Context of this review:
First time buyer of any model of IRobot Roomba vacuum.
Purchased the J7+ that includes the robot and the waste station.
I do like it. It is not perfect but after a couple of days of use, I am impressed.
There is a learning period for both myself and the robot.
1) First off, after unboxing, put the station in and put the robot into position to charge for a few hours. While charging download the app to your phone and connect. Read the user manual about how the ring light on the robot works. It is context based - charging, vacuuming, etc. - and means different things based on the context.
2)The light on the waste station is peculiar and does not stay on when plugged in and charging.
Nor does the light on the robot stay on when charging. There is a momentary initial light on each.
3) I should have read up on from their support website about Smartmaps first. After a full charge, I let the robot run through the first floor of my home. On the initial pass, It was able to do about 2.5 rooms before it needed to be recharged. While recharging, I mistakenly cancelled the initial full floor job. It worked out OK after the second full floor job - completing the first map and a new second map at the same time. Be prepared to walk around with your robot to train it where not to go. I was able to use the pause button on the phone and the top button on the robot. However, it may be better to hit the sense bars on the robot to initially avoid areas while you create the first couple maps. Subsequently, I plan to mark out the no-go zones.
4) Apparently, the position of the charge station is very important. You may want to plan this out in advance even before buying. The station needs to be near an outlet and have a clearance on each side of 1.5 feet, more distance is required if near a stairway. I am not sure how this effects your first maps if you move your station to another location on the same floor. iRobot advises getting a second waste station if you move your robot between two floors - one station for each floor. Clearly, the station position is important for the robot to know.
5) Preparation of your home for the robot can be important before using it. Pet food bowls, electrical cords, and floor mats are some of the things to consider. I found the robot had problems with a raised fireplace hearth. It was low enough to try to go on top of it but had trouble negotiating while trying to vaccuum along the edge. The fire place hearth is one area I plan on giving a no-go zone to, as well as the pet food bowls. Because preparation is needed, I am not sure how useful scheduling is going to be, unless you have a sparse home with no pets and little moveable furniture.
6) Maintenance - While on the first job ever, the vaccuum managed to wrap a cat play string around the rotating brush. I had to stop the robot and unwrap the string. (note to self - pick up all string) There was also cat hair around the rotating brush in the in joints of roller shafts that also needed clearing. I can see how maintenance is going to be a recurring thing with the robot, when you usually ignore your upright vaccums, but for emptying its bag and cleaning filters. Maintenance costs are going to be more than your upright vacuum, which you may want to consider with the upfront purchase costs.
7) Cleaner home? With hair shedding pets, I can see how one's home may remain cleaner if you regularly run the robot. The robot can also run under some things (some couches, some cabinets) where you cannot vacuum with an upright. However, there are likely to still be some areas/rooms where you don't want to run the vacuum robot - areas near food bowls, cat litter boxes, and bathrooms.
8) With a camera on the front of the robot, I think there is much that the irobot can do in programming it to clean better and navigate better.
9) I have much to learn about using the robot due to my inexperience. However, I think I can make this work to keep my home cleaner.
Frequently purchased items with fast delivery
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From the manufacturer
Identifies obstacles
PrecisionVision Navigation, Roomba identifies and avoids obstacles like pet waste and charging cords to get the whole job done.
Empties on its own
Roomba empties into the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal with an enclosed bag. That means no mess or cloud of dust when you empty it.
Vacuums messes in the moment
Simply use the iRobot Home App or your voice assistant to tell Roomba to immediately clean that spot and consider it done.
10x Power Lifting Suction*
10x the Power-Lifting Suction & Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes that pull in dirt, debris, & pet hair from wherever it hides.
Smart Recharge & Resume
Smart Recharge and Resume allows your robot to intelligently recharge for the amount of time needed to continue cleaning and get the job done.
Powered by iRobot OS
iRobot OS raises the bar - delivering an intuitive cleaning experience tailored to your needs and preferences.
Clean when you're away
Uses geolocation services on your phone to understand when you’re out of the house and get the cleaning done while you're away.
Goes where it's needed
Reactive Sensor Technology tells j7 where it cannot pass, which means less getting stuck. Dirt Detect focuses on the dirtier spots of your home.
Compare iRobot Products
 Roomba j7+ |  Roomba s9+ |  Roomba Combo i3+ |  Roomba i3+ |  Roomba Combo Essential |  Roomba Vac Essential |  Roomba 692 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Customer Reviews
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8,154
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7,534
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368
|
977
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32,325
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26,535
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32,325
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Price
| $246.85 | $999.99 | $505.99 | $449.95 | $199.99 | $149.99 | $279.00 |
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Mop type
| — | — | Interchangeable bin | — | Removable mopping pad | — | — |
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Cleaning Power
| 10x | 40x | 10x | 10x | 10x | 10x | Standard |
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Edge and corner cleaning
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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Clean with voice assistant*
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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Tackles multiple floor types
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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Multiple Suction Levels
| ✓ | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — |
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Dual rubber brushes
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
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Automatic dirt disposal
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
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Recharges and resumes
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
|
Clean by room
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
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Clean by zone or object
| ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
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Recognizes & avoids obstacles
| ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Compare with similar items
This Item  iRobot Roomba j7+ (7550) Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum – Uses PrecisionVision Navigation to Identify & Avoid Objects Like Socks, Shoes, & Pet Waste, Smart Mapping, Self-Empty for Up to 60 Days | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $246.85 | $599.99 | $679.95 | -41% $324.99 Typical: $549.99 | $34.99 | -31% $449.95 List: $649.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 5 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 5 | — | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 5 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 5 | — |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon Resale | Roborock Technology Co. Ltd | Deal Suppliers LLC | Meco Innovations | Amazon.com | AMZDistributor(SN Recorded) |
| surface suggestion | Carpet, Hardwood, Hard Surfaces | hardwood\tile\carpet | Dual Action, Hard Floor, Carpet | Carpet, Hard floor | Hard Floor | Hard Floor,Carpet |
| batteries included | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| battery average life | 120 minutes | 240 minutes | — | 180 minutes | 90 minutes | 120 minutes |
| compatible devices | Tablets, Smartphones, Amazon Echo, Google Home | Google Home, Amazon Echo, Smartphones | Amazon Echo | Amazon Echo | Compatible with Roomba e, i, or j Series Robots. Roomba e5, Roomba e6, Roomba e7, Roomba i1, Roomba i1+, Roomba i2, Roomba i3, Roomba i3+, Roomba i4, Roomba i4+, Roomba Combo i5, Roomba Combo i5+, Roomba i6, Roomba i6+, Roomba i7, Roomba i7+, Roomba i8, Roomba i8+, Roomba Combo j5, Roomba Combo j5+, Roomba j6+, Roomba j7, Roomba j7+, Roomba Combo, j7+, Roomba j8+, Roomba j9+, Roomba Combo j9+ | Amazon Echo, Google Home |
Good But Some Glitches
I got this J7 plus on sale for $599 so for what I paid it's a really decent vacuum. I've owned a lot of iRobot Roombas for the past 20 years so I consider myself sort of an expert. Also keep in mind I do not hand out 5 star reviews lightly. This one gets 3 stars because I had some issues with the app, and getting it set up. I also can not use the function where you look at the photos with my iphone 11 pro max. I was finally able to do the set up using my OLD ipad air 2. I find it unacceptable that the app will not work for one of the main features or to set it up, using my newish Iphone on the latest iOS software. In talking to other users this problem is common. Had I not had the old iPad I would have had to return it because without connecting it to wifi via the app, it's worthless. Once I got it set up, I can do the schedule etc from my iphone but it won't show me the photos for the obstacles it finds. I get the error message on my phone but if I open the app on my iPad I can see the photos and deal with them. I do not like that I have to go get out an old device to do it and do not understand why iRobot does not deal with it. I also tried to contact them about it and got no response. I might end up just turning off the feature because it's not that big a deal to me. I did try turning it off and was hoping it would shut that light off but the light still is shining even with the feature turned off. It seems like it would waste power having that light on all the time and if I don't use the feature why is the light still on?Ok so on to the actual vacuuming. This model does an great job on hard surfaces but does not really do the greatest job on carpet compared to my older 980 which had a carpet boost setting that most of the other 900 robots lacked. I also liked that I could set my 980 to focus on cleaning and could turn off edge clean. It's probably silly on my part but I like to see the neat lines on my carpet after it cleans and it seems to do the back and forth cleaning with the j7 and then go around the edges so I see these deep marks on the edges and going around any furniture. I liked that I could turn that off with my 980 so I just saw neat rows. I could always go turn it on once in awhile but honestly that edge feature is more important with hard floors, than it is with carpet.One other thing I find odd is that the app shows me carpet the robot has detected, yet there are no settings for changing vac power level and it does not act differently on carpet, so why is the thing worried about detecting my carpet?I ended up having to set it to clean twice once one way and once across what it vacuumed to get it as clean as it got it with my 980 alone. I probably would have been better off going with the s9 for carpet but I did not want to pay that much and upstairs there is not as much dirt so it does and acceptable job. I just think they could have given it a little more power and more settings. on vac power.I love that I can set it to do certain rooms, and no longer need those dumb walls. In that respect it's so much better than my 980.One other thing it seemed my 980 did better with was area rugs in the bathroom. My 980 used to knock them around a bit but did not get stuck on them. The j7 gets hung up on the little cotton rugs on the floor. I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with that. I want it to clean our bathrooms but it's a pain to have to pick up the rugs each day so for now I turned off the bathroom cleaning.The self emptying feature is great. I do not have to empty the bin and once I do have to empty the bag it seals and goes in the trash without me having to get a puff of dust all over. I also love that they lowered the height with this self emptying bin so it's not a huge tower. I've been running it 3 times a week upstairs for over a month and have not had to empty it yet. I'm thinking I might just change it at 2 months if it does not give me a notice that it's full. I can feel stuff in there but I guess there is room for more. I'm not sure what has to be in there to trigger it needing to be changed. The bags to me seem reasonable. Even the irobot bags are only around $5 a bag which seems reasonable considering I'm not having to change it often, and it's worth it for me to not have to deal with the dirty dust puff all over my cleaned area. It makes me want to upgrade my s9 to the self empying base and I might do it at some point if they lower the height of that self emptying base too.Over all this is a decent robotic vac. It's great if you have hard floors but with carpet it's just so so. I'd prefer a deeper vac power for carpet, but it's passable.Thanks for reading my review
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2022
- Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2025
this vacuum is advertised as avoiding pet waste. they sell it on that factor. I got this as a Christmas gift 2 years ago. the vacuum has worked great and had no problems. then one night, as I always do, I ran around the house and picked up all the stuff (toys, etc) off the floor before I ran the vacuum. I went and laid down as it ran and within 5 minutes by son came in and told me he smelled poop. I shrugged it off, didnt think anything of it and a few minutes later again, my 12 year old, said mom, I smell poop. SO we got up to look around and when I went out to my dining room-- it was like the grossest murder scene ever. one of the dogs had snuck out and pooped when i laid down and the vacuum drove right into that fresh stuff and smeared it all over my dining room, my kitchen and my living room. the brushes even smeared it up half and inch on the bottom legs of my dining room table and chairs and i dont want to think about where else. my 12 year old said he'd clean the floor up and turned over the vacuum and started cleaning it. after disassembling the vacuum I realized I couldnt clean it. it was in the grooves of the wheels, all the cracks of the under belly, the brushes were caked. i removed the brushes and under the brushes was caked as well and it was in the dust bin and in all the little tubes leading to it. I put it in a bag and spent the next 2 hours with my son, scrubbing the floor and the chairs and spraying the house to try and remove the lingering poop smell. I contacted the company who wanted pictures, serial numbers and proof of purchase (receipt). this was a Christmas gift- so i had to track that down and confirmed that the reason this vacuum was purchased for me was because it advertised the obstacle avoidance specifically pet waste. the company said screw you. you dont have a warranty on it and will do nothing. all i did was ask them what to do. I asked it they would replace the vacuum itself (nothing wrong with the docking station and I have a ton of replacement parts that I had just ordered a month before to replace all the filters and brushes as you do, but they wont help me at all. just say i dont have a warranty and tough luck. i am surprised at their lack of any customer service, or anyone who would help me btu what makes me the most upset is that this is the VERY reason we went this this vacuum because they advertise that it would not happen. in fact that was the main selling factor that they showed in their ads and videos. save your money and yourself a bunch of stress. (pictures were taken after I had been cleaning the robot for a while, after i realized it was too much for me to be able to fix)
DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY_ vacuum destroyed and they wont do anything
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2025
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
- TopteckReviewed in Canada on February 1, 2024
"J7+: Smart, Self-Emptying Cleaning Marvel."
- LAMYA alsherefReviewed in Saudi Arabia on August 22, 2022
Clean Base not working, and seller refused to refund me
-
ManuelReviewed in Mexico on November 8, 2022
Reseña Honesta - La mejor Roomba del mercado.
- RalucaReviewed in the United Arab Emirates on January 27, 2022
dont buy from Amazon US if you live outside the US
