iRobot - j6+

I agree about the integration. The robot, on the other hand, is great when it works. I'm constantly getting "There's a communication problem with the base station" message. The vacuum refused to run with an error at one point. It sat unable to charge for 2 days. I called iRobot tech support and they offered to allow me to send it in to them for $150 (mind you I paid $700 for this guy less than 2 years ago). I told them I'd rather throw it in the trash and buy a cheapo vacuum. After hanging up with tech support, it magically started working. Immediately. Makes you wonder.

They were joking cause J6 and Jan 6 sound the same. That being said, the J6 is slightly different than the J7 in that they’ve software locked object awareness to the J7, J8 (official Costco model), J9. The J6 is their unspoken “budget” flagship to the J7. In the Same way the J5+ is the “budget” model of the J9+ super similar but missing some key conveniences. I would actually recommend the J7 over the J6 if it’s possible for a good price but idk if I’d spend an extra 400-500 on it just for the object detection over other options.

I just got this model from Amazon. Was an open box so got it for $200. Love it so far

Great starter! Only recommendation, grab a third party battery on amazon that’s 4000mah+ and you will double the cleaning time.

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.

Love mine! The obstacle avoidance is seriously a game changer.

Absolutely. Fortunately my review history is usually 99% dog toys haha

I swear I got my roomba j6 for under 500 on a holiday sale (maybe Labor Day? Cyber Monday?). It’s been excellent with HA

Roomba J6 here that works great. I have automations control when it cleans. My only gripe is you can’t control when it empties its own bin, but a workaround is to define a d not disturb period around the time of day you’d allow it to empty in the roomba app.

Ooooh! You are right! I didn't realize that Costco even sold another version. I just looked it up and it does appear as if it's a dumbed down version, I guess that's why it's such a good price. Probably still a good vacuum, but it's definitely a trade off then. Sorry about that!

They're the same device from everything I've seen. I have the J6+ and it's great.

I've seen that mentioned online but I swear there has since been a firmware update making that false. My J6+ avoids anything and then after the fact asks me to review what the object is and I can either choose to ignore or tell it to always avoid stuff like it. The hardware is the exact same, it would be very dumb to limit the software on one so they can release an updated version alongside it for pretty much the same price.

I had a J6 and still have my J9. You can get a j6 for the price you want. (I gave it to my sister in law, works fine after 2 years) I bought a Roborock S8MV, so the J9 got the J6 spot and the J6 was kicked out.

I went in watching Zero reviews for the current flagships and bought the S8MV while on clearance at Best Buy. I've loved it since I set it up. I replaced my J9 and J6. (The J6 went to a family members, the J9 went to our upstairs FROG room) The object avoidance is fine on my Roborock, I had a cord snag day 1 and 2, once I got that area tidy'd up no issues since. Roomba's support for me has always been excellent. For example, they sent me a new vacuum motor for my J9 after warranty was up. I haven't had to use Roborock's and I've heard mixed reviews, I haven't heard a lot goof form Dreame, so that was a big factor for me. I believe all the flagships are excellent, and at this point we are splitting hairs. Go with your gut, which one do you want the most. BUY it!

That’s a great price!!! You get a bigger battery in that model vs the j7 that sells out of Costco.

No, they are the same robot (the j6+ has a bigger battery)

I think it was worth the price only for how much easier it is to clean long hair compared to my stand up shark. Have a roomba j6+ and it has the side brush that spins, usually get a clump of hair there after a few runs and I just cut it off with scissors. There’s a screw to replace this brush but I never had to unscrew it to cut the hair off yet. But it’s a nice option to have if needed. And as for the bottom rollers they come out without the need for any screws unlike my regular vacuum. Hair would get wrapped around this part usually but on roomba is significantly less, mostly cause it gets spun in the little corner circle brush. I have had a hard time in past even when a vacuum is labeled for pet hair or having a anti tangle brush. Never works but roomba has been easier to clean that out when it does happen. Other than that, It does a good job at avoiding cords and shoe laces specifically, so we don’t pick up much before sending it to clean. We have pets and it is marketed as being able to see 💩 and not run it over. Luckily we have not had to test that feature yet.

You’re thinking of the J8+, which is the Costco version. This is the J6, which is a slightly worse J7 with its obstacle avoidance basically taken away.

The software is different. The J7 will attempt to avoid any small obstacle while the J6 only avoids power cords and pet waste. That in itself is a pretty big difference.

The J7 “gets confused” more often because it’s built to avoid all obstacles (socks, toys, etc) while the J6 only avoids cords and pet waste. I’d rather have more false positives than it not avoid anything at all.

Also, spec wise, the hardware seems the same, but people have noticed that they are in fact different, just not sure if the differences do anything as they seem insignificant. Stuff like a piece of plastic will be a slightly different shape.

You’re thinking of the J8+, which is a J7+ with a bigger battery. This is the J6+, which is a lower end model.

Roomba J6 is disappointing. We spend more time monkeying to get it working than if we just vacuumed! 🤔😞 Worked 20 minutes this morning then quit half under our bed. Said to move and restart. It started and went back to base. Checked charge. It’s charged. Cleaned roller of a bit of dogs hair. Pushed button to start while in new area. Started but just went back to base. Reminds me of a stubborn toddler!

Get the **+** version - this has the self emptying base and is a must have. You won’t use the robot if you have to empty the bin twice a day.

Everything I read said J6 and J7 are the same. We've had a J6 for a couple years. Moved into a house with 2 levels, so "needed" a second one. Bought a J7 ... Guess what? They are physically different (the dust bins for starters). And the J7 "gets confused" more often than the J6.

I have a j6+ and if I go to Product Settings -> About it actually says the Model is a “Roomba j7+”. To the app the j6+ and j7+ are the same. The SKU and Serial Number both start with “j7” too. I bought my j6+ from Amazon.

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

It's hard for people to recommend since few people would test their vacuums with this much fur. Picking up hair from hard floors is easy for any robot vacuums, even on low suction settings. I think the challenge will be keeping the bin from filling or the dock from clogging. iRobot roomba i+ and j+ series are suited for this as they have sensors that detect debris building up in the vacuum path and send the bot to the dock to auto-empty and resume. Whatever you get, you will likely need to run regularly and maybe one room at a time.

I’ve had a Roomba for over 10 years now. It’s 100% worth it. I got it when I was a single cat lady in my 20s working long hours. Now I’m married and we have 2 kids, a cat and a dog. We upgraded to the Roomba that maps the house and empties itself in the docking station. It vacuums the whole house 3x a week and does the high traffic areas 5 nights a week after the kids go to bed. I do wish the mop version (Brava) worked better. I have not gotten that damn thing to properly map my house to mop for me and the solution that they sell for it makes all of our house shoes squeak for days.

Obstacle avoidance should the number one priority for if this is what you want to achieve. The Samsung Jet Bot AI is the king of the hill in this regard but has some limitations and issues elsewhere. The J series Roombas by iRobot are the most well rounded obstacle avoiders when factoring in cost, parts availability, filtration performance, customer service, and overall refinement. Neither are perfect.

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.

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.

A number of vacuums can avoid cables pretty well (although none are no foolproof): iRobot J series, Roborock models with camera-based object recognition (except the Q Revo MaxV for whatever reason), Eufy S1, Dreame models with camera-based object recognition all come to mind. Your bigger problem will be that nothing on the market reliably avoids horizontal chair legs that are located lower than a typical house threshold. You will need to add extension to them so that the vacuum’s bumper gets engaged on contact.

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

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.