iRobot - Roomba® j9+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum

Have a j9+ and that thing is a workhorse that rarely has issues that interfere with the schedule. The issue is roomba has no competitors that aren’t liable for the same fate (eventual etrash)

There are a few compromises to be aware of. I've had a Saros 10 for almost a year, but I still send my Roomba J9 out once in a while to clean up what the Saros misses. I also have the Narwal Flow, Roomba 705, previously had Dreame and Ecovacs, and nothing can clean tight around chair legs, round table pedestals, etc. as well as the classic Roombas. Roomba roller brush design also picks up hair, fur, and fuzz on rugs much better than any other brand, regardless of reported power. Also, LIDAR-based robots won't clean under curtains or bedding like classic Roombas could. I'm only aware of Dreame/Mova having a setting to accommodate this. The Roombas (old and new) also have more advanced voice control via Google/Siri/Alexa that allows just vacuuming, and can specify zones in addition to rooms. All other brands can only "clean" which wastes time and water when you just need a quick vacuum. Also, the Roomba app is just way more efficient to use. Not saying the move isn't worth it overall, but there are some sacrifices to be aware of.

I think the Roomba J9+ is the best fit for this scenario. Object avoidance is on par with the best of them, although none are perfect. Note that object avoidance is meant to avoid things that can get robot jammed up or make a worse mess, like cords or pet waste. Larger objects, like bags and chair legs, it will bump into but do no harm.

I believe the J-series all have the same object avoidance, but don't get confused with the "Combo" versions. Those have mops and are much more expensive. The J9+ (non-combo) is currently the only J sold that is vacuum-only. It's currently $500 US, which really isn't that much more than what you can get a used J7+ for, but you'd miss the 2x suction power, the 2x battery life, and the warranty.

I don't know about the new lineup, but nothing beats a Roomba 9-series on carpet, though. Even on hard floors, my Saros 10 misses a lot of spots that my J9 never did.

Yes, agree. I'm deeply disappointed and frustrated how things are progressing (regressing) in this regard. They can generally do parallel lines well enough, as long as the "intelligent" modes are turned off. But I find they generally require two passes to clean up what my older robots did in one pass. Glass sliding doors, or patterns in the floor, can cause them to swerve and miss areas. The Ecovacs in particular avoided a whole area on the floor because of a shadow cast by my countertop there. The Narwal made a perfect map of my upstairs, but when I directed it to go to only clean my laundry room, it went to every other room first trying to find a back way in, finally it got to the edge of the laundry room, turned around and again went to every other room, then got to the laundry room a 2nd time, and then finally went in to clean it. This repeated every time. I had a Dreame that would get stuck in some sort of virtual box until I moved it out with my foot. My dining table has a round pedestal base. No robot in the last few years will vacuum tightly around it. They all leave about a 1" gap, which is exactly where the crumbs tend to collect. I still keep my Roomba J9+ in service to go clean up after the others once a week. Another thing that foils modern robots is cleaning close around chair legs. I do a test, sprinkling some oatmeal around a chair leg. Modern robots will get about 50%-75% of it, but my old Roombas would consistently get all of it. It may be an unpopular opinion, but the best navigation, edge/corner cleaning, and overall coverage I've ever seen was from my Roomba S9.

I would recommend a roomba model that detects stuff, from a J7, J7+ to a J9, J9+ (the do detect pet "presents"😅) not the J9+combo, (that units dock had plenty of failures) I would also go for a Plus 505 combo if you also want to mop the floor, because It has the laser view but also a front camera. J7 J9 send pictures of obstacles and asks you if they're permanent or not, you could ask an AI to compare those models to better pick what suits you best, hope I've been helpful.

I would recommend a roomba model that detects stuff, from a J7, J7+ to a J9, J9+ (the do detect pet "presents"😅) not the J9+combo, (that units dock had plenty of failures) I would also go for a Plus 505 combo if you also want to mop the floor, because It has the laser view but also a front camera. J7 J9 send pictures of obstacles and asks you if they're permanent or not, you could ask an AI to compare those models to better pick what suits you best, hope I've been helpful.

Also not happy with the j9+. So much promise, so much work to make it take care of things for you. I tell people it won't save labor or just shifts it. Determine if you are happier troubleshooting or vacuuming. Time spent in either is about the same.

I have a roomba j9 and a Roborock s7 MaxV they do an okay okay of keeping up with one shepherd. Any top of the line unit should work just expect to fork over a good chunk of money. I know they Roomba “j” series gets a bad rep but I think they are great (yeah not as quite or fast as other but can be found a lot cheaper) what ever you do get a robot with a self empty base

I just bought the J9+ for $500. Amazon and iRonot had it for that price. We like it.

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!

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’ve had my J9+ for 4 weeks and absolutely love it. My home is mostly hardwood and two area rugs. It does all 95 % better than I can any given day!! Also I have it programmed for every two to three days and it’s on time and doesn’t bother the nervous queen we have (Siamese) at all.  I only have to pick up shoes my office chairs moved out until it’s done then I move them back right after. A couple end tables I can easily take off floor for the duration and it goes pretty much on its own.  Have one recliner it gets hooked on occasionally but it shuts off until I get it off then it stays away from it the rest of time.  So yes it’s well worth the for me!! I’m 72 yrs old. 

We just purchased a Roomba j9 this spring. It took some weeks and several "mapping runs" for it to finally figure things out, and then it broke and needed replacing. But we got a new one, and after some additional minor tweaks, it seems to do a pretty good job, even with the dane hair. I have it scheduled to do each room in the house 3x per week. The biggest "problem" we now have is that we have a mop/vacuum combo, but the water tank is small and needs refilling every couple of days. And we need to make sure the place is reasonably picked-up before the vacuum can do its thing (but maybe that isnt so bad in itself...). It does such a good job that I've had to replace bags/filters already, but I did find a good price on Amazon for replacements. TLDR - At this point, Id give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was very frustrating to get working - but now its working pretty darned well.

I think skipping the mop is the way to go. No loss in suction power that way. I have the J9+ and would say that the self emptying is meh for me. I like to tap the filter clean after each use, so I almost always empty her myself. The only time it has come in handy is when she thinks she is full due to debris (leaves).

Get the straight vacuum. No combo because you lose suction. I had a 985 that is still running but was relocated to my son’s campus housing. That thing was not smart, but did an outstanding job. I have a J9 now. I feel like it does the job more efficiently, but is not quite as powerful. I still love it for cleaning up after my cat and dog though.