VS
If you’re stuck between the Roomba j7 and the j7+, you’re not alone, they’re both solid robot vacuums that do a lot of the heavy lifting (well, vacuuming) for you. These little round cleaners are smart enough to map out your home, dodge socks, shoes, and even pet messes, all while keeping your floors looking fresh.
The j7 gives you all the core features you’d want in a robot vacuum, smart navigation, strong suction, and reliable cleaning. The j7+ takes it up a notch with a self-emptying base, so it can clean for weeks without you having to touch it. Basically, it’s the difference between “I’ll do a little maintenance” and “I don’t want to think about vacuuming ever again.”
So, which one’s best for you? Let’s dive into what sets them apart and figure out which one makes more sense for your setup.
Compare Specifications
iRobot Roomba j7 vs. j7+ Which is better?
VS
Suction Power
10x Roomba 600 series
VS
10x Roomba 600 series
Battery Life
~75-100 min (avg. 90)
VS
~75-100 min (avg. 90)
Charging Time
~2-3 hrs
VS
~2-3 hrs
Dustbin Capacity
~0.4-0.5 L
VS
~0.4-0.5 L (robot), 60-day base
Self-Emptying Base
No
VS
Yes, Clean Base
Navigation
PrecisionVision
VS
PrecisionVision
Obstacle Avoidance
Yes (cords, pet waste)
VS
Yes (cords, pet waste)
Smart Mapping
Imprint Smart Mapping
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Imprint Smart Mapping
Dirt Detect Technology
Yes
VS
Yes
Brushroll Design
Dual rubber rollers
VS
Dual rubber rollers
Filter Type
High-efficiency (99% allergens)
VS
High-efficiency (99% allergens)
Dimensions
13.3 x 13.3 x 3.4 inches
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13.3 x 13.3 x 3.4 inches
Weight
7.5 lbs
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7.5 lbs (robot only)
Base Dimensions
~5.5 x 4.9 x 3.8 inches
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13 x 13.3 x 15.8 inches
Noise Level
~60-65 dB
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~60-65 dB
Power Consumption
~0.05-0.1 kWh/run
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~0.05-0.1 kWh/run (+ base)
Wi-Fi Connectivity
Yes
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Yes
Voice Control
Alexa, Google
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Alexa, Google
Included Accessories
Charging dock, extra filter
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Clean Base, extra filter, bag
Warranty
1 year
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1 year
Color Options
Black/Silver
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Black/Silver
Compare iRobot Roomba j7 vs. j7+
Specs & Price Comparison
1
iRobot Roomba j7 (7150) Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum - Identifies and avoids Obstacles Like pet Waste & Cords, Smart Mapping, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet...
$299.95
in stock
13 new from $275.00, 14 used from $169.00
2
Winner
iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum & Mop - Automatically Vacuums and Mops, Fully Retractable Mop pad, Identifies & Avoids Obstacles, Smart...
$399.99
in stock
6 new from $399.99, 7 used from $286.61
Core Vacuum Performance
When it comes to cleaning power, the Roomba j7 and j7+ are basically twins, they’ve got the same brains and muscle. Both offer suction that’s 10x stronger than the old-school Roomba 600 series, so they’ve definitely leveled up. They use dual rubber rollers that are great at picking up dirt, hair, and crumbs without getting tangled, and the high-efficiency filter traps 99% of allergens (a big win if you’ve got pets or allergies).
They also come with PrecisionVision, which helps them avoid things like cords, shoes, and yes, random pet accidents. And thanks to Imprint Smart Mapping, they actually learn your home’s layout over time, so they clean smarter, not harder.
Bottom line? Performance-wise, these two are the same. So if you’re just looking at how well they clean, it’s a tie.
iRobot Roomba j7
10x power, dodge-the-mess tech
90%
iRobot Roomba j7+
Ditto—same deal
90%
Winner: Tie
Dustbin & Self–Emptying
Alright, here’s where the j7 and j7+ go their separate ways. Both have the same size dustbin, around 0.4 to 0.5 liters, which is totally fine for a cleaning session or two. But with the regular j7, you’ll be the one emptying it every few days, especially if your place gets messy fast (pet hair, crumbs, life… you know how it goes).
The j7+, though? That one’s got a serious upgrade: the Clean Base. After each run, it empties the dustbin into a bag that holds up to 60 days of dirt. So instead of messing with it every few days, you can go weeks without lifting a finger. If taking out the trash isn’t your favorite chore (same here), the j7+ definitely makes life easier.
So ask yourself: Do you mind emptying the bin, or would you rather let the robot handle it all?
iRobot Roomba j7
~0.4-0.5 L, hands-on emptying
70%
iRobot Roomba j7+
~0.4-0.5 L + 60-day base
90%
Winner: iRobot Roomba j7+
Size & Design
When it comes to the bots themselves, the j7 and j7+ are basically clones, same size, same look. They’re both 13.3 inches wide, just 3.4 inches tall (perfect for sliding under couches and beds), and weigh around 7.5 pounds. Super easy to move if you ever need to.
The real difference is in the dock. The j7 comes with a small, low-profile charger that you can tuck pretty much anywhere, it’s compact and doesn’t take up much space. On the other hand, the j7+ has the Clean Base, which is a lot taller and bulkier (around 15.8 inches high), so you’ll need to carve out a bit of floor space for it.
If you’re working with a smaller space or just want something minimal, the j7’s slim charger is the way to go.
But if you’ve got room and want that self-emptying magic? The j7+ base is worth it.
iRobot Roomba j7
Slim dock, no fuss
80%
iRobot Roomba j7+
Big base, big perk
75%
Winner: iRobot Roomba j7
Battery & Runtime
Battery-wise, these two are neck and neck. You’ll get around 75 to 100 minutes of cleaning time, let’s call it a solid 90 on average. That’s plenty for most spaces, and if they run low mid-clean, no worries, they’ll cruise back to their dock, recharge, and pick up right where they left off.
They also come with Dirt Detect, which tells them to spend a little extra time on messy spots (like that one corner that always seems to collect everything).
No real difference here: same battery, same smarts, same gets-it-done.
iRobot Roomba j7
~90 min, auto-recharge
90%
iRobot Roomba j7+
Same story
90%
Winner: Tie
Noise & Power
When it comes to noise, these guys are pretty chill, around 60-65 dB, which is more like a quiet conversation than a vacuuming roar. You won’t have to shout over them, that’s for sure.
As for power, they’re pretty efficient, using about 0.05-0.1 kWh per run, which translates to just a few cents (like $0.01-$0.02 at $0.15/kWh). The j7+ adds a tiny bit more because of the Clean Base emptying the bin, but it’s still pretty minimal.
So, whether you’re trying to keep the noise down or saving a few bucks on electricity, they’re both solid. The j7+ edges ahead just a bit if you’re all about that extra convenience, but overall, they’re pretty much on the same page.
iRobot Roomba j7
~60-65 dB, light on the wallet
80%
iRobot Roomba j7+
Same noise, slight base bump
85%
Winner: iRobot Roomba j7+ (barely)
Additional Buyer Considerations
- Power Consumption: Both are cheap to run, ~$0.01-$0.02 per spin. j7+’s base might nudge it up a hair, but we’re talking pennies even for daily use.
- Setup Time: Out of the box, give ’em ~15-20 minutes to charge up and pair with the app. First mapping run takes an hour or two, patience pays off!
- App Usability: iRobot’s app is a breeze: set zones, schedules, or “no-go” spots. Newbies might need a sec to get the hang of it, but it’s smooth sailing after that.
Our Pick
iRobot Roomba j7+
After putting both through their paces, we’re giving the crown to the iRobot Roomba j7+. That self-emptying Clean Base? Total game-changer. You can go a couple of months without ever touching the bin, seriously, it’s a dream if you’ve got pets or little ones running around. The j7 is still a solid pick if you’re keeping an eye on your budget or have limited space, but the j7+ brings that hands-off convenience that makes it totally worth the extra cash for most people. It just makes cleaning feel… effortless.
- Self-emptying = less hassle
- Same killer j7 tech
- Handles fur and dust for weeks
- Keeps allergies in check
- Feels like the future
iRobot Roomba j7+ Price History
Highest Price
$442.46
Amazon.com
November 4, 2025
Lowest Price
$399.99
Amazon.com
November 23, 2025
Since November 4, 2025
Buy if...
iRobot Roomba j7
- You’re cool emptying the bin
- Need a budget-friendly bot
- Got a cozy space
- Want j7 smarts on the cheap
iRobot Roomba j7+
- You hate trash duty
- Pets or messes rule your life
- Want a set-it-and-forget-it setup
- Can fit that base somewhere
Latest User Reviews
See what real customers say about these products:
iRobot Roomba j7 Reviews
Do you need the J7 model or a different Roomba model? Had the J7 for a week so far with excellent results. I experimented first with a 600 series Roomba but realized I needed the more advanced mapping, front camera, obstacle recognition features of the J7. it recognizes charger cords, sock, boxes, or stack (and is even guaranteed to recognize pet pooh and avoid it). For me this higher tech mapping and recognition lets me not worry if household projects mean I have left out a box or shoes, whatever, in the room. The J7 recognizes stuff like that and cleans around it without getting stuck. Some other models, including the higher end S9 I think, require you pick up more and tidy more before you clean. That's just fine for people whose house stays more organized all the time than mine does. Meanwhile, the cleaning features of the J7 work brilliantly. The S9 has more suction power, and more edge cleaning intensity, so I wondered if I'd be regretting that, but the J7 cleans my hardwood floors and my low pile area rug brilliantly. I've read that deeper pile carpet will benefit from more suction, but my house is mostly hardwood floor and the J7 is brilliant at that my one 10'x16' rug is spotless too.
Do you need the self-emptying feature, the "+"? It's such a good feature that it was tempting. However, I was upgrading from a 600 series and wary of spending the high premium for the self-emptying feature when I was finding a good discount on the J7 by itself. What I have found so far is the J7 can easily clean the three large rooms I use it for, clean them fully three times before I get a message the dust bin needs to be emptied. Roomba customer service explained you can expect 800 sq ft of cleaning before you have to empty the bin. This varies probably and that's square feet as measured by the Roomba's cleaning pattern which won't include some of your furniture and fixtures so the cleaned footage measured will be lower than your actual room square footage as measured for the property.
Also I wanted to put the Roomba's dock in a spot against my wall where I didn't want the taller self-cleaning box to stick up above the dock. It's a well designed box and not as tall as the i4 model's version, so that shouldn't stop you if you have a spot for it. Worth noting: you need to locate the dock against a well where you have at least 18" or so of space on both sides, and four feet if room in front of the Roomba. That's for navigation.
The J7 dust bin is so easy to remove, empty, and replace, that it's just not an issue for me--certainly don't regret not having the self-emptier at this point. The dust bin parts are designed well: a button on the side pops the bin out the side of the machine; another button opens the bin so you can dump it once you have it over the trash. The filter comes out easily too so it can be tapped on the trash bin to clear it. Customer service tells me the dust bin can be washed in warm water and soap too, so you can get it quite clean if you want. They said not to get the filter wet though. One thing to consider is that the Roomba sides can get dusty too from cleaning, even the top can get a bit dusty because it cleans under couches so well and under cabinets, when there's room for it. That means that I've been wiping down the J7 after a full clean of all three rooms. Maybe this won't continue--my rooms were neglected for a while so my J7 may be cleaning more dust this first week than it will clean in the future. In the two rooms it's cleans several times now, it doesn't' get dusty.
Even if the outside of the Roomba stays clean, however, the dust bin itself will be be a bit dusty when you remove it. So if handling the bin while you empty it bothers you, then the "+" self-emptying feature is for you. If you have the "+" feature, the dust from weeks of cleanings empties into a collection bag you eventually pull, discard, and replace with a new bag.
Mapping: One of my rooms is two steps down from other two. The mapping is so clever I just lift the Roomba down to the lower level and say "Siri, tell [J7] to clean the [room]". The J7 figures out where it is in the room and cleans it fully. When it tells me it's finished, I put it back on the higher level and say "Siri, tell [J7] to go home" and it heads for its dock to charge.
Customer service: easy and quick to ask questions.
STW
5/5
This is the 3rd Roomba that I've bought over the last 10 years. I really-really wanted to like it. I would love it except for the fact that the SOFTWARE IS GARBAGE. The thing is completely unusable for me 98% of the time. It won't start... it can't connect... the battery is too low... something else is wrong... blah-blah-blah.
There's this useless "spinning circle" on the top of the unit. It's always either flashing, spinning, blinking or something else. What does this mean?? What's it trying to tell me?? Is something wrong??? Who knows!!!
How about a simple little $1 LCD display that tells me things like "Charging", "Low Battery", "Error" or something useful. It's super finicky putting it into the charging station. If it's off by 1/4" then it doesn't charge. I have no idea if it is charging or not, if it's in correctly or what the problem is. Every time I want to use it there's an "Error. Something went wrong. Try again." Sorry Roomba but this is NOT helpful at all.
When it works I love it. It works great and doesn't smash into my furniture like the older models that I had. But it doesn't work often enough. Every time I try to do something with it I'm unable to connect and there is ZERO indication from the Roomba vacuum itself why it's not working. I'm supposed to use the app to control, run and diagnose this thing. Unfortunately the app VERY RARELY works which makes this useless.
I would love to buy one for my daughter who has a dog and could really use this. But I refuse to subject her to such a horrible piece of junk. When it works it works great. But there are too many SOFTWARE PROBLEMS for me to recommend this to anybody.
Sorry Roomba. I've been a customer for a long time but this is the worst until from you that I have ever owned.,
Skipy The Turtle
1/5
As a non-pet owner the j7 model does almost everything I want it to, though not quite the way I want it to. It detects toys and cords...sometimes. The first time I ran it to test it out, it detected a toy, went around it, and promptly ran over the toys behind the first toy (I've since set the "play area" as a designated keep-out zone). Since it wasn't possible to designate keep-out zones prior to training (kind of a chicken-and-egg situation), the initial training was a little frustrating and required some babysitting, but after setting up rooms and designating keep-out zones, it's pretty rare that it runs into issues when cleaning. This is leaps and bounds better than our Roomba 980, which while itself was quite low maintenance compared to our old 690 (due to the rollers being much easier to clean), had a tendency to trounce the play area (even with a virtual wall barrier) and hide our shoes. The mapping features also allow scheduling room-by-room cleaning (or clean specific zones), as well as approximate times for each job, so it's easy to schedule jobs according to how disruptive they might be.
There are a few things I don't really like about it aside from the training frustrations, though:
- If the Roomba gets caught on an obstacle that it didn't detect, there doesn't seem to be any way to train it to avoid the obstacle. It keeps getting caught on our Fisher-Price infant-to-toddler rocker.
- There doesn't seem to be a way to toggle keep-out-zones, or create cleaning jobs with certain keep-out-zones disabled, which could be useful for some keep-out zones which are only sometimes bad to clean.
- It seems to me the dust bin and battery are smaller. This could be due to additional hardware components to help with the obstacle detection, but they probably don't lose sleep over this since the Roomba pauses and returns back to home base to charge if the battery runs out during a cleaning cycle, and the smaller dust bin might nudge users to the j7+.
- Since this basically lets iRobot (or any potential hacker) peak inside my house, this is a downstairs-only Roomba in my opinion.
Good:
- Obstacle detection and keep-out zones allow this Roomba to complete most jobs without need of rescue
- Cleaning for specific rooms/clean zones adds a lot of flexibility to how the Roomba can be run.
Bad:
- Obstacle detection can be hit-or-miss, at least so far. It seems to have trouble with many obstacles (e. g. toys) clustered together. Note the P. O. O. P (pet owner official promise) if you're a pet owner; it doesn't cover damage/cleaning of floors/carpets/other objects. Not sure if it applies to the replacement as well, but I expect you'll be making use of it at least once (until they inevitably either improve the obstacle detection logic or cancel the P. O. O. P for new owners).
- No ability to report on obstacles the Roomba failed to detect, such as cases where the Roomba got stuck.
- Still need to clean the rollers and empty the dust bin fairly regularly
- Smaller size battery results in more trips back to the home base
Ugly:
- The bin is too small; might want to opt for j7+ or buy the "clean base" separately.
Jonathan
4/5
I have had several Eufys over the years and I always swore by them as a great little robovac. The Eufy is half the price of the Roomba and I always thought a robovac is a robovac, right? Wrong!
The Eufy does a good enough job, wandering aimlessly around sucking up dirt and getting stuck… a lot. I finally got tired of going to help it and realized I may as well vacuum myself if I have to keep going to help it out all the time. The Roomba was on sale and I was so ignorant of what it actually brings to the table that I bought it because it was thicker so I figured it wouldn’t get stuck under as many things. Little did I know, this thing is on a whole different level.
There is plenty of information out there on how to do mapping runs and design your layout etc. and I admit I didn’t do any of that and still don’t understand it well enough to explain it to anyone else, so I won’t try here. In “Eufy mode” I used it the same way and just set it going in a room. Only after it finished did I realize it was learning my floor plan and after a few times it had enough information for me to name rooms, set no-go areas and set up favorites etc. The first time I looked at the app and realized it was sending me pictures (pictures!) of obstacles and asking me whether this was a permanent or temporary obstacle and what area was carpet vs non-carpet, did the penny drop as to why the Roomba was more expensive. Through trial and error I now have a fully mapped house with named areas, no-go zones (such as under the treadmill) and known obstacles. I LOVE this thing!
Where I have had issues (not sure they are serious enough to be called “cons”) I explain below.
It never gets stuck under anything. In a month of running it almost every day, it has only twice sent me a message saying it was “near a cliff” which I eventually figured out was because it was on the edge of a rug with a light border and a darker inside pattern. It relies a lot on light to make its judgements so if the light isn’t terribly good in the room a thing like the floor going from a light to a dark color seems to confuse it. On brighter days it has made that transition without issue.
For the same reason I figured out why a couple of times it returned to base without finishing the job (you know this because it tells you - the message was "path blocked"). I came to realize it doesn’t like to run in the dark. On both occasions I had left it running overnight and when Alexa turned off the lights and it couldn’t “see” it gave up and went home.
When I first got it, it would stop and tell me the bin was full when it wasn’t and I thought this was going to be the most serious downside, because it had not been running very long when it would think the bin was full, even though the bin is quite large (larger than the Eufy). I have two long haired dogs and I found that the dog hair was obscuring the sensor for the bin, making it think it was full when it wasn’t even close. Setting it in the app to run with a full bin fixed that and unless you have either a really large area or a lot of pet hair in one run, I don’t believe it will end up getting clogged running with a truly full bin.
Lastly, yes, it is noisy… but that is a small price to pay for such a time saving way to keep my floors in such good shape. I have come to like the sound of it, knowing it is running and makiung my life easier 🙂
I haven’t tried it yet with Alexa, so I don’t know about that. The battery life could perhaps be a bit better, but if it hasn’t finished (I have one large area where this happens) it just goes back to base and recharges before resuming and completing the job. Again, you know this is happening because it tells you.
Definitely a good buy and (sorry Eufy!) I can’t believe I waited this long to get one.
Lyn Craven
5/5
iRobot Roomba j7+ Reviews
Short version - If you have actual carpet instead of low pile rugs, this really is your only option. The only true "competitor" to this style of combo, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra, is not rated to be able to handle a living space with 80% or more of real carpet, and refilling the reservoir after one or two cleanings is not the world ending hassle people make it out to be.
Long Version - I recently moved from a location with primarily hardwood floors to a apartment with carpet everywhere except the entryway, kitchen, and bathroom. Beforehand I owned the Ecovacs Deebot N8 Pro+ which I purchased after doing extensive research and cost analysis. the N8 Pro+ did it's job, it got up any crumbs and kept the floor maintained longer in between deep cleanings. It couldn't handle a cleaning solution in it's reservoir so I just used distilled water as recommended by the manufacturer. As anyone who has done research on robot vacuums knows, it had it's shortcomings. Besides the water only tank, it also could not go onto carpet with the tank attached - A standard problem among the previous generation of robot vacuums. As such my bedroom, the only carpeted room in my previous apartment, was left untouched by the Deebot as it was easier to vacuum it quickly with a standing vacuum.
Despite their flaws, my appreciation for vacuum robots pushed me into buying one better suited for my new home. So I dove once again into countless robot reviews, lists, competitions, etc. My criteria quickly pushed me to analyze the top models in each robot vacuum manufacturers catalog, specifically two robots in particular - The J7 combo and the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra. Because the three hardwood sections are separated by spans of carpet, I wanted a combo robot that could complete the whole apartment in a single run without my interaction *DURING* it's cleaning job. This is where I believe many people get the purpose of a robot vacuum, and particularly this model wrong.
This is a MAINTENENCE machine - simply put, this is not full service machine which removes the necessity to clean your floors entirely. All robot vacuums are a luxury device which extends the time between deeper cleanings. I have one long haired cat, and without this device, I would normally vacuum once or twice a week to keep my allergies from flaring. With a robot vacuum, I can extend that to once or twice a month should the robot do it's job properly. Same with the hard floors; because it does the equivalent of a quick swifter job, I don't have to scrub my floors as often. Vacuum robots are also not miracle workers who never break. For the hours it saves you cleaning your floors, it only needs a few minutes of TLC once a month to keep doing it's job. If you expect any robot to never have to be touched, even the RoboRock S7 MaxV Ultra which many will say is the Combo J7's superior, you'll be wasting your money.
With that, the reason I chose this machine is because it can clean my entire house without me doing anything during it's cleaning. I don't have to remove a reservoir, or in the case of the Braava, pick it up and move it to the next hardwood spot in my house. From my research, no other robot can currently go from hardwood to medium pile carpet with it's mop pad attached. I could be wrong, or at the very least this review will soon be dated once iRobot's competitors integrate their solution for this issue into their product line. As of right now however, no other robot can do this without getting the carpet wet from it's mop pad (again, the roborock S7 MaxV Ultra cannot raise or cover it's mop pad far enough to prevent your carpet from getting wet).
That is why I chose this robot, especially in light of it's flaws - that of which I am not blind nor a fan of the common issues reported on this machine. It's price point even on Black Friday is roughly 100-200 dollars more than it should be (in my opinion the sale price of 900 should be the machine's normal cost), it bumps into things quite forcefully, it's mop does not vibrate or spin nor does it automatically refill the reservoir or clean the mop pad on it's own, it's quite loud verses the other robot vacuums I've interacted with, and if you don' t program the roomba to vacuum your carpet first, the moisture from mopping can cause build up in the brush housing.
My only note on the flaws listed above is perhaps because I developed good habits around the reservoir with the Ecovacs Deebot, I'm fine with the lack of a mop filling and cleaning system. To me, it's really not that hard to take a mop pad off after a cleaning or to fill the reservoir after two jobs.
This review is based on my personal opinion, experience with robots, and willingness to pay for this kind of luxury equipment. My reasoning for buying this unit it niche, however it fills that role successfully, and because I hadn't seen any buzz around this specific issue I figured I post this review. Thank you for reading and I hope this helped you make a decision.
Dylan
5/5
UPDATE 12/16/2023:
It has been almost a full year since I wrote the Original Review below, and there is some additional information that I learned after I had posted it. In the end, I was working directly with one of iRobot's CSRs who also looked into other brands to make their products better. He was able to get almost immediate responses from Tech Support, and we were able to identify many of the issues that I had been having. One of the biggest is that you can't have multiple iRobot devices on your network when using this device. If you do, none of the devices will work properly, which is what I had reported.
However, there is a core issue with all of iRobot's mopping devices which still exists today, and that is "conservation of matter". If you remember high school physics, or chemistry, you know that this means that matter cannot be created, nor destroyed. It can only be changed or moved. You might be thinking how does that have anything to do with this device? Well, dirt, grime, liquids, etc., are all matter. If you don't do something to physically remove them from the floor, they just constantly get spread across your entire house. The same goes for the cleaning fluid, which is never removed from your floors, it just piles up, layer by layer. BTW, the bottoms of my feet were solid black after using this for a couple weeks.
I think you can see where this is going, as you will need to manually remove all of this guck that keeps getting thicker as you use it. I had concerns about this from the beginning, and they were confirmed when I bought a Shark Steaming Mop to clean the floors after I returned the Roombas. The steamer uses nothing but steam to clean, and when I first tried to use it I noticed that the floor was foaming up with soap and I had to stop using it, as the soap would have damaged the steamer.
I did purchase a different system from a different manufacturer to replace my iRobot devices, and this device has been working perfectly for almost a year. At the time that I bought it, it was the top device on the market, and I had to pay full price ($400 more than the Black Friday Deals) because iRobot took so long to respond. But, I am more than happy with this new device. It is a full cleaning system, vacuum with mop and wash and dryer.
The mop and wash cleans the mop every so many minutes (10+ in increments of 5 minutes) where I have it set to 20 minutes. So, every 20 minutes it goes back to the dock, washes the mop, and then resumes where it left off. When it's done, it empties the vacuum bin, washes the mop, and then dries the mop for 3 hours (configurable), something that Roombas cannot do. For the first 2 weeks that I had it, I filled the tank with nothing but water, and it took 2 weeks for it to completely remove everything that the Roombas had left behind. The water in the waste bin was almost completely solid black for the first week, and then became more transparent over the following week.
I live in Las Vegas, so there is a ton of dirt that gets into the house, even with the house sealed shut. Now, my floors are very smooth, not at all sticky. Both my socks and feet are no longer covered in crud. If you solely need a vacuum, the iRobot vacuums are not bad. However, I can't recommend any of their mopping devices, as they do not clean anything. They simply spread the mess over the entire floor space and add a very thick cleaning solution to it, making it even worse and sticky. My current solution removes everything from the floor and uses a very light cleaner. After 3 refills where I add cleaning solution, I do 1 refill with water only, just to make sure that nothing ever builds up.
I hope this update helps, as it brings up fundamental issues with iRobot's mopping products.
Original Review
After trying to get this to work correctly over the course of almost 4 weeks, I have decided to return this product, the M6 that I also purchased, and all of the accessories. The major reason being that the App just does not work correctly, and you can't use any of the devices w/o the App. Additionally, the mapping is absolutely terrible. My entire house has hard floors, which should produce almost perfect mapping, but each room has walls that 4-5 feet displaced. It thinks that walls are 4-5 feet thick as well, which has led to other issues.
I have followed all of the directions provided online, and from working with their technical support, which stopped communicating with me once I provided them with a list of about 20 things that I found wrong. The App constantly loses communication with the devices, and when it does, you lose all control of the device. This isn't a WiFi signal issue, as I have full maximum signal coverage throughout the entire house, and all other devices work perfectly at all times.
I performed a factory reset at least 6 times w/o any change. I have rebooted each of the devices at least 30 times w/o any change. You would think that after a reboot that you should be able to connect, but nope, none of the iRobot devices connects. I ran 3 mapping runs yesterday, all of which completed successfully, but not one of them updated the map. In the app it states that the map is not available, when I try to see the result of a Mapping Run.
It will also ask you about changes to the map after a vacuum or cleaning, which is where I noticed that it was trying to tell me that it encountered carpeting in approximately 60% of my house. There isn't any carpeting anywhere, not even a rug. I could go on in regard to other issues, but I don't see a point. iRobot makes a lot of claims in their advertising, but I haven't found any of it to be true. When I did a deep dive into the issues that I have encountered, I learned that I am not alone, and that they've been reported at least 8+ months prior.
I am going to try another product with the hope that it will work better. I expected better from a company that has been in business for over 32 years, but I guess that it is expecting too much. BTW, tech support has access to everything that you do with the app, and the devices. They described absolutely everything that I tried, they could see my map, and could see that I was constantly losing connection. All of the issues that I found are also listed on Reddit.
3D Maker
1/5
I've been using my Roomba j7+ for about a month now and can give an informed review.
A word of caution: Beware of buying "almost new" for a reduced price. I ordered one and it would not charge no matter what. I followed all of the instructions and even called customer service and we worked together to try to solve the issue unsuccessfully. I returned the item to Amazon, but ordered another, this time making sure it really was new and not used. Don't buy used. At least I won't again for these things.
Pros: The Roomba j7+ works really, really well especially in the vacuuming department. I have two cats, one of whom sheds prolifically, and a large dog that does the same. This thing does a pretty good job at getting all that off the carpet. It does a better job at vacuuming than my old push vacuum cleaner, and that was a pleasant surprise to see that.
I run it every day. It vacuums the carpets, and vacuums and mops where I have white ceramic tiles: the kitchen, entryway and two bathrooms.
The AI never ceases to amaze me. This thing makes decisions which room to vacuum next (unless you tell it to vacuum a specific room), goes around wires and I hear even pet poop (I don't have that problem in my house). It's very good at suction and goes slow enough to do a bang of a job cleaning the carpet.
My wife an I have even given our Roomba a name. He's George.
Our George won't fall down stairs. It just refuses. From my kitchen there are stairs leading down to the basement. There's no door at the top of the stairs. George the Roomba has "cliff" sensors preventing it from going over the edge of a top stair and tumble down the stairs. No need to set an obstacle blocking the robot from getting to the edge of the stairs.
You can set a schedule for it to vacuum certain areas or the whole area (your home). You can have it do it every day at a certain time, every other day, any day of the week and any time of the day you want. You can even set it up so that it vacuums as soon as you leave the house. It's kinds like Santa Clause: it knows when you're asleep and it knows when you're home. (It was an early Christmas gift my wife and I gave to ourselves.)
The Roomba J7+ works with Alexa and Google. I presume it works with Siri, but I'm an Android kinda person. I have Amazon echos in every room of this house, smart bulbs everywhere, and I can turn on lights or change their colors just with my voice. I can also say, "Alexa, ask iRobot to vacuum the bedroom" and it will say, "Okay, I'll tell iRobot to vacuum the bedroom." And magically the Roomba wakes up, backs away from the charging station, and make a beeline for the Bedroom without bumping into a wall or a door or anything. Cool stuff. Impresses visitors to the house.
Cons: I'm disappointed with battery life. My house is fairly simple, not a huge mansion. I have a bedroom, living room, office and kitchen. That's it. Two bathrooms and the kitchen has white ceramic tiles, one dog, two cats, my wife and myself. Sometimes we have grandkids crawling all over the house, but not every day. George (my iRobot Roomba J7+) has to take two breaks, return to the charging station (where it empties the bin inside the robot by powerful suction into a proprietary vacuum cleaner bag (that cost $19.99 for only 3 of them). and then remains there while it recharges due to low battery. An hour and a half later it comes back on automatically, goes to the place it stopped before, and resumes cleaning until it's finished the mission.
However, because it has to recharge twice, it can take over 5 hours just to vacuum and mop the house. So I'm disappointed with the battery life.
I just had to finish mopping my kitchen floor by hand. I find that I have to do that once a week or so, even though the iRobot Roomba J7+ rolls into the kitchen, lowers it's mop and starts vacuuming and mopping the floor. George the Roomba doesn't do a very good job mopping.
The little "mop" is a crescent moon shaped pad that inserts into the top of the vacuum cleaner. It can be removed and washed, but it's about the size of a small wash rag. You fill a small tank at the top of the vacuum cleaner with whatever cleaner you want to use. The iRobot Roomba j7+ came with two small packets of floor cleaning stuff. One for tiles, another for wood floors. Once that was gone, I just use stuff like Mr. Clean. You can pour it in full strength or diluted. It's up to you.
But in the end it's all about that "mop head." You know, the small crescent moon shaped pad that is smaller than a wash rag? The Roomba comes with two of these in the box, and you can detach it and wash it in the sink. When it's all said and done, however, how well can you clean a floor with good cleaner but one small wash rag that gets dirty fairly quickly.
So after a week I've noticed the ceramic kitchen tiles needed a more thorough hand mopping, and I consider that a con.
Summary: Overall, this thing has improved the quality of our living and has been doing a good job vacuuming our carpets and picking up animal hair. It saves us time to do other things we enjoy doing, and it's fun to watch, too. It doesn't do a perfect job at mopping, true, but it does vacuum and mop. You might need to still do some mopping, but not as often as before. The battery life is disappointing. I thought it would be able to do the whole first floor of the house in one go, but it has to recharge itself several times and therefore takes a long time to finish the vacuuming.
A workaround would simply to have it vacuum more used areas of the house more frequently, and the less used areas less frequently, thus reducing the area it has to clean on a daily basis. This would give enough battery life to complete it's job.
I've read a lot of reviews, and i've got my personal experience. This is probably the best vacuuming robot that you can buy.
Wayne
5/5
The arm for the mop struggled to engage, so it never went into mopping mode. Contacted iRobot customer service and they opened a service ticket. All I had to do was show proof of purchase from Amazon. They shipped me a box to ship my roomba in for repair.
This is a very common problem with this model (unfortunately I didn’t know that till after buying the item.)
Will have to come back on here and give another update once I receive my roomba and I try the mopping feature.
LMH
4/5
