iRobot Roomba i7+

We decided to write an iRobot Roomba i7+ review based on all the hype for this robot vacuum. And might we say the hype was well-deserved! While there were setbacks that this model posed, the benefits were certainly overwhelming.

So, is a Roomba i7 worth it? Read on to find out.

iRobot Roomba i7+ Review

Let’s start with perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the new Roomba i7+.

Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal System

The iRobot Roomba i7+ has an automatic Dirt Disposal feature that many predecessors lack. Its special charging dock, dubbed the Clean Base, doubles as a dirt disposal center. Once the Roomba is done with cleaning, it quickly docks itself in the Clean Base. First, it disposes of the dirt in its bin, and then it starts recharging itself automatically.

With the Clean Base, you won’t have to worry about emptying the robot every day. The base itself can hold up to 30 full bins of dirt. So it needs to be emptied every month or two. This also depends on how much dust is regularly coming into your home. Some houses are naturally dustier than others.

Power Lifting Suction

For a robotic vacuum like the Roomba i7+, suction power means everything. And in this case, you get over 1800-Pascal of power. This suction is enough to lift up pet hair and dander from low pile carpets and some high pile ones too. With the Roomba i7+, you get 10 times the suction force as compared to predecessors.

But you must understand that the 1800 Pascal rating is the maximum suction power. The Roomba i7+ has a special power boost feature. On hardwood floors, when on Eco mode, it only gives about 1000-Pascal of power. On carpeted floors, with the Power Boost on, the Roomba can give up to 1800-Pascal. More power output requires more power input. So, the runtime of your batteries becomes reduced in Power Boost mode.

Smart Dirt Detect Technology

Dirt Detect is a technology by which the Roomba optimizes cleaning. The way it works is that the Roomba’s camera sensors are capable of detecting high dirt concentration. If there is visibly more dirt in the area, the Roomba will clean more in that area. It combines Spot Cleaning with Power Boost.

Through Dirt Detect Technology, your robotic vacuum becomes smarter than any other. This is a neat and handy way to quickly clean up visibly dirtier areas. In a way, the Roomba i7+ changes its setting automatically depending on the situation.

When your Roomba is in the Dirt Detect mode, the “CLEAN” button will start flashing blue. In the smart map, areas that were cleaned with Dirt Detect are marked with dark green spots.

Rubber brushes

This feature sets the Roomba i7+ apart from any other Roomba model. While not the first and certainly not the only, the i7+ makes a great statement with its rubber brushes. Instead of using hair that tends to get tangled and weathered, this Roomba uses rubber bristles.

All of the brushes (main, side, edge, etc.) use rubber bristles. The use of rubber makes for a lesser tangled brush. Older vacuums that used hair for their bristles constantly had these problems.

The 3-stage cleaning system

The iRobot Roomba i7+ works with a 3-stage cleaning system. This cleaning system utilizes multiple stages to provide adequate suction and vacuuming. In the first stage, the i7+ lifts up the dust from floors and carpets. Its multiple rubber brushes dig deep into the carpet hairs and lift up dirt and pet dander.

Then, the vacuum’s 1800 Pascal power suctions up the dust and debris. Multiple cyclonic forces and gusts of wind direct the air into the filtration unit. The filter is a high-efficiency non-washable HEPA filter that removes up to 99.95% of dirt and debris.

Through this 3-stage cleaning system, the Roomba can clean effectively on multiple surfaces. However, its performance on high-pile carpets is a bit questionable. But overall, the intense suction power and efficient cleaning system make it the best.

iAdapt 3.0 and vSLAM Navigation Technology

Both the iAdapt 3.0 and the vSLAM are navigation technologies. The iRobot Roomba i7+ uses high-quality sensors and intelligent learning to map your house. The mapping sensors are essentially optic (camera) sensors. They are slightly lesser acclaimed than their laser variants. Nevertheless, they get the job done.

Navigation technologies are mainly focused on obstacle avoidance and barrier detection. iAdapt 3.0 and vSLAM technologies also help the robot to go to the specified destination.

You can specify a spot you want to clean through your smartphone. And the iRobot’s smart sensors will take it there. It’s pretty simple and very efficient. We did find the lifespan of these sensors varied from product to product. But nonetheless, the i7+ has excellent navigation.

Imprint Smart Mapping

Smart mapping is a special technology that only certain robotic vacuums feature. The iRobot Roomba i7+ is just one of these robots. Through this technology, the robot is able to make a clear map of your rooms and clean on these paths.

In our iRobot Roomba i7+ review, we figured out how it works. On its first run, the robot will clean all around the room and also start memorizing a map for the room. The map will show all the places that the robot cleaned with light green. The grey or black areas are the obstacles that the Roomba avoided. And the dark green spots represent the places where Dirt Detect was activated.

From then onwards, during every cleaning session, the Roomba follows the map and avoids the obstacles. In a way, it remembers where the obstacles were. So the sensors don’t have to detect them all over again. You might want to reset the map if your remove some furniture or obstacles. The Roomba i7+ can create multiple maps of a single room, as obstacles are constantly being moved.

High-Efficiency HEPA Filter

A high-efficiency non-washable HEPA filter is used in the Roomba i7+. HEPA filters are highly efficient. They extract up to 99.97% of all dust particles. They work at a microscopic level and eliminate bacteria and viruses. A HEPA filter is best for removing allergens and pollen from the air.

The filtration used in the Roomba isn’t anything unique or new. But that might actually be a good thing. You never know how well-thought-out new technology is. Plus, HEPA is a standard that is acclaimed internationally. To deviate from this standard and make their filter would be erroneous on Roomba’s part.

The one thing that does count as a drawback is that the filter is non-washable. This means that if it gets clogged, you’ll need to buy a new one. Luckily, the robot comes with a spare filter, so you get a free replacement for the first time. But after that, you’ll need to buy a new filter yourself.

3 Cleaning modes and 2 Power modes

Roomba’s i7+ operates in 3 cleaning modes: clean, spot, and scheduled cleaning! In the Clean mode, the robot cleans like it normally does. It goes around the entire room and avoids obstacles. This is the standard mode for cleaning.

In the Spot Mode, the Roomba cleans around a specified spot. You can use your smartphone or home assistants to specify the spot. This mode is especially handy if there are certain areas that require multiple swipes. These areas include those with high dirt concentration, high pile carpets, and tangled pet hair.

The Scheduled Cleaning Mode allows you to schedule clean. So your Roomba will be cleaning even when you’re not at home. This feature only adds to the intelligence of your Roomba.

Apart from that, there are 2 power modes in the Roomba i7+: Turbo and Eco. In Turbo mode, the suction power is as high as 1800-Pascal. This mode is best for high and low pile carpets. It works to clean pet hair and deeply embedded crumbs. The Eco mode operates at 1,000-Pascal and is best for low pile carpets and bare floors.

Edge-cleaning and corner brushes

Edge-cleaning and corner cleaning brushes are used to clean around the edges. The main brush is usually under the center of the Roomba. So these brushes are not ideal for cleaning the edge. The Roomba i7+ features a single edge cleaning brush that removes dust from the sides and sweeps it under the vacuum. This brush is made of rubber and its bristles do not tangle, thus requiring lesser maintenance.

Capacious dustbin

Dustbin capacity is crucial for a vacuum. The higher the capacity, the lesser maintenance you’ll need. Unfortunately, the iRobot Roomba i7+ does not have adequate capacity. Its dustbin can only hold 300 ml of dust. This is almost equal to the amount of dust in one room. But like we said earlier, it all depends on how much dust your room accumulates on an average basis. So it isn’t all that impressive.

However, this is a self-emptying Roomba. This means that it’s charging dock doubles as bin disposal. In this way, you won’t have to clean the bin every so often. The low capacity is compensated by this feature.

Your Roomba will empty itself automatically when it’s finished cleaning a room. It even has a full bin indicator that lets you know when the bin needs cleaning. But of course, with the self-emptying bin, you won’t need that.

Dual-Mode Virtual Wall Barriers

Virtual walls are a special type of barrier. You put them near the openings you want the Roomba to stay away from. The barrier sends out an invisible ray all across the opening. Your Roomba detects this wavelength and steers clear of that opening.

In this way, you keep your Roomba i7+ in the rooms that you want it to be. This is a very neat feature, as many times our robots tend to wander off. Of course, the Roomba i7+ has special mapping sensors. But even with these, the Roomba tends to walk right through openings. A Virtual Wall barrier is much needed, especially when you have faulty sensors.

iRobot Roomba i7+ comes with a Virtual Wall Barrier included. It’s compatible with the Roomba and makes cleaning easier. The Roomba only comes with one barrier though. So you’ll have to buy more if the room has multiple entrances.

Works with Home Assistants

Smartphone connectivity is why Roomba’s are so beloved. This isn’t a feature boasted by all vacuums, robotic or not. The Roomba i7+ has its own smartphone app that lest you operate it remotely. With this, you get full control over your Roomba.

However, the feature that intrigued us the most was its compatibility with home assistants. We’re talking about Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. These companions make housework a breeze. And if you connect your Roomba to them, then everything becomes so much easier.

The Roomba i7+ is compatible with both the Alexa and the Google Assistant. You need to have a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network to connect your Roomba with your assistants. Other than that, the Roomba app has multiple features that you can use. It sends regular notifications, lets you set schedules, and you can even change the mode of the vacuum. It’s all the power of technology.

Cliff and Bump Sensors

These sensors help the Roomba i7+ avoid obstacles and huge drops. Often times you would find your vacuum at the bottom of the stairs. This would be due to a bad cliff sensor or no cliff sensor at all. However, with the iRobot Roomba i7+, you get both a cliff and a bump sensor.

The bump sensor allows the Roomba to avoid climbing bumps above 0.7 inches. Tiny impressions and changes in height can easily be climbed by the Roomba. But it won’t even try to climb steeper bumps. As for the cliff sensors, this Roomba has excellent quality sensors. They aid in avoiding the stairs and maneuvering around obstacles.

Runtime and battery capacity

Continuing iRobot Roomba i7+ review, let’s talk about the battery life of this model.

This robot vacuum has a battery capacity of 3300 mAh. This may seem like a lot when it’s on smartphones and tablets. But in vacuums, a battery life like that isn’t too much.

The iRobot Roomba i7+ has a battery life of just 2 hours. It seems like a lot until you actually start vacuuming. Most vacuum sessions can last up to 3 hours. For one room, 2 hours of battery life suffices. But for multiple rooms, 2 hours isn’t too much. This also depends on the size of the room. Larger rooms require more cleaning. And if you put the Roomba in Turbo mode, it hardly lasts an hour.

What’ the best part?  It has an automatic docking feature. The Roomba will automatically recharge itself. Its recharging time is 3 hours, which is pretty decent. Recall that older canister vacuums used to take up to 4 hours to recharge. So you Roomba will be ready for the next cleaning session.

Automatic redocking feature

The iRobot Roomba i7+ has an automatic redocking feature. Normally, we find our vacuums running out of battery and we don’t even know it. But with the Roomba, recharging is automatic and worry-free. Once the Roomba’s battery falls below a certain level, it docks itself in its charging station and starts recharging.

Aside from that, the Roomba i7+ also features Recharge and Resume technology. With this, your Roomba will resume cleaning as soon as it’s done charging. This is a handy feature for if your Roomba runs out of charge during cleaning. You won’t have to worry about starting it up again.

Accessories and spare parts

The iRobot Roomba i7+ comes with multiple accessories that make cleaning easier. These are:

• Clean Base (charging dock and the dirt disposal unit)
• Extra High-Efficiency Filter
• Side brush
• Single virtual wall barrier
• Two disposable dirtbags
• Li-Ion battery
• Power cord for the charging station

With these accessories, you get the best cleaning experience. The inclusion of spare parts is definitely a plus. You won’t need to buy replacements for this product for some time.

Warranty policy

Concluding our iRobot Roomba i7+ review, we want to note that iRobot isn’t the best in providing warranty policies, but it isn’t the worst either. Roomba i7+ has a warranty of 12 months. This does not include user, water and power surge damage. It also doesn’t cover damage caused by a lack of maintenance. The warranty is only available for exchange and replacement of the product.

This warranty is comparatively better than other brands. Some brands only offer up to 6 months of warranty, and some even 2.

iRobot Roomba i7+ Review: Final thoughts

All in all, the iRobot Roomba i7+ features technologies that were never seen before in Roombas. It’s one of the few Roombas to feature both Dirt Detect and Auto Dirt Disposal. It’s also part of the very few Roombas that can work on all types of surfaces. Its performance on high-pile carpets requires more Spot Cleaning. But overall, it’s a versatile product with excellent technology.

The Roomba i7+ is a great vacuum for cleaning multiple small rooms or a single large room. Multiple large rooms will take up more time than the Roomba’s battery offers. However, if you can wait for it to recharge, the Roomba i7+ is the perfect candidate for your home.

Images credit: irobot.com