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ZDNET's key takeaways
The iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max robot vacuum and mop is available for $1,400.
This multifunctional Roomba vacuums exhaustively, mobs well, and keeps your carpets dry by lifting the mop pad completely above the robot.
While iRobot is a renowned robot vacuum brand, its app is not as intuitive as those of other robot vacuum makers
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What's the deal?
The new iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max robot vacuum and mop is typically $1,399, but it's 30% off for $999, just in time for the holidays.
As a robot vacuum tester, my home is full of constant whirring sounds from robots meandering around, and I was convinced nothing could surprise me. My anxious dog has become surprisingly accustomed to the robotic intruders in his home while his shedding coat continues to challenge each one. Pet hair is an issue for most dog and cat owners, as it is for me, so I always watch how each robot vacuum performs against it.
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I'm glad to report that the Roomba Combo 10 Max robot vacuum and mop demolished this fuzzy task. I've tested many robot vacuums, from Eufy to Eureka, Dreame to Yeedi, Ecovacs to Roborock -- yet the latest flagship Roomba was the one that best removed pet hair from both my carpet and hard floors.
The Roomba Combo 10 Max is so strong that you can see how well it suctions the very short pile of my entryway rug, which is also my dog's favorite napping spot. This robot leaves carpet lines on a rug on which I'd rarely seen carpet lines, not even after cleaning it with my traditional upright vacuum. This effectiveness results from the combination of iRobot's dual rubber brush rollers and -- according to the company -- 100% stronger suction than the previous flagship.
In its wake, the Combo 10 Max left visually hair-free rugs, becoming the best one I've seen at removing the nuisance from carpets. This is a hard balance for robot vacuums. If a robot vacuum's suction power is too strong, it'll get stuck on the rug. If you've ever pushed an upright vacuum over a rug on a very high suction level, you've likely realized it takes significant strength to push it forward and back. Robot vacuums don't have a person pushing them, so they must balance suction power with thrust force.
iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot Vacuum and Mop
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Getting the Roomba Combo 10 Max up and running took me a while. Although I've been using robot vacuums daily for over five years, I only began seriously testing them two years ago and hadn't used a Roomba before. The iRobot app has a lot of customization options, but it isn't super intuitive, which is made more obvious after testing at least 10 competitor apps.
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I encountered many errors during the first two weeks of using the Roomba Combo 10 Max. The app repeatedly told me either the dirty or clean water tanks weren't properly installed or the dust collection bag was clogged. After successfully saving a map and running the robot to vacuum only a few times, the Roomba Combo 10 Max and I were finally on the same page.
Since then, I've run it repeatedly in my home and run it automatically on a schedule every other day.
iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max robot vacuum and mop
I really like that iRobot packs the sensors into the robot, so there's no LiDAR sensor array sticking out of the top.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
The robot expertly avoids obstacles and objects on the floor, like paper towels and toys, to avoid getting its brush rollers stuck. It has powerful enough suction to remove pet hair from rugs. It keeps rugs dry by lifting the mop pad above the robot. It offers a hands-free cleaning experience by self-emptying and washing its mop pad.
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The mopping feature is one of the few reasons this isn't the best device on the market. While I love the robotic mechanism that lifts the mop pad on top of the robot to keep my rugs dry, I found that the robot leaves streaks behind after mopping, likely due to the pumps that drip water onto the mop pad.
The Roomba Combo 10 Max also doesn't seem to follow its map very efficiently. I've had other robots, like the Eufy S1 Pro and Dreame X40 Ultra, vacuum and mop in rows and follow a neat pattern when mopping each room, but this Roomba doesn't, as you can see in the picture below. That said, I believe it still cleans very well and mops better than even the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra.
iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot Vacuum and Mop
As you can see above, the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max navigates to the beat of its own drum, and the mop lines can dry streaky.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
This machine produces great results, is precise, and features strong suction power. You can tell that iRobot thought of every detail when building the Roomba Combo 10 Max, such as making the cleaning basin for the self-washing mop out of antimicrobial plastic and making the dock double as a side table with a front opening rather than a lid.
ZDNET's buying advice
I can confidently say this is one of the best robot vacuum and mop combinations I've tested, but it is a bit high maintenance by multifunctional robot vacuum standards. Yes, the Roomba Combo 10 Max self-empties its dustbin and autonomously washes and dries its mop, but mine constantly asks me for intervention and maintenance. I've had it running for about a month and have had to do more maintenance than is required with other models in three months -- like cleaning the dustbin sensor and checking why it shows an error in the dustbag, water tank placement, or a clog in the dock.
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The Roomba Combo 10 Max is top-tier when it doesn't demand intervention. It also has one increasingly rare attribute in the robot vacuum market: It seems to be worth every penny. This vacuum performs better than more expensive models and is one robot you can trust not to get caught on every little object or cable on your floors. This is especially true when the Combo 10 Max is on sale, which is currently featuring a deal price of $999, a 30% discount.
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