I absolutely love the hands-free feature! I have owned 2 spot bots. The first one consistently worked great--it just wore out from near-constant use for 5-6 years. The second one does the job just as well. BUT I can't leave the machine with any water in it sitting for more than a couple of minutes because it leaks. I have to store the clean water tank separately because of this, which is a bit of a nuisance. I've replaced gaskets several times and have even replaced the tanks. I've only had the machine for about 2 years.