iRobot - i4 (4150)

I did not score one on Vine but we scored an i4 for $130 on our local auction site for Amazon returns. We love the self emptying, the self charging, and the ai mapping with programmable jobs with the app. I am glad you are happy!

I have had several Roomba vacuums, and currently have a J7+ on main floor and an i4 in the basement. They really aren't great. Our J7 has been replaced by Roomba 2-3 times, which is great from a customer service aspect, but not great because it has needed to be replaced multiple times. In addition to full replacements, we have already had to change the battery after a little over a year. The running times to sweep our main floor have gone from a few hours to now over 6 hours. It gets lost randomly, and then finds new areas and maps them, that don't actually exist. All roombas have a pretty big design flaw, the sweeping brush pushes dirt across one of the charging leads. It will randomly stop charging, and when you look, one of the charging leads will be covered in grime and the other will be pristine. The self-empting feature is great, rarely had an issue with that. I would suggest that any robot vacuum you get be able to empty itself. The obstacle avoidance isn't great, it will often try to eat things that shouldn't. I would say approximately twice a week the vacuum is not able to finish its job and return to its base properly. It's nice to not have to worry about cleaning up all the time, especially with kids and dogs, but it is a lot of Maintenance to keep it running. We also have a brava jet mop, that has entirely stopped working. If you take it off the base it will run, but it's not able to leave its own base, which makes it a real pain. Personally, I will not be buying another Roomba.

We got a refurbished Roomba i4 for $200 on Amazon and it has been awesome. Also has the self emptying can. No issues at all. Have had it for about a year now.

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.

I’ve owned two iRobot i4’s and an iRobot Braava Jet for four years. I decided to upgrade to an iRobot Combo J9+, but wanted to be sure it was the right choice so also bought a RoboRock QRevo MaxV. I cannot emphasize enough how much better the RoboRock is in every single way compared to the iRobot. I’m absolutely a convert and will likely never consider an iRobot again unless they fully restructure their lineup and technology - which is unlikely given the current financial situation of the company.

For me, the irobot I4 series from Costco has been amazing. I did not use nor by the self emptying container. I have a St. Bernard. (I say from Costco because Costco requires vendors to upgrade their parts and increase their warranty. If you buy it from somewhere else it may not be the same.)

Just got this one today. My old one is an i4 that I've had for over 5 years now and it's starting to not clean whole areas of my floor and miss the charging station when it comes back so I figure it's time for an upgrade

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.

I just bought an i4 for $84 from Amazon. I always get the Amazon warehouse deals on refurbished and have never had a problem. It's doing what I wanted - a good job at cleaning specific rooms of the house on demand and on a schedule. So I think it matters what you want from it. Also agree that combos are just not good generally.

Returned an Irobot i4 +evo and got the eufy S1 pro, glad I did. I have also owned two other robo vacs before this and dont notice the vacuum function issues mentioned but I dont doubt them, just dont worry about that. The hard floors shine, I do notice that. Paid $1010 plus tax after waiting on the Amazon sale in October.

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.

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.

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

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