This robot vacuum is more autonomous, but you still need to check its work

iRobot’s Roomba is probably the best-known robot vacuum brand, but in recent years it’s faced increasingly tough competition from high-end Chinese rivals Roborock and Dreame, which have overtaken iRobot when it comes to suction power, automation and self-cleaning.

With the new Roomba Combo 10 Max, the American company is once again aiming for the top of the pile. And while it’s not a clear-cut victory overall, it is a welcome upgrade for the Roomba line.

The 10 Max is iRobot’s first vacuum-mop combo that will wash and dry its own mop pads. Since its base also includes a tank for clean water, a tank for dirty water and a bag for dry dust, the company says it will run on a schedule for 60 days without you having to touch the robot or replace anything. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can totally forget about it.

Without a connection to the mains or a sink, you still need to fill up the fresh water and throw out the dirty every couple of cleans. A quick tidy of your space between cleans is also recommended, because the 10 Max is pretty good at dodging obstacles but not immune to familiar robot kryptonite like cloths, trading cards, cords and bras. Plus, the self-cleaning isn’t so flawless that I would trust it on its own for 60 days.

Fresh water (with detergent) flows from the base to the robot, and during self-cleaning dirty water from the mop is stored.

Roomba catches up

If you’ve only ever used Roombas, this latest model is very familiar but has some welcome improvements. It keeps the innovative mop design, with a mechanical arm that stores the pad on the top of the robot when not in use, so you never have to worry about wet carpets. It looks and functions like previous Roombas, but the home base has been overhauled with a rotating roller for wringing water out of the mop, and a door that swings out to reveal the dual water tanks.

But compared with other brands, the Roomba can seem a step behind. Some robots in a similar price range have removable mop pads that they can leave behind at the dock, allowing for dry carpets but also more comprehensive mop movement: spinning, vibrating or even reaching under cabinets while the Roomba can only drag the mop behind it. The Roomba has a much smaller home base but having the tanks slot in like drawers instead of removed from the top is more fiddly, and there’s no automatic detergent (which could be viewed as a plus since there’s no proprietary bottle).

I also found that the Roomba’s navigation has improved much over the years. Something like the Dreame L20 will map rooms in seconds thanks to its LiDAR system, never seems bothered if you move it mid-clean, and can take photos of obstacles or stream video to your phone. The Roomba, using its camera and floor sensors, was slower and less accurate to map, and was found wandering sad and confused on more than one occasion after being moved.

For whatever reason, the Roomba is significantly louder than other recent robots I’ve used too, including during operation and especially while emptying. The self-washing makes a loud and truly strange sound that I heard from the other room, and I was not comforted at all when I checked the app to see what was up and was told “the robot and dock are engaged in self-cleaning activity”.

Apart from that one bit of very weird phrasing, the app is straightforward and handy. You can see at a glance the water levels of the three tanks (including the one in the robot) and the Roomba’s battery, define extra clean and no-go zones on the map, and set up schedules.

The Roomba can mostly be left to its own devices, but you will not forget it’s there.

Loud but effective

Despite not living up to the competition on certain specs, it’s tough to fault the Roomba 10 Max’s cleaning performance. It pulls a lot of dirt and hair out of carpets, audibly increasing the suction when it detects a high concentration of debris and stopping or going back as needed.

On hard floors a new feature called smart scrub — where it presses its mop down and moves back and forth to clean — takes a long time but does an extremely good job. It didn’t get into the corners as well as the latest Dreamebot, but it was more effective at cleaning grubby kitchens and bathrooms in general.

As for iRobot’s “leave it for 60 days” claim, I would suggest taking a peek at the mop pad now and then just to be sure. The first few times I did this it was good and clean, but a rotating rubber stick can only do so much to clean a mop pad if it’s been rubbed through wet mess. You can set the robot to be extra vigilant about self-cleaning after it visits certain rooms. Otherwise, I have noticed water sitting in the basin, so I think a wipe down will be in order before the month is out. It’s not as comprehensive a clean and dry as other brands.

And what about after 60 days? You are still going to have to replace the vacuum bag, filter and brush periodically (probably in three months or less for the bag, 12 months for the others). iRobot includes two of each with the robot, which is more generous than some brands.

All things considered, the Roomba Combo 10 Max cleans as well as some $2800 robots I’ve used, which is impressive given it can currently be found on sale for $1800. But the big selling point of this model — the automatic washing and drying of mop pads — leaves room for improvement.

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