I’ve only ever owned one robot vacuum in my life and it was a Roomba. I absolutely loved the thing right up until it came time for me to empty it, which was surprisingly frequently. But then once we got a dog who sheds and emptying became an almost daily thing, I ended up giving up on the idea of having a little vacuum butler in my life and retired it to the basement. But as I’m browsing Amazon’s latest Black Friday deals this weekend, there’s a pretty significant price cut that caught my eye and has me questioning whether or not I do need a robot vacuum.
The Roomba J9+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum has dropped in price by a whopping 64% today. That’s one of the cheapest prices I’ve ever seen on a self-emptying Roomba, and by far the most affordable this particular model has ever been. At this price I’m definitely considering picking one up this year.
iRobot Roomba j9+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum Deal
I usually rely on IGN’s tech reviews to research things before I buy them, but since we don’t actually review robot vacuums I had to look to our sister site, PC Mag. According to an expert review from Andrew Gebhart, PC Mag’s Senior Smart Home writer, the iRobot j9+ is “a user-friendly robot vacuum that justifies its high price with strong suction power, reliable obstacle avoidance, self-emptying functionality, and ample app features.” The vacuum also made his list of the best robot vacuums you can buy in 2025.
It seems like the main downside of this vacuum is the high price, but that’s pretty much negated with the latest discount. At $319.98, the j9+ is down to its lowest price in Amazon history by a pretty significant margin. There are certainly cheaper self-emptying vacuums from other brands out there, but this particular model was expensive for a reason: It comes with a ton of features (like mapping out your home) and has an excellent battery life.
Do you need a robot vacuum?
I’m certainly not a robot vacuum expert, but when I did have a roomba in the past I loved the convenience. They are especially helpful for hardwood floors that gather a lot of obvious dust and hair, but they don’t fully remove the need to vacuum entirely. Even with smarter features, robot vacuums still miss spots and have limits to what they can do. They do greatly cut down on how often you need to vacuum, though, and they are great for keeping dust levels down for anyone in the household that gets extra sneezy.
With that in mind, nobody actually needs a robot vacuum. They are a luxury you add to your home simply because you can. If you want one, just make sure you get a good one that will last long enough to be a worthwhile investment.
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