The iRobot Roomba j7+ is priced at Rs 74,900 and is the most expensive and advanced product in the company’s Roomba range. In the sales package, the Clean Base comes with an automatic dirt disposal system that empties the dustbin of the device after cleaning. In this model, the company has further improved the navigation, ability to find and ignore things. Is This the Best Vacuum Cleaner You Can Buy? Find out in this review.
Design of the iRobot Roomba j7+
Many brands combine vacuum cleaning and mopping into a single device in robot cleaners, but this is not the case with the Roomba j7+. Roomba range of products only comes with vacuum cleaning function while Braava range comes with functions like wet mopping, so it is only a vacuum cleaning robot and comes with clean base docking station. If you have a Braava device the two can work through the same app.
Its automatic dirt disposing system is similar to the iRobot Roomba i3+, but the docking station is smaller. However, it does exactly the same thing. The robot vacuum can automatically collect litter and dispose of it in its dirt bag for up to 60 days before it’s time to replace the dirt bag.
The only major difference between the Roomba j7+ and the j7 model (which is currently not available in India) is that the Roomba j7+ comes with an Automatic Dirt Disposal Clean Base Dock while the j7 comes with a standard charging dock. It is similar in size to other similar cleaners but looks slightly longer than brands like Xiaomi, Milagrow and 360.
There’s a single button on the top of the device that controls the device manually, while more convenient controls can be found via the iRobot Home app when connected to Wi-Fi. Other devices have an openable top lid, but the Roomba J7 instead has a removable dust bin on the side. The front gets a flexible bumper to absorb the shocks of a collision. Apart from this, there is a primary camera and light in the front which is used for Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM) navigation.
The iRobot j7+ is available in a single black color and for mobility, it has 3 wheels at the bottom, two of which are motorized and one at the front as a free stabilizer. It has a single sweeper brush at the bottom and a double roller brush mechanism which helps in pulling the debris into the suction area. The package comes with a replacement sweeper brush, HEPA replacement filter for the dust bin, and a cable to connect the dock station to a power outlet.
iRobot Roomba j7+ Navigation and Mapping
The iRobot Roomba j7+ uses camera-based VSLAM navigation, with a front-facing camera acting as its eye. It also has a headlight which shows the way to the device when it is working. With its help, it works accurately and there is no problem even in the dark.
With the front facing camera, the device enables better navigation than other cleaners. It works on par with lidar based navigation and cleans between the dining table and chairs with ease.
Due to the high resolution and visibility of the camera, it knows the surrounding area very well and cleans accordingly. Therefore, whether to go from one room to another or to clean the carpet of the room, it is easily done. The device took several test runs to map out the layout of my house. It measured the room partitions very well so that it could easily navigate inside the room.
Simply put, navigation has improved a lot, a vast improvement over other vacuum devices. It ignores the legs of the chair, table, etc., due to which the conflicts etc. are reduced. It did not go to the other room even after the door of the other room was accidentally opened. Many times he did not go to the other room even after giving instructions. It fixed its route first and then went to the room.
A special feature of this is to ignore blockages and even ignore any pet feces on the floor in the house. I couldn’t test it for pet feces, but it easily bypassed cables, towels, and clothing on the floor.
On several occasions it photographed and reviewed such objects, I instructed the device whether to leave the area or clean up when the object was removed. The device differentiates between a temporary blockage and a permanent blockage.
iRobot Roomba j7+ app
All devices of the brand can be controlled with the iRobot Home app. The app is simple and works smoothly with the Roomba J7. It also gets mapping, cleaning, battery life along with other visual representations. When connected with the Wi-Fi of the house, it can be controlled from any corner of the house.
You can also set your favorite cleaning task like the whole house or a room. In addition, you can empty the robot’s dustbin, change the map to set room boundaries, create no-go zones, create clean zones and set cleaning schedules as well as basic device settings Can also control.
One drawback is that the map does not show its location and cleaning status when it is working. Later it only updates the cleaned area, which is the only drawback of this device. The app calculated the time to clean the room very well.
Cleaning the iRobot Roomba j7+
Other brands of vacuum cleaners specifically mention the suction power and you can modify it, but the Roomba j7+ does the opposite. It automatically calculates and determines the suction power required to clean an area. For this it moves slowly and carefully.
From the user side, it just has to be instructed which room to clean, after that the device goes on cleaning from there. The lidar based 360 S7 takes 35-40 minutes to clean my entire house but the Roomba took an hour. This is because it cleans better with greater depth.
I found that the device was increasing the suction power on more stubborn areas but the sound was not that loud. It was just making noises for a while. It cleans carpets very well and walks smoothly on them. While many other robot cleaners are not able to walk smoothly on them. Its HEPA filter captures particles as small as 0.1 micron, so it also offers some protection against allergy-causing dust mites.
Its connectivity was stable. It cleaned easily even in rooms where the Wi-Fi signal was weak. That means I didn’t give it any instructions through the app but it still returned to its dock station after cleaning. It also provided cleaning details for areas that my home Wi-Fi doesn’t have coverage for.
Its Clean Base automatic dirt disposal system is a great improvement over the previous model. It is not only small and attractive but also does the job well. It works more reliably on j7+ than i3+. The dustbin of the robot is kept very clean, in which there is no need to even touch the hand of a man.
Its dust disposal system uses vacuum suction to empty the robot’s dustbin, during which it makes a lot of noise for a few seconds. However, it only takes a few seconds to do this. Trash is collected in a disposable dirt bag that attaches to the Clean Base docking station. According to the company, it lasts for 60 days. The app will let you know when the bag is full and you can remove the bag to empty it. An additional bag is also provided with the device. Apart from this, a pack of 3 bags can also be purchased for Rs.1,660. Because of this, it becomes expensive in the long run.
Charging and battery life of the iRobot Roomba j7+
According to the company, the device can run for 75 minutes on a single charge, in which it can clean 1800 square feet. It also depends on the layout of the house and the access to the rooms. I can also accept the assumption that the time of 75 minutes is correct. But in a single charge, it cleans 1200 square feet, which is slightly less than the company’s claim. According to the price, its 2,210mAh battery is quite ordinary.
There is no way to know the battery level of the device as it provides a graphical representation of the remaining battery during operation. It even managed to save some battery after cleaning my house on a single charge. In a larger area than this, it may need to be charged again.
Like other such devices, it finds its way to the docking station and keeps itself charged. Charging takes a while but this is normal for vacuum cleaners. After thoroughly cleaning my house it took about two hours to fully charge.
our decision
Many devices in this segment come with cleaning and mopping, which makes the iRobot Roomba j7+ at Rs 74,900 a bit expensive. You can get a Braava Jet M6 for mopping. But then the cost of both these together becomes Rs 1,25,000 and two devices in the house also occupy more space.
Its automatic dirt disposal system is quite impressive and also proves its premiumness. If you look at its ease of use and better cleaning, then it can be bought. If you have budget then you can watch it. If you are looking for an affordable option, you can check out Milagrow iMap 10.0 and 360 S7.
Price: Rs. 74,990
Rating: 8/10
Properties:
great for vacuum cleaning
Automatic dirt disposal system works well
Careful, Precise Navigation
very easy to use
Drawbacks:
Expensive to buy and operate
mapping could be a bit better
average battery life