iRobot Roomba j9+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum - Ruby Bronze

This is my second iRobot purchase. The first one was a 980 (we’ve had it for 5 years). I always said it was the best purchase I ever made. The battery started to fail and the two batteries I got to replace it did not make a difference. That’s when I decided to move the old one downstairs and get a new vacuum. I am very pleased with this model. I ran the map without vacuuming as it suggested. I let it go into all the rooms, even in rooms I did not want it going into to vacuum later. It finished fairly quickly. Once the map populated I added room dividers, and no go zones, such as closets, and areas that have cords on the floor. I have watched it vacuum several times. I love how it vacuums each room separately according to the map. I feel like it does a better cleaning job when it stays in its section before it moves to the next room. This vacuum is much quieter than my old one. I have owned this vacuum a month and the only issue so far was I had to reconnect the vacuum to the app but the app tells you exactly what to do to fix it. I really love these, I just wish they were more affordable so I could buy another one. Even on sale they are expensive.

I wanted to write this review (instead of my Husband). I never write reviews, but, I felt others needed to know how this iRobot Roomba has freed us from our regular vacuum cleaner. We named it Sweepy, because you get to name it (so cute!). You see we have 3 labs (see photo) that shed 365 and we were vacuuming constantly! The Roomba was easy set up out of the box. Next came the mapping of the house (this made us look at each room and get stuff off the floor Sweepy couldn’t get under). We then were able to review the map, name each room and change room divides if needed. Set up the schedule and ready for the first run (daily for us on all floors except carpeted rooms - those are weekends only right now). I wasn’t expecting to be as thrilled as I was! Our floors look great! No dog hair in sight! We have hardwood floors with some area rugs, 2 carpeted rooms and luxury vinyl…Sweepy works great on all these surfaces! When done it docks and empties. I should have had one of these years ago…such a time saver! I love coming home to clean swept floors (no more dog hair tumbleweeds). Highly recommend this product !

The Roomba J9+ was simple to unbox and get up and running. Everything comes pre-assembled and merely required unpacking and room placement. Device activation and configuration was completed through the iRobot app which subsequently applied a “10 minute” update that actually ran for over 40 minutes. I was forced to abort and close the app due to other obligations, but when I returned later I noticed the vacuum software version number had jumped from 7.X to 9.9. Although it wasn’t exactly a smooth start, the issue apparently resolved on its own and the Roomba has been problem free since. Cleaning tasks are managed through the iRobot app, which also provides the capability to monitor and maintain the device. The Roomba can clean on demand, or as specified through custom cleaning schedules. The app is straightforward and intuitive to use, with all options logically arranged and easily accessible. One of the most useful features of the app is home mapping. The Roomba maps the layout of the home as it cleans, which is then saved in the app. Mapping allows more refined custom on-demand cleaning by allowing me to select specific rooms or the entire floor. Mapping can also be used with scheduling to clean individual rooms or areas on specified dates and times. This is good for automatically cleaning heavily trafficked or soiled areas more frequently and any less trafficked areas less frequently. Mapping isn’t perfect however, especially if there are a lot of random obstacles or oddly shaped or angled rooms. But it gets more accurate the more the machine runs and learns the home’s layout. I can also go in and edit the layout to make it more accurately represent my floorplan. Watching the Roomba run the first few times is like watching a baby deer learn to walk. It’s clumsy, unsure, frequently repeats areas, and seemingly puts too much emphasis on certain spots. Once the vacuum gets a good sampling of the house layout, it runs more efficiently, although it still occasionally runs in questionable patterns at times. The vacuum is moderately loud while cleaning but gets much louder when self-emptying due to the drastically increased suction used to empty the device. Both modes are loud enough to potentially frighten sensitive pets, but the noise from the emptying process is much more likely to do so. Cleaning results are pretty good. The J9+ does a thorough job and frequently doubles back to ensure cleanliness. It occasionally misses debris, just as my previous Roomba 981 did, but it seems a little more thorough than the 981 and usually does a good job overall. It’s adept at traveling onto and cleaning large low pile area rugs and good at avoiding stairs, obstructions, drops and other obstacles. It sometimes lightly bumps against walls and furniture rather than stopping before impact, but this became less frequent the more it learned the layout. Once it finishes all areas, it automatically returns to its home base where it self empties automatically. Dirt is sucked out of the Roomba and into a disposable vacuum bag inside the base. Once the bag is full, it gets removed and tossed like any other vacuum bag. The only areas I don’t like the J9+ traveling onto are floor vents and small rugs and mats. Small lightweight rugs and mats tend to get caught up in the roller and suction, and the grinding sounds the machine makes while traveling over floor vents makes me wince. Out of an abundance of caution, I usually remove small rugs/mats and cover floor vents before cleaning. The rollers and brushes are consumable user replaceable parts that I fear will may deteriorate prematurely from unfriendly surfaces like grated vent covers. The app monitors consumables and advises when it’s time for replacement, but it is time and use based. I suspect it may not accurately account for excessive wear caused by environmental factors. We’ve been pleased with the Roomba J9+ performance. It cleans the house reliably with few missed spots. We don’t have small children, pets, or a lot if foot traffic, so I’m sure that makes it easier to clean and likely plays a role in our results. The iRobot app scheduling, coupled with the self-emptying feature, makes the J9+ practically a set and forget appliance until it’s necessary to empty the base. The robot accurately cleans areas automatically for us on a daily schedule and returns to its home base afterward. Overall, it accomplishes the bulk of our vacuuming needs and even with our large area rugs, we’re seldom forced to use our uprights to supplement the Roomba.