You can create room dividers in open layouts to better separate seating and dining areas, and drop in furniture to tell it what to expect in certain spaces. The in-app AI also tried to add furniture during some of the mapping, but it wasn’t accurate.
The 2D map is the main one that you’ll edit and see detailed info for, but you can also look at it in 3D. The 3D map version was hilarious, since many random objects were shown visually as a toilet (including the X30 Ultra’s own base station); I didn’t find it nearly as useful as the 2D.
Editing the map within the app wasn’t as intuitive as I would have liked, but once I got the hang of the tools, it was easy enough to customize it with room labels, separation for more targeted cleaning, and types of flooring. In the map you’ll also see an option for zones, where you can draw a zone box for specific area cleaning.
Get in Swirl Formation
Photograph: Nena Farrell
The X30 Ultra did a good job moving around all kinds of objects and from various carpet and flooring heights. It even managed to navigate through the tricky legs of my toddler’s high chair and my vintage dining table’s C-shaped legs. It had a little trouble figuring out my living room rug, though; I ended up using zones to focus on my rug so it could vacuum in a timely fashion. Otherwise, it was constantly on a mission to get into the smallest crevices it could, bless its little digital soul.
The robot did fine vacuuming up things like Cheerios, cat food, and cat litter, but it never got 100 percent of it. That’s pretty normal with robot vacuums, but a little disappointing given how high the price tag is. For example, it doesn’t do edges as well as you might expect; there was still a little litter on the edges of the hall, which is what the flex arm promised to fix.
Overall, it’s a pretty great hybrid robot vacuum and mop, and I love being able to leave the damp mop pads off my carpet. But it’s a steep price tag for the removable mop pad and that flex arm, which didn’t even work that well. You’d have to really want those to make the vacuum worth it (or have a massive home that requires the X30’s long battery life). Otherwise, the rest of these features can be found in cheaper vacuums.
The E10s is Eureka’s mid-range robot vacuum, offering every feature you need. Its vacuuming and mopping capability is complimented by a bagless self-emptying dust station, real-time mapping, and customizable cleaning schedules.
The vacuum strength can be adjusted to suit the debris that needs picking up, but even at the strongest 4,000Pa of suction, there was still litter left behind. Freshly dropped crumbs and dirt were generally fine, but more stubborn walked-in dirt couldn’t be captured. The noise at this level of suction also becomes a problem, especially if you’re trying to relax at the same time or make sure the children stay asleep. This lack of high-end performance means you’ll still need one of the best vacuum cleaners for those deeper cleans, though generally speaking no robotic cleaner can ever live up the the best vacuum cleaners in terms of suction power.
The E10s took a while to map my house, but once it was finished, it was able to predictably find its way around each room without too much trouble. As with most vacuums of this type, getting into corners was a little tricky, although the rotating dual brushes helped extend the capture range.
At the end of a clean, the E10 found its way back to its charging station and emptied its contents. It did this reliably and without any mess spilling out onto the floor. Unfortunately, the vacuum was rarely able to deposit the full contents of its clean into the base station. This resulted in the need for fairly regular maintenance cleaning to keep everything running smoothly. The base station itself looks great, with a clear perspex front, enabling users to see whether it needs emptying without having to tamper with it, though some may prefer vacuum debris to be left unseen.
(Image credit: Future)
The mop pad feels like a half-hearted attempt at providing a premium feature. In essence, all it is doing is running a wet cloth along the floor behind the vacuum. The app allows you to control how much water it uses, something you’ll need to be conscious of with hardwood floors. The mop was able to clean up fresh spills but couldn’t push through deeper stains. I don’t particularly mind this, as any mop that excels at this is likely to risk damaging the top layer of the floor.
The mop automatically lifts when it’s working in a ‘no mop zone’ which means the vacuum can move between surfaces without the user having to remove or insert the mop pad. That being said, the pad does attract a lot of unwanted dirt when traveling across carpets, which substantially limits its effectiveness when it then moves on to a hard floor.
Despite these small setbacks, the E10s is still a fantastic mid-range robot vacuum that will keep your house clean and tidy. At only $699, you’ll get a largely effective robot vacuum, which will only require you to get out a standard vacuum cleaner or mop when performing deep cleans.
Where is it available? Available in the US and Australia
The Eureka E10s costs $699.99 / AU$1,099, and you can buy it in the US at various retailers, including Amazon and Walmart. The E10 is also available in Australia. There are no plans at the moment for a UK release.
This price point puts it firmly in the middle of the market between the super-budget options and premium alternatives. For the price, you’ll get a fantastic all-rounder robot vacuum cleaner that includes a mop pad for basic mopping capabilities. Its bagless technology means owners will also avoid the cost of replacement bags, making this an even more affordable option.
The Eufy Clean X9 Pro is a little more expensive, but delivers better mopping performance. If mopping is important to you, then the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni is another great option. If you want one of the best robot vacuums that excel at everything, then check out the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra for $1,599 / AU$2,699.
Value score: 4.5 out of 5
Eureka E10s robot vacuum specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Here are the Eureka E10s specifications
Watt:
55 Watts
Suction power
4,000pa
Speeds
Gentle, Quiet, Standard, Turbo
Bin volume
0.2L for Robot vacuum; 2L for station dust cup
Battery life
180 minutes
Filtration
Yes
Noise volume
65Db (vacuum)
Mop water volume
Not specified
Water levels
Dry, Low, Standard, High
Mapping
Yes
Obstacle avoidance
Yes
Base
9.87″x7.1″x17.4 in
Smart support
App and voice activation
Tools
None
Weight
17.6lbs
Eureka E10 robot vacuum review: design & features
Bagless Self-Emptying Dust Station
2-in-1 Vacuum and Mop System
Multi-Level Cleaning
The Eureka E10s vacuum and base station are fairly compact and were well packaged inside a relatively small box. Having unboxed everything, I proceeded to plug the device in, download the app, and connect the two, which took no more than 10 minutes. After leaving the device to charge for a few hours, it was ready to map my house.
The robot vacuum is a beautiful round shape made of premium-quality powder-coated dark grey plastic. The color and material will help to keep the case looking great and free from scuff marks compared to white plastic alternatives.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
At 13.8 x 13.8 x 3.8 inches, it is a little larger than I expected, but it really looks the part. However, it is on the taller side of the robot vacuum spectrum, so it’s worth considering if there will be enough clearance room for the E10s to venture beneath lower furniture. The top of the robot includes three neat buttons for quickly turning it off, setting it to clean, or sending it back to the base station for charging. More specific and targeted cleaning tasks can be carried out through the app.
Two side brushes are easily inserted into the vacuum, which helps it cover a greater area of dust and dirt. This was particularly effective at the edges and corners of rooms. Without them, I think it would have struggled in these areas.
(Image credit: Future)
The mop pad sits at the back of the device and is attached with velcro and a thin rod that you slide into the main unit. The pad can be easily removed for cleaning and re-applying. The dust box is easy to remove and clean out, something that is regularly necessary due to the middling performance of the self-emptying process.
Moving on to the base station, we find an identical design ethos with pleasing curved edges and the same powder-coated dark grey plastic. At a size of 9.87 x 7.1 x 17.4 inches, it sits next to the wall and, after a while, just blends into the background.
(Image credit: Future)
The debris receptacle is easily removed by pulling on the top handle and is largely made of see-through plastic, so you know when it needs emptying. The presence of a small LED light on the front of the base station tells you that it is connected to a power source.
The robot vacuum includes two metal connection points, which, when connected to the base station, allow the device to be charged. I found that the robot had no problems finding its way back to its home.
(Image credit: Future)
The vacuum is complemented by an easy-to-use, powerful app. This makes it possible to see the mapped area, specify rooms, and dictate the suction power and water level. You can also set up a cleaning schedule for automated cleaning at set times.
I found it funny that there was a ‘Find My Robot’ feature. I’m not sure whose house is so big that it might get lost, but maybe it could get stuck under a sofa or chair. I can’t say I needed it, but the option is certainly nice to have.
Eureka E10 robot vacuum review: performance
Easy-to-use app
Vacuuming for everyday cleaning
Sub-par mopping
For the first test, I sprinkled a mix of crushed digestives and flour onto my carpet and hard floor before setting it to clean on its lowest suction power. At this level of power, the E10s was unable to pick up any of the debris. The flour and biscuits just got compacted into the carpet, meaning I needed to wipe the carpet afterward.
It fared slightly better on a hard floor, although it still struggled to collect a meaningful amount of dirt. After changing the power modes all the way from gentle through to turbo, I found that at the highest power setting, it was able to collect most of the debris, although it needed two or three turns to do it adequately.
(Image credit: Future)
The second test with oats was very much the same story. The dual brushes helped to direct the oats into the vacuum, but the lowest suction wasn’t strong enough to draw them up. The highest suction power was able to get up most of the oats.
The mop pad cleaned fresh spills nicely, although its effectiveness in mopping up spills rather than just spreading them around was completely dependent upon how wet the pad already was. More stubborn stains weren’t effectively removed, largely due to the lack of oscillating or rotating mops.
In terms of noise, the robot vacuum reached 55dB on its lowest suction and 70dB on its highest. The former noise level just blends into the background, whereas the latter ruins a nice, relaxing evening. Because you’ll want to use the highest suction level most of the time, you’ll need to run this vacuum when you’re out and about, during the daytime, or when you’re doing other jobs around the house and are less likely to be bothered by the volume.
(Image credit: Future)
The E10s boasts self-emptying technology that negates the need for bags. I was excited to use this feature but was disappointed by its performance. Dust, dirt, and debris became stuck along the route from capturing to emptying, and it quickly became clogged.
This made the vacuum largely ineffective, even at the highest suction power. This problem meant that I had to get in the habit of cleaning out the various parts of the robot vacuum before setting it going. I don’t mind a certain amount of maintenance, but when you expect your robot vacuum to remove these tasks, it becomes a little annoying.
(Image credit: Future)
The performance of the mapping and navigation technology was second to none. The robot vacuum took a while to map out our house, taking a lot of wrong turns and stumbling over table legs, but after it was finished, the map was surprisingly accurate. The software did a good job of straightening out edges and producing a reliable map for the robot to follow.
These types of vacuums can have a hard time navigating around the edges of rooms, constantly readjusting themselves to try and access all areas. The E10s was able to detect objects and brush up alongside them with a high level of accuracy. Rather than rotating and readjusting, it opted to push alongside these edges and therefore perform more efficient routes.
There are, of course, times when the robot became confused or tried to repeatedly travel in a set direction, but on the whole, it proved to be both reliable and predictable.
Performance score: 3.5 out of 5
Eureka E10 robot vacuum review: app
Easy-to-use app
Room and zone mapping
Cleaning scheduling
The Eureka app offers a high level of functionality while maintaining a relatively simple and intuitive interface. After performing the initial mapping, the app gives a full display of the scanned rooms and enables users to name rooms as well as set no-go or no-mop zones. The map also shows where the base station is to help you orient yourself.
Setting the robot to clean can be done in a number of ways. The easiest way is to select specific rooms on the map and hit the clean button. It is also possible to use the zones feature and create a cleaning area. For more stubborn dirt, it is possible to set the clean to be carried out up to three times.
(Image credit: Future)
The final way to set a clean going is to use the Scheduled Cleaning feature. This lets you specify a time, a repeat schedule, and a number of cleaning cycles. It also allows you to specify which rooms are to be cleaned on that particular schedule. Finally, multiple schedules can be created to create a highly customized schedule.
Another feature is multi-floor mapping and thankfully, the robot is clever enough to not throw itself down the stairs. The only downside, albeit an understandable one, is that the robot can’t move between floors and so will require manual moving before a clean occurs. This gets tricky when partnering multi-floor cleaning with a cleaning schedule.
I found the mapping and customizing of the resulting maps pretty intuitive, but after showing my parents how it worked, I realized that the process is not as straightforward as it needs to be for less tech-savvy people. There were times when the app went wrong or the robot struggled, requiring a certain level of intervention and troubleshooting.
Eureka E10 robot vacuum review: battery life
Battery lasts up to three hours
Takes around 4 hours to recharge
The E10s is equipped with an internal lithium-ion battery that is advertised to last as long as 3 hours. The maximum battery life is only applicable when using the quiet setting for suction, and the life drops to 100 minutes when set to high suction power.
In practice, I found the battery lasted just over an hour when at its highest suction setting. Considering that the effectiveness of the vacuum requires it to be on this level, you shouldn’t expect it to be able to clean much more than 600-800 square feet per charge.
It took around four hours to charge the battery from empty to full, an amount of time that is fine considering most people will only perform a maximum of one clean per day.
The robot will return to its base station whenever it needs a charge and will return to cleaning automatically when it has finished charging.
Battery life score: 3.5 out of 5
Should I buy the Eureka E10?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Eureka E10s report card
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
Mid-range price with some higher end features.
4.5 / 5
Design
Modern design with robust materials. Dual brushes help direct dirt into the vacuum and a mop pad cleans easy spills.
4 / 5
Performance
Most dirt was picked up on the highest suction setting although it struggled with more stubborn walked-in dirt.mop pads work great, but the vacuum pick up and edge clean up are mediocre
3.5 / 5
App
The app is simple to use and offers multi level home mapping.
4.5 / 5
Battery life
Battery lasts over an hour on the highest suction power.
3.5 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Eureka E10: Also consider
If the Eureka E10s isn’t for you, have a look at these alternatives.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Here are the Eureka E10s specifications
Header Cell – Column 0
Eureka E10s
Narwal Freo
Eufy Clean X9 Pro
Price:
$699.99 / AU$1,099 (about £555)
$1,399.99 / AU$1,999 (about £1,100)
$899.99 / £899.99 / AU$1,499.95
Watt:
55 Watts
45W(vacuum) / 72W (base)
Row 1 – Cell 3
Suction power:
4,000pa
Quiet, Normal, Strong, Super Powerful
5,500Pa
Bin volume:
0.2L for Robot vacuum; 2L for station dust cup
480 ml
13.9 oz (410 ml)
Battery life:
180 minutes
180 minutes (Freo Mode)
150 min (standard vacuum/mop setting)
Filtration:
Yes
Yes
Row 5 – Cell 3
Noise volume:
65Db (vacuum)
65Db (vacuum), 50Db (base)
65dB (vacuum), 50dB (base)
Mop water volume:
Not specified
Not specified
1.1 gallons (4.1L)
Water levels:
Dry, Low, Standard, High
Slightly dry, normal, wet mopping
Row 8 – Cell 3
Mapping:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Obstacle avoidance:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Base:
9.87″x7.1″x17.4 in
14.6 x 16.3 x 17.1 in (370 x 415 x 435 mm)
17.4 x 16.6.2 x 16.4 in (44.3 x 42.2 x 41.6 cm)
Smart support:
App and voice activation
Siri
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
Tools:
None
None
Row 13 – Cell 3
Weight:
17.6lbs (7.98 kg)
9.59 lbs (4.35 kg)
31.7 lbs (14.4 kg)
How I tested the Eureka E10s
Tested over several weeks
Used all vacuum and mopping settings
Tests included all floor types, including carpet and hardwood
I tested the Eureka E10s in my 600-foot home, which includes a mixture of carpet, hardwood materials, and a low-pile rug. Over several weeks, I set the robot out on several whole house cleans, and as much as possible, I tried to leave the vacuum to get on with the job itself. These cleans enabled me to see how the vacuum handled a wide variety of different debris and types of navigation situations.
I carried out some more defined tests, including a fine dust and larger debris test to check its vacuuming capabilities. The former was made up of crushed digestives and flour, with the latter consisting of oats. These helped me see how well the vacuum was able to handle different types of mess.
We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained – regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it’s on our radar.
Robot vacuums are handy little devices that can help folks save a ton of time and energy. However, some of the more well-known options are often a bit pricey, especially when a mopping function comes into the mix. As it happens, iRobot has revealed a relatively budget-friendly 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop. It says the $275 Roomba Combo Essential actually outperforms the Roomba 600 Series thanks to 20 times more suction power, and the addition of a mop and smart navigation.
According to iRobot, this model offers 25 percent better performance at picking up dirt from hard floors than the Roomba 600 Series. It’s also said to have a longer battery life at up to 120 minutes, the ability to clean in neat rows, customizable suction and liquid settings, Clean Map reports and intelligent settings such as suggested cleaning schedules.
Although you can set up cleanings in advance, you can start one at any time with an Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant voice command. Alternatively, you can press the Clean button or tap a button in the iRobot Home app to put the device to work right away.
iRobot
The device has a four-stage cleaning system that includes adjustable suction and liquid settings, a v-shaped multi-surface brush, an edge-sweeping brush and a pump-fed microfiber mop pad. For vacuum-only operation (i.e if you’re looking to remove dirt from a rug), you’ll need to remove the mop pad first. That adds a little bit of friction to using this model. There’s another trade-off in that this isn’t a self-emptying Roomba — you’ll need to empty out the dirt storage bin manually more often.
Still, this seems like a solid Roomba at an eye-catching price. It’s available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa now, and iRobot will start selling it in the US on April 7 and Canada on April 12. The Roomba Combo Essential will reach Asia Pacific markets later this month. Folks in the US can trade in a Roomba 600 Series for a $50 credit toward a Roomba Combo Essential
In addition, iRobot is rolling out a model called the Roomba Vac Essential in North America. It has the same smart functions and other similar features as the Combo Essential, but there’s no mop. That robot vacuum will cost $250 and it’ll land in the US on April 7 and Canada on April 12.
Meanwhile, iRobot says it has reached a new milestone. Since debuting the Roomba in 2002, the company has sold more than 50 million robots.
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It’s spring cleaning season, but that doesn’t mean you need to get on the floor and scrub. Robot vacuums are a great way to keep your home clean while doing little to nothing, and a few robovacs from Shark are currently on sale. One of the best deals comes courtesy of a 44 percent discount on Shark’s AI Robot Vacuum and Mop. The device is down to $270 from $480 — only $20 more than its all-time low price.
Shark
Shark’s AI Robot Vacuum and Mop is a great option for anyone looking to try a robot vacuum or upgrade their entry-level model. It’s nearly identical to Shark’s much pricier Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop, which appears on our list of the best robot vacuums for 2024 — it just doesn’t have a self-emptying base.
The AI Robot Vacuum and Mop does have quite a few gadgets, including home mapping and AI laser navigation for detecting row-by-row precision and detecting objects four inches or taller. The mop executes 100 scrubs per minute and follows no-mop zones. You can use UltraClean mode on specific, busier rooms, with Shark claiming vacuum work 30 percent better at cleaning carpets in the setting.
I miss having clean floors. I’ve been using a variety of Roombas over the years to help out with vacuuming, but ever since my wife and I had our second child in 2022, mopping has become an afterthought. And really, vacuuming can only clean your floor so much. I missed the shimmer of a mopped hardwood floor and the smell of Murphy Oil cleaner lingering in the air. Instead, I’ve been living with even more toys, crumbs and an assortment of bodily waste (which three cats contribute to) on my flooring and carpets. Don’t judge me (or any parent!), I’m tired.
When Engadget’s own Daniel Cooper extolled the virtues of iRobot’s first combination robot vacuum and mop, I was intrigued. I’d already grown to love my Roombas, especially after they gained the ability to dump their own waste into their charging docks. But for them to mop as well? That just sounded like an impossible dream. So when iRobot announced its second combination flagship, the Roomba Combo j9+, I leapt at the chance to test it. (Sorry, Dan.)
iRobot
The Roomba Combo j9+ is the ideal robotic vacuum and mop. It can easily suck up dirt while also wiping down your floors, and now it’s smart enough to refill its own water tank.
I’ve tested iRobot’s Braava Jet m6 mopping robot, which was announced in 2019 and was notable for being able to work alongside the Roomba s9+. But it would have cost me $499 and required clunky setup and maintenance. Plus, it was yet another device that needed to live somewhere in my home. It was ultimately easier for me to just run the Roomba and mop by hand whenever I needed to.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The Roomba Combo j9+ (and the j7+ before it) promises a far smoother experience: It can simultaneously vacuum and mop without much additional effort on your part. All you need to do is add some water and cleaning solution to its large reservoir (stored neatly in the redesigned Clean Base) and attach a mop pad. The company developed a unique mop arm that can automatically move up and down when needed, which helps to avoid leaving your carpets wet with residue.
Maintenance is fairly simple too: Wash the mop pads after a few runs, add more water when necessary, and make sure the Roomba’s bristles aren’t getting tangled with hair. Once the Clean Base is full, swapping its custom waste bags takes only a few seconds.
While we liked the Roomba Combo j7+ well enough, the new model solves some of the issues we encountered. It can automatically refill its water tank from the Clean Base, whereas the j7+ required you to manually add liquid to the robot. The Combo j9+ also offers stronger vacuum suctioning, which allows it to pick up smaller debris and complete jobs with fewer cleaning passes. Its new Clean Base also looks like a piece of furniture, with a wood top that you can use like a regular table. Its door swings open from the front and offers space for additional waste bags, accessories and a large reservoir for cleaning liquid.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
iRobot claims the j9+ Clean Base allows for 30 days of hands-free mopping and 60-days of hands-free vacuuming, figures that seem exceedingly ambitious for most users. In my testing, I needed to look at the Roomba’s bristles at least once a week to deal with extraneous hair and random toys. And I definitely had to change the mop pad after two or three runs — after all, there’s no such thing as clean floors with a dirty mop.
Like the Roomba j7+ and s9 before it, as well as just about every Roomba ever made, you’ll want to clear your floors of small debris and potential hazards before starting a run. As a Roomba user since 2005, I’ve grown to accept that they’re not magical cleaning devices. You will need to put in a bit of work to help them run best. But the key is it’s still easier than manually vacuuming and sweeping your floors and it’s significantly cheaper than a cleaning service.
Thanks to iRobot’s OS 7, along with its camera and wide array of sensors, the Roomba Combo j9+ is far better at automatically mapping your home than previous models. After two runs, it tagged my kitchen, dining area and living room correctly, though I had to hop into the iRobot app to differentiate between my living room and family room. The mapping might seem unnecessary if you’re using a Roomba for the first time (you can also disable it entirely), but it is the heart of the vacuum’s routines. Instead of cleaning your entire home, you can program it to just clean the kitchen and dining room. If you connect your app to Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant, you can also use voice commands to direct your robot to specific locations.
After getting in hot water over its earlier plans to sell home mapping data, iRobot made an about face, gave up on that idea and started emphasizing privacy. The company says your mapping data is stored in the iRobot Cloud for processing (something you can also disable), which is a “secure” environment with “strict access controls, data encryption at rest and in transit, and periodic audits to ensure access is only given to those who require it.”
In 2020, MIT Technology Review reported that development versions of the Roomba J7 captured images of a woman sitting on a toilet and a child playing on the floor, which made their way to a library used by the labeling service Scale AI. iRobot said that the people using those devices had agreed to have their data captured — they weren’t regular consumers. One downside of using any cloud-connected device, especially one that aims to learn about your home, is that it’ll require sharing some data. It’s up to you to determine if that’s a worthwhile tradeoff for more convenience.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
When it comes to cleaning, the Roomba Combo j9+ practically mesmerized me as it balanced vacuuming and mopping duties. At the start of every mopping job, the robot emerged from the Clean Base, turned around and studiously refilled its liquid tank. It’s like watching R2D2 go to the bathroom in reverse. Since it was starting every job on my wood floor, the Roomba then lowered its mopping pad from its top (it has a ‘lil mop hat!) and spun up its vacuum. Then, it proceeded to move forward, sucking up dirt while the scrubbing pad cleaned right behind, a virtuoso show of autonomous cleaning acrobatics.
If you don’t need a full cleaning, you could also use the iRobot app to have the j9+ just vacuum or mop (useful if you’ve just gone to town on your floors with a manual vac). The iRobot app lets you control the number of cleaning passes per job (one, two or “room-size”, which tackles large rooms once and smaller spaces two to three times), as well as the amount of water for every mopping job (eco, standard or ultra). You can also choose between low, medium and high suction options (which get progressively louder, as you’d expect).
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The iRobot app also lets you turn the Roomba’s obstacle detection on and off, though you’ll likely never want to disable it. In my testing, the Roomba Combo j9+ managed to avoid shoes, toys and other objects in its path. It also quietly came to a halt whenever my kids or cats stepped in front of it. iRobot’s promise to avoid pet poop (the aptly named Pet Owner Official Promise) also applies to the j9+. If the company’s poop-optimized computer vision algorithms somehow miss a dog or cat mess in your home, iRobot says it will send you a new Roomba at no charge within the first year of purchase. The company will only send out one replacement, though, and the guarantee doesn’t apply to non-solid waste (including diarrhea) or poop from another animal.
Before you ask, yes, I tested this. I placed a bit of cat poop in front of the j9+ and watched with worry as it approached the stinker. Thankfully, it stopped about six inches away and immediately backed off, as if it was terrified of the horrors it was about to inflict on itself. My floors were grateful, as was I.
The Roomba Combo j9+ performed admirably as a mop. It wasn’t always perfect, and I could occasionally make out streaks, but it still looked a lot better than when relying on mere vacuuming. After my first cleaning session, my floors beamed in the sunlight with a glow I hadn’t seen in months. And best of all, it required very little effort on my part, aside from a bit of tidying up. Even my notoriously picky mom noticed my floors sparkled more when they visited right after the Roomba worked its magic.
According to iRobot, the j9+ features twice the scrubbing performance of the j7+. While I couldn’t test the difference directly, I can confirm it’s a stubborn little bot when it comes to tough situations like dried litter paw prints and caked-in dirt. It managed to fully clean up those messes, but I’d be wary of letting it tackle anything worse, at least not without changing the mopping pad right afterwards. The j9+ may be able to avoid streaking poop around your house, but having your floors painted with a muddy mop can also be awful.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
A rogue j9+ could do plenty of damage around your home, since its battery life has also been improved. It typically cleared my first floor in around two hours without needing a charging break. At one point, it ran for two and a half hours without a sweat. That should make this Roomba pretty capable even if you have a large home. A full floor cleaning took between 30 minutes and an hour longer than the j7+, but that makes sense since it’s also mopping and being more diligent about vacuuming.
At $1,400, the Roomba Combo J9+ is too expensive for most people looking to buy their first robovac. Even when iRobot is running a sale (we’ve seen it drop the price down to $999), the Combo j9+ is pretty pricey, but that cut does make the j9+ more palatable for longtime Roomba owners who’ve learned how to fit the bot into their cleaning routines. iRobot isn’t completely out of line with its pricing: The competing Roborock S7 Max Ultra offers similar vacuum and mopping features and typically sells for $1,299 (it’s also on sale for $999 at the moment).
There’s still no robot vacuum equivalent to the Jetson’s Rosie the Robot, but the Roomba Combo j9+ is the closest we’ve got so far. iRobot has built upon its excellent robot vacuum platform to deliver something that can finally mop your floors without a sweat. And while it may seem a tad exorbitant, the cost may be worth it for parents who, like me, forgot what truly clean floors looked like.
Dyson released its Dyson V15s Detect Submarine in the UK this week (March 6), following its rollouts in Australia and later the US last year. It’s the company’s first-ever wet and dry vacuum cleaner (so it doubles as a mop, thanks to its eponymous Submarine head), and I was offered the chance to test it out.
As it happens, I’ve been moving into a new apartment this week, so how better to test the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine than seeing how it stacks up as a deep-cleaning tool for getting my new home ready before I move all my furniture in?
TL;DR: this cleaning gadget is almost everything I want. It’s powerful, and it does a fantastic job of cleaning carpets and hard floors, though the battery life and small dirt bin can mean it takes longer to do the job than other vacuums, especially as it doesn’t recharge quickly.
A lean cleaning machine
As a traditional vacuum the Dyson V15s Submarine has all the same bells and whistles as the non-mop equipped version. It comes with all the attachments, including the Motorbar cleaner head (my favorite for carpets), the Fluffy Optic head, and tools for sucking the dust from corners and crevices.
Most importantly, it also comes with the same supreme suction that all Dyson vacs are known for.
I loved cleaning with this thing (Image credit: Future)
The home had been cleaned before we arrived, but you might not know it if you saw the dust this machine ripped from the carpets. In the four carpeted rooms – the bedroom, office, living room and hallway – I managed to fill the canister two-and-a-half times, and I could swear the floors looked a shade lighter when I was finished.
The only downside was the vacuum’s aforementioned battery life. Because of all the dirt it was taking up the V15’s auto power setting must have mostly been running on high, and while this did deliver an amazing clean it meant I needed to recharge the vacuum after around 25 minutes of cleaning, when I was only about two-thirds finished.
To make matters worse, the vacuum is fairly slow to recharge. However, for a cordless vacuum these trade-offs in terms of charging and power are to be expected if you want to keep the device portable and easy to manoeuvre – which the V15s Detect Submarine certainly is.
Mop to it
Okay, but we already know how good a Dyson is at vacuuming – it’s kinda what they’re known for. But how does its first-ever mop compare?
At first glance I was worried that it wasn’t actually doing anything. That’s because the mopped floor is left with only a thin film of water on it after you’ve gone over it – the head is designed to not drench your floors in the first place, and excess dirty liquid is deposited in the Submarine’s dirty-water container.
After feeling that the mop head and floor were indeed damp – and checking that the water supply was fitted properly twice more – I carried on, and saw that the Dyson Submarine mop was indeed mopping up a lot of the messes I’d made while cleaning the kitchen counter and my bathroom earlier in the day.
The Submarine head can be stored in its drip tray when not in use (Image credit: Future)
This was especially true when I slowed down and let the mop head scrub each surface for longer, rather than manually moving it back and forth. The experience is a lot like transitioning from manual toothbrushes to electric ones; you have to learn to let the head do the work rather than your mechanical movement.
I was also glad to see that, because the pipe is completely blocked off, there’s no chance of any water being sucked up into the main bin and causing damage (which, in fairness would have been a massive oversight on Dyson’s part).
However, because of this I found that the mop head wasn’t as good at capturing debris chunks as the other attachments. Once the floor was dry (it dried fairly speedily) I had to go back over it with the fluffy head to pick up any remaining dirt.
The only thing I can’t speak to is how long it can mop for. I went over my modestly sized kitchen and bathroom, with the readout on the V15s Submarine’s screen saying I’d only used about 10% of the water tank. If your home has more hard floors that need mopping I expect that you’ll need to refill the water tank at least once.
A new best of the best?
(Image credit: Dyson)
If you already have a Dyson V15 Detect Absolute then I wouldn’t recommend upgrading to the V15s Detect Submarine. Apart from the Submarine mop attachment you won’t get anything extra out of your machine – which is why I’m a little surprised that Dyson doesn’t sell the mop attachment separately (unless there’s a hardware upgrade or two under the hood that’s required for the V15s to function).
But if you have an older Dyson vacuum that’s in need of a refresh, or you’re looking to transition from a rival brand, this is a model I’d seriously recommend considering over Dyson’s more traditional vacuums if you mop a lot (or want to mop more).
Alternatively, picking up one of the other best vacuum cleaners from our recommended guide and one of the best robot vacuums that can mop for you could be the way to go.