TheiRobot Roomba Combo j9+is one of the most versatile automaton of 2024 , making it easy to keep all type of floors clean without getting your hands dirty . Along with the ability to hoover and wipe up in a single tally , it can automatically empty its dustbin , which make it a shockingly autonomous addition to any dwelling . However , some of those same skills can be found in the affordableRoomba Combo Essential Robot , which carries a much more accordant price tag .
That begs the dubiousness — should you prefer for the cheaper Roomba Combo Essential , or is the Roomba Combo j9 + a worthwhile investment ? From vacuuming and mow performance to additional features and more , here ’s a feel at these two unique automaton vacancy to help you make up one’s mind which is better for your motive .
Pricing and availability
The Roomba Combo j9 + be $ 1,400 and is readily available at a mixture of retail merchant . The Roomba Combo Essential Robot is much more low-cost at just $ 275 and is available through the iRobot website . The j9 + depend much more bounty ( as you ’d have a bun in the oven ) , with a bronze accent in the center of the automaton and a gorgeous moorage station . The Combo Essential look like a water - down version of the j9 + , as it boasts a alike circular design , but does n’t have any unique accents or design cue to draw your eyes . Its tying up station is also much smaller — though this could make it easier to find a spot for it in your home .
When it comes to pricing , there ’s no denying the Combo Essential is more attractive .
success : Roomba Combo Essential Robot
Vacuuming
unluckily , iRobot does n’t push suction grade for its robot vacuums . That means there are no specific number we can use to compare the Combo j9 + to the Combo Essential . However , our testing of the j9 + reveal a gimmick that excelled at cleaning carpets . Along with three different sucking levels and a Carpet Boost feature to better fair contaminating floors , it employ dual gumshoe brush to pull debris out of carpet and prevent tangles . There ’s also a side brushwood to help strip crevices and edge .
Once the j9 + is done cleanup , it ’ll return to its dock and automatically empty its ash bin into the tying up station . depend on how dingy your home is , the trash barrel can go up to 60 24-hour interval before necessitate to be replace .
The Roomba Combo Essential also features three suction levels , though rather of using a dual India rubber brushing system , it opts for a individual V - shaped brushwood . It also use a side coppice like the more expensive j9 + to clean edges and corners . Those spec are n’t quite as compelling as everything on the j9 + , but it should be enough firepower to provide decent cleaning for most household .
achiever : Roomba Combo j9 +
Mopping
Mopping is where the Roomba Combo j9 + really outshines the Combo Essential . The j9 + wo n’t just mop up your floor ( it has multiple water levels useable via the wandering app ) , but it ’ll also automatically fill again its piddle bin for up to 30 days thanks to the water man-made lake in the docking place . well yet , its wipe up plate is mount on a swing out arm that will lift the swob wholly off the floor when traveling on carpet , docking it on top of the robot and ensuring rug and rugs stay teetotal . dispose in SmartScrub engineering science that applies pressure to the floor while scrub up back and forth , and it ’s a great alternative for homes with both hard floor and carpet .
By comparison , the Combo Essential is passably underwhelming . Its dock does n’t have a water man-made lake , so you ’ll in all likelihood take to refill it after each mopping cycle . It also does n’t use a swinging weapon system to stow off its swab when traveling on carpet . As for its factual swabbing proficiency , it does n’t employ the SmartScrub technology , meaning it basically just drags the wet mop across your floors to make clean them .
Additional features
There are n’t many extra features on the Roomba Combo Essential . apart from its power to do basic mopping and vacuuming skill , it also can be controlled via a voice assistant or through the mobile app . If its battery starts sire low during a cleanup run , it ’ll mechanically head to its dock to charge .
Most of the additional features recover on the Roomba Combo j9 + get along courtesy of its docking post . It ’s here that the emptiness will mechanically replenish its urine cooler or empty its dustbin , and it makes the gimmick much more self-reliant than the Roomba Combo Essential . reenforcement for CarpetBoost and SmartScrub are also nice features , allowing the robot to detect the optimal options for harness all types of floor .
In light , all these additional feature make the Roomba Combo j9 + a more hands - off gimmick than the Essential . While it ’s nice that the Essential will mow and emptiness floors , you ’ll still be tally in on it after every job to check that it ’s quick for the next one . With the Combo j9 + , you may go multiple days ( possibly week ) without any intervention .
Should you pick up the expensive robot or the budget robot?
While the cost of the Roomba Combo Essential is mighty beguiling , it ’s not quite automated enough to deserve a situation in your home . If your home only has hard floor , then it might be worth checking out , as its lack of a stowable swab wo n’t impact you . But if you ’re in a home with both carpets and hard floors , it ’s less than idealistic . You ’ll also be constantly interact with the gadget to make full up its water storage tank and empty its dustbin — and at that point , you might as well just empower in a good cordless vacancy and a Swiffer .
Instead , most buyers would be better served by saving up for the premium Roomba Combo j9 + . Its price is shockingly high , but its performance is much more automated . And if you ’re buying a robot vacuum to get rid of mopping and vacuuming from your to - do listing , the j9 + does just that . equal to of wipe up floors , vacuum carpeting , and then emptying its bin and replenish its water tank , it ’s a powerful home assistant that take on caution of itself . You ’ll have to check in sporadically to make indisputable everything is run as expected — and you ’ll still want to supervene upon mop stamp pad and perform routine maintenance — but it come up much closer to achieving the pipe dream of a self - sustaining robot vacuum than the Roomba Combo Essential does .