iRobot Roomba I7+ Review

The Roomba I7 It is the latest version of iRobot and Possibly their greatest robotic vacuum yet.

iRobot’s latest Roomba now contains what industry experts call “fixed maps” which means The robot “remembers” the design of your home so that it is more efficient In subsequent cleaning sessions.

This upgrade has other benefits as well. One of them is selective area cleaning. Once the robot has cleaned the entire house, you can ask it to clean certain areas.

Combine this with Alexa, and you can tell the bot “Roomba, please clean up the living room.”

Another noteworthy upgrade is the “Clean Base” sink that has its own vacuum that will suck the contents of the robot’s dirt box.

It adds another layer of independence as you don’t have to pull out the dust cup and empty it yourself.

To improve cleaning performance, this is the latest Roomba It also comes with upgraded extractors that will provide better arousal, so the performance is a bit better.

All of these upgrades come at a great cost. Expect to pay close to a thousand dollars for this robot.

iRobot has always been a leader when it comes to robotic vacuums.

Even if they weren’t the first to introduce standalone cleaners, they were the standard that other brands are chasing and trying to emulate.

With each update, iRobot has improved its product step by step, starting with the rubber extractors it introduced in the 800 series, efficient navigation and WiFi connectivity. In the Roomba 900 . series.

Positives

Negatives

What do you expect from Roomba I7?

The Roomba hasn’t changed anything significantly if you look outside. put the I7 next to Roomba 980And you think they are both from the same robots.

That’s because Roomba didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. The low profile CD profile works great because it fits so much furniture – one of the biggest trouble spots in any home.

Most of the upgrades found in the Roomba I7 can be found inside.

Note: Recently, Roomba launched its new groundbreaking robot vacuum, and Roomba S9 who comes

Empty the dirt basket for you

One of the most important problems with robotic vacuum cleaners is the aspect of emptying the trash. Sometimes we are so busy that we forget to empty the trash.

We only discover that it should be emptied when the bot flashes an error code.

Well, say goodbye to those issues with “Clean base for automatic dirt disposal” Property.

The first major upgrade and perhaps the most useful is the automatic dirt dump feature.

Once the base detects that the container is full, it sucks the dirt into the bag through a special port underneath.

iRobot says the bag will hold up to 30 containers full of dirt.

This feature has changed the rules of the game in many ways because you don’t have to physically empty the bot’s dustbin.

Reviews show that this technique does an excellent job of emptying the trash.

The vacuum cleaner is powerful enough to remove most dirt except for a thin layer of dust that clings to the filter and the plastic cover of the dust cup.

You don’t have to worry about a clogged filter because the app tells you when you need to change it.

The bag itself is not huge and depends on how much you use the robot; It will probably last up to a month or more.

A very convenient feature if you ask me, but you will have to replace the bags for this to incur additional costs.

Comes with an extra bag.

Removing the bag will be easy. Just open the top cover and pull out the bag. Once the bag is pulled out, it closes automatically. If you have any allergies, this is the robot you want.

It will cost about $14 to buy a pack of 3.

Automatic dirt disposal system is an optional feature That would be a bonus of $200++.

If you feel you can empty the container yourself, skip this upgrade.

This docking station is bulky and completely sealed with a bag.

Surprisingly, iRobot was not the first to invent this.

As early as 2012, the automatic discharge feature Already seen at CESiRobot He had already obtained the patent at that time but it was only released with the I7.

iRobot Home App Upgrades

Another upgrade you will get with Roomba I7 can be found in their smartphone app.

Continuous maps highlight a wide range of possibilities with this robot vacuum.

The ability of the i7 to save the map allows the robot to clean more efficiently.

Having this data makes it possible to clean one particular room (or rooms) according to your preference on a given day (or days).

Once the bot has your home’s floor plan data, you can assign names to each room and add dividers so the bot doesn’t go beyond those limits.

Roomba I7 also has an ‘Explore Mode’ where it simply moves around your home with the vacuum motor turned off to extend uptime and speed up the process.

It is smart enough that you can place it anywhere inside your house and it will know exactly where it is and it will be able to perform a cleaning cycle that will provide enough battery life.

You can also buy a second charging dock if you live in a multi-level home if you don’t want the hassle of moving the dock up or down.

Roomba I7 has better portability

iRobot now uses iAdapt 3.0 with the latest vSLAM technology which means more efficient cleaning and the ability to adapt to different home layouts.

The important upgrade that the Roomba I7 has over the Roomba 980 is the Fixed Maps.

Roomba I7 will not only scan the room but also remember the layout and save ten of these maps to iRobot cloud servers for later use.

Ten might not seem like a lot, but most homes only have two levels at most, so it’s more than enough.

This feature helps the robot become more efficient in subsequent cleaning sessions because it contains your home’s layout data and can plan a more efficient route.

Another benefit is the ability to clean a specific part of your home. For example, if you want to clean the master bedroom, say “Robot, clean the master’s bedroom,” and it will do it for you.

You can use the voice command provided you have Alexa, but if not, do so through the app.

Unfortunately, the bot will not know the layout of your room out of the box. You will have to run it at least once in your home. Once the layout is saved, subsequent cleanups will be more efficient.

However, the i7 can only save up to 10 floor plans at a time. This will not be a problem in most homes of three rooms and less.

The best shelf sensors

A major problem with almost all robot vacuums is their inability to accurately distinguish between a black, infrared-absorbing carpet and a cliff point.

They are pretty much useless on a dark rug or rug because they will eventually get stuck on corners or edges thinking they are trapped.

The new slope sensors on the Roomba I7 solve this problem and will work on dark rugs/rugs without hesitation.

This feature may seem like a slight improvement but for homes with a lot of dark carpet – Hallelujah!

Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant

What sets the app apart is the integration it has with Alexa and Google Assistant.

Once you’ve saved and named the maps, you can tell the bot to clean up “Jane’s Room” or “Mark’s Room,” and it will go straight to that room and clean it up.

This is the most important feature of static maps.

Talk about comfort.

top view

If you look at the robot at the top, it almost looks like Roomba 980 With some minor differences.

In front of the robot there is an infrared sensor that helps it detect and avoid obstacles. In the middle is the big clean button that activates the default cleaning mode.

Next to the clean button are the home and spot clean buttons.

By the way, all the buttons are now touch sensitive which makes it easier to switch. It also has an LED light that tells you the status of the robot.

However, if you have Alexa or the Google Assistant, you may not need to press any of these buttons.

The hollow part below the buttons is the camera which is the robot’s primary “eyes” and sends all data to vSLAM for navigation purposes.

View from the bottom

In terms of design, nothing has changed much with Roomba. It has a single-sided brush system that helps clean edges.

An important update will be the rubber brushes with opposite rotation (or extractor). The latest design has upgraded the grooves to improve stirring and cleaning performance, especially on low-pile rugs and carpets.

iRobot says the i7 is very capable of cleaning pet hair.

new bin design

iRobot makes container emptying more hygienic. The high-efficiency filter can now be removed without the need to open the container.

If you choose the Roomba I7+, you don’t have to constantly remove the case because the vacuum cleaner on the charging base does it for you.

Removing the container will not differ slightly from Older Roombas. Instead of just sliding it out, you push a button in the side of the basket and it pops out on one side.

The new dirt container is now washable because the engine is no longer in it.

One thing to note is that the Roomba I7 box is smaller than the Roomba 980 because iRobot had to modify the design to make it work with the new charging base.

However, the size of the dustbin is irrelevant if you get a Roomba I7+ since the file Clean base charging station will empty the container for you.

cleaning performance

The Roomba I7 is no slouch when it comes to cleaning floors. Tests show that the i7 does an excellent job of cleaning surface dirt on carpets and bare floors. One of the issues I have is the side brush that spins too fast. It tends to scatter debris around.

hard floor results

It does an exceptional job of picking up dirt, regardless of size, on the hard floor as you’ll see in the clip below.

It can clean things like Cheerios, dust, sand and pet hair without any problems. Although there are complaints about the hair getting wrapped around the brush.

The Smart Imprint system gives it better efficiency than the 980 and the ability to clean certain rooms on schedule.

Carpet cleaning

It is equally capable of picking up surface dirt on carpets. iRobot’s patented dual rubber extractors excel at cleaning surface debris. In tests, the i7 had no problems cleaning up fine debris like dust or large dirt like Cheerios.

When it comes to deep cleaning, or picking up dirt under carpet threads, the i7 can also do the job up to a point.

In an industry benchmark test conducted, the I7 was able to pick up 79% of sifted sand (a 100g value) on a medium pile carpet.

product specification

Is the Roomba I7 worth the high price?

If you buy the best in-class Roomba I7+ with your second vacuum cleaner, it will cost you over $1000!

It is a large amount to pay for any vacuum cleaner.

But what you pay for are the convenient upgrades of the second vacuum that cleans the robot dustbin for you and the iAdapt 3.0 navigation system that remembers your home layout.

Battery and uptime remain the same, so don’t expect a huge difference in terms of cleaning performance even with the upgraded extractors.

The Roomba I7 is the most independent robotic vacuum ever when it combines Clean Base and static maps (also known as iAdapt 3.0).

You can keep working for long periods without touching the robot, and it will still keep your floors clean.

The Roomba I7 “provides the original vision when they set out to build robotic vacuums 20 years ago,” says Colin Angel, CEO of iRobot.

You should buy this robot vacuum if you:

People who don’t want to spend a premium on the “plus” version can Save a few hundred dollars with the base model i7.

judgment

Roomba i7 is a device Big step from Roomba 980. It has a lot of convenience features that will make life a lot easier.

Choosing the top of the line I7s will give you a second vacuum that sucks the contents of the robot’s box into a very hygienic bag for emptying. No exposure to allergens.

It also has the upgraded iAdapt 3.0 navigation system which is more efficient and stores your home layout in iRobot cloud servers.

Combine that with Alexa or Google Assistant, and you’ve got a hands-free device that cleans any part of your home at your command.

All of these premium features are going to be expensive.