iRobot - i4+ (Self-Emptying)

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 Our J7 has been replaced by Roomba 2-3 times, which is great from a customer service aspect, but not great because it has needed to be replaced multiple times.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

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 love ours. We have one for upstairs and downstairs. Don’t try to get a cheap one, we did that and went through a couple of them pretty quickly. Now we have two good ones (iRobot) with the bin that they self empty into when they get full. We have three kids, two dogs, and a cat that sheds more than both dogs combined, and having robot vacuums has been a game changer. Before we got the one with the bins, it would get full and need emptying before it finished a whole cycle. Now it goes and empties itself and then goes back to cleaning. It’s some trial and error at first. Just run it the first few times when you’re watching it to see where it has any problems. Then you can try to adjust any problem areas. Our upstairs vacuum doesn’t go into the bedrooms because the kids have lots of tiny Barbie shoes and stuff. We have them clean up good and just regular vacuum real quick every other week or so (and we keep bedroom doors closed so the pets don’t go in there to keep hair shedding out). But the robot keeps the main areas of the house from getting hairballs and dirty. We recently got a robot mop as well, and that has been awesome! I feel like it’s just like having any other vacuum. You have to get everything picked up off the floor before you start. You wouldn’t start regular vacuuming with things still on the floor. If there are areas that it gets stuck often, either block it off or try to adjust any problem areas. We usually pull all of the dining room chairs away from the table so that it can get a good clean under the table and around it. We run the vacuums & mop anytime we leave the house, and it’s so nice coming home to freshly vacuumed and mopped floors!

I bought one well over a year ago possibly on year 2. iRobot self emptying. If it only lasted a year I’d buy another one. It works as well as it did when I bought it. I replace the rollers and the brush thingy like twice. Get the iRobot replacement the knock off parts lasted like a week. I have all tile. Bedroom is carpet. If it runs everyday it’s not a problem on carpet. If it’s a few days of fur it creates nests I just hand pick up. I don’t have to do this if it runs daily. Completely worth it. I also live near a beach and it straight picks up all the sand too. It’s great. Never not having one.

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.