iRobot - Combo j7+

We had a Roomba 960 and the rollers would get long hair wrapped around them alllllll the time. My j7 combo has never had this issue. Sometimes you need to remove the rollers and remove some hair that gets stuck in the sides, but I’ve never had it wrap hair around the rollers itself. So I say, pretty good!

It’s maybe the same brush mechanism as the i7 but it’s the roller mop they’re touting on this one. It’s not even a Roomba - they don’t design and make their own robots now, they had to outsource all of it to catch up with the competition after ignoring LiDAR for so long. I ditched my J7+ Combo for a Saros Z70 and I couldn’t be happier about it!

Avoid that, it's a generic (ODM) model based on the same platform as the Xiaomi E10/12, which if I remember correctly is from 3irobotix or SilverStar. Look up some reviews of those Xiaomi models on Amazon and you'll understand how much of a poor product it is. Get a "real" Roomba, they're much better than that. Some examples are the i3/i5, or if you need the mop, the Combo i5 or Combo j5. If you can spend a bit more, the j7 is another good one.

This is exactly the same as my L10s Plus - same rated "pa" value and same default brush (all rubber single brush). On carpet it's just awful and it behaves exactly like in your video - so annoying and irritating! I've found that using the mixed rubber/bristles brush that came with my old Mi Robot Vacuum Mop 2 Pro+ (Mijia 1T), also manufactured by Dreame, the pickup ability on carpet becomes much much better. That's the same brush that comes for instance with the Dreame F9 and D9 (1st generation) and Mijia 1C. The type of "debris" you've shown, basically "slides off" the rubber brush and gets left there as the brush doesn't make traction on it to lift it. The long bristles help a lot, at least on my experience. Maybe have a go? My Roomba j7 Combo (not even an s9) used to do much better on carpet, thanks to the counter rotating rubber brushes, as they have a lot of tiny "notches" that really help with picking up stuff on carpet.

It vacuums ok, but the mop was pretty useless, so I was initially just disappointed. However it’s about two years old and it still can’t make its way through our home without getting stuck. On nothing. It’s just been pretty hands on and very frustrating.

Me, too. This is why I'm here--time to replace Dumbot. This will be my 4th robot vac and definitely not looking at iRobot!

My J7+ has always sucked, in all the wrong ways. I named it Dumbot. All I hear is Alexa saying "your Dumbot is stuck". Never understood the great reviews for it.

My j7+ is three years old and has zero issues. I can also buy any part to repair it because they're such a popular model so spare parts are plentiful

How does the vacuum x mop does with the cat hair? I have two dogs that shed a good bit and I'm considering it, but would like to get the perspective of someone in a similar situation to see if it's worth it. I do have a J7+ at the moment and it does a decent enough job vacuuming.

I agree. I had a J7+.

Please do not get a Roomba. They have no lidar so when the light in the room is dim it has a hard time navigating. They don’t have anti hair clogging bristles. My Roomba J7+ gave constant error messages that could mean anything. Never ever again.

It is difficult to find what you need at your price point. You need a mop, good object avoidance and hair pickup due to the pets. So you kind of have to sacrifice in one area. Increase the price or reduce a feature or two. You could do without the object avoidance if you don't run a schedule and check the floors for objects every time you run the robot. Shark matrix is an old version. If you buy a Shark brand, it's mainly for being bagless. Bags are a way for these companies to hide the price of the robot, since you have to keep buying bags at $5 each. I would recommend RV2820YE if you go for shark brand due to it being the cheapest option with no bags, good object avoidance and a mop but it's a little more than what you wanted to spend. I've had a shark for a few years and it works well but I do have to clear the floors for it before running. I'm getting a AV2820S for $400 because it has better object avoidance but doesn't have the complication of a mop, the odor cartridges or the added cost of bags. You probably need a mop though. Irobot J7+ doesn't have a mop so it would leave behind mud from dogs but it has the best object detection, so it won't hit poop. That won't matter if you check your floors before running it. The Euphy L60 doesn't have a mop and the version that does, doesn't work very well unless you get the $800 version. Roborock Qrevo S is on sale now for $460 on Amazon and that's what I would get if I were you. It has good reviews, dual spinning mops, self empty base and object avoidance (though not the best). I don't like that it uses bags that run up the cost over time but maybe the cheaper off brand bags work okay? https://www.amazon.com/roborock-Qrevo-Self-Drying-Self-Emptying-Refilling/dp/B0CTZXJTGJ?tag=vwads3-20&th=1

Same. My j7+ has been a trooper. Just put a new battery in it. Annoying that there’s so much open space, the battery could have had more capacity.

Personally I prefer the vacuum only devices which is where the Roombas really excel. If I was going to get a combo device I think the minimum I would look at is a J7 + or above depending on your budget. I know there are some sales on right now, and they're always seems to be some great sales over the past several months that really bring the prices down on the higher end units. Hopefully you can get some more advice with regards to your price point.

Don't get a roomba. I got the J7+ for the pet and toy friendly avoidance options and half the time it isnt running because of a clog in the vaccuum bin or base station. The bin is usually easy to fix, but this last time it was the tube that goes to the bag (another expense i didnt have with the shark) and that required disassembly. It also burnt out its suction fan in the first month I had it, prompting a warranty replacement of the part which meant had to disassemble the unit, install the new part, and send back the defective part. Incredibly frustrating. Comparatively, my shark IQ that I sent to the basement for eating too many toys runs consistently and clogs *maybe* once every 3 months, but the shark app sucks nuts, and the model I have uses the black strips for keep-out zones so it just ran everywhere and I prayed it didnt eat any cables. Its very robust about going up and doen ledges, but it is also way more prone to tracking pet messes about, that happened once with a pile of cat vomit and I was a little traumatized.

I bought my j7+ refurbished from the manufacturer for $175 USD with a 2 year warranty off of ebay!  It does a great job picking up after three dogs, a cat, and people walking around. 

I’ve been using the iRobot Roomba j7+, and it’s been such a relief for handling pet hair! I have a Labrador and a cat, and their hair used to be everywhere, especially on my rugs. The Roomba does an amazing job on both hardwood floors and carpets, and it rarely misses a spot. One thing I love is the self-emptying feature. It saves so much time, especially when there’s a lot of hair to deal with. Maintenance is pretty easy too; I just clean the brushes and filters once a week. Before this, I tried a cheaper model from another brand, but it kept getting stuck or missing patches of fur, so I’d always have to go back and clean manually. With the j7+, I can just set it on a schedule and not worry about it. Totally worth the investment in my opinion!

I bought an iRobot j7+ Roomba Combo on Amazon UK for £500 GBP. I think that it was a special offer. I think it's quite good. It avoids things that shouldn't be there and takes a photo to show you what the problem is. I can set quiet times and schedules in the app so that it doesn't disturb us and if I'm going out it's one click in the app to tell it to clean now. I have heard some horror stories that vacuum+mop causes the robot to get clogged up with wet dust so for now I have set it to vacuum only and I suppose I can occasionally vacuum only first to get the dust and then do a second run with mop. Yesterday my wife left a six way charger on the floor with six USB cables coming out of it and I think that the robot just vacuumed it and carried on and there was no photo but apparently no problem either.

True story. I got banned for saying they peaked with the J7+ (which I still own by the way).

Not better than a stick vac or a real vacuum. But, we have mostly hardwood floors on our main level and a long haired golden retriever. The maintenance on the hair mess that the vac does is amazing. Having to vacuum all that space by hand every other day would be quite a choir. Roomba J7+

Second the Roomba J7+ (64 dB max noise is pretty quiet). Also check out the Narwal Z Ultra (53 dB) and X Ultra (58 dB) here........ [https://www.soundproofgenius.com/get-a-quiet-robot-vacuum/](https://www.soundproofgenius.com/get-a-quiet-robot-vacuum/) The Eufy on there is a good quiet budget option

Oh, I don't know what's best then. I thought you already had a Roomba. Roomba and Bravaa work together (when you create a task for the Roomba, you have an option to create a chained task for the Bravaa). I'm not sure it'll be that convenient in your case. However I like how the Bravaa is built compared to the 2 in 1. The retractable mops on the latter look very fragile to me (and I actually had to return my J7+ because that retractable mop wasn't working anymore).

irobot roomba j7+ is quiet and has great avoidance system. the next one, j9 is more powerful so it’s louder sometimes.

roomba J7+ is very good with hard floors, cats and cables. use it and absolutely happy with

irobot roomba J7+ (with self emptying base) would be great choice

I read the same Wirecutter article and got a vacuum only (refurbished rooms j7+). It works great but I regretted not getting a mop combo for our main floor. So I got a dream L10s Ultra (also a refurbished eBay buy) and moved the rooms upstairs. I love it so far. Hoping the dreame holds up - but I think mopping has gotten far better than to used to be and think of it as “maintenance” not deep clean then it’s amazing.

I am going on year 3 with my J7+ and happy with it

Amanda, Thank you so much for this! I recently moved into a larger house and have a Roomba J7+ combo that’s a year old and basically worthless. I have a cat and a border collie that both shed continuously. My main floor is half hardwood, 20% dense pile carpet, 15% rug, and 15% tile. I spend most of my “living” time here and would likely be interested in a flagship for this area. The other area I’d like a robot is my master floor. It consists of 95% dense pile carpet and 5% bathroom tile. I’m allergic to dust mites, so vacuum performance is crucial here. Unfortunately, I rent, so removing the carpet is not an option. I’m going to move the roomba to the first floor, until it dies. If you were in my shoes and wanted to spend $2000ish, what would you pick? I don’t mind spending a little more if needed, but don’t want to go nuts. Affiliate Amazon links would be greatly appreciated!

I have this and LOVE IT!!!!

These are my exact requirements also. It’s a challenge. And it’s why I got two older J7+ Roombas. They have great vacuuming. Auto empty. AI object avoidance, dirt detection, bin full sensing. All around great package. This is really hard to find so I put up with their less than stellar VSlam navigation. I guess I’ll try to keep these J7s running as long as possible. Because not even Roomba’s newest products measure up to the old line.

Idk. I’ve seen a couple videos of the 705 and I’m shocked at how inferior its obstacle detection and avoidance is compared to both of my J7s. I think my J7 dragged a charging cord once in 3yrs. But the 705s on YouTube ran over cords, kids toys etc. so far the 705 can still avoid dog poop. Thank goodness.

Idk, my last LiDAR robot scratched the shit out of all my baseboards where my J7s with the wall sensors perfectly ride along the edge barely touching them. But close enough for the edge sweeper to do its job.

I got an iRobot J7+ for Christmas. In the 4 days it has been set up and on a daily run schedule, I have been underwhelmed by it - it takes several hours to run about 1250 sq ft, with a recharge. I haven't even bothered with trying the mopping yet. To be fair, it vacuumed well, but seemed to go over the same areas multiple times to get everything) I posted a thread about how long it was taking and was it normal, and another redditor said they got rid of their iRobot and loves their Dreame L20. After more research into it, I decided to pull the trigger and bought it directly from their website for $170 less than the iRobot cost because they are currently 57% off (until 1/13 I think). It's arriving next week, and I am returning the J7. For reference, we have 2 cats and 2 dogs (all long hair except 1 cat), plus me who has long hair and sheds like a dog. Just wanted to throw my $.02 just in case you wanted to research the Dreame yourself and jump on the good sale they are having.

The pads are washable I would say after 10 months I am thinking on replacing mine, but I have a j7+ and I have double scrubbing on, so the pad wears faster.

Oh, I have 7 pads. One per day.

My iRobot J7+ is excellent at obstacle avoidance. Even avoided tiny puke on carpet once that I hardly noticed. They also have a warranty if it does hit any poo. 💩

The MOVA P10 Pro Ultra. It’s similar to the Dreame L40 Ultra. It’s extremely quiet compared to my old iRobot Roomba J7+. Sharks are in between the two.

I was going on 2.5 years with my J7+. It started having hardware and software issues. The battery life was terrible it couldn’t vacuum my newest 1 bedroom apartment without needing to recharge for 2.5 hrs with the most recent update. They would only replace my battery with a smaller one. I had to still use the smaller replacement battery into the new one. But they sent me a new robot and base under my warranty because the pictures they asked for showed my charging contacts on both were oxidized and worn (I did the maintenance on them like told to) other robots don’t have that white oxidation on the charging contacts. Some even place nickel plates you can buy on amazon and eBay over the iRobot Roomba charging contacts. I ended up just cancelling the iRobot select service. It was making phantom rooms I was done playing the delete and re-map until the map gets perfect, which did work for me in the past but I was over it. It was so LOUD too ugh compared to other bots on the market. I got a MOVA P10 Pro Ultra. It’s not quite as good at carpets. But it’s much better at hard floors with the mopping. And it doesn’t bump and slam into the baseboards constantly and everything else. App is way more advanced.

My Roomba J7+ wasn’t horrible but ehhh. So glad it’s gone this MOVA P10 Pro Ultra similar to the Dreame L40 has been much smarter than my Roomba.

I wouldn’t get another model. I have a j7+ and I tried the Shark I think it’s not amazing. Roborock is supposed to be the best but they put ADs in their app recently.

Agreed. J7+. Terrible machine. Worthless actually.

j7+ is great, refurb w/ 2 year warranty on ebay from iRobot for about $200.

I believe we have the j7+! It’s self emptying and has a mop, it does a great job with getting fur out of rugs especially.

I have the iRobot J7+ and it works well on hard wood floors. It’s hit and miss on rugs and we still need to use the upright once a week but for the most part it keeps up after the dogs. I also use a mud buster and a pail of water to wash the dogs feet before they come in after being out during the muddy season. The bucket and mud buster is on the deck. I wash their feet on the deck and have them step in to dry them with cheap beach towels we got at the dollar store. Makes a world of difference. I have an 100lb lab mix and a long haired, 200lb Anatolian Shepherd with an under coat. He sheds like it’s his job.

Just gonna tell you, the mops work very very well. Not sure where you heard they don’t, but if you wanna if you insist on going vacuum only, I recommend iRobot. They are the best at vacuuming and have great customer support. I’d say j5, j7, j9, will all be great.

Oh ok, I can’t argue with that logic. If you have pets I’d suggest you go the extra mile and get the j9+ since it’s very good for pet hair. Regardless, you’ll love the j5.

From a person who has lots of experience with Roomba and other brands: Pros: • The best poop obstacle avoidance • One of the best at carpet cleaning • Exceptional at hard floor cleaning, but most are • Good battery life • Phenomenal brand. If anything breaks, they’ll send a replacement unit in under 20 min of calling. Cons: • Navigation is slower compared to other brands • Excluding its poop avoidance, obstacle avoidance can sub-par in difficult-to-navigate places • Loud vacuuming at maximum power, but it is tolerable at lower power • Loud self-empty My opinion: Go with iRobot. The j7+ would also work well, but my Roborock q revo master(which has their top-of-the-line obstacle avoidance system) has run into dog poop twice. My Roombas never have. They also clean the carpets better than the roborocks. Once you start mopping, I will recommend Roborock and other bands. Robot vacuums can mop well…, but Roomba just can’t.

YES. It is most definitely that bad. It’s bad on hard floors but god forbid you run it on a carpet. I have a video of it just plowing through fake dog poop on carpets. Edit: I have owned both the roomba j series and dreame l series, and both are so so much better.

I kind of disagree with that but I see where your coming from. 1 yes it’s louder then most but I’d say super loud is a bit much 2 from my experience with Roborock(Q Revo Master), dreame (L40 and L20) and iRobot(I7+, j7+ and j9+), the j7+ does on par or better then dreame and roborock. 3 yeah it’s less thorough and efficient but not by a massive amount. 4 you just highlighted their flaws and ignored their: superior support team, superior obstacle avoidance(compared to Roborock not dreame), superior per waste avoidance compared to any brand.

I’d really say go with iRobot. Reasons why: They have really good support POLICIES, the agents are hit and miss(most of the time pretty good). Any issue within warranty and you’ll get an instant replacement unit. They are designed to be super easy to buy replacement parts for(which iRobot will often pay for sometimes even out of warranty). They also last really long: fifth year of owning and using my iRobot I7+(1600 hours of cleaning). They have the best obstacle avoidance for poop(check a video I have on my account of the Roborock Q Revo Máster plowing through fake dog poop. Also for under 500 the obstacle avoidance won’t even really work with my experience. No voice assistant Reasons not to: They’re behind with mopping They get lost more often and sometimes take longer to clean. On the louder end(especially self emptying) I really cannot put enough emphasis on their support team though. My roomba combo j9+ wouldn’t properly saturate its pad with my floor type so after some replacements they upgraded me to the roomba combo 10 max since it would “saturate its pad while cleaning at the docking station”. This was all done in manufactures warranty. My personal recommendation is the roomba j9+ when it’s on discount or you can settle for the j7+ but I strongly reccomend saving for the j9+.

Hello It kind of depends on what kind of dog you’ve got, some shed way more than others. I have got a Border Collie mix and the iRobot Roomba j7+ handles it pretty well. It picks up most of the hair and rarely gets stuck. Only thing is it’s kinda loud when it empties itself at the station, so heads up if your doggie gets spooked by noise.

Its all negative in here so i’ll give my opinion and experience, have had the j7+ for about 2 years now. I got lucky and got the monthly sub contract one. Haven’t had to spend any more money on it other than the monthly subscription. They constantly send replacements for everything every so often, without me even ordering or noticing(free). I haven’t had any issues at all with this robot, the only issue is sometimes it will randomly stop, other than that it hasn’t broken or had any other weird things happen. Maybe im lucky. Just my 2 cents.

J7+ has been good for us. 2 shedding dogs, a wife and a kid.

I pre-ordered the E28 yesterday. In UK it's being released May 20th (we get the Eufy stuff a little later than in North America). The early bird pre-orders only required a £1 deposit and gives me a £150 discount. Currently have the iRobot Roomba J7+ and I'm just fed up with it's pretty pathetic excuse for mopping. The object avoidance detection has been fairly good, for little things left on the floor, but it still relies on driving full pelt into walls and furnature to find it's way around. Hoping the E28 is a bit smarter with that. Looking forward to this arriving. Can anyone recommend a good YouTube video that gives a bit of a run through of the Eufy mobile app functionality with the E28, showing all the controls and functions it offers?

Don't know - but don't think so - my J7+ and M6 are doing fine and are a bit over 2 1/2 years old. Of course I have had to replace batteries and things like that. They both cover the house every night at a minimum.

J7+ that is a really good one !!

I only have 2 long haired demons, (wife and daughter 😂) but also 2 fuzzy longer haired dogs. The j7 rollers will handle the hair easy, but you definitely will need to monitor every few weeks or a month tops. Clearing and maintenance becomes the issue as you skip the daily manual cleaning.

I have an i7+ and a J7+ and both do a decent job. The i7 does a better job getting on the taller area rugs we have and get stuck less. If I was going to buy one, I would go with the older i7 again.

I have 2 iRobot J7+s and run them 4 times a week. They do well and are entirely worth the expense and the maintenance/glitches. And really, ALL robot vacs will have issues. The manufacturers must use lightweight materials so they have good battery life, but lightweight materials wear out easier. Until better batteries are made, robotic vacuums will have a limited lifespan. With shedding dogs, and I would imagine with small children, a good robotic vacuum sure beats not having one.

As others have said, Vacuum wars have some great comparison videos with stains (and I think the channel owner is a moderator on this subreddit now.) I have an irobot J7+ (just vacuum, with auto-emptying dock) and a Roborock s7 maxv, which is a vacuum and mop combo. I don't have the dock, because I foolishly believed like many others I could buy it without it, and get the dock for cheap later on. The mopping function is fantastic, and is great for cleaning footprints, dirt, and very light stains. Doing 3 or so passes on the same room can do a somewhat better job, but tough stains will require manual cleaning eventually, and I suspect that will be the case regardless of the vacuum you get. It's definately worth it to have though, and saves a ton of effort and time in my case. I also have a regular cordless vacuum/mop combo (A Tineco Floor One S5), which I would not recommend. It works decently enough (although it also doesn't get tough stains, which is what I was hoping for), but cleanup is a pain. I've only used it a couple times in months, and usually send out the other robot vacuums first to get up all the hair and debris to make cleanup easier when I do. **Shop around for a while, but don't order until Black Friday or something like Prime day. Usually you'll get 30-45% discounts on models you're interested in.** Auto-emptying docks are a godsend, and bigger batteries are also really important, IMO. My J7+ often has to charge 1-2 times to finish the job, and over years batteries degrade and get weaker. I've heard good things about later models of self-cleaning and emptying versions of the mop parts as well--earlier ones had issues with drying the mop pad. TLDR: Mops are definitely worth it.

My Irobot J7+ and Roborock s7 maxv have significantly different power, but not in that sense. The Roborock can go far longer without having to return to the dock and charge, while the irobot often has to charge 1-2 times before finishing the same job. Navigation and mopping are also obviously better. Bigger batteries are key as the machines age, since you can't replace batteries easily. I also have a roborock qrevo with the full dock (which my other one lacks), and it's so much more convenient that it fills the water and cleans and dries the mop all on it's own, as well as emptying the dirt. The J7+ Does have a bigger dirt bag, but it clogs more often IMO.

I have a Roomba combo j7+ (the one that mops as well) and we have 90 m2. Been using it for 2 years and it works fine. I am not a fan of how it treats the carpet tho. So I added no vaccum zones on the carpets and I hand vaccum it.

J7 plus on ebay for 290. Got it a few weeks ago to replace my i3. Much more advanced. Free shipping.

J7+ fits most of needs, if you want mopping as well - >> Combo J7+

once you get a i/J series with a Clean Base. you will never want to go back. When shedding season start , you can setup a daily clean up. and a weekly maintenance of the robot.

We had a irobot j7… i got a lemon. It broke every 4 months and i had to beg them to send me repair parts. After 1.5 years i gave up. For the price, i wont ever buy a robot vac again. That said, this is not bifl, and i know people hate dyson - but we picked up the dyson detect v12 slim and it’s been life changing for us on vacuuming the house w a golden retriever that sheds himself completely every day (mild exaggeration). Do your own research or whatever. But this is my “buy if for as long as the technology will last” advice.

I have a J7 as well and it works pretty good but there have been some times when it disconnects from WiFi and I would have to reset the whole vacuum and go through the set up again for it to work again. I think I got my first one about 5 years ago though, so maybe it's been updated since

I know I came from the J7 worked well and then the contract ended, not interested in paying for something beyond its price and it was starting to have issues, so we retired it and went with d and 7 months later it's not what they said it would be and IRo better get their game together fast or the once leader in floor robots will be gone and all that will be left is.......

I got a J7 and a robo rock q5+ max or whatever it’s called. The roomba was $700 the Roborock was half or less. I think the Roborock is better

J7 is garbage. The obstacle avoidance is better but everything else is much worse. It’s super loud, doesn’t clean as well, and it takes forever to clean. It’s less thorough and less efficient. I had 2 of them for a couple years and overall the pro (and slim) are both a million times better.

The qrevo actually finishes its job more frequently than the j7 did for me. The j7 got stuck often, maybe 1 out of 4 cleanings it either sucked up a cat toy or jammed itself under something. Noise at least on hardwood is easily double the qrevo and it takes at least 2x the amount of time to clean the house. In my experience, which is several years with 2 j7’s and now about 6 months with qrevo’s it isn’t even close.

All the i and j7 and below series vacuums have the same motor. Only the s9 and j9 have more suction, the s9 is actually better suction. On hard floors any of them will pick up the hair. The s9 will do very well on the area rugs. Not worth buying the combo models.

Combos from iRobot aren’t that great, to be honest. The i5 as a vacuum isn’t bad at all. It’s the lower mid level but no less cleans decent. J5 and j7 are great mid to middle upper levels. I have limited experience with a combo and I wasn’t a fan. The vacuuming aspect of things is great.

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.

My J7 also quit a couple of weeks ago. We are 1 week in to a new 505. It has a slicker app. Always knows where it is. With the lidar, it barely hits anything. All that said, it's not cleaning as well as the j7 did. We have all hard floors with area rugs It turns the suction up and down (I'm assuming to save battery) as it transitions from hard to carpet. In effect it just leaves a pile of junk next to all the rugs. It does a slightly better job in the kitchen where there are no rugs, but it always leaves noticable missed dirt that it has hit, but just pushed around. Not sure that I would not recommend, but I also wouldn't actively recommend either

Due to the pets, you'll want an irobot j7 or newer. The reason is it's the only brand with a bin full sensor. The pet hair will clog most others

J7 is amazing absolutely no reason for the mopping part not understanding why people want to mix vacuum and Mop in one but

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

We have the roomba j7. It’s good but pretty sure they’re gonna go out of business soon

My dog is almost 15 and she poops where she wants at this point unfortunately. The moral of this story is don’t send your robot out before policing the area for shady objects. I’ve had lots of robots the only one I’d say was almost perfect was the iRobot j7 but it didn’t do great at the actual cleaning part.

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 heard the same so I stayed with the j7 without mop. This feels more complete as the vacuuming is so good!

I have an iRobot Roomba J7. The J7+ has the mop. I was able to integrate mine to receive commands locally, so if my internet or AWS goes down it will still work. It was a pain to set up correctly, but there's lots of posts to help guide you.

I bought two Roomba J7s when they came out but I feel they required so much babysitting that they weren’t worth it. Plus they were obnoxiously loud. Have robot vacuums gotten a lot better since then or should I give them more time?

I just replaced my J7 and Narwal last week (2 of them). I had the M6 prior and it's simply awful. I got the Eufy e28. It's terrific. I know that you had issues years ago, but they came a long way. I've cleaned my entire house 4 or 5 times, and it barely used any water. I think that it should last weeks before refilling.

The 9xx are robust creatures. 960 cleaning should be comparable to J7. J9 has better cleaning than both. The obstacle avoidance features in J7 will make it a lot less likely to get caught on things, but also likely to stay away from things you may want it to clean The robot itself doesn't have that much more that could break. The j series are easy maintenance  I'd be concerned about battery on a 9xx since they are old, may need to buy a new one.

I would go for a j7 all day. If you want a bare bones i4,…..I have many many many and would send one for the cost of shipping. It won’t have removable bits, but you just take off your i4 and re use. Or if your wheels are real worn, I can throw in a pair free too.

Biggest annoyance with my j7, is that the charging contacts get dirty fast and it won’t charge. My 960 rarely had this problem, also poop detection technology does not work

I have the IRobot j7 and it transformed my life. Maybe once a month it will try to swallow a charging cord or a sock but other wise is pretty flawless and sometimes my dog is in the trouble pictures it sends if it encounters an obstacle. I only take out my regular vac once every 2 months or so. No dust bunnies under my bed or couch.

My roomba j7 is my second iRobot vacuum and it will be my last iRobot vacuum. I’ve seen much better reviews for other brands on the market while researching my next purchase.

If you don't care about mopping, then I would suggest considering a roomba j series. The dual rollers, bin design (reduces filter clogging), dirt detection, and bin sensor for auto empty make it well suited for pet hair. Hair will still accumulate inside of the rubber rollers and require maintenance. VacuumWars recently found that the similar combo 10 max picked up 100% of 2.5 inch hair from carpet, which was much better than many modern flagship models from competitors. I have 3 robovacs (Ecovacs x1 omni, Roomba j5+, Roborock S6 pure) and rate the j5+ highly. I have 270 hours on it so far with no issues

The comment about robot vacuums only being for small places is probably based on the old random pattern robots. Most robots now map and do well in large houses. It sounds like most mapping robots would work for you, since you don't want mopping, have hardfloors, and no pets. So anything with lidar (prefered) or vslam navigation. Obstacle avoidance might be a useful feature for cords, shoes, toys etc. left on the ground. It might be worth looking into a Eufy L60, iRobot Roomba j series, Roborock Q series, or shark. I'm biased because I have three robot vacs (Roborock S6, Ecovacs x1 omni, and iRobot Roomba j5+ combo) and my roomba j5+ is the only one that is reliable and working at the moment

iRobot is likely the longest lasting brand, there are many accounts of people having these bots for so many years and well over 1k hours.. iRobot are still providing parts for 12+ year old bots. Where is the planned obsolescence there?

The combo 10 max (almost the same obstacle avoidance as all other modern/j-series iRobot models) initially scored in vacuum war's top ten for obstacle avoidance. It's also the only brand that guarantees avoidance of pet poo. Battery is debatable, but it's also a non-issue for most because of charge and resume

The extra suction can't hurt, but these bots really rely heavily on mechanical agitation and extraction. Unfortunately manufacturers use suction for marketing, which tricks people into thinking that is what determines cleaning performance. Now you get models from other manufacturers with really high suction figures like 12,000 pascals, yet struggle to pick up lint balls from carpet. Often because the roller doesn't even contact the carpet enough

The j7 and j5 have the same obstacle avoidance as the j9

All have pretty poor customer service. I have three bots (Ecovacs, Roborock, and iRobot) and recommend the roomba i or j series for vacuum only (especially if you have carpet). It's designed for longevity rather than features. My j5+ has been reliable and kept up with 2 shedding dogs (long hair border collie cross) and two people

Obstacle detection/avoidance of the j series is good, it's the navigation that is problematic (hard hitting walls/furniture, poor coverage, and getting lost) I feel that this model needs better anti-tangling tech to be more competitive

Odd, I have had much better obstacle avoidance on my 705 and 505. My j7 was fine, but I see a major difference in the newer models.

I have a J7 (non-mop) and love it. But I say you kind of need to “want” to love it, because it takes quite a while to vacuum the whole place, and every so often it gets stuck on something. IMO the benefit of not vacuuming myself is worth coming home to a stuck vacuum every so often, but if you have a messy floor that could be a bigger problem (I keep mine very tidy) I will say this - get one with a dumpster! The little bin in the robot itself is tiny and constantly needs emptying, but the dumpsters with bags are good for much longer, and also cleaner to empty. But another option, hire a house keeper. Problems solved, if you can afford it.

I’m looking to upgrade my setup. Currently, I have iRobot j7 + braava m6. Some background: * 1,500 sqft home. 800 sq ft hardwood; 200 sqft tile; 500 sqft low pile carpet * I ran a cycle on tile and hardwood every night after we go to bed. Currently, I don’t like that I have to keep lights on and that the cleaning takes about 4 hours total. ~1 hr for single pass vacuum; 3 hours for mopping. * Carpets are in the bedrooms and get cleaned 2-3x per week. * Braava is very high maintenance for me - refills and mop wash daily. Would love to have something less hands on. * I tend to tidy before the vacuum cycle and remove all obstacles (e.g., put dining chairs on top of dining table). * My current setup feels pretty noisy in two different ways, first there is pretty high noise from the vacuum. Secondly, they bump into bedroom doors loudly while cleaning. I’ve set up a no go zone in front of the bedroom doors but I keep removing it before the carpet clean and adding it back in. Quite a pain in the butt. * thresholds between rooms are minimal * no pets. One 1-yo child who makes a mess eating. I currently sweep before vacuuming. Would love to live in a world where I don’t have to tidy so much after dinner 😅 * wife has long thick hair that often tangles up in the j7 rollers. My first robot vacuum was an old eufy close to 8 years ago and I had bad experience with that brand. I’m in Canada. Budget under $2.5k CAD if needed but won’t mind going lower too. I’ve looked at so many reviews and machines. For a while I was thinking of getting Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, QRevo Curv, Saros 10R. But at the same time there seem to be so many other machines that I’m overwhelmed. This is also not burning. If there are some new great models coming out soon, I can wait. Please help!

There’s actually a roomba that does both vacuuming and light mopping (think of it like roomba swiffer). It has a reservoir of the liquid at the charging station and a bag dispenser for the dust as well. I never felt older than when I got genuinely excited for a roomba like I would for a console when I was younger. That’s my “treat yourself” buy when I get my next bonus lol

We have the mop vac combo (forgive me, I don't remember what exact model, but I DO know it is the self emptying combo w\ the removable dust filter "trash' bags, and has a grey "tweed" designer -look on the top. That probably makes no sense). At any rate, I LOVE the vacuum feature, esp the self-emptying component. However, the few times I have attempted to use the mopping feature, it has not worked well at all. Admittedly, my model could be a slightly older model, like maybe last year's, so take that for what it's worth. It starts off fine, but after no more than 10 min if that, it seems to get stuck. What it's stuck on is beyond me because it happens in dining room each time & sounds like it's spinning it's wheels (like a car stuck in mud). There are no rugs, chairs are moved out of the way & there's no visible debris obstacles like  one of my son's marbles or a plastic milk cap or anything. Literally just hardwood flooring. I've tried rebooting, I've tried popping the water/mop pad on & mopping immediately (thinking it would help reduce soaking & "puddling" near the wheels), I've tried wiping the wheels and following behind it to wipe up the drag marks of water. But it still spins & does nothing. I can't complain too much as I won it at my husband's  Xmas work party raffle, and like I said the vac feature is excellent. Since we have a young son & a dog that sheds constantly, I'm ok w/just the vac👌

iRobot already did that with their first generation iRobot Combo (R11xx). The Roomba Essential was also not made by iRobot. Now it seems none of them will be. I just don't understand the end game for iRobot. Are they just gonna be riding on the brand name from now on and slowly disappear into nothingness because why would OEM give 3rd party better tech and design than they use in their own robots? iRobot, as much as they've been weird and stubborn with some things, I still love their core design of robots since introduction of E series and later i. I loved how they ALL had identical main roller brushes, identical side brushes, identical filters, identical dust bins, identical almost everything. Not only it's cheaper for them to supply 1 type of each part, it's easier for users, for regular maintenance and repairs. I work in this part of the industry and I can't stress enough how many times customers/consumers have no clue what device they have, be it robot vacuum or a regular vacuum. If you just need to tell "I have a roomba" and that's all it's needed to know which part you supply. So many Chinese robots as well as ones from other well known brands like Electrolux, Philips and Rowenta have different parts for almost every model and it's soooooooooooo annoying.

The ease of repair is not worth the price of this robot. I had a supposedly smart version of the J+ and it bumped forward practically and always against everything. The camera detected neither obstacles nor objects. In addition, their navigation was supposed to be smart but turned out to be weak and lost maps... Irobot is not worth the current price

Pretty darn happy with my roomba j7/9. Comes with a base station that it blows the content into. Super low maintenance that way.

My black Mova V50 is mostly matte. It's my #2 behind the Roomba j7/j9, those were really good looking robots.

Irobot has a camera for object avoidance. I think it works pretty great.  It worked perfectly in the beginning, but God forbid when you are training the ai(?) by reviewing the photos you ever allow anything as "not an obstacle" then it will run over similar things forever. Like string, after I told it a cord off the ground was not an obstacle. :(

I have a j series its super easy to get long hair out of the rollers/wheels/whatever. Wife went through chemo and it was a test for the robot...both survived!

Roomba J series would work

Yeah, Roomba’s been coasting on name recognition for years. Hardware’s fine, but the software is way behind Dreame, Roborock, even Ecovacs. J series especially has dumb pathing issues. You’re not crazy though. Plenty of us jumped ship 😅

The IRobot J series is quite terrible. They don't seem to have enough traction while mopping even on their lowest setting and using plain water, it'll just start sliding and not go in a straight line. Then it'll give up and be in the middle of a room. Also, the vacuuming is good with its dual rubber brushes but it seems the brushes pull up some of the moisture from the mop and then dust will clump up along with pet hair and clog before getting into the bin. I should've done more research than going with a Roomba. But I do like the obstacle avoidance.

The I and J series clean so much better than the 2 Essential. Even the lowest priced I series is well worth the extra money.

I have a Roomba that I picked up from Costco. It can be controlled via app and it has a self emptying base.

They \*could\* but I doubt very much that they do; it would cost a lot. The biggest privacy risk is revealing a map of the layout of your home if your online account is hacked. I have an iRobot Roomba that empties its own bag into a base. Love it. Love not having to vacuum under beds and sofas. It took some prep to make my home ready for it--furniture needs to be high enough (and legs wide enough apart) for it to run up under. Lamp cords need to be secured. Don't run it automatically or when you're not home. Do clean the hair out of it after it runs (takes only a couple minutes). I run it once a week. I spend 3-4 minutes putting things like litter baskets and chairs up off the floor so it has a better reach, then schedule it to run 3x. Then turn the schedule off again and return loose items to the floor. Spend about a minute getting hair out of its rollers. I've had several good looks inside my Roomba and didn't see anything like microphones or cameras. Its bump sensors are not cameras. It does have an internet connection and so can be voice-controlled if you connect to Alexa or Google Home. But that is optional. If you only operate it with the app or onboard buttons, it cannot be voice controlled.

We’ve used a self emptying Roomba for years. 3 dogs, a Basset, a Lab, and a Terrier. All are moderate shedders and fur accumulation is a problem. All three are indoor/outdoor dogs and mud is a consideration for us. We have area rugs from Costco that help dry paws and pick up some dirt. We launder them at a coin-op each month to save wear and tear on our washer. The Roomba is fine for keeping visible areas tidy, but one pass on the floor and the internal bin will fill with fur and dust. We still vacuum with a stick vac in corners and under furniture, Roomba can’t reach. No mopping robot can keep up with mud from paws if you live in a rainy muddy area. Invest in a good Swiffer wet mop or a light weight bucket based mop.

I started with a eufy and it was pretty good on all hardwood floors. It would pile some fire up in the corners I could pick up. But then I upgraded to a roomba with the self emptying thing and I love it. The app and tutorials are very helpful.

I have the Wyze robot vac and a roomba self emptying vac. I vastly prefer the performance of the wyze vac.

I have a self emptying roomba vacuum. It runs daily at 9:30 am, recharges and empties itself, then finishes rhe rest around 2 in the afternoon. I live on a horse farm with 4 dogs and 5 cats and only if its muddy do shoes come off at the door. That robot is a wonderful thing.

I have an IRobot Roomba self emptying one! It literally just got done vacuuming. Genuinely LIFE CHANGING. I got mine as a Christmas gift and it’s great but I’d probably go with the Shark 2 in 1 self emptying robot mop/vacuum when my Roomba dies. I run mine at least 2 times a day and I think it helps keep it where hairballs don’t build up and get stuck in it.

Two huskies here. We have a self emptying Roomba. We run it 5 days a week. I have to keep up with the replacement parts, or it starts just wadding up hair and leaving it in chunks. But even that cuts manual cleaning time, because I can just take the hand vac to the chunks. We've had it since 2021.