iRobot - i4+ (Self-Emptying)

I have two low budget robot vacuums. The first we bought last year for $99 its a Black and Decker. We use it on the main floor which is all hardwood and some area rugs. It has an app that shows location, mapping, battery level, and spot clean features. We have to empty the bin manually. The second we bought this year at an Amazon returns auction. Its a Roomba i4+ with the auto bin dispenser for $100. We have that one upstairs on wall to wall carpeting. It works well and leaves nice grooves where its vacuumed and it knows to avoid the stairs. It has an app but it uses 2.4 ghz network which we don't have. So we use it manually.

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 Our J7 has been replaced by Roomba 2-3 times, which is great from a customer service aspect, but not great because it has needed to be replaced multiple times.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.

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 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.

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

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.

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 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.