What you can expect from the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max
What testers say about the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max
The iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max is the first Roomba with a station that washes and dries the mop, besides emptying the bin into a bag that lasts about two months. The mop is a pad that is lifted entirely on top of the robot when it meets carpet, navigation works with a camera and floor sensors, and obstacles are recognized by a camera with an LED light. Vacuum Wars bought two units to be sure of its findings and calls it a letdown for iRobot fans.
What held up is the vacuuming: pressed-in pet hair was picked up completely, one of only two robots to manage that in the test, embedded sand from carpet produced one of the best scores on record, tied sixth of more than a hundred robots, and obstacle recognition scored above average. At 58 decibels it is quiet, and at 3.4 inches fairly flat.
The criticism is firm. Mapping took four times longer than with other robots, runs take longer than average, coverage stayed below average and the robot got confused when moved mid-task. The app offers few settings and was unstable in the test. The mopping system lags the competition: the pad is not detached automatically and the station dries without hot air. Anyone attached to iRobot with mostly carpet and pet hair can consider it at a hefty discount; anyone who wants to mop gets more elsewhere.
Pros
- Pulls embedded pet hair out of carpet exceptionally well Vacuum Wars ↗
- Among the very best at deep cleaning carpet Vacuum Wars ↗
- Camera-based obstacle avoidance did better than average Vacuum Wars ↗
- Gets pet hair up well from hard floors and carpet alike Tom's Guide ↗
- Clear app shows robot and dock status on one screen Tom's Guide ↗
- Slim body with no laser turret fits under more furniture Tom's Guide ↗
- Does a solid job vacuuming hard floors TechRadar ↗
- Camera catches small items such as socks and cables TechRadar ↗
- Dock looks smart and hides its water tanks behind a door TechRadar ↗
Cons
- Slow to map and slow to finish, with patchy coverage Vacuum Wars ↗
- Mop wash leaves the pad soaked and the dock messy Vacuum Wars ↗
- App offers few settings and felt buggy in testing Vacuum Wars ↗
- Brush tends to fling cereal across the room instead of collecting it Tom's Guide ↗
- So noisy that watching television in the same room is hard Tom's Guide ↗
- Smears sticky spills around rather than removing them Tom's Guide ↗
- Dock often fails to empty hair and grit from the robot bin TechRadar ↗
- Leaves clumps of dog hair behind on carpet TechRadar ↗
- Mapping is slow and the finished map is hard to read TechRadar ↗
Where the testers disagree
- Pet hair: Vacuum Wars: Pulls embedded pet hair out of carpet exceptionally well · Tom's Guide: Gets pet hair up well from hard floors and carpet alike against TechRadar: Leaves clumps of dog hair behind on carpet
- The app: Tom's Guide: Clear app shows robot and dock status on one screen against Vacuum Wars: App offers few settings and felt buggy in testing
- Pickup: TechRadar: Does a solid job vacuuming hard floors against Tom's Guide: Brush tends to fling cereal across the room instead of collecting it
Each point sums up, in our words, the review of the test it names, and its link leads to that review. We do not summarize RTINGS or Wirecutter: their lists are linked above.





