iRobot - Roomba® j9+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum
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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:
13
5
"handles carpets like a champ"
"My home is mostly hardwood and two area rugs. It does all 95 % better than I can any given day!!"
"J9 has better cleaning than both."
18
3
"handles carpets like a champ"
"No more dog hair tumbleweeds!"
"My home is mostly hardwood and two area rugs. It does all 95 % better than I can any given day!!"
11
8
"I had a Roomba J9+, it has the 'obstacle detection' function and will avoid pet accidents. ... Mine never ran over any poop or puke."
"avoids pet messes like a pro"
"not bang into things as much"
18
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."
"I still love it for cleaning up after my cat and dog though."
12
3
"my roomba with self-emptying base is a - and I cannot stress this enough - fucking lifesaver. ... I owned one without the self-emptying base thing and I never used it because emptying it every time it was full was a barrier I wouldn’t get past. Getting the base where the roomba empties itself is a GAME CHANGER."
"Self emptying is the best upgrade ... haaaated emptying that thing constantly"
"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
3
"They don't seem to have enough traction while mopping even on their lowest setting and using plain water, it'll just start sliding and not go in a straight line. Then it'll give up and be in the middle of a room."
"the brushes pull up some of the moisture from the mop and then dust will clump up along with pet hair and clog before getting into the bin."
"I do still need to mop weekly or so for a good cleanup"
1
2
"Those both sound like jet engines."
"before the S9/J9 were an actual nuisance with noise."
2
4
"the brushes pull up some of the moisture from the mop and then dust will clump up along with pet hair and clog before getting into the bin."
"it starts just wadding up hair and leaving it in chunks"
"I feel that this model needs better anti-tangling tech to be more competitive"
12
12
"I have a roomba we named homewrecker because it leaves a trail of destruction behind it. ... It always knocks over something or gets tangled up in wires."
"I would recommend nobody buy a robot vacuum without Lidar at this point. ... I've used two different Roborock systems dating back 4-5 years and are still superior to iRobot's new stuff with only camera based detection and mapping systems. ... My J9+ literally gets lost in its own map and struggles to navigate at times. ... Sometimes it wanders around with an error in the app until it redocks and restarts cleaning."
"It took some weeks and several "mapping runs" for it to finally figure things out, and then it broke and needed replacing. ... It was very frustrating to get working"
0
3
"the replacement dock they sent me doesn’t even work!"
"they don't sell repair parts."
"had to have my j9+ replaced once because of several issues"
JefTheDrunkBates 0.5I bought up a bunch of robot vacuums from Dreame, Ecovacs, and Roborock lately to test them out and they were all really bad at vacuuming so I returned them to Amazon and bought a pair of used Roomba j9+’s the non mopping combo ones and they vacuum so much better than any of the new combo vacuums did and saved me tons of money
azure_apoptosis 0.4Have 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)
Few_Peak_9966 0.4Also 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.
Hodge8191 0.4I just bought the J9+ for $500. Amazon and iRonot had it for that price. We like it.
Lopsided_Spray6913 0.4I’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.
monicajo 0.4I 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.
Moondog2010 0.4I am on year 1 of 3 with my j9+ robot. Needs to be cleaned a lot to keep it running but it seems to still do a good job. Hope the company can keep mine going till the contract expires. I like my Mr Jarvis! :-)
OkWeb6283 0.4Whoa man, firstly huge thanks for your job here, with the comparision. After very bad issues with Roomba Combo J9+ (returned to seller after four months ) i need to buy a new robot. And sorry, even new 505 looks nice i don't want next iRobot. My flat is 70 sq. m., 90% hard floors, 4 rooms, bathroom, toilet, no animals but me and wife have a longer hair :). Moping is important, battery not, good self cleaning yes. I like the specification new Dreame L40s Pro Ultra and also consider Mova P50 Pro Ultra which one is 100Euros cheaper and is avalaible from Amazon and they have a good return policy in case of troubles. What do you think, it it a good choice? Should i look closer to any other robot?
roombadude 0.4I can’t blame you. When the Max 10 or Combo j9+ work as they should,…….they are really great products. I run two Combo j9’s and a plain j9+……in a 1700 square foot rancher. I’m OCD. Love em. Love em.
the-dirty-12 0.4For the love of everything good, don’t buy a Romba. Our j9 with a cleaning base is terrible. The hardware is okay, but the software is garbage.
Mine often forgets that it has a clean base, stating that I need to empty the dust bin in the robot. Why, use the clean base. Also, why can’t I always make the clean base empty the robot? The button only appears at random. The robot also exists the clean base by making a sharp turn, driving off the edge of the base. Very clumsy. It often can’t enter the clean base when returning. It keeps trying to adjust its trajectory, back and forth, blinking with the camera blitz to determine how to enter the base. Again, clumsy. And we haven’t even started talking about it being confused about its location.