iRobot - 980

The 980 has two power levels, and can automatically switch to the higher power when it drives onto a rug. You can turn the boost off in the app. I would get the 980 and have the extra power option, even if you only use it occasionally.

So my setup for 4 cats and a dog. 1500sq ft. Hardwood and tile, no carpet. Upstairs: iRobot i4 Roomba. Downstairs: iRobot 980. Downstairs: iRobot M6 mop. My Roombas (iRobots) are great to me because they run where I can't easily reach. They go under things (sofa, bookshelves, beds, etc). They run when I'm not home. They keep the "tumbleweeds" under control. When you get the map dialed in and your furniture / cables organized so they don't get hung up, they're great. Are they perfect? No. But can I tell if they don't run for a day? Absolutely. Whole house: Dyson Gen5detect. I *despise* this thing. Purchased in November 2023 when it was their top of the line product. I've had nothing but issues. Warranty replaced the whole machine in May 2025. This one is even worse; feels like a second cheaper run of the product. It even sounds cheaper when it runs (higher pitch), feels fragile, just doesn't suck as well as the first one, auto detect doesn't work, it won't switch to boost when running on auto., pushes around the dog hair... the list goes on and on. It's being replaced AGAIN under warranty as of August 2025. Robots run twice a day; mop runs once a day. Dyson is for every 3-4 days to catch what was missed and the stairs. At this point, my robots are doing the heavy lifting and we're looking at Sebos. Seems like bagless just will not last as long. Full stop. For the robots, yes bin size is important but HEPA is more important to me due to dander. You want something that will pack the bin full. My 980 thinks it's "full" when it's about 1/4 to half full because pet hair is fluffy and it triggers the full bin sensor. They fixed this on the i4 which will PACK that bin to bursting before it triggers full bin. Run time is less important; most robots have recharge and resume now if they map. I've also had an Eufy (I think it was an 11S?) For $200 I was impressed. I just missed the smart map; it was an old style where it bumps and then pivots to cover an area. It was annoying to watch after a "smart" robot vac. I've gifted these for housewarming gifts and the recipients (who also have pets) like them. I hope this helps.

If you can find a 980 for a reasonable price, it is definitely worth considering, especially since the 980 is still rarely beaten in carpet cleaning tests (usually only surpassed by the S9). Although 960s are typically more affordable (essentially an 880 with iAdapt 2.0), my 980 has not experienced any issues after 765 jobs, 610 hours of cleaning and 23,200 square metres cleaned. The only maintenance it has ever required was changing the brushes and cleaning the metal contacts that supply power to the motor in the dustbin.

I will say iRobot has been on a losing streak since the J7 but I have a 980 and a S9 my 980 has been cleaning for 650 hours at this point my S9 about half that I haven’t had a single problem with my 980 but I did have a problem with my cleaning head module on my S9 and they sent a replacement no problem

Old ones. There are used bots for sale here. I still have a ten year-old Roomba 980, never connected to the Internet. If boundaries are needed, that's done with little infrared beacons. Also a Braava 380t mopping bot of similar vintage. That one navigates via a Bluetooth beacon. I also have an even older Neato. Its boundaries are laid out with magnetic strips. It's kinda dumb tho.

Firstly going by the suction numbers alone never tells the full story. That's all marketing. Both will probably vacuum well and the roomba probably has a slight edge on deeper carpet. Both should work offline with basic functions. No idea about home assistant compatibility. Longevity, well, frankly thats not a guarantee on any model from any brand. I've had a roborock for a few years and its been perfectly reliable for me. But again, that varies. And I've heard you can get parts on ali express. Your 900 series roomba was probably one of the most reliable generations of robot cleaners made. Irobot is still pretty good with spare parts. But I've seen some of their newer models aren't built modular anymore. Plus the company has had a rough couple years financially and are struggling to compete. If they went under...well spare parts may get more difficult to find. The unfortunate reality is more money doesn't buy you more reliability, expecting 3 to 5 years is a little more reasonable these days. Planned obsolescence etc but it's industry wide.

Both are equally repairable, the 980 is more powerful. Definitely look for one of those.

I got a new non Roomba robot recently, replacing what I think was a 980 vac. Instead of throwing it away I actually took it to where I work for maintenance, it's to live the rest of its life vacuuming under conveyance.

In addition to legal representation, as Brazilians we have to think about durability, and in this regard iRobot is far superior. I have a 980 that has been working since 2019 without any parts being replaced. I also have two J7s, one of which is the paus.

I still have an old Roomba 980 which I bought in 2018 or do. This far it still goes strong. Running daily. The biggest downside is that every week I have to flip it and clean the front wheel, the small brush that brushes dirt to the suction part and the rubber roller connections. But if I had to pick something now I would pretzels go towards a roborock dítě to the price difference and iRobot loading their advantage and it being part of Amazon now.

I’m still running a 980!

A 960 can be upgraded to 980 specs via repair parts but if you can, I’d try for a 980 right out of the gate. Better battery, more vacuum power. That’s about the extent of the differences.

MOST DURABLE? Alright then, new robot vacuums wont really do that. I know i will get downvoted for this but if you dont need self emptying, mopping etc, just pick up a second hand Roomba 500 series, they are known for being extremely reliable. Some 600 series like 675 or 690 are 500 series with wifi and some minor improvements, they are pretty common, cheap and easy to repair. Want mapping? Roomba 980 or any 900 series roomba (do note that roomba 900 series doesnt have keep out zones). 900 series are known for being reliable and just good robots over all. Why did i recommend these? Because newer robor vacuums these days have too many moving parts, and they work best at homes. While the roombas i listed above were also made for homes, old irobot was different than current day irobot, more reliable and roombas are pretty modular, you can take then apart and drop in a replacement part easily. They can work decently in commercial environments, especially 500/600 series. This subreddit is mostly "against" irobot, so i'll say this, i am not paid by irobot, i am a 14 year old on the internet who is passionate about this stuff :)) Edit: Check out Makita's industrial robot vacuums as well. Way more suited to commercial use.

MOST DURABLE? Alright then, new robot vacuums wont really do that. I know i will get downvoted for this but if you dont need self emptying, mopping etc, just pick up a second hand Roomba 500 series, they are known for being extremely reliable. Some 600 series like 675 or 690 are 500 series with wifi and some minor improvements, they are pretty common, cheap and easy to repair. Want mapping? Roomba 980 or any 900 series roomba (do note that roomba 900 series doesnt have keep out zones). 900 series are known for being reliable and just good robots over all. Why did i recommend these? Because newer robor vacuums these days have too many moving parts, and they work best at homes. While the roombas i listed above were also made for homes, old irobot was different than current day irobot, more reliable and roombas are pretty modular, you can take then apart and drop in a replacement part easily. They can work decently in commercial environments, especially 500/600 series. This subreddit is mostly "against" irobot, so i'll say this, i am not paid by irobot, i am a 14 year old on the internet who is passionate about this stuff :)) Edit: Check out Makita's industrial robot vacuums as well. Way more suited to commercial use.

Buy an old roomba instead, (500/600/700/800/900) they are the most reliable you can get.

980 has power boost when on carpets, 960 doesn't have it

Older iRobot Roombas are built like tanks. I've had a 980 since it was released about 10 years ago. It runs daily. I’ve only replaced the battery twice, and that’s it. I also own some of the newer models, but their quality has definitely gone down.

i rarely use my stick vacuum since getting a robot vacuum. i’ll have to use it to clean around my bird cage because the robot vacuum can’t get all of the seeds out of the edges of the carpet but that’s about it. they are great if you have dogs that shed a lot, or even if you don’t. i have the eufy s1 pro which has the best mopping technology out there, and it keeps my hard floors so clean, but even before that when i had just a basic roomba 980 just having the vacuuming itself is a game changer. they don’t really “deep clean” and i still will go through and mop the edges of my hard floors and i will shampoo my carpets once in a while because i rent and they are old, but it will definitely give you more free time especially if you are someone that likes to have super clean floors all the time and you have pets. it also encourages you to keep your floors picked up so that the robot doesn’t get stuck on anything which will make your home feel cleaner as well. one of my favorite things about a robot vacuum is how it can get underneath the bed and other pieces of furniture that would normally be difficult to clean under. i would never be able to vacuum all the way under my bed, and now it gets done every day

I mostly agree with you, but I think you are wrong about modern iRobots. They essentially have the same design as the 980 series. Sure the docks add complexity over the 980 series, but in return they are more hands off. They still have the modular design and many of these parts are interchangeable between the i series, j series, e5 and newest combo 10 max. People are getting very long lifespans with new Roombas, providing they don't want to upgrade to something with more features

I would recommend the 980 bc it boost the power on carpets so it can clean deeper down

I have an old Roomba 980 from 8-9 years ago. It’s been worth the money overall, especially when I was in an apartment with a lot of carpet. I still use it in my house but just upstairs once a week. I was researching new models a year ago to see what was available now, and iRobot’s models didn’t not look like they stacked up anymore. Feels like they stopped investing in technology and are now paying the price.

I’m own professional cleaning company and have been messing with vacuums forever so when I get home just want a robot not that they clean as well but literally NOTHING robot works like an iRobot that I’ve seen so far esp the j7 and the 988 those are the strongest in their class

I have a 900 series and a j7. I don’t really have an issue with either one. They rarely get stuck and complete jobs regularly. However I recently bought a Roborock and it is definitely better. The app is much more advanced and lidar seems to be more efficient and accurate.

Our roomba tries to keep up. Hal (main floor roomba) needs maintenance every few days. But man 2 days where Hal is off duty and you can see it. The tumbleweeds roll in. Hal doesn’t replace vacuuming or steam cleaning area rugs. He does however help keep the dusting down and limits the tumbleweeds . My better half will tell me don’t pause Hal he is doing https://preview.redd.it/7mmkuro4c1ef1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fd808d8cc6c7e830934f5fb947860ae71518915 Gods work ROFL. We have 3 dogs 2 super shedders GSD and Husky/GSD mix and 1 wire hair terrier. This year we have had to even vacuum dogs as well. They are so worth it! ❤️❤️❤️

I have one basic Roomba that moves around randomly and another that supposedly maps the space. The cheaper, random movement robot is vastly superior in all ways.