We've got a dog and my girlfriend has very long hair that we would have to cut strands out of the rollers every couple of runs. The new Roomba models have these rubber rollers doesn't catch hair. I'm not entirely what about the design prevents that, but it is fantastic!
The i3 is probably $100 more than you'd spend on a Robovac though. For us it has been worth every penny.
I'm still 100% happy with the purchase. Does it vacuum as well as a person? No, absolutely not, but what it does do is remove 90%+ of the work.
My only suggestion is that you get one that has a self-emptying container. We have two kids and a cat, and we still only have to change the bag every few WEEKS.
I'm not going to tell you it's perfect. It will occasionally get stuck, or you have to clean it out, but boy has it removed a lot of work for my wife and I.
They've really dialed that design in. It does require a deep cleaning about once a month, but it's quite easy. Takes maybe a minute. And whenever we don't pick everything up, the Roomba will choke on things like bubble wrap, socks, towels (we often keep one on the floor by the door for the dog).
It's been a real workhorse.
https://productnotes.com/t/irobot-roomba-i3-review/722
Also, it does have a self-emptying dock if you want to spend an additional $100. It didn't make sense for my condo though.
EDIT: I ran the Roomba this morning and posted some additional pics with what it picked up and how the brush rollers look post-vacuum.
Ha, I wish that was universally true. My girlfriend's hair is long and insanely strong. It wraps around the rollers and cuts right through them.
Still love the Roomba, but often need to replace rollers. :)
Thing with the robovacs here: when you empty their bin and see how much dust they catched, you know they're very useful. We buy (and I build) furnitures and arrange our home so that the Roomba can go underneath them. I wouldn't for example buy a sofa under which the Roomba couldn't vaccuum.
Perhaps I should have clarified that only the newer i3, i7 and s9 are the models that use the new brushroller design. Otherwise you'll still be cutting hair out of the rollers.
Also, one of my favorite things about it is hearing the base spinning up like a jet engine to suck all the crap out of it, and hearing it go FOOMP.