i4 (4150)

I know the dream x50 is over $500, but I just bought it and upgraded from roomba i4. Holy crap… Roomba i4 isnt even a vacuum.

Honestly, if this is your first foray into the Roomba-sphere, then I agree with getting one of the older models like the 600 series with one brush and one rubber grabber. They don't have smart mapping and you have to manually empty them, but they work and are easy to rehab. If you DO want some smart mapping and self emptying, I have had luck with the refurbished i4 series roombas. I still have them going strong. (two cats, two teens, lots of floor space) I have a J5 that I have had to exorcise a few times, but we have grown to have an understanding. I only kept it because it has the smarter smart mapping, with the 'no go' zones. But I have had far far more ease of use with the refurbished i4s.

Honestly, the industry is full of fake reviews and paid sponsored videos. The reality is vacuum/mopping in a single unit is not ready for prime time. The vacuums are good. Simple mopping is good. But the fancier you get, the more likelihood of catastrophic errors. Check out this honest take btw: https://youtu.be/jm3SQpl1Y6Q?si=r3OwTX3b_mEtKnUx Discloser: I own Roborock Q8 Max, Ecovacs Deebot, and iRobot i4s, and iRobot mop Brava. I don’t trust the mopping unsupervised. It gets carpets wet. Dirty water occasionally too.

Older iRobot 900 series (980 I think) maybe an i4. I’ve had mine for so years and 5 years. My first eco a a broke within 1.1 years right after warranty. And Roborock I have had for just over a year.

I used Eufy 11s for a long time and totally resisted the idea of the self cleaning. Finally got a Roomba i4 for cheap with the base. I dont know why I resisted for so long!!!!!! Then I got sick of the uselessness of the mapping and all the crashing about, same as you.  I resisted the mopping as well because I have hardwood and I thought the water would be too  harmful. I researched and got a flagship model (about half price bought refurbished from manufacturer) that you can set to a very minimal amount of water use, and also lifts its mops high over rugs. Allows you to vacuum only most of the time, so I can mop the hardwood as infrequently as needed. Also has the self cleaning base. I'll never go back. 

I have a Roomba that runs every morning at 9 am that takes care of most of the issue. But I also set up a map on the app called  "litter" that I can start and it cleans just the affected hall area and then parks itself.  Edit -i was able to buy a refurbished or open box Roomba i4 on Amazon for about 120. I've heard roborocks are a better brand but I liked the price.

We had our i4 for about 4-5 years, and it’s been fantastic! We have two labs, and it handled them perfectly. The only issue I have with my model is that it sounds like a jet engine when it docks and empties itself. It’s quite loud. After those 4 years, we recently replaced the brushes. Buy off-brand bags because the Roomba will fill up quickly with dog hair. You’ll need to buy bags frequently. Make sure to do a routine cleaning on it. Take the pieces apart and try to remove as much debris as possible. If you do this regularly, it will work well for the next 6 years.