iRobotRoomba j9+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum – Powerful Suction, Identifies and Avoids Obstacles Like pet Waste, Self-Empties for 60 Days, Best for Homes with Pets, Smart Mapping, Works with Alexa​

I bought the j9+ based on all the reviews I was able to find and also that the previous s9 model was no longer available. The setup was super easy as long as one is comfortable using your phone's app to handle all the tasks. The initial mapping was very cool to watch. If you're a tech nerd, you'll love trying to figure out how the algorithms are working to navigate the furniture, walls, entry ways, etc. In about 40 minutes R2D2 mapped out my first floor very accurately and was able to work it's way around the jungle of chair legs at the dining room table. It took a while, but it managed!After the initial mapping run, it went right back to it's base and started charging automatically. Next was the actual vacuum run, but before that we decided to put a "no fly zone" around the Christmas tree and blanket around it. The app easily let me set up a 5x4 square which I placed in the map of the house - which was very cool, and pressed the "Vacuum Everything" button on my app. It was remarkable how R2D2 started in the room with the most dog hair and then proceeded to follow it's map throughout the house. The suction on the wood floors was excellent, and I was impressed when it rolled over the few throw rungs we have, I could hear it kick into a higher gear because it recognized the carpet. Our black lab leaves plenty of hair around on our light colored floors which made it easier to see that R2D2 was doing a great job.During the first mapping, I kept all the bedroom doors closed off the main hall. While it did the first vacuum I forgot the master bedroom door was open. It noticed the new opening, but did not enter the room. I took this as a new mapping run I would need to perform, but I was amazed when it completed the entire house, paused in the living room for about 10 seconds, and then proceeded back to the new opening it discovered previously. It recalled it found a new opening but did not disrupts it's current task - it finished and then returned back.We've only run it two times, but already we discovered that it remembered the master badroom, added it to the routine and completed the room before returning back to base. It also updated the map in the app and asked me about the new room and what to name it. I was also able to place the new boundaries for the entrance to the bedroom and master bath (which it also found while exploring).The app also shows pictures of obstacles R2D2 came in contact with during it's journey. A wire under the curio cabinet was captured in a crystal clear picture taken by R2D2 and sent to the app for me to decide whether this should be considered a permanent obstacle, or something which I could remove and it could continue working in this space next time. I simply moved the wire closer to the wall, let the app know it was taken care of, and we'll see how R2 does with it next time.I love this robot... I am super impressed by the effectiveness of the vacuum, the ease of the app, and how simple it was to set up. I have seen other reviews about noise, and speed, but it's no where near as loud as our Shark standup (which is a beast) and regarding the time, I set and forget. So far I have not had to come to it's rescue, but we also don't have a lot of things laying around on the floor which I guess would complicate things. For about 500 sq feet, the app tells me it's taking 90 minutes. No where close to fast, but I am writing this review while R2 is taking care of the floors!Very happy and I'll come back in a few months with an update....

One star is being overly generous. I don’t write reviews, one way or the other, but this was too large of an expense not to. If it helps just one person, it will be worth my time. I purchased this unit in Dec. ‘23. I used it maybe 10 times within the first year because I found that moving all the obstacles before vacuuming was a bit of a hassle, and also it just didn’t compare to my push vacuum in performance. I did like the fact that it was able to get in difficult spots, such as under the beds. A couple weeks shy of its one year warranty date it lost its suction. After some degree of difficulty in reaching customer service, a lengthy amount of time on the phone, and photos sent via email, diagnostics were run remotely and they determined that there was an issue with the base. A new base was sent in a timely manner and they offered to extend my warranty by three months.After setting up the new base I ran a quick run of one bedroom. The robot would not seal adequately enough to the new base to provide enough suction to empty the bin and I got an error message. Again, I went through the same lengthy process with customer service and it was determined that the entire unit needed to be replaced. My warranty on the original robot was now within a couple days of expiring so I asked if they would still honor the three month extension. After checking with supervision they informed me that since they were replacing the entire unit they would not be able to honor any further warranty on the new unit. Ok. New unit. It should last a while, right?The new robot arrived, again, in a timely manner. It set up easily and I mapped the house and vacuumed without difficulty. A month later I went to vacuum and I got a message that the unit was unavailable because the software was being upgraded but would be available shortly. Three days later it was still displaying the same message. I rebooted several times. Nothing. I finally resorted to a factory reset and now I can’t connect to the robot at all. I’ve since done some online research and there is a definite trend here with issues occurring during software upgrades. Folks are being run through hoops via customer service only to be told that there is no fix, but…get this…they are offering 50 whole dollars toward a new unit. No joke. Check Reddit. I call b.s.Save yourself the aggravation, time and expense and vacuum the old fashion way. This thing has not been worth it, IMHO.

I have had a J7 for my main floor for 3 years and am really happy with it. I decided it was time to get something for the upstairs so I bought this J9. I have had it for a couple weeks and am also very pleased. It is a little louder than the J7 but I suspect that is because it has better suction power. I have 3 cats and, even though I vacuumed regularly, the first run of the new Roomba took over an hour because it needed to empty the bin 3 times and I needed to unclog it once. I ran it daily for 4 days until it would complete a run without filling the bin and now it cleans twice a week.

This roomba is definitely the best out of three we had as far as cleaning. It charges without a hitch and docks without any issues (that was a problem with the first one). The setup is as easy as it has always been, fitting nicely under a sideboard. It's been bung up by the dogs and it's own persistence of insisting to get over some ledges that are just too high for it and so durability is great (so is it's stupidity).However... This is the second self emptying one (s9 is the other) that gets the "empty the bin" error after three months and nobody at customer service will help. It is frustrating since we're busy running a business from home with two dogs and while it can keep up with the fur (I am not kidding!) but it will not empty. By now I am an expert on what needs cleaned and where the sensors are, the filters, even how to replace the motor and take it apart to declutter the bumper. For the s9 it's still worth the money, this one not really since it's the same as far as cleaning and I also have to empty the bin, that was what I had hoped would be resolved with this rather expensive new one. Hence the missing star.