Pros of the i7:
• Cleans VERY thoroughly on both hard and soft surfaces
• Will circle around chair and bed legs to thoroughly clean around them
• Will push partially closed doors open so it can vacuum under them
• Will boss (push) lightweight shoes around to clean under them.
• Will remove all the dust bunnies under the beds and furniture that the robot can fit under but you cant/wont.
• The built in HEPA filter leaves no dust smell in the air.
• Very intelligent – does a good job of extricating itself from narrow spaces and tangled electrical cords.
• Will vacuum your house on a regular schedule if you are too forgetful/lazy to do it yourself
• Nice cell phone app allows you to label rooms on a map and set up cleaning tasks
• Customer support/care is good.
• iRobot may have more replaceable parts than other makes
• iRobot has a good reliability reputation
Cons:
• Pretty noisy. Not too loud, but rather annoying. Emits loud whirring noise with random whining and bumping noises. Maybe this is a necessary consequence for strong suction and cleaning.
• Can be startling if run on a schedule when you are home. Can also be startling if it is running a task, runs low on battery power, recharges itself, and then restarts itself several hours later to finish the previous task. The latter can be avoided by breaking large tasks into several smaller ones.
• Cannot run at night in the dark, though that would wake you anyway even if the lights were on for it.
• Spends a lot of time bumping into things. Sometimes it will come up to a wall and gently tap it, but often it will run full speed into chair legs and furniture. The hard plastic bumper has some play in it, and I have not noticed any marks on the furniture yet (though I have only used it a few times). You might want to add a white rubber or felt strip to the bumper. iRobot sent me a white vinyl adhesive “bumper extender” strip free of charge.
• Takes a long time to clean (though it does do a very thorough job). Much longer than if you did it yourself. This is only a problem if you are at home, since it is noisy. My guess is that the i7 will clean faster than the less expensive versions since it is more intelligent and usually cleans in a serpentine manner rather than the haphazard “rebound off the wall” methods the others use. You might want to invest in a lightweight cordless vacuum instead, and vacuum the area yourself in one quarter of the time.
• You need to empty the dust bin every hour or so. You also need to pull the small HEPA filter out and knock it sharply to free the dust from it. I found the small accordion like folds in it still retain a lot of dust so I use my hand held dust-buster to suck out the remaining dust. You can avoid emptying the bin and HEPA filter if you spend the extra $200 for the i7+ self- emptying accessory, which is another vacuum cleaner that automatically sucks the debris out of the i7.
• You need to keep its dozen or so sensors clean. This 30 second job probably only needs to be performed after every few hours of cleaning time.
• You need to put chairs on top of tables if the chair legs are too close together for the robot to pass through, or if all the cross bars in the chair are too low for the robot to get under (although it only needs access on at least one side of the chair to clean under it).
• You need to tie up electrical cords. The i7 does a nice job of not getting stuck on them, but it pulled my cell phone charger (fortunately I did not have my phone in it at the time) and my electric toothbrush charger off my dresser.
• Can be too aggressive and damage thick wool carpets. Read your carpet tag – don’t use the robot if the tag says: ” do not use beater bar”. I had to set up a large “keep out” zone and now have to vacuum it by hand (along with the stairs). Run the robot on a small section first and then check the dust bin. If the bin is full then run the robot in “map” mode first, which maps out the entire floor without the roller brush running, then set up a “keep out” zone on the map. I called Customer Care and they sent me four “keep out” beacons for free (normally cost $40 each) – I don’t know why they did not have me try the “map only” mode at the time.
• Can yank rag ends out of “rag rugs” thus making holes in them and getting hopeless stuck trying to swallow the ends. I had to set up a “keep out” zone and now do this rug also by hand.
• Don’t let it get tangled up in string. Somehow it knocked a spool of fishing line out of a stand and took me 15 minutes to untangle it (my fault). The rollers and spinning brush are removable but the wheel bearings don’t seem to be.
• Is quite interesting to watch so you can end up wasting lots of time watching it, which you could have spent vacuuming by yourself.
• Deprives you of exercise unless you use that time to exercise doing something else.
For anyone who has a cleaning service - do not consider permanently replacing the service with this (though maybe a temporary suspension during the Covid winter?). It obviously only vacuums floors, it will not: vacuum stairs, mop floors, dust furniture and sills, clean bathroom fixtures, clean countertops and stove top, vacuum cobwebs off walls, straighten rooms, do & fold laundry.
So far the time I have spent researching, setting up, learning, and watching the Roomba vacuum for the last two weeks has been a lot longer than the time it would have taken me to vacuum the house by myself. Hopefully the Roomba will save me time in the long run as we learn to trust it.
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From the manufacturer
iRobot Roomba i7 Features
Powerful performance
10x the Power-Lifting Suction & Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes that pull in dirt, debris, & pet hair from wherever it hides.
Guided by serious smarts
Intelligently maps & cleans an entire level of your home. With vSLAM navigation, i7 maps your home to navigate in neat, efficient rows.
New App, New level of clean
From customizable routines to customizable maps, complete control is in your hands. Personalized cleaning suggestions help you stay ahead of messes.
Vacuums messes in the moment
Cereal on the floor? Cat knock over a potted plant? The i7 can target specific areas within your rooms, like in front of the couch or under a table.
A clean unique to you
Learns from your cleaning habits to offer up customized schedules. Suggests extra cleanings when pollen count is high or during pet shedding season.
Complete control of your clean
With Imprint Smart Mapping, your robot knows your kitchen from your living room, so you can decide where it cleans & when.
Steer clear of objects
You can tell your robot to stay away from certain areas or objects with customizable Keep Out Zones.
Ideal for homes with pets
Unique Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes don't get tangled with pet hair. High-Efficiency Filter traps 99% of cat & dog dander allergens.
The dream team of clean
With Imprint Link Technology, the Roomba i7 robot vacuum & Braava jet m6 robot mop team up to vacuum then mop automatically in perfect sequence.
Clean without lifting a finger
Through the iRobot Home app or your Google or Alexa voice assistant, simply tell your robot when & where you want it to clean – & consider it done.
Always getting smarter
Equipped with advanced hardware capable of providing the intelligent features you love today, & access to our latest advancements in the future.
Compatible with Clean Base
Forget about vacuuming for months at a time with the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal. (Sold separately)
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Shipped product has a type C plug instead of type A 2-prong!!
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Shipped product has a type C round pin connector. How are we supposed to use it in US!! I had to buy a separate adapter! Very disappointing! Wish it shipped with a type A 2-prong flat pin connectorThe setup itself was smooth. Rest of the functionality seems to be fine. It didn't do a great job of cleaning up dirt on the periphery of a thick rug. Whatever dirt was cleared was crapped out on the rug once it made the bumpy transition from smooth wooden floor onto the rug.
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