Why this Prime Day is the worst time to buy the Roomba s9+

The iRobot Roomba S9 Plus robot vacuum cleaning the floor near the wall.

Right now, the Roomba s9+ is discounted by $100 on Amazon — and that’s just from a coupon. But don’t buy it.

It’s not really even a deal. Instead, consider shifting to a slightly lower model with the iRobot Roomba i7+. It’s discounted $500 from its usual price of $1,000, and comes with every feature you could possibly ask for in a robot vacuum: smart mapping, a self-emptying base, and crazy cleaning smarts.

How does it compare?

I’ll put it this way: I’ve used my i7+ on a regular basis for several years running, and it still holds up and performs like a dream. My floors remain clean, and I barely have to think about it. The internal bag inside the Clean Base only needs to be emptied every 60 days or so (or longer, depending on how often you run the Roomba).

This Roomba has virtually the same intelligence across the board thanks to iRobot’s over-the-air updates. And due to advances with its smart mapping feature, you can ask your Roomba to clean specific areas of the home, like around the kitchen table. You don’t need the s9+ for that; the i7+ can do it just as well.

See all the best Prime Day deals
All the other Prime Day robot vacuum deals

In fact, the i7+ differs in only one major way: it doesn’t have quite as much suction power. That is still a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things, though. With its three-stage cleaning system, it can dislodge stuck-in dirt and debris — and as as the owner of a pet that sheds a lot, I can attest to how effective it is at cleaning up pet hair.

The slight boost in power you’d get from buying the Roomba s9+ just isn’t worth the extra $500 you’d spend. Instead, rack up the savings and use it on something else.

Don’t wait, though. The deal runs out at the end of Prime Day. Though $500 isn’t an impulse buy, it’s also one of the best deals you’re going to see on a robot vacuum.

How does it compare?

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