The original battery pack in my Roomba 550 was able to run the vacuum for about two hours initially. After the first year, its run time has dropped to about one hour. It deteriorated quickly during the next 6 months, to the point that the vacuum can only run for 3-4 minutes before the dreaded 'I-am-dying' beep. I tried everything to revive the battery, including removing the pack and deep-discharging/charging it manually. Finally, I concluded that the battery has developed high internal resistance and cannot be rescued. That's why I ordered this item (HQRP 3300mAh APS Battery for iROBOT Roomba 550-580) last November.
There were several similar products that showed up when I searched for 'Roomba 500 replacement battery' on Amazon. This one is not the lowest-priced item, but I selected it mainly because the product description is more specific (it says the capacity is 3300mAh, which is 10% higher than the 3000mAh for original Roomba battery), and it comes with an 100-day warranty. In contrast, other cheaper battery packs (such as the iRobot R3 500 series APS Battery) don't even specify the capacity, but simply make vague claims such as "50 percent greater useful life than original Roomba batteries". Furthermore, their pictures show a plain battery pack without any brand names. So there's no telling what kind of generic battery you will receive.
I installed this HQRP battery pack upon its arrival, and my Roomba 550 powered up immediately. It was even able to run the vacuum for a few minutes before recharging. This is a good sign because it means the battery pack does not suffer from rapid-self-discharge problem like many other NiMH cells. After several charging/discharging cycles (which were necessary to bring the battery pack up to its full capacity ), my Roomba was then able to run for at least 2 hours, with the indicator light still at Orange (instead of Red). Therefore I believe the stated capacity of '3300mAh' to be accurate.
Of course, it is still too early to tell whether this replacement pack will last longer than 12 months in my Roomba. But so far, it has performed beautifully after more than 3 months, with no signs of slowing down - yet. I'll update this review if any problem turns up in the future.
[Update on June 6, 2010]:
Battery pack still going strong after 6 months.
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HQRP 3300mAh APS Battery for iROBOT Roomba 550 / 560 / 570 / 580 Replacement plus HQRP CoasterProduct Description: Products trademarked HQRP™ are marketed and sold exclusively by Osprey-Talon. Replacement APS Battery Compatible with iROBOT Roomba 550 / 560 / 570 / 580.
Buy cheap HQRP 3300mAh APS Battery for iROBOT Roomba 550 / 560 / 570 / 580 Replacement plus HQRP Coaster now
You can't use this product to replace the original manufacturer's filter.The manufacturer's filter has more lines of paper and much thicker.This doesn't even say that it's 99.99% filtered like manufacturer Dirt Devil.Why bother with this when you can just spend a few more $ to get something far more quality?And this one is made in china so you know, this product is a piece of junk.What a mistake!!!
