iRobot - Roomba j8+ (8550)
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
5
2
"The later Roombas with a camera/vision system are pretty good at avoiding things that could cause snags/clogs. ... I used to be vigilant with clearing the floor and even putting dining chairs on the table, but now I just have my Roomba run every night with dog toys, kid toys, wife's shoes and purse, chairs, charger cords, laundry baskets, and everything else blocking its path."
"But I do like the obstacle avoidance."
"Irobot has a camera for object avoidance. I think it works pretty great."
7
0
"It runs daily at 9:30 am, recharges and empties itself, then finishes rhe rest around 2 in the afternoon. ... That robot is a wonderful thing."
"The later Roombas with a camera/vision system are pretty good at avoiding things that could cause snags/clogs. ... I used to be vigilant with clearing the floor and even putting dining chairs on the table, but now I just have my Roomba run every night with dog toys, kid toys, wife's shoes and purse, chairs, charger cords, laundry baskets, and everything else blocking its path."
"We run the vacuums & mop anytime we leave the house, and it’s so nice coming home to freshly vacuumed and mopped floors!"
10
5
"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. ... But the robot keeps the main areas of the house from getting hairballs and dirty."
"I've had my roomba for like 5 years now.. We have 3 big dogs and a cat, in a small house. Still works great, I've replaced the brushes and obviously the filters on it but it still works awesome."
"We’ve used a self emptying Roomba for years. ... one pass on the floor and the internal bin will fill with fur and dust. ... 3 dogs, a Basset, a Lab, and a Terrier. All are moderate shedders and fur accumulation is a problem."
3
5
"I run mine at least 2 times a day and I think it helps keep it where hairballs don don’t build up and get stuck in it."
"The Roomba is fine for keeping visible areas tidy ... one pass on the floor and the internal bin will fill with fur and dust. ... 3 dogs, a Basset, a Lab, and a Terrier. All are moderate shedders and fur accumulation is a problem. ... We’ve used a self emptying Roomba for years."
"I have three cats, have hardwood and carpet and the roomba is literally one of the only reasons my floors look even remotely clean."
10
1
"Self emptying is the best upgrade ... haaaated emptying that thing constantly"
"I upgraded to a roomba with the self emptying thing and I love it."
"Now we have two good ones (iRobot) with the bin that they self empty into when they get full. ... 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."
Disliked most:
0
2
"another that supposedly maps the space. The cheaper, random movement robot is vastly superior in all ways."
"God forbid when you are training the ai(?) by reviewing the photos you ever allow anything as ... not an obstacle ... then it will run over similar things forever. Like string, after I told it a cord off the ground was not an obstacle. :("
2
1
"God forbid when you are training the ai(?) by reviewing the photos you ever allow anything as ... not an obstacle ... then it will run over similar things forever. Like string, after I told it a cord off the ground was not an obstacle. :("
3
4
"Currently have a Roomba j8+ which struggles with the pet hair"
"it starts just wadding up hair and leaving it in chunks"
"one pass on the floor and the internal bin will fill with fur and dust."
FRCP_12b6 1.0I have a iRobot j8+ from Costco. Works great for my needs. It only vacuums and has auto-empty and obstacle avoidance.
MinkieTheCat 1.0We’ve owned various ones since they were introduced. We currently have a iRobot J8+ from Costco. We also have 2 corgis who blow their coats twice a year. The roomba runs twice a day and keeps the tumbles of dog hair under control. About once a month, I break the roomba down and clean it. A few weeks ago it developed this high pitched shriek. We had to replace a secondary motor on the side rotating brush and now all is good.
su_A_ve 1.0Should I mention that I’m getting a Dreame Govac 508 soon and hoping to do this. Had an iRobot J8+ with the separate mop bin and that’s what I would use. But since that was self contained it’s a different story.
AppropriateAmoeba406 0.5Two labs and two roombas here. J8+ is the newer one. The old fella is a 900 series and lives in the bedroom only now. His battery isn’t so good and he has trouble docking, but he’s still sucking in the most important ways.
Very. I run the J8+ twice a week and the 900 once a week. That keeps the hair in check.
etchlings 0.5I’ve had very few issues with my j8+ roomba from Costco. No mop. Self empty. Not the speediest: it covers 700 sq ft in an hour. Two cats and mostly hardwood with some flat/low pile area rugs and one plush area rug. Bag doesn’t fill for MONTHS.
Fickle-Strawberry521 0.5I just returned the iRobot J8 Roomba that I bought 15 months ago. It worked fine until the last month or so. It would start a cycle and move out a few feet and then just spin in place until I paused it. I was unable to get it to start over again. I cleared it electronically and re-set it up over and over again and it just kept doing the same thing. Luckily, Costco refunded the $500ish we spent on it in June 2024. I am starting to research other brands. does anyone know about Samsung or Dyson? Thanks in advance.
LoveOfSpreadsheets 0.5We have the Roomba j8 from Costco. The first one was flaky so we went and exchanged it and the replacement has been solid.
Pajamapadge 0.5We just need something that's 'as good as' our Roomba J8+ on carpet, but doesn't spin in circles like a loon and need to be rebooted all the dang time. A lot of VacuumWars ratings list newer vacs with much lower carpet cleaning scores so I've no idea what would be better than and more reliable, than what we already have.
ResistHistorical2721 0.5Same for my j8+, it avoids cables, then asks about them in the review step.
Revlis-TK421 0.5I have a Braava M6 that runs after my roomba j8 runs. I'm relatively happy with the pair. I kinda wish they could share maps but whatever. My gripe with the mop bots is they dont have the equivalent of the vacuum's waste bin station. If there was a way to auto-clean the pad and auto-refill the water tank, I'd be in hog heaven.