I purchased both the i7+ & S9+ to see which one was better for my application. I have a 2000sqft apartment with half marble floor and the bedrooms in light pile carpet. The i7 works perfectly on all surfaces and cleans fantastically. The S9 gets constantly stuck on the carpet and ends up almost trying to burn through it, when it finally realises it's beached so goes full power in reverse and digs the wheels in, to no avail apart from damaging the carpet. The side brush gets itself all knotted up and renders itself pretty much useless after the training run. The i7 is a beast, the S9 is a product which is not fit for purpose in real world application, total waste of time and money in my eyes. Get the i7, you won't be disappointed.
Just picked up the i8+ (same thing as the i7+ basically) got it from Costco for 570 and I just couldn't justify getting the S9 for double the price. Im a happy camper.
Love these videos. I always come across these when having to decide what to buy during Prime day. There's just so many options out there and these comparison videos are of great help! Much appreciated and I hope you continue to make these types of videos!
I was having buyers remorse on the price tag, but this lived up to the price🌼 It is so amazing and the house is clean every day. I like the scheduling as it takes a while, so you may not want the whole house done every day. The self- dumping base is worth the extra money. The bags really hold a ton.
Great video. I agree with literally every detail you’ve identified in the comparison. Having owned both, I find the S9+ better overall. Having mostly hardwood on the main floor and carpet on the second floor, I believe the S9+ did better in both environments. My only suggestion about your videos is to add some sound level measurements.
Mike Stevens Yes the s9 does very well on hardwood floors and medium to low profile carpeting too. It is one of the most powerful robot vacuum on the market beating out the Lg Cord Zero and the new Dyson Heurist in terms of raw suction power. I found that on thick carpet the s9 struggles more than the previous generation i7. Hopefully Vacuum Wars Reviews the Cord Zero R9 and Dyson Heurist 😆.
Yah same, was searching for if s9 was worth the money compared and everywhere they just told that it's the same robot basically with some fanciness and not worth it. This video gave much better and clearer image and in my mind is totally wort it. Especially since its 200€ on sale this black Friday.
@@winchester3000 Looking at your name I don't think you have electronic store named Gigantti. I'm from Finland. It's one of our biggest electronics store chains, but I think that it isn't international.
Oh man I returned my i7. The suction was terrible. It also considered the bin full with only 20% of the bin actually full. This was with dog hair in it. This thing actually picks the dog hair up and can actually fill the bin to 95ish % before the sensor tells it that it’s full. The i7 was just a trial for the new tech they came out with. Now this thing is basically the new an improved i7 without the bugs and horrible horrible carpet suction. Honestly worth $1300... really sad to say since it’s sooo over the top, but it’s like buying a sports car for the performance vs the name. I would strongly recommend this thing to people with dogs that have very long coats. I have three huskies and it kicks butt. You still have to annoyingly clean the brush ends about twice a week if you have more then one dog. The vacuum charge base/ stand actually gets clean really well from the suction. The stand it self, is actually better in quality then the i7.
it would be nice if they can update the software for the bin on the 7+. For instance make it where you can pick the time when the bin will be emptied. So if I have it clean at 5 AM it just docks after it's done and that's it and at 10 or 11 the bin comes on so it don't wake up someone.
Had something weird happen today. My S9+ made about 4 attempts to climb back straight up on its charger. After failing, it spun around a few times and shimmied up successfully, instead of going straight up. Pretty cool!
I wish the hair test was my experience. I have a samoyed that sheds a lot. the brush rolls get stuck with tons of hair and I have to clean them after every room! Such a pity since I expected so much more based on the hair test from here. I do have pictures of the bush rolls clogging with hair, but I don't think you can post them any more. Thank you for the great review and I'll continue watching the channel!
@Vacuum Wars - how do you measure air flow for i7+ exactly ? It looks like you cover up rollers and do the measurement, but I believe i7+ vacuum exhaust airflow is distributed internally inside robot and one of exits is just before rollers. So if you will not exclude this airflow, you will get wrong reading. I haven't heard of carpet-boost mode on i7+.
Best informational video out here , previous to this one I saw a couple , including one with a 25 lb sac of rice , and that’s just not realistic , this video pointed out more in detail and real life situation and visual aids , thank you kindly
Not just overall volume, but also spectrum. The Roomba 980, at least, has a very annoying high-pitched sound (that gets even louder and higher-pitched when boosting). It would be much more pleasant if it was a more broad-spectrum sound of the same overall volume. (I would say iRobot should take inspiration from Apple's asymmetric fans, which are designed to spread out the noise spectrum, but Apple probably has a patent on that. I'm glad they're apparently taking inspiration from Neato (shape) and Bissell (dirt bin), though.)
So basically my i7+ has good power but irobot wont let me access it. I noticed the lack of suction as I use my i7+ exclusively on hard floors. Any word if we will get an update to adjust the power? Pretty frustrating considering what i spent on this thing.
So i just spoke to irobot, (tech support) they stated the i7 does not have any carpet boost mode and it always has a consistent suction/airflow. I haven't noticed it increase airflow on carpet (doesnt get any louder). Any truth to this vs what you have found? Also in some of your other videos the i7 seemed to pick up more in the crevice test vs this one it looks like it did nothing?
Honestly I had an i7 and the suction seems the same all over. The vacuum isn’t as snug to the ground on hardwood, overall giving it less power/airflow. On carpet is does “alright” I mean... the 980 did a better job with suction power. It was very underwhelming after a month or so of use. I honestly wouldn’t buy the i7...
@@FosterStrongman To be quite frank I think something is really weird with the i7 power situation. As I said in this video I never have been able to get a good reading on it, only one time did I actually get a number and it was LOW. So before I did this video I called Irobot and was insistent that I needed to know what the deal was since I was going to publish this video. (keep in mind I have owned two of these with the same issue) The person on the phone spent about 10 minutes talking to their manager (I presume) and came back and told me that the reason I wasnt getting airflow is because it has carpet boost. This makes sense to me since it has a carpet sensor, and I have got decent carpet deep clean scores with it. That being said I tried to cover the carpet sensors after that call with the same no airflow results. I have even tried getting noise level differences with carpet and hard floors with no difference, Its weird.
One thing you did not touch on was what the robots SOUNDED like! We need a noise test and an actual recording of all of the power settings on vacuuming robots. The 980 screamed like a full-sized vacuum on full power mode. Even in econ mode, it had the same high-pitched wail as my 805. What do the i7 and s9 sound like?
The i7 isn't too loud. It's quieter than my basic Bissel hand-vac from Wal-mart. As long as it's in a different room, I can still sleep while it's doing it business. I can only attest for it's noise level on hardfloors. I imagine it's louder on carpet. I haven't heard the s9 yet, it's coming in the mail to replace my i7.
Do you think i7+ is a good option for 500$ at 2021 .??.2022 in 1 2 months.... thanks...or it best a roborock s7 for 700$? Any option ?I need a self empty vaccum
It would be interesting to see a version of these videos where you test the i7 plus against maybe a Dyson hand vacuum. I'm curious if there's a way to measure how much effort would go into a hand vacuum.
There's some guy who made a video comparing the S9+ with the i7+. He said the S9+ is a brute pushing 100lbs sofa making tons of noise while the i7+ is a quiet gentle robot. He absolutely would recommend the i7+ over the s9+for someone with hardfloors only. He also said the S9+ needs a software update because it is too aggressive. Do you agree?
Francois Soto I can tell you from experience kevlars video (drunk video) is just that. I have furniture that it absolutely does not attempt to be aggressive with. I will tell you when it gets stuck it thrashes about pretty violently. I think it “appears” this way because before when the Roombas would evade they were round and you don’t see the “swinging around” as much due to the shape. I mean you can hear it kick up the speed on the wheels to evade on previous models, but this thing looks like a great white stuck in a tiny boat. But for the most part, especially after it learns the home it doesn’t do the evasive tactics as much.
Francois Soto I have mostly hardwood and the S9+ is still better at cleaning everything due to getting into corners better. Plus the power is stronger and can get everything off the floor. I returned my I7+ and it was the best decision I’ve made. The s9+ is louder but that’s because it’s more powerful. The sound doesn’t bother me and I schedule most of the cleaning when I’m not home so... the noise isn’t an issue
I called irobot and they told me that anyone who has purchased their i7 within the last 6 months can get full credit on a return if they purchase the s9.
@@riggsmed I'll be darned! I called their support and they had to go confirm it, but if it was purchased by an authorized reseller within the last 6 months, they'll honor a return. You have to purchase the S9 at the same time as you return it, though. Since I bought mine at a local retailer that doesn't yet carry the S9, they implied that they might be able to handle all of that directly through iRobot's customer support. I'm not sure how accurate that last bit was, though.
@@kasperplayer Bed Bath and Beyond. I can't really say that the item is defective, though. And they don't yet carry the S9 in any stores. Not sure if that's just because it's so new or what.
James Krolak honesty if you just got it... and you don’t want it anymore. Just tell them some story honesty. I returned mine because of docking issues though. I got a full cc refund and ordered the s9+ from amazon. It was sad to see my little robot go.. but it’s for the best!
With these Roomba's, you can define areas in your house and name them (eg: "kitchen"). But can you than utlised those areas via an Amazon Alexa? eg: "Alexa, tell [vacuum] to clean kitchen"? If not, it seems such an obvious smart home feature I'm bemused why none of these companies aren't offering it.
thank you for the great review. it was a smart move from roomba to copy de neato form factor, finally roomba admitted the "d" shape it is a way better design than the round one
I'm having a terrible time with my Roomba. It gets under my bed and my entertainment unit and pulls out cords that are too difficult for me to reattach. I have to supervise it as if it were a 2 year old. The virtual wall seems to do nothing. Any suggestions?
It’s funny how, now the 7 have problems but when it first came out it was the best compared to 980 ...... there’s always going to be an upgrade that’s better
If Neato came out with a thinner (height-wise) model and a self emptying dust bin tomorrow I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it at full price. Having had the D7 for a couple weeks then returning it because it got stuck under the couch in certain spots and replacing it with the i7 I realize that Neato’s overall quality supersedes that of iRobot. The D7 picked up way more in less time. I’m sure the S9 is a better machine than i7 but I still prefer Neato. I’m glad I got to try the D7 before buying an iRobot as it really gave me a good indication about both brands. The D7 was my first robot vac and now I don’t want to live without one since I have dogs. The i7 is going back but I feel like I’m going to be settling with the S9. If you don’t have super low furniture try the D7 it’s a great machine, it’s at a great price right now, they give you 3 spare air filters, it’s great with edges and dog hair, it doesn’t toss stuff around and it’s great on hard wood floors.
Allison Leigh Says it cost us 60-80$ (Canadian) per 2 weeks to get cleaning woman for our house. But they are hard to find and the one we used is retiring and the new one we’ll was not good! No more cleaning people. So 1300$US so 1700$ cdn is only 21 weeks of cleaning. Every 2 weeks that is 42 weeks. So 1700$ is 1 year of cleaning. That robot does half the job of 1 person so you keep the robot 2 years and voila.
How does i9 or i7 handle rooms with heavy dirt and pet hair, does it return to base oftwn enough? I am returning my Shark ION which has so many problems. My biggest complaint was there was no sensor to determine when to return to base to empty, therefore the vaccum got so full it could not empty.
Another great review, but it does look like they’ve just copied the best bits of the Neato D7 with design and roller position / width. The self emptying bin looks great, but the price is still too high and a new model so soon must have wrangled a few i7+ owners. Keep up the great reviews.
Mine keeps getting stuck on a door that's open against the wall. Instead of it registering the bump and going off in another direction it just keep hitting the door softly not sure how to turn around even though it's not caught on anything. I have a video uploaded showing the issue. Potato quality ATM.
Have you measured the middle setting for the s9+? When you leave it on auto it does carpet boost, but when you do custom there are three levels. Did you measure all three levels or is this just the custom high vs low? The high power in custom is extremely loud and is louder than the middle setting with boost. Any info on this VW? Another thing I noticed is after doing two training runs (2600 sqf house) it noticed my pups doggy bed as a wall. Even when I moved it from the corner on two runs it acted like a wall was still there. I think if I had any gripes it is with the mapping and lack of no go lines. I wish there was a software patch that added no go lines and some way to build the map easier. It took a total of two runs and 8.5 hours to get it down. If you could select a room on the map and then run a edit mode that would be great. One example is the wall between one bedroom and the play room was seen as furniture and thus the entryways has to be drawn a bit funky with the lines they let you edit. It doesn’t seem to effect performance as far as the robot navigating around the house but the map looks a bit funky. Anyways, Awesome video as always!
polloloco3 agreed. My powder room wall shows up as a frayed out object and not a wall. It isn’t perfect.., and I agree that they have room for improvement on the mapping and no go lines.
Mike and Lee have y’all looked at the extractors on yalls robot yet? The new design vs the 980 seems to rip easily. I noticed a few others talking about the issue and sure enough when I looked at the extractors today I noticed the extractor that is used for agitation is ripped length wise in several areas. I will be contacting iRobot soon to see what they recommend
polloloco3 I noticed a little wear on the agitation extractor (just checked). It was a vertical spot that looks like it’s been taking a beating on something sharp Ike a floor vent. No horizontal (lengthwise) damage or tears. I’m running 70% on hardwood and another30% on carpet. I’ll be keeping an eye out for it. I probably got close to 14-15 hours of high level cleaning time already. Plus 5-6 hours of napping time. Hopefully the rollers were just defective on a first batch.
Mike Stevens just got off the phone with iRobot concerning a few other map behaviors and the extractors as well. They are taking a look at the videos and photos I sent of the behavior and the extractors. I wonder if anyone that had an i7 can confirm issues. I had a 780, 880, and 980 and never had extractors rip before
Because Roomba release a improve product docent necessary mean that the i7 is a bad robot in any way. The 2 robots have imprint technology and make a great job cleaning. The price difference is substantial. The s9 could be better in some parts but the i7 is a great product and is better than any 900,800,700,600 series of Roomba. I bought my i7 this week October, 10th after having a neato D3 for almost 1 year. The vacuum works fantastic and it clean with my braava M6 perfectly well. At a discounted price of $699 that’s $400 less than the S9 and they share the same type of mapping imprinting and navigation 3.0
Question: With these Roomba units using cameras, what does that mean to how well they work in low light, or no light? ie: My Xiaomi will happily vacuum in the dark? These Roombas require what quality of lighting?
Ive really wanted the i7 and now this vacuum comes out, I'm entirely unsure now if I want to save money or go for the gold. I live in a mostly hardwood apartment with two carpet bedrooms and a lab who sheds lightly
However, does it still have problems with light? As far as I can see, it uses a camera, meaning if there is no light or there is too much light, or even on reflective surfaces, it can go nuts.
Great video! Could you perform the new long hair test on the D4/6/7 and roborock S5/50 ??? This is the main issue on my current roomb which I want to change!! Thanks!
Great review, Missing the sound level like on other past reviews! S9 was suppose to be quieter, mine is NOT, Traded in/up from I7+ to S9+, S9 has issues with thro-rugs edges on hardwood floors, sometimes turning rug 50% over and stuck S9 wheels... how about Roborock S6 vrs S9 please include sound levels...
When you do carpet deep clean test can you confirm carpet was 100% clean before? I think it would be better to measure carpet weight before/after because that roomba obviously didnt pick up just sand
Good video! But will no brand produce a robot vacuum cleaner with all the functions? hhaha the function of mopping the floor was missing! and it could also have the function of recharging its base, its tank, with water, or even if possible, some other perfumed liquid, right? OR IS THIS ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER ALREADY EXISTING with all those functions I mentioned above? if the answer is yes, what is the name of it?
The s9 has 3 power settings under custom low 8cfm med ?and high 22cfm the high power only activates manually under custom. The detailed clean setting option works with 2 power modes the low and the med never uses the high thats how is design. Now can u please tell us what cfm is the med power setting?
How did you find this out? I figured it uses high on carpet automatically. Where is your source? I'm genuinely interested because my house is mostly all carpet.
Great video. Thank you. Wonder if you've done one covering the features of iRobot's virtual walls (and Halo mode). Wondering if these have to be turned on manually (like the one's we have had now over several iRobot generations), or do they become active (via wi-fi) when the vacuum is activated? @Vacuum Wars / #VacuumWars... thx. again for this video.
so if you're going to buy one right now, would you go with the s9+ for 350 more or go with the i7+. I have 3 dogs that shed like crazy and live next to the beach. So lots of sand and fur. The floors are vinyl too. Thanks!
I have a i7 and we live it. We have wood & carpet and it really picks up dog hair, dust & crumbs well. I’ll be getting the new one in a bout a year but I can say the i7 is a nice machine. And I got mine on eBay for $300 & bought a square trade warranty for 3 years since iRobot won’t honor theirs off eBay.
I don't get it...I saw your other video in which you said you could not measure the i7's CFM, but that it was 17 CFM, and that the second one you got was able to pick up dirt from the 1/4" crevice. That video is dated earlier than this one, and has references to your first i7 that could not pick up the dirt from the 1/4" crevice. But in this video, released later (by two months!), you seem to have reverted to videos and test metrics of your first i7, which you said in the earlier video may have been a dud. This is confusing at best. It seems that this video was made before the earlier video and published later, but not changed to reflect new information. You made it sound like the i7 was a gutless vac with zero power and it almost made me cancel my prime day order. Thankfully I didn't. Then to make matters more confusing, you chose the i7 as your favorite in another video. Is it possible to get some clarification? Thank you!
How much white paint you spend on every test? (jk!) I live in Brazil and these machines are really expensive here. However, one that is able to mop would be great - since it's warm here, we have very little carpet and lots of hard floor (synthetic wood and porcelain). Is the i7 a good choice? It's the one that is more sophisticated with an sort of affordable price. Thanks!
If it wasn't so over priced.... Does magnet tape work for this vacuum? I already have some for my Xiaomi Robot Vacuum and I'm curious if the Roomba will recognize and not go over that tape.
I am very happy with the I7 plus. So much so I bought another one for the second floor of my house. I use my 500 series for my basement. Still works fine. I just do not think that the 400 extra dollars was worth it to buy the s9. There are no piles of coffee grounds or Cheerios on my carpets...lol. My dog does not shed either so for me the I7 makes sense. The S9 is way better looking though.
I just bought the roomba 985 from Costco yesterday. I tested it out this morning and it kept going in same area. I returned it back to Costco because now I'm thinking about getting the s9+
Great video! Just recently discovered your channel and as a tech enthusiast it got me excited about... Robot vacuums! Was wondering how you see the future of robot vacuums evolving in the next year or two?
So I’m Stuck , i currently have a roomba 980 which works great however it does have its flaws , so I’m considering getting a different one but I’m torn between neato d7 or the i7 or s9 my budge is going more towards the d7 however I’ve only ever used roomba lol what do you recommend ?
I think if budget allows the s9+ is a no brainer. HOWEVER, if you don't care about the self emptying features and have more hard floors than carpet and/or don't care much about the "carpet deep cleaning" function of the s9+ which is the only robot that can do that... the Neato D7 would be an awesome choice and save you a ton of money. Me, myself, have an all carpet house (except kitchen and bathrooms) and two shedding dogs so the s9+ has been amazing.. it truly deep cleans the hell out of my carpets, love it! Absolutely rule out the i7+, it's far inferior in every way to the s9+ and it's only $200 cheaper... so if you're willing to pony up $1,100 for it.. might as well pay $1,300 and get a far more capable vacuum. Hope this helps!
I understand ! Yes i want the s9 but that’s a rent payment haha ! That’s why i was thinking the d7 but will it still clean well ? I’m moving to a place where we have hard wood and carpets on the bedrooms
@@Thomas-ft1hy as good of reviews as the D7 gets i'm sure it will clean just fine. Will it deep clean your carpets like the S9+? No. But it still held the previous high score of 79% prior to the S9 coming around (95%). It will do just fine if your wanting to save money and it has a HUGE dust bin (5x larger than the s9+) so that's good too.. should only need to empty it once after it fully cleans the whole house. But again, if money allows.. the s9+ appears the way to go, but if you want to save, go D7! :)
Nope, the first self-emptying system had Karcher maaany years ago, then Ecovacs with their Deebot d76, and then Samsung with their Navibot, well, it was not 100% efficient, so then few years no brands did that invention, then iRobot made the sucking out of the bin, and that worked perfectly!
Roomba s9+ on Amazon: geni.us/A9AgRcv
Roomba i7+ on Amazon: geni.us/6LCEKy
I purchased both the i7+ & S9+ to see which one was better for my application. I have a 2000sqft apartment with half marble floor and the bedrooms in light pile carpet. The i7 works perfectly on all surfaces and cleans fantastically. The S9 gets constantly stuck on the carpet and ends up almost trying to burn through it, when it finally realises it's beached so goes full power in reverse and digs the wheels in, to no avail apart from damaging the carpet. The side brush gets itself all knotted up and renders itself pretty much useless after the training run. The i7 is a beast, the S9 is a product which is not fit for purpose in real world application, total waste of time and money in my eyes. Get the i7, you won't be disappointed.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m debating on getting the i7 again or “upgrading” to the S9. You just made it a lot harder lol
Do you mind linking a reference picture similar to what your carpet looks like?
Yeah, would really be nice to see pics of what kinda carpet it is.. sounds like a really thick furry carpet?
Just picked up the i8+ (same thing as the i7+ basically) got it from Costco for 570 and I just couldn't justify getting the S9 for double the price.
Im a happy camper.
Same, the Black Friday deal was really good
On Vacuum matters you are the best professional on TH-cam. 👍🏻
Love these videos. I always come across these when having to decide what to buy during Prime day. There's just so many options out there and these comparison videos are of great help! Much appreciated and I hope you continue to make these types of videos!
I'm so glad!
I was having buyers remorse on the price tag, but this lived up to the price🌼 It is so amazing and the house is clean every day. I like the scheduling as it takes a while, so you may not want the whole house done every day. The self- dumping base is worth the extra money. The bags really hold a ton.
Awesome review. I purchased the i7+ a week ago - loved it - but returned it yesterday because of this video. My s9+ arrives Friday!
Jason Fisher how’s the new robot compared?
why just because of this video? go off what you think
Great video. Thank you. I was thinking of going with the i7 but this tipped me over to the s9+.
Wow... All your videos are like scientific papers.
Amazing.
Thank you
Most welcome 😊
Great video. I agree with literally every detail you’ve identified in the comparison. Having owned both, I find the S9+ better overall. Having mostly hardwood on the main floor and carpet on the second floor, I believe the S9+ did better in both environments. My only suggestion about your videos is to add some sound level measurements.
Mike Stevens Yes the s9 does very well on hardwood floors and medium to low profile carpeting too. It is one of the most powerful robot vacuum on the market beating out the Lg Cord Zero and the new Dyson Heurist in terms of raw suction power. I found that on thick carpet the s9 struggles more than the previous generation i7. Hopefully Vacuum Wars Reviews the Cord Zero R9 and Dyson Heurist 😆.
Mike Stevens Windows xp
Same had both but got rid of i7+ and we still use the s9 it works much better not perfect much better than the i7+
Good to know. I was about to pull the trigger on the i7 on sale, now I'll wait for the s9+ to go on sale.
Yah same, was searching for if s9 was worth the money compared and everywhere they just told that it's the same robot basically with some fanciness and not worth it. This video gave much better and clearer image and in my mind is totally wort it. Especially since its 200€ on sale this black Friday.
@@juhokaartoaho where is the sale?
@@winchester3000 Looking at your name I don't think you have electronic store named Gigantti. I'm from Finland. It's one of our biggest electronics store chains, but I think that it isn't international.
Thank you for the comparison!!! I was waiting on it before I pulled the trigger in returning my i7 for the s9.
riggsmed I returned mine and haven’t had a single regret. It was the best decision I made. You won’t be disappointed either.
Oh man I returned my i7. The suction was terrible. It also considered the bin full with only 20% of the bin actually full. This was with dog hair in it. This thing actually picks the dog hair up and can actually fill the bin to 95ish % before the sensor tells it that it’s full. The i7 was just a trial for the new tech they came out with. Now this thing is basically the new an improved i7 without the bugs and horrible horrible carpet suction. Honestly worth $1300... really sad to say since it’s sooo over the top, but it’s like buying a sports car for the performance vs the name. I would strongly recommend this thing to people with dogs that have very long coats. I have three huskies and it kicks butt. You still have to annoyingly clean the brush ends about twice a week if you have more then one dog. The vacuum charge base/ stand actually gets clean really well from the suction. The stand it self, is actually better in quality then the i7.
KasperPlayer! Yes the s9 a beast when it comes to suction power. Makes the Roborock look bad. Does well with long hair too, minor tangles.
So is the s9 way way better at cleaning hard flooring than the i7?
Victor K They are about the same on hardwood pickup
it would be nice if they can update the software for the bin on the 7+. For instance make it where you can pick the time when the bin will be emptied. So if I have it clean at 5 AM it just docks after it's done and that's it and at 10 or 11 the bin comes on so it don't wake up someone.
Had something weird happen today. My S9+ made about 4 attempts to climb back straight up on its charger. After failing, it spun around a few times and shimmied up successfully, instead of going straight up. Pretty cool!
I wish the hair test was my experience. I have a samoyed that sheds a lot. the brush rolls get stuck with tons of hair and I have to clean them after every room! Such a pity since I expected so much more based on the hair test from here. I do have pictures of the bush rolls clogging with hair, but I don't think you can post them any more. Thank you for the great review and I'll continue watching the channel!
Thanks for commenting and for the input. I'm sorry it didn't work out well for you!
I love how the vacuum tried to attack the cat twice!
LOL
As it should......
I had to watch again to see that😂
@Vacuum Wars - how do you measure air flow for i7+ exactly ? It looks like you cover up rollers and do the measurement, but I believe i7+ vacuum exhaust airflow is distributed internally inside robot and one of exits is just before rollers. So if you will not exclude this airflow, you will get wrong reading. I haven't heard of carpet-boost mode on i7+.
Best informational video out here , previous to this one I saw a couple , including one with a 25 lb sac of rice , and that’s just not realistic , this video pointed out more in detail and real life situation and visual aids , thank you kindly
I would love to see some sort of sound volume (Db) test included in the future tests.
Not just overall volume, but also spectrum. The Roomba 980, at least, has a very annoying high-pitched sound (that gets even louder and higher-pitched when boosting). It would be much more pleasant if it was a more broad-spectrum sound of the same overall volume. (I would say iRobot should take inspiration from Apple's asymmetric fans, which are designed to spread out the noise spectrum, but Apple probably has a patent on that. I'm glad they're apparently taking inspiration from Neato (shape) and Bissell (dirt bin), though.)
So basically my i7+ has good power but irobot wont let me access it. I noticed the lack of suction as I use my i7+ exclusively on hard floors. Any word if we will get an update to adjust the power? Pretty frustrating considering what i spent on this thing.
So i just spoke to irobot, (tech support) they stated the i7 does not have any carpet boost mode and it always has a consistent suction/airflow. I haven't noticed it increase airflow on carpet (doesnt get any louder). Any truth to this vs what you have found? Also in some of your other videos the i7 seemed to pick up more in the crevice test vs this one it looks like it did nothing?
Honestly I had an i7 and the suction seems the same all over. The vacuum isn’t as snug to the ground on hardwood, overall giving it less power/airflow. On carpet is does “alright” I mean... the 980 did a better job with suction power. It was very underwhelming after a month or so of use. I honestly wouldn’t buy the i7...
@@FosterStrongman To be quite frank I think something is really weird with the i7 power situation. As I said in this video I never have been able to get a good reading on it, only one time did I actually get a number and it was LOW. So before I did this video I called Irobot and was insistent that I needed to know what the deal was since I was going to publish this video. (keep in mind I have owned two of these with the same issue) The person on the phone spent about 10 minutes talking to their manager (I presume) and came back and told me that the reason I wasnt getting airflow is because it has carpet boost. This makes sense to me since it has a carpet sensor, and I have got decent carpet deep clean scores with it. That being said I tried to cover the carpet sensors after that call with the same no airflow results. I have even tried getting noise level differences with carpet and hard floors with no difference, Its weird.
Thanks for including reference measurements of Romba 980
One thing you did not touch on was what the robots SOUNDED like! We need a noise test and an actual recording of all of the power settings on vacuuming robots. The 980 screamed like a full-sized vacuum on full power mode. Even in econ mode, it had the same high-pitched wail as my 805. What do the i7 and s9 sound like?
The i7 isn't too loud. It's quieter than my basic Bissel hand-vac from Wal-mart. As long as it's in a different room, I can still sleep while it's doing it business. I can only attest for it's noise level on hardfloors. I imagine it's louder on carpet. I haven't heard the s9 yet, it's coming in the mail to replace my i7.
@@zSuitSamus have you had a chance to test the s9? How loud is it?
Do you think i7+ is a good option for 500$ at 2021 .??.2022 in 1 2 months.... thanks...or it best a roborock s7 for 700$? Any option ?I need a self empty vaccum
Wow I just purchased i7+ ...I feel great about it now 😂
i feel your pain after watching this
@Gunzavage you're probably right, I went for s9+, it's pretty loud, otherwise no major complains
Excellent once more! Thanks for quality content and scientific approach!
Glad you enjoy it!
It would be interesting to see a version of these videos where you test the i7 plus against maybe a Dyson hand vacuum. I'm curious if there's a way to measure how much effort would go into a hand vacuum.
I totally recommend the used market, I got an i7 for 200 bucks and its still going strong.
There's some guy who made a video comparing the S9+ with the i7+. He said the S9+ is a brute pushing 100lbs sofa making tons of noise while the i7+ is a quiet gentle robot. He absolutely would recommend the i7+ over the s9+for someone with hardfloors only. He also said the S9+ needs a software update because it is too aggressive. Do you agree?
Francois Soto I can tell you from experience kevlars video (drunk video) is just that. I have furniture that it absolutely does not attempt to be aggressive with.
I will tell you when it gets stuck it thrashes about pretty violently. I think it “appears” this way because before when the Roombas would evade they were round and you don’t see the “swinging around” as much due to the shape.
I mean you can hear it kick up the speed on the wheels to evade on previous models, but this thing looks like a great white stuck in a tiny boat. But for the most part, especially after it learns the home it doesn’t do the evasive tactics as much.
Francois Soto I have mostly hardwood and the S9+ is still better at cleaning everything due to getting into corners better. Plus the power is stronger and can get everything off the floor. I returned my I7+ and it was the best decision I’ve made. The s9+ is louder but that’s because it’s more powerful. The sound doesn’t bother me and I schedule most of the cleaning when I’m not home so... the noise isn’t an issue
Every time I watch a video about this brand I say I wait and get the news one and then it’s not anymore that wow as they come with even better
Thank you!!! Very useful... Please run test between the iRobot s9 vs roborock s6.
S9+ win
I will be. The S6 vid will be out on the 26th
IRobot has updated the software and obstacle avoidance system as the J7.
Dang. Now I regret not waiting a few months when I bought my i7+. Not that I knew a new model was coming out this soon...
I called irobot and they told me that anyone who has purchased their i7 within the last 6 months can get full credit on a return if they purchase the s9.
@@riggsmed I'll be darned! I called their support and they had to go confirm it, but if it was purchased by an authorized reseller within the last 6 months, they'll honor a return. You have to purchase the S9 at the same time as you return it, though. Since I bought mine at a local retailer that doesn't yet carry the S9, they implied that they might be able to handle all of that directly through iRobot's customer support. I'm not sure how accurate that last bit was, though.
What retailer did you buy it from? Bed bath beyond accepts returns for the full year IF the item is defective in some way.
@@kasperplayer Bed Bath and Beyond. I can't really say that the item is defective, though. And they don't yet carry the S9 in any stores. Not sure if that's just because it's so new or what.
James Krolak honesty if you just got it... and you don’t want it anymore. Just tell them some story honesty. I returned mine because of docking issues though. I got a full cc refund and ordered the s9+ from amazon. It was sad to see my little robot go.. but it’s for the best!
With these Roomba's, you can define areas in your house and name them (eg: "kitchen"). But can you than utlised those areas via an Amazon Alexa? eg: "Alexa, tell [vacuum] to clean kitchen"?
If not, it seems such an obvious smart home feature I'm bemused why none of these companies aren't offering it.
how loud are they though???? We would like to see a decibel test :)
What an excellent review. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
So I just changed my mind and will spend a lot more after watching you video. Planned to buy the i7 first... but after your video I will go for the S9
Odd not to go for the best.
Are they going to release a new Roomba model or not? When will they upgrade S9?
I wish I knew!
I wish I knew!
thank you for the great review. it was a smart move from roomba to copy de neato form factor, finally roomba admitted the "d" shape it is a way better design than the round one
Lol ur right but the bumper is not as sharp as the neato bumper so it's not copied much
I'm having a terrible time with my Roomba. It gets under my bed and my entertainment unit and pulls out cords that are too difficult for me to reattach. I have to supervise it as if it were a 2 year old. The virtual wall seems to do nothing. Any suggestions?
Is the i7 the same thing as the i8 bc I just got an i8 and don’t notice a difference
It’s funny how, now the 7 have problems but when it first came out it was the best compared to 980 ...... there’s always going to be an upgrade that’s better
That's true got to think of a way to stay on top of it. Consider an eBay account
That’s how technology works...welcome to common sense
Normal.
Facts
Great Video. I just returned my i7+ after watching this video. Now just to wait for the s9+ to go on sale a little bit.
Don;t do that just because of watching this video
Very helpful information. Thank you!
You're welcome! Thank you!
If Neato came out with a thinner (height-wise) model and a self emptying dust bin tomorrow I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it at full price. Having had the D7 for a couple weeks then returning it because it got stuck under the couch in certain spots and replacing it with the i7 I realize that Neato’s overall quality supersedes that of iRobot. The D7 picked up way more in less time. I’m sure the S9 is a better machine than i7 but I still prefer Neato. I’m glad I got to try the D7 before buying an iRobot as it really gave me a good indication about both brands. The D7 was my first robot vac and now I don’t want to live without one since I have dogs. The i7 is going back but I feel like I’m going to be settling with the S9. If you don’t have super low furniture try the D7 it’s a great machine, it’s at a great price right now, they give you 3 spare air filters, it’s great with edges and dog hair, it doesn’t toss stuff around and it’s great on hard wood floors.
I mean.. for $1300 I could hire a cleaning crew for a few weeks to come everyday just to vacuum🤣
But love the content! So glad I subbed
Allison Leigh Says it cost us 60-80$ (Canadian) per 2 weeks to get cleaning woman for our house. But they are hard to find and the one we used is retiring and the new one we’ll was not good! No more cleaning people. So 1300$US so 1700$ cdn is only 21 weeks of cleaning. Every 2 weeks that is 42 weeks. So 1700$ is 1 year of cleaning. That robot does half the job of 1 person so you keep the robot 2 years and voila.
Allison Leigh Says I like using robots because they don’t give an attitude and can clean 24-7 without complaining or risking taking your stuff.
How does i9 or i7 handle rooms with heavy dirt and pet hair, does it return to base oftwn enough? I am returning my Shark ION which has so many problems. My biggest complaint was there was no sensor to determine when to return to base to empty, therefore the vaccum got so full it could not empty.
Thank you for sharing!! I’m looking to buy this.
Awesome, I don’t have long hair nor carpet, I saved so much money!
1:22 no Dyson 360 Eye, why??
Another great review, but it does look like they’ve just copied the best bits of the Neato D7 with design and roller position / width. The self emptying bin looks great, but the price is still too high and a new model so soon must have wrangled a few i7+ owners. Keep up the great reviews.
I've had my i7 for a week and am replacing it with the s9. I got jebaited.
Mine keeps getting stuck on a door that's open against the wall. Instead of it registering the bump and going off in another direction it just keep hitting the door softly not sure how to turn around even though it's not caught on anything. I have a video uploaded showing the issue. Potato quality ATM.
i think some model of the Navibot by Samsung also had a self emptying bin as well
What about the noise?? How many db's is the 17 vs the s9???
Have you measured the middle setting for the s9+? When you leave it on auto it does carpet boost, but when you do custom there are three levels. Did you measure all three levels or is this just the custom high vs low?
The high power in custom is extremely loud and is louder than the middle setting with boost. Any info on this VW?
Another thing I noticed is after doing two training runs (2600 sqf house) it noticed my pups doggy bed as a wall. Even when I moved it from the corner on two runs it acted like a wall was still there.
I think if I had any gripes it is with the mapping and lack of no go lines. I wish there was a software patch that added no go lines and some way to build the map easier. It took a total of two runs and 8.5 hours to get it down.
If you could select a room on the map and then run a edit mode that would be great. One example is the wall between one bedroom and the play room was seen as furniture and thus the entryways has to be drawn a bit funky with the lines they let you edit. It doesn’t seem to effect performance as far as the robot navigating around the house but the map looks a bit funky.
Anyways, Awesome video as always!
polloloco3 agreed. My powder room wall shows up as a frayed out object and not a wall. It isn’t perfect.., and I agree that they have room for improvement on the mapping and no go lines.
I, too would like to know the CFM on the middle power setting!
Mike and Lee have y’all looked at the extractors on yalls robot yet? The new design vs the 980 seems to rip easily. I noticed a few others talking about the issue and sure enough when I looked at the extractors today I noticed the extractor that is used for agitation is ripped length wise in several areas. I will be contacting iRobot soon to see what they recommend
polloloco3 I noticed a little wear on the agitation extractor (just checked). It was a vertical spot that looks like it’s been taking a beating on something sharp Ike a floor vent. No horizontal (lengthwise) damage or tears. I’m running 70% on hardwood and another30% on carpet. I’ll be keeping an eye out for it. I probably got close to 14-15 hours of high level cleaning time already. Plus 5-6 hours of napping time. Hopefully the rollers were just defective on a first batch.
Mike Stevens just got off the phone with iRobot concerning a few other map behaviors and the extractors as well. They are taking a look at the videos and photos I sent of the behavior and the extractors. I wonder if anyone that had an i7 can confirm issues. I had a 780, 880, and 980 and never had extractors rip before
How I'd it on dog hair? I have 2 German shepherds and 2 chihuahuas
Because Roomba release a improve product docent necessary mean that the i7 is a bad robot in any way. The 2 robots have imprint technology and make a great job cleaning. The price difference is substantial. The s9 could be better in some parts but the i7 is a great product and is better than any 900,800,700,600 series of Roomba. I bought my i7 this week October, 10th after having a neato D3 for almost 1 year. The vacuum works fantastic and it clean with my braava M6 perfectly well. At a discounted price of $699 that’s $400 less than the S9 and they share the same type of mapping imprinting and navigation 3.0
Agree
Question: With these Roomba units using cameras, what does that mean to how well they work in low light, or no light? ie: My Xiaomi will happily vacuum in the dark? These Roombas require what quality of lighting?
How loud is the s9+? Is it noticeably different than their other models?
It's not particularly noisy, but a vacuum can sound different based on the room and the floor.
So the i7 only has 17cfm on carpets and 7cfm on dry floors?.
Neato D7 vs Roomba S9+? Is the s9+ better with the lights off now?
I’d love to see a thorough comparison with the two
We have an older 805 model and it always hangs on a rocking type dining chair, should we try s9. would it be any better?
Yes
It less stress
Ive really wanted the i7 and now this vacuum comes out, I'm entirely unsure now if I want to save money or go for the gold. I live in a mostly hardwood apartment with two carpet bedrooms and a lab who sheds lightly
Save your money and get the s9!
Hoover just came out with a new floormate cordless which competes with the Bissell Crosswave.
However, does it still have problems with light? As far as I can see, it uses a camera, meaning if there is no light or there is too much light, or even on reflective surfaces, it can go nuts.
ik this is late, but i think it also uses Laser?
@@kermitine not, by the time I wrote that comment and now I had an irobot and it suffered from that issue , I got my Xiaomi and it's just great 😃
Great video!
Could you perform the new long hair test on the D4/6/7 and roborock S5/50 ??? This is the main issue on my current roomb which I want to change!!
Thanks!
Great review, Missing the sound level like on other past reviews! S9 was suppose to be quieter, mine is NOT,
Traded in/up from I7+ to S9+, S9 has issues with thro-rugs edges on hardwood floors, sometimes turning rug 50% over and stuck S9 wheels... how about Roborock S6 vrs S9 please include sound levels...
Just got rid of my s9 for the roborock s4 due to sound and nighttime navigation. The s4 seems to be miles ahead in these categories.
When you do carpet deep clean test can you confirm carpet was 100% clean before? I think it would be better to measure carpet weight before/after because that roomba obviously didnt pick up just sand
Would be too hard to weigh the carpet accurately
Good video! But will no brand produce a robot vacuum cleaner with all the functions? hhaha the function of mopping the floor was missing! and it could also have the function of recharging its base, its tank, with water, or even if possible, some other perfumed liquid, right? OR IS THIS ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER ALREADY EXISTING with all those functions I mentioned above? if the answer is yes, what is the name of it?
Thank you!
You are welcome. Thank you for watching!
The s9 has 3 power settings under custom low 8cfm med ?and high 22cfm the high power only activates manually under custom. The detailed clean setting option works with 2 power modes the low and the med never uses the high thats how is design. Now can u please tell us what cfm is the med power setting?
How did you find this out? I figured it uses high on carpet automatically. Where is your source? I'm genuinely interested because my house is mostly all carpet.
Great video. Thank you. Wonder if you've done one covering the features of iRobot's virtual walls (and Halo mode). Wondering if these have to be turned on manually (like the one's we have had now over several iRobot generations), or do they become active (via wi-fi) when the vacuum is activated? @Vacuum Wars / #VacuumWars... thx. again for this video.
What will you do next Tuesday?
Do the prices of these flagship robots drop in 6 to 12 months after introduction ?
The first chance for the S9 to go on sale is probably pre Christmas
Will you review the Makita robo vacuum?
so if you're going to buy one right now, would you go with the s9+ for 350 more or go with the i7+. I have 3 dogs that shed like crazy and live next to the beach. So lots of sand and fur. The floors are vinyl too. Thanks!
S9+ is very much worth it. its a night and day difference as far as Im concerned.
@@VacuumWars Fantastic, thank you!
I have a i7 and we live it. We have wood & carpet and it really picks up dog hair, dust & crumbs well.
I’ll be getting the new one in a bout a year but I can say the i7 is a nice machine.
And I got mine on eBay for $300 & bought a square trade warranty for 3 years since iRobot won’t honor theirs off eBay.
@@adidas4275 Thanks so much, i'll definitely take a look!
very nice review. i hope Dyson V11 vs Tineco S12 is next :-)
Thanks for commenting! Yeah it is.
Does anyone can tell me exactly the thickness (front to back) of the tower (where the bag sits in) please? Model S9+
irobot killin it damn
I don't get it...I saw your other video in which you said you could not measure the i7's CFM, but that it was 17 CFM, and that the second one you got was able to pick up dirt from the 1/4" crevice. That video is dated earlier than this one, and has references to your first i7 that could not pick up the dirt from the 1/4" crevice. But in this video, released later (by two months!), you seem to have reverted to videos and test metrics of your first i7, which you said in the earlier video may have been a dud. This is confusing at best. It seems that this video was made before the earlier video and published later, but not changed to reflect new information. You made it sound like the i7 was a gutless vac with zero power and it almost made me cancel my prime day order. Thankfully I didn't. Then to make matters more confusing, you chose the i7 as your favorite in another video.
Is it possible to get some clarification? Thank you!
Yep I'm confused as well. This video seems to show the s9 outperforming the i7, but the best of 2020 video has the i7 as the best overall.
Will You test the Roborck S6 in the future? I wonder if new features warrant the price increase
I will be, the 26th
How much white paint you spend on every test? (jk!)
I live in Brazil and these machines are really expensive here. However, one that is able to mop would be great - since it's warm here, we have very little carpet and lots of hard floor (synthetic wood and porcelain). Is the i7 a good choice? It's the one that is more sophisticated with an sort of affordable price. Thanks!
I do think the i7 would be a good choice.
I realise I've copied a comment made previously, but it's worth noting: "How long did it take for *Roomba to finally design a* Neato?!"
It's okay that you copied a comment, because it makes it more visible to people overall
What about wires? If s9 is lower would be worse dealing with wires
If it wasn't so over priced....
Does magnet tape work for this vacuum? I already have some for my Xiaomi Robot Vacuum and I'm curious if the Roomba will recognize and not go over that tape.
Hmm, I dont know for sure but I think it would.
Do you know the new Proscenic M7 Pro
In simple terms, it's just enough to give recent i7+ owners a little bit of buyer's remorse.
Nope because unlike those thiefs from Xiaomi Roborock they give a money return if you buy the S9+ (and pay the small difference).
If you purchased from an authorized retailer, they accept returns and exchanges. (:
wow i really like the s9+ but it look like a toilet
😆
hhhhh😁😁😁😁
I am very happy with the I7 plus. So much so I bought another one for the second floor of my house. I use my 500 series for my basement. Still works fine. I just do not think that the 400 extra dollars was worth it to buy the s9. There are no piles of coffee grounds or Cheerios on my carpets...lol. My dog does not shed either so for me the I7 makes sense. The S9 is way better looking though.
My i7 does and excellent job at cleaning, and it climb my ramps and never got stuck
I just bought the roomba 985 from Costco yesterday. I tested it out this morning and it kept going in same area. I returned it back to Costco because now I'm thinking about getting the s9+
I have an s9+ fantastic
Great video! Just recently discovered your channel and as a tech enthusiast it got me excited about... Robot vacuums! Was wondering how you see the future of robot vacuums evolving in the next year or two?
Please test the Dyson 360 Eye and the new Dyson Heurist
So I’m Stuck , i currently have a roomba 980 which works great however it does have its flaws , so I’m considering getting a different one but I’m torn between neato d7 or the i7 or s9 my budge is going more towards the d7 however I’ve only ever used roomba lol what do you recommend ?
I think if budget allows the s9+ is a no brainer.
HOWEVER, if you don't care about the self emptying features and have more hard floors than carpet and/or don't care much about the "carpet deep cleaning" function of the s9+ which is the only robot that can do that... the Neato D7 would be an awesome choice and save you a ton of money.
Me, myself, have an all carpet house (except kitchen and bathrooms) and two shedding dogs so the s9+ has been amazing.. it truly deep cleans the hell out of my carpets, love it!
Absolutely rule out the i7+, it's far inferior in every way to the s9+ and it's only $200 cheaper... so if you're willing to pony up $1,100 for it.. might as well pay $1,300 and get a far more capable vacuum.
Hope this helps!
I understand ! Yes i want the s9 but that’s a rent payment haha ! That’s why i was thinking the d7 but will it still clean well ? I’m moving to a place where we have hard wood and carpets on the bedrooms
@@Thomas-ft1hy as good of reviews as the D7 gets i'm sure it will clean just fine. Will it deep clean your carpets like the S9+? No. But it still held the previous high score of 79% prior to the S9 coming around (95%). It will do just fine if your wanting to save money and it has a HUGE dust bin (5x larger than the s9+) so that's good too.. should only need to empty it once after it fully cleans the whole house. But again, if money allows.. the s9+ appears the way to go, but if you want to save, go D7! :)
Lee Ezell thanks for all the info !
Lol I’m currently trying to sell my 980 haha
My i7+ climbs my bathroom ramp and it's higher than the boards u use in your test
Could you please review the Miele RX2 home vision?
Can they handle 3 floors in a home?
Sylvain Mino .
?????
ie can you place it in the basement one day, main floor the next, top floor on the third day and it can map out each floor?
Nope, the first self-emptying system had Karcher maaany years ago, then Ecovacs with their Deebot d76, and then Samsung with their Navibot, well, it was not 100% efficient, so then few years no brands did that invention, then iRobot made the sucking out of the bin, and that worked perfectly!
I mean, really, with the big debris? I'd be using a hand-held to suck it up then the robot can do the rest.
Test this against a Roborock S6 please!
I am so tempted but after reading the reviews on amazon, i decided to just use my dyson v8 absolute
Im on the same page with the s9, I prefer the s7+
Hahaha why did you use apache airflow's logo around 1:23
Thank you!