(Credit: iRobot)
While you can find plenty of robot vacuum and mop hybrids, most sit on the premium end of the price range for robot floor cleaners, with some costing as much as $1,700. iRobot’s latest model, the Roomba Combo Essential, combines vacuuming and mopping functionality into a single robot that sits on the bargain end of the range, with an appealing $274.99 price.
The Roomba Combo Essential launches today on iRobot’s website and will be available through other retailers starting April 7. It’s an upgrade to the Roomba 600 series, the robot company’s budget-friendly line focused on the basics. It will be sold alongside the $249.99 Roomba Vac Essential, which will have all the same specs and features, minus the mop attachment.
In addition to the added mop, the Roomba Combo Essential will deliver 20 times the suction power and 25% better hardwood pickup than 600 series models, iRobot says. The model also offers improved navigation with the ability to clean in orderly rows instead of bopping along randomly. It will create a map as it works and supports scheduled automations to clean while you’re away. You can also customize the suction power and water level, with three different options for each.
The new Combo Essential model seems promising, especially since the Roomba 694 earned our Editors' Choice last year as a top performer for the same $274.99 price. We appreciate that iRobot introduced this new model with upgrades without raising the base price.
Recommended by Our Editors
(Credit: iRobot)The Roomba Combo Essential will use one edge-sweeping brush and a multi-surface brush roll with bristles in the shape of a V to collect dirt. It uses a removable microfiber pad to mop floors.
As with the later models of the Roomba 600 series, you can also control the Roomba Combo Essential with an app or with voice controls through a smart speaker or other device with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant built-in.
The Roomba Combo Essential has the specs to be a competent multi-tasker, but it's understandably missing some niceties found on higher-end models. The midrange Combo i5+ supports self-emptying, and has a swappable dustbin to make it easy to switch from hybrid mode to vacuum-only. The Combo j5+ adds a camera and advanced obstacle avoidance to the formula. The high-end Combo j9+ puts the mop on a retractable arm so it can scrub hard floors and vacuum carpets in a single run without getting your carpets wet, and has a base station with a reservoir to automatically refill the robot's mopping water tank.
The Combo Essential is also half the price of the Combo i5+, so the sacrifices will be worth it to some if it can thoroughly clean your floors at a steep discount. We’ll put the Combo Essential through our rigorous cleaning tests as soon as we can get our hands on it to see how it holds up, so check back for a full review. In the meantime, check out our roundups of the best Roombas, the best robot vacuums, and the best budget models.