iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot Vacuum & Mop + AutoWash REVIEW

[@xtra_9]

i got the j9 combo at christmas last year and it’s been fantastic. with 3 dogs it’s great to wake up in the morning and get home from work with minimal dog hair. i went with the irobot because i read/heard replacement parts were available. luckily haven’t needed to explore that at all. i wasn’t expecting much from the mop, especially after seeing the competitions solutions, but it does a fantastic job. our socks don’t lie! i started off with the max water setting for mopping and noticed too much making its way into the dust bin, prematurely packing the filter. after lowering it to the medium or low setting, nearly cured that issue. i wish i had experience with other units because i like some other features, but really i have no complaints at 10 months

[@arkasza2007]

Ye, because Combo j9+ is actually good. This one in the video is crazy sad bad

[@TeamSlackerRacer]

Similar experience with my '10 max'. -self empty not getting all the dirt out of the bin -subpar mapping and navigating -wondering aimless, deploying and retracting map multiple times and not moving, thinking forever, etc -my pad drying is quieter, just a light fan hum, maybe something wrong with yours? -my water spraying opposite of yours, not enuf water put down, even at max setting it leaves 3 wet stripes so entire pad isn't wet -mop pad hinge broke somehow during its first cleaning run Overall it's just 'ok', not great, not trash, but just 'ok' does not justify the premium price tag.

[@Pack282p]

Contact support about this; if you’re still in warranty they’re just phenomenal. After a bit of trouble shooting you’ll get a replacement unit. I had the same issue here’s some advice: Don’t use Bona( for me is caused the issue) iRobot official cleaner worked well for me but maybe try just water or diluting it more if that doesn’t work. Also software will improve Aton and pretty quickly

[@Boodieman72]

LIDAR is far older than you think, my Neato robot vacs used LIDAR way back when. The iRobot's with a camera never run over dog poop like a lot of the LIDAR machines you have tested have.

[@kylek29]

The modern LIDAR robots also have cameras and 3d dot projectors (to construct a 3d estimation of the objects), it allows them to get closer to detected objects than the VSLAM and Computer Vision only models that iRobot uses. Heck, no modern robots (outside of very budget models) should run over dog/cat poop these days. iRobot is stuck in their old ways and refuses to adapt. The problem with the single camera VSLAM they use is that they can too easily lose their location/position and are only accurate to about a square foot (in my tests) until they bump into something and can reset the "inertia travel" calculation -- LIDAR based are accurate to inches. At least a dual camera module would allow for some form of depth 3d approximation of their position.

[@blessguy5330]

@@kylek29 My roborock S7 MaxV Ultra does super good with obstacles and cords

[@Boodieman72]

@@kylek29 Why would I want a robot that runs over dog poop?

[@krystianstepien5835]

Jesusss. Get down from the tree. It`s 2024

[@xeon2k8]

@@Boodieman72 why would we want a robot that doesnt go over dog poop but mops like shit, navigates like shit, bumps into everything (have you checked the video again?)

[@Andrew_Freeman]

I ordered this a few hours ago. My grandma has an old one from 2013 and I kind of liked it. So I ordered mine. My thoughts: Run it when you are out of the house. Half of the issues brought up in this video is only an issue because the is watching it and nitpicking. If I had to leave the house at 5 to get to work and the kids are at school at 8. And no one will be home until 3. I would have the robot cleaning during that time frame. When people would get home the floor would be relatively clean. I wouldn’t solely really on it to keep the floor perfectly clean but I would assume that it would do the job 90%of the time. A part of me wanted to regret buying it right at the start of the video but honestly, it does exactly what I expect it to do and the upkeep seems reasonable considering the work it is doing.

[@DarthFurball]

Agreed. Will never buy a Roborock again after having a ton of issues with it (compared to many generations of Roombas)

[@krystianstepien5835]

You write like you`re living under the rock since 2014. EVERY robot can do this for a friction of the price.

[@khakiswag]

The problem isn't necessarily the robot, it's the price. As of right now this robot is on sale for $999. For the same price you can get the Eufy S1 Pro, or for $550 you can get a Eufy X10; both of these are far superior to the Max 10. We recently purchased an S1 Pro and we mainly have it clean when we're at work but we also have it clean the kitchen and living room in the evening on the weekends and we can't hear it from our bedroom. Other than when it self empties the dirt bin it's quiet enough to sit in the living room and watch TV while it's vacuuming. It does everything automatically and the only thing we've had to do is empty dirty water and refill the clean water. And it also cleans perfectly and avoids obstacles in complete darkness.

[@xeon2k8]

you dont know any better that's why you are commenting this. If the price would be 400 bucks it would be fine, but at that current price there are WAY better vacuums that dont just "do what you expect"

[@hermoinekatz9879]

Yeah I bought this and it sucks so much. I live in a 3000 square foot bungalow and this thing takes all day to clean and the floors still aren’t clean. It goes over and over in the same places and I’ve remapped my house over and over again and it still does not have it mapped properly. The stains I see after it mopped and it just sucks. Worst robot ever

[@kylek29]

iRobot sat on their heels and continued to push the same products year after year with slight tweaks only to let everyone else catch and surpass them. They've been using a lot of thr ssme components (like the vacuum motor) for 6 years plus which is why they have abysmal suction, aided only by the dual brush which their patent expired last year. My guess is they'll be acquired within the next few years by one of the Chinese brands with only the brand name surviving.

[@markaarontaylor]

Sounds like Apple to me. No significant changes and taking the money.

[@xeon2k8]

@@markaarontaylor apple is on top of the game next to other giants, iRobot isnt since long time ago dude

[@Domski777]

Excellent review. I have a vacuum only J7+ and I think vacuuming only is the limit for this technology. It's fine for that. They need to go back to the drawing board for a mopping robot.

[@timbaland916]

I got mine directly from the manufacturer for free (long story with their customer service), and I’d rate it 9/10 for vacuuming but only 4-5/10 for the mopping feature. I don’t think it can replace traditional mopping, but it works as a somewhat adjunct for maintaining clean floors between traditional mopping sessions. As for the auto-clean feature, I’ve been using a mix of bleach and non-ammonia mopping solution without any issues with odors from the base. There’s also a nice feature that lets you clean and flush the base, which I find pretty useful.

[@Pack282p]

Sameee only took me six replacement units…

[@tatianadorazio9256]

Excellent reviews!

[@As2Bax]

roombas with the front camera are so violent on mapping, it bangs on everything and gets really close to walls, I own one myself now and man its insane

[@Chilli2921]

How was your vacuum already that beat up after three weeks of ownership?

[@avadakedavra1044]

best robot of 2020

[@tjhf96]

Yay the L10s Pro! I’m excited for that one!

[@JustADad]

Me too!!

[@adamhahler4205]

There’s a setting where it will not bang into stuff as much. Have you tried that? Just wondering if that helps at all. Also I wonder if there’s something wrong with your base station. I can’t believe that should be that loud.

[@JustADad]

Maybe it is my base station not really sure

[@BlazingNina]

Thank you for your time with this Company. They are a budget vac company and shouldn’t be in the premium field until the begin to try to compete. Customer Care is great but I don’t wanna talk to the vac company every month when something inevitably goes wrong. Dreame X40 is awesome and they’ll have something new coming here soon I’m excited for!

[@nubianqueen09]

I actually loved my roomba but it went kuku after I changed the filter😮… it couldn’t restart and would stall after starting a job saying change filter.😢

[@kingskater4]

iRobot is still a decent contender as just a vacuum, but with mopping, they are not worth it. More people these days are interested in robots that can mop as well, so they really need to put more focus on mopping if they wanna be taken seriously like Roborock or Dreame.

[@xeon2k8]

not even as a vacuum, they keep getting stuck issues when auto-emptying and they dont do corner cleaning

[@DagmaraKrakow]

The only reason I am considering a roomba is the fact that it DOES NOT HAVE LIDAR. I tested two robots with LiDAR and they would not go under my sofa or under the bed, they could not even map the room with the bed although there was plenty of space for them to go under with at least 1,5 inch to spare. For the fancy LiDAR robot I tested, the room finished where the bed started, the side of the bed was a wall according to LiDAR navigation. The reason for this may be that both my bed and the sofa have loose fabric skirting around them which the LiDAR robots consider a solid wall. Has anyone else had this problem? Is there a LiDAR robot that is not scared of sofa skirts and will go go through the fabric and under the sofa or the bed? I know that roomba, with all her faults will! Another thing which is incomprehensible to me is the round LiDAR part that sticks out on top of the robots and is therefore reducing the space they will fit into. And roomba without the round „growth” on top will clean around my built in bath and the kitchen cabinets without any problems.

[@Jeffw02]

Agree. I've tried a number of LiDAR bots, but they can never get under the beds or curtains like the Roomba can.

[@TechGuru-j2q]

They need to take the s9 and upgrade it with better suction spinning mops a top notch self empting station and washing

[@stephaniethompson5307]

So what is the best combo robot ?

[@krystianstepien5835]

Dreame X40 Ultra, Roborock Qrevo MaxV if you`re focused on moping or S8 MaxV Ultra.

[@MrLosbandos]

Which robot do you use the most?

[@unkhammunankh7252]

What combo robot would you suggest for tile floors? Was looking at buying this one to replace my downstairs’ 985, but not enough reviews out there yet.

[@xeon2k8]

did you even watch the video? the guy said he was even thinking not to even review it of how old tech this is. Check Dreame or Roborock or Eufy

[@unkhammunankh7252]

@@xeon2k8yeah, I watched the video. He suggested other brands, not models. I’m asking for specific model recommendations as I only ever used Roombas.

[@unkhammunankh7252]

@@xeon2k8and by the way, I received my Roomba combo 10 max and so far is doing a superb job of cleaning the floors and mopping the tiles with no streaks. I have a husky, a toddler and an infant, and so far their messes are cleaned just fine. I also found it to be not so noisy as some have mentioned, unless the more recent models were “quieter,” I can only compare to the 960 and 985 I currently own. So, so far so good. My only complaint is that this unit came with a scratch on the front bumper, and although iRobot guaranteed it was a new unit, they’re still sending me a replacement to make it up.

[@xeon2k8]

@@unkhammunankh7252 dude this tech for this price is a rip off, "just fine" doesnt cut it at this price mate, once you try Roborock or Dreame, this Roomba is a fucking toy. Check S8 pro Ultra, or QRevo Curv or Edge or Master, Dreame X40 or X30, Something a bit more budget friendly Eufy X10.

[@xeon2k8]

@@unkhammunankh7252 owned Roborock for more than 5 years, S5, S7 plus, Q7 max plus, S8 pro ultra. All still working i gave some to family members, and some in the basement waiting to be sold. This robot is shit for the price, do whatever you like with the info and everyone else saying that in the comments.

[@XeSurge]

I have been looking around for so long trying to find a good vacuum mop combo, was gonna buy this but I should ask, single family home, all hardwood, what would you recommend?

[@Pack282p]

I’d recommend in discount if you can afford it. They have wonderful customer support, but they’re behind overall. If you value knowing it will last go iRobot, if you don’t go Roborock in my opinion.

[@XeSurge]

@@Pack282p i eneded up going with the roborock s8 maxv ultra

[@Pack282p]

@@XeSurge if your going with Roborock I’d personally switch to the Roborock q revo master if your in your return period. Spinning mod pads just offers better cleaning in my opinion; however, you’re gonna be really happy with both. Also congrats!

[@pawestyrna1829]

Hi, an idea for a test. Try some carpet with fringes. Many robots struggle with that.

[@JustADad]

Thanks for the tip!

[@michellezimmermann9160]

I should be watching the Roomba do its thing, but instead I’ve got my eyes on the prize in the corner, what was the title of that song again? Ohh yeah, “Nothing compares to eu-fy” 😂Thanks Mr Dad 😁

[@tylerrosa1201]

Sadly I dont think IRobot is gonna stray from LiDAR for a while since they've invested so much time and money into VSlam, however their small obstacle avoidance is pretty good

[@tylerrosa1201]

16:35 when he ust drove onto the side of the dock was funny

[@krystianstepien5835]

Way below this price the competition has much much better navigation and obstacle avoidance systems.

[@shanadagnysiap]

Wow I love your videos… could you do some about juicers???

[@CollinLutz-p9e]

Irobot needs to just pack it in. They are great to take apart and replace parts, and my roombas still pick up dirt. But I would never buy another unit from them unless they get with the times.

[@Zcahm]

so here's my opinion. Roomba parts availability and customer service top notch. there robots are not up to par when it comes to technology, but who cares if you can’t get parts in five years and don’t get customer service at all I still agree that this robot needs a lot of work.

[@johnb300m]

Yup. After an experience with a Chinese throw away robot, I’m more than happy with the Roomba oddities. My J7 scrapes up my baseboards… not at all like my old LIDAR bot. Even with LIDAR i could never let it run unattended. It got stuck all the time. I also like how I can get parts for my Roomba for many years. The Xiaomi- based bots are so hard to find the right parts for. If you’re lucky.

[@Zcahm]

Finally, someone who agrees

[@Undertaker-wz9dk]

My roomba 700 is still working after 12 years and I can still found any spare parts after so long time. Can we say the same about all the Chinese robot? They are putting on market a new model with 10 different variation max/pro/ultra/extra every year. Are you confident to spend 1000 or more €/$ for a robot if you can’t be sure if after 3 years you will be able to find a new battery? Roomba probably has some difects or weak points when compared with roborock or others, but, IMHO, pure performance is not all.

[@xeon2k8]

@@Undertaker-wz9dk aliexpress has most common parts so usually with the big brands there's no issue. also "some defects or weak points" dude that's an understatement ffs

[@michaelplaczek9385]

I think circular robot vacuums just suck, the corner performance is always terrible unless it has an extending arm. But then, it costs so much more if it has it

[@simkied]

Doesn't really seem that clean... for all the time it spent in that small space?

[@Pustul]

My Roomba i7 destroyed the skirting boards of our basement by constantly hitting them for years. I wanted to buy a robot for upstairs, will a Lidar based robot avoid that issue?

[@jackgaul3704]

Yes, definitely. The laser means it knows exactly where it is and how far it is from walls, so they stop right in time to not hit walls. Even more modern camera bots don’t do that, iRobot is way behind.

[@marquesalan]

Obstacle avoidance with LIDAR is horrible.

[@del5606]

I'm testing one as I write and it's the most erratic bot I've ever tested. Appalling in so many ways. Auto empty system refused to empty the pet hair and is horrendously loud as earlier models. I don't even know where to start with my review. I rarely have issues with Roborock (have the S8 MaxV Ultra and Qrevo Curv) and I've been really impressed with the Dreame L40 Ultra and even Xioami's latest cheap one with mopping. Hell, iRobot's earlier ones were way better, especially the S9+. What the hell happened here - it's like going back 5 years. In its favour, it's obstacle avoidance is better so far than others, especially with small objects. But obstacle avoidance isn't the be-all and end-all. Not looking forward to writing my review. Also, non lidar is good for sofas with valances - the bot punches through. But that's it.

[@JustADad]

yep its not a good vacuum at all

[@ElevatorWasher5000]

Kind of seems cheap like those Amazon robot vacuums

[@scottd1432]

My jaw hit the floor when you looked at the mop and bin after the cleaning cycle! The mop was sopping wet and filthy, the bin had a pile of stuff in it, and the filter was about halfway blocked solid. Almost unbelievable, what a shame.

[@mikearrigo5674]

Great video. Irobot is definitely behind the times. They are still using VSLAM instead of LIDAR which is why this robot can't navigate in the dark. Also, the mop pad doesn't spin or vibrate, it's just a pad that the robot drags around, even budget robots do that. I've heard another review of this robot and the drying fan was not quite as loud as yours but still louder than all of the other robots that dry the pad. At one time Irobot was the leader in robot vacuums but they have allowed companies such as Roborock, Dreametech, Eufy, Ecovacs and Narwal to get far ahead of them. Here is a video that tells the story of what happened, it's kind of interesting. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYunhKmPZZmah8U

[@hadrast]

I said it before, and I'll say it again: lidar is a mistake. You criticized the Roomba mop arms for being a moving part prone to failure, yet ignore that lidar modules are constantly spinning and mounted on top of the bot, where they can catch on low furniture. I've seen plenty of reports of the lidar module failing, rendering such a bot useless. Could iRobot improve navigation? Most certainly, but that is a software issue; lidar has no inherent advantage over a camera besides ease of programming.

[@Domski777]

I agree. If done correctly vslam or camera based navigation isn't so bad in comparison to lidar. Also lidar doesn't deal well with very large, open areas and mirrors.

[@MrFastFox666]

How come everyone is using LIDAR then? Because it's better. Top mounted units have omni directional vision, are much more accurate, and work in the dark. If you're concerned about clearance, models like the Eufy S1 or the current Ecovacs flagship (can't remember the name) have internal LIDAR sensors which don't protrude. Samsung also recently released their Jet Bot AI and it has a tiny LIDAR unit on top. Yes LIDAR might be easier to program, but a camera is way way cheaper to implement, and yet nearly no one is using them exclusively for navigation. Must be a reason for that, companies love saving money after all. Comparing the movement of the LIDAR sensor to the movement of the mop pad is also quite disingenuous and misleading. The LIDAR sensor is not exposed to any force or any water, unlike the mop pad. Remember, they're enclosed in a protective plastic cage. Plus, they are much, MUCH simpler, mechanically speaking, because all they do is rotate in one direction, vs all the different rotations and translations of multiple parts, likely powered by multiple motors, just to raise and lower the mop.

[@vincentsantucci2478]

@@hadrast what a load of bulldust.

[@hadrast]

@@MrFastFox666 "How come everyone is using LIDAR then?" See: ease of programming. It's a lot cheaper in the short term to pay a few dollars more each unit for bottom dollar LIDAR equipment than it is years of R&D salaries in the hopes of developing a decent vision-based navigation. As long as the LIDAR lasts past the warranty period, it's good enough. On the other hand, I know Roombas last decades. "Comparing LIDAR to mop" No, the comparison is between a stationary camera and a mechanically rotating module, and the latter already has a known MTBF in single digit years.

[@Crusader1984]

That’s just not true. I’ve had my liar robot vacuum for five years now and I’ve used other technology with liar.

[@vincentsantucci2478]

Why anyone would consider buying anything from Roomba / iRobot in 2024 is beyond me.

[@renerawcliffe2827]

I'm looking for a new robot hoover. I was wondering why.

[@oscarnovember]

Why not?

[@unkhammunankh7252]

Context? I have two Roombas (one upstairs, one downstairs) and was looking at this one. I don’t keep up with different offerings and this is the only one I really know, what’s the issue with them if you don’t mind sharing?

[@vincentsantucci2478]

With the quality and price of Chinese offerings, spending money on Roomba just makes no sense. Check out any reviews of Roborock or Dreame for example. So far ahead of anything from iRobot.

[@Pack282p]

Well they have phenomenal customer support. My combo j9+ had mopping issues on our floor type where it wouldn't be saturated enough, so after trying a replacement unit, they gave us a brand new Roomba combo 10 max since we agreed the mop cleaning would improve saturation. Also, products last forever. We’ve had our Roomba i7+ for maybe 4-5 years at this point. Also not mopping the carpet and poop avoidance is phenomenal. This is all coming from someone with a Roborock q revo master which I agree definitely does a better job cleaning. I’m just pointing out that it’s definitely still competitive and a good company.

[@DashMoot]

Detect pro

[@haylieg2780]

I have a shark r101ae and it does a much better job than this, and it uses old technology.

[@MrFastFox666]

Feels like iRobot is solely relying on brand recognition at this point. This is comically inept compared to other vacuums around the same price, or sometimes even significantly less. My old Deebot T8 has better navigation, better mopping, better vacuuming, and it cost $600 less three years ago.

[@karengarrow5579]

iRobot 10 max is like windows vista it’s pointless it has no place in the brand I will never buy it I prefer the J9+ combo that one looks the part

[@baconcow]

Brand new but looks like absolute crap. Beaten up. Dock is dirty.

[@myronbrown4490]

Who barking

[@tetoqx]

roomba is just stuck in 2017. maybe they should stop developing robots.

[@deuceswild6857]

Junk!

[@Vdessis]

First comment!

[@Patrickkkkkkk356]

First dont care!