the remote is green, and blinks when sending info.
The robot doesn't respond.
iRobot suggests I recharge everything and change batteries. Still doesn't work, and iRobot no longer responds to my queries for help.
I own three iRobots, but this is the first time I've tried customer service. It is non existent.
Works as advertised, and like most things, it isn't perfect 2008-05-25
Reading the other reviews of this product it seems the other customers expected this little robot to sense when the gutters were full, levitate to the gutter, clean them, powerwash the siding and then float down to a charger. Seriously?
Fiction aside, this little robot works pretty well. My gutters are pretty narrow and the looj juuuuuuuuuust fits in the track. This last cleaning was pretty messy because *I* let it sit to long. I have two ginormous maples in my yard and there was a ton of helicopters in the gutters. Filled to the brim, and I was sprouting little maple seedlings. Harry Homeowner I'm not.
I made a hole for the Looj, dropped him in and off to the races we went. You have to engage your brain when using the Looj. If you notice him starting to turn to one direction - reverse the auger direction and he will right himself. 9 times out of 10 he would start to "list" because of a particularly nasty collection of gutter crud. Backing the unit off and taking a few passes at that section of the gutter and your ready to move on.
Looking at the design of the Looj - it should be apparent that this thing flings the gutter-stuff out of the track. As for stories of it hitting other houses, I'd have to say that you'd need to be within 10 feet of another home to really have an issue. If that is the case, then you have other problems - and thanks for contributing to suburban sprawl by living in McMansion Grove.
The remote is also the carry handle, and I'm quite happy with that. Note: that with ANY conductive gutter your best bet is to lay the edge of the remote on the gutter itself. The remote sends continuous instructions to the Looj, and if it can't receive them it does not move. So if you notice your Looj stopping and starting, chances are he's having issue "hearing" the remote. Lay the edge of the remote on the gutter & he'll wake back up.
As another reviewer mentioned, longer runs of gutter will make for a happier experience, as this thing is essentially a torpedo, and as stated before will not levitate to the next gutter track.
Battery Life: The Battery is fine. Just toss it into the charger and get it the next morning when you intend to attack your gutters. This isn't something like a Roomba that you will use every week. The Looj will get called into service a few times a year in the spring and fall - so keeping in mind its designed purpose its no big deal to twist the 2 screws to get into the waterproof battery compartment and scoop up the battery for charging.
Clean up: As easy as advertised. A lot easier then cleaning myself up after scooping out the crud last time I did the gutters by hand. Yuck.
Service Life: I think that all your going to get out of the auger is 1 year of life. Beating leaves, seeds, and gutter-crud out of a metal half pipe is hard on the auger. Expect to dole out $20-$30 bucks every year for a new auger head.
If you have tall gutter straps 2008-05-19
It would work great if it would fit under my gutter straps. Amazon is the greatest place in the world to buy anything. They gave me a refund because I dont have at leaset 2" clearance for the looj to fit under my straps. If I had the proper clearance I would give the looj 5 stars. Go and measure before buying.
13 lucky reasons NOT to buy a Looj... 2008-05-14
I don't know where to start so I'll just list the issues.
1. It's lighter than water so it loses traction if there is any standing water.
2. As others have said the antenna snags the gutter supports. Had to retrieve.
3. I had the antenna got stuck between the track and the sprocket. Had to retrieve.
4. The antenna got stuck in the gap between the fascia and the shingle. Had to retrieve.
5. The rubber augers would pound dirt into the inside lower part of the gutter so that the track would ride up on the dirt and then either turn over, get stuck against the gutter supports, or lose traction. Reversing the auger did no good in resolving the problem but I did manage to turn the Looj upright several times.
6. The brush part of the auger would get bent back and get stuck in the track or around the driveshaft for the auger and made it quit. (see 7)
7. The Looj doesn't like to travel if the auger is not rotating. Had to retrieve.
8. Debris like stringy green leaves got wrapped around the driveshaft for the auger and made it quit. (see 7)
9. Debris would pack in the space between the sprockets and the track and made the track fall off. Had to retrieve.
10. After a storm there was a lot of wet green leaves in the gutter and the Looj couldn't throw them out.
11. The looj did poorly with maple tree seeds. Mainly it would beat them into a pulp in the bottom inside corner of the gutter and then ride up on them with all the resulting problems.
12. The Looj does not handle sticks or catalpa tree seed pods. Does not do well with pine needles either.
13. All the issues that previous reviewers have raised, like the battery, remote control, range, etc.
I hope they revamp the Looj. I really wanted it to work since I have high gutters and lots of trees. But this generation just isn't worthy of the iRobot name - or your money.
