Roomba type auto vacuums?

[AMB444]

Can anyone recommend a Roomba style vacuum please?

There are so many different types of options it's tough to choose one.

It the wet mopping capability worth the cost? What about the automatic empty feature?

Anything else about this type of vacuum to consider?

TIA

[CarlR33]

I had an older Roomba robot vacuum and it did well and was still going strong when I got rid of it up north for our move here and the only maintenance was the battery (a little pricy for the OEM vs Amazon) every couple years and brush replacement (minimal). I did not get another one here but I would caution if you get one and spend any time at home it will be disruptive while running while your home vs. the old days when you would have it clean while you were at work (or now at pickle ball, the pool, etc. LOL). I have a neighbor that has one and this is his issue per se.

[HappyTraveler]

Whatever you do, don't have the thing programmed to vacuum while you aren't home.

A few years ago, where I moved from, there was a local story about someone who did just that and the device got stuck under the sofa with the motor still running (for who knows how long?) but, it overheated, caught the sofa fabric on fire and half the house burned down.

[Kelevision]

I have this one and I like it a lot. I use it daily. I run it in the kitchen every time I do something in there. My dogs don’t care and I only really hear it if it’s in the room I’m in. Not a bother at all. Not even a little bit. I love the mop feature. It does a good job. It has an arm that goes out to get the edges of the rooms. Worth every penny for me. It can also get places that are hard for me to get. Like under the bed etc.

roborock Qrevo Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop with FlexiArm Design Edge Mopping, Self-Emptying, 10 mm Liftable Mops, Auto Mop Washing & Drying, Reactive Tech Obstacle Avoidance, 7,000 Pa Suction…. On Amazon

[AMB444]

Whatever you do, don't have the thing programmed to vacuum while you aren't home.

A few years ago, where I moved from, there was a local story about someone who did just that and the device got stuck under the sofa with the motor still running (for who knows how long?) but, it overheated, caught the sofa fabric on fire and half the house burned down.

Oh geez. :22yikes: Maybe I'll just get an old fashioned carpet sweeper. :)

[AMB444]

Thanks, everyone for your suggestions!

I am having the best time reading reviews on Amazon.

Here's one:

"...purchased, “Sparky”, 2 years ago on a Prime Day Deal. He was extremely inexpensive!! I loved him at first, but, I am so sick of him getting stuck!!!!! The suction is great. If your spouse leaves their socks on the floor, they will get sucked up and dragged around, until you happen to notice, and free up the sock! (My husband likes to leave his socks on the bathroom floor in a pile, as opposed to the hamper. I occasionally forget to pick them up before firing up, Sparky!)

...Let me tell you, under my kitchen table is always spotless, because that is his favorite place to get stuck. He is currently stuck there, bouncing off of the chairs... "

Sparky :1rotfl:

[CarlR33]

Whatever you do, don't have the thing programmed to vacuum while you aren't home.

A few years ago, where I moved from, there was a local story about someone who did just that and the device got stuck under the sofa with the motor still running (for who knows how long?) but, it overheated, caught the sofa fabric on fire and half the house burned down.My old Roomba would shut down if that happened. I think the newer ones you can program the trouble spots out of its routine. I did forget to mention they are great for under the bed or couch where you cannot reach even with a normal vacuum.

[Velvet]

I got one last Black Friday on sale for $150 from the Roomba store. Mops too. Works fine I just have to take the mop part off before it can go on the carpet.

[garrykolb]

Can anyone recommend a Roomba style vacuum please?

There are so many different types of options it's tough to choose one.

It the wet mopping capability worth the cost? What about the automatic empty feature?

Anything else about this type of vacuum to consider?

TIA

Here is a link to a review I wrote recently about the Ecovacs DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI, the best robot vac/mop I have ever tested. All your questions will be answered in there.

Ecovacs DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI robot vac/mop review - Edging closer to the perfect vac/mop - The Gadgeteer (https://the-gadgeteer.com/2025/03/29/ecovacs-deebot-x8-pro-omni-robot-vac-mop-review-edging-closer-to-the-perfect-vac-mop/)

Having said that, I recently reviewed its successor, the X9, which is about to be released, and it gets better. That review should go live soon so unfortunately I can't link it here.

[Cuervo]

Whatever you do, don't have the thing programmed to vacuum while you aren't home.

A few years ago, where I moved from, there was a local story about someone who did just that and the device got stuck under the sofa with the motor still running (for who knows how long?) but, it overheated, caught the sofa fabric on fire and half the house burned down.

I don't know about other vacs, but Roomba has inexpensive beams unit you can purchase.
You place one in an area where you do not want it to go, and it will turn away when it encounters it. I use it all the time, works great.

[crash]

Can anyone recommend a Roomba style vacuum please?

There are so many different types of options it's tough to choose one.

It the wet mopping capability worth the cost? What about the automatic empty feature?

Anything else about this type of vacuum to consider?

TIA

I have a shark and the wet mop is a nice feature and really doesn’t cost much more. It will not mop up a mess but if used regularly keeps floor clean.

The auto dump feature for me is not worth it since I never fill the tray. If you have a cat or dog that sheds it is worth it because the tray will fill before the battery runs out.

[crash]

I don't know about other vacs, but Roomba has inexpensive beams unit you can purchase.
You place one in an area where you do not want it to go, and it will turn away when it encounters it. I use it all the time, works great.

The shark you can designate no go areas in the app and it won’t go there. Works well for end tables with cords so the vacuum won’t go under the table and get stuck on the cord or pull the lamp off the table

[crash]

I got one last Black Friday on sale for $150 from the Roomba store. Mops too. Works fine I just have to take the mop part off before it can go on the carpet.

With the shark you program the carpet areas in the app so when mopping it skips those areas.

[RoseyRed]

I had an older Roomba robot vacuum and it did well and was still going strong when I got rid of it up north for our move here and the only maintenance was the battery (a little pricy for the OEM vs Amazon) every couple years and brush replacement (minimal). I did not get another one here but I would caution if you get one and spend any time at home it will be disruptive while running while your home vs. the old days when you would have it clean while you were at work (or now at pickle ball, the pool, etc. LOL). I have a neighbor that has one and this is his issue per se.
Very true! We cannot ignore disruptions as easily now, so we try to run our Mr Robo when we are out.

[asianthree]

Our 8yo roomba will shut down if it gets stuck and beeps loudly, because of age not WiFi capability. It now resides at oldest pet play area. One dog will turn it on to start cleaning when prompted.

Our Shark 2in1 vacuum/mop WiFi connection. Black Friday Best Buy $599. On sale $249, with $50 gift card, plus we have 2 year warranty with BBplus. I would also consider Costco because their return is better than any retail.

App on my phone, so can start, stop, return at anytime. Notification if it gets interrupted and shuts down. I decided first bedroom do nothing, hand vacuum second bedroom, hand vacuum and mop third bedroom. All guest rooms so floors equal to clean. All ceramic tile.

I have to say the amount of fine debris from hand vacuum and vacuum/mop was more than I could imagine. Bin had a fair amount of debris for each room, and the mop pad was very dirty, after each room, even the first hand mop room.
So either the Shark does an exceptional job, or i suck at vacuum and mopping

[Dilligas]

Look at Eufy. Pick features you want. Eufy is extremely quiet when cleaning and maps the whole house. You can select “no-go” areas to avoid getting struck. Google “best robo vacuums“ and you will see Eufy high on the lists.

[rsmurano]

We had the old roomba with no smarts and it worked ok. We upgraded to the much better updated roomba that has smarts:
Detects electrical cords
Animal poop
Shutdown if it gets stuck
Programmable cleaning area
Auto cleaning
Schedule by iPhone
Can start it by Siri

Costs 2-3x more but worth it

[Songbird]

I have a Bobsweep Dustin Robot Vacuum/Mop. I only used it twice to vacuum and determined the best placement for the home base, where it would cover the house best and not get in the way of walkways, was in our great room. My wife refused to let me place it there because it was visible. So, she hired a cleaning service and now we don't need it. I would sell for $50 and you could try it to see if it works for you, or, if the concept works but might lead you to try more expensive models. We live in the villages of Buttonwood. Email me if interested ( jbird772@comcast.net).

Can anyone recommend a Roomba style vacuum please?

There are so many different types of options it's tough to choose one.

It the wet mopping capability worth the cost? What about the automatic empty feature?

Anything else about this type of vacuum to consider?
TIA

[bragones]

I have this one and I like it a lot. I use it daily. I run it in the kitchen every time I do something in there. My dogs don’t care and I only really hear it if it’s in the room I’m in. Not a bother at all. Not even a little bit. I love the mop feature. It does a good job. It has an arm that goes out to get the edges of the rooms. Worth every penny for me. It can also get places that are hard for me to get. Like under the bed etc.

roborock Qrevo Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop with FlexiArm Design Edge Mopping, Self-Emptying, 10 mm Liftable Mops, Auto Mop Washing & Drying, Reactive Tech Obstacle Avoidance, 7,000 Pa Suction…. On Amazon

I have a RoboRock as well and I'm very happy with it. After 2 years, I'm still amazed at how dirty the dirty water tank from the mop gets. The mapping software is very well designed and user friendly/easy to setup. The remote functions are very handy as well. You can select rooms or whole house clean while away and it has a camera so you can watch it as it gets to places your eye will likely never see until you move out of your home. It has object recognition and will notify/shutdown if trapped or stuck. One caveat, the vacuum/mop is not capable of doing a deep clean. At least once a quarter, we break out the manual mop and vacuum cleaner to deep clean.

[jimhoward]

Whatever you do, don't have the thing programmed to vacuum while you aren't home.

A few years ago, where I moved from, there was a local story about someone who did just that and the device got stuck under the sofa with the motor still running (for who knows how long?) but, it overheated, caught the sofa fabric on fire and half the house burned down.

I am skeptical of that story. I have had several Roomba and Shark robotic vacuums over the years. They have been stuck under couches many times and for long periods…days (while traveling or forgotten). They don’t get very hot and they shut off automatically when stuck.

Maybe the story was wrong about what caused the fire?

[CybrSage]

Here is a link to a review I wrote recently about the Ecovacs DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI, the best robot vac/mop I have ever tested. All your questions will be answered in there.

Ecovacs DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI robot vac/mop review - Edging closer to the perfect vac/mop - The Gadgeteer (https://the-gadgeteer.com/2025/03/29/ecovacs-deebot-x8-pro-omni-robot-vac-mop-review-edging-closer-to-the-perfect-vac-mop/)

Having said that, I recently reviewed its successor, the X9, which is about to be released, and it gets better. That review should go live soon so unfortunately I can't link it here.

I agree, lovey DeeBot. It even nips and empties itself

Around Black Friday they often have a 50% off sale on Amazon.

[CarlR33]

I am skeptical of that story. I have had several Roomba and Shark robotic vacuums over the years. They have been stuck under couches many times and for long periods…days (while traveling or forgotten). They don’t get very hot and they shut off automatically when stuck.

Maybe the story was wrong about what caused the fire?I thought the same thing but when I did a search there were some stories about this happening (could still be false news i guess). I fail to understand how that can happen through.

[gorillarick]

I read a story about one making a bigger mess outa dog poo.
Told a friend about it that has a Roomba.
Her face turned red, and then she showed me some pictures she took of the tracks and mess it made. Said it took hours for her to clean it up.

Modern problems !

[asianthree]

I read a story about one making a bigger mess outa dog poo.
Told a friend about it that has a Roomba.
Her face turned red, and then she showed me some pictures she took of the tracks and mess it made. Said it took hours for her to clean it up.

Modern problems !

I have to wonder why would any feces be on the floor when you would start a cleaning cycle? Even our 17yo Blind indoor cat doesn’t make that mistake.

[daniel200]

I have been using an irobot i7+ for about 5 years now. It runs primarily when I am not home. These devices will find places in your home to get stuck and then shut down and send an alert (it has always shut down properly and no overheating issues). I spent about one year making small adjustments in furniture height, etc so it would never get stuck. Now it always finishes the job. We were recently away for two months … and it continued to run as scheduled without failure.

I think irobot is behind in the technology now but have no experience for a different brand recommendation.

[MatchPoint]

Eufy X10 is the best according to my research and recent purchase.

This thing does everything, mops, vacuums, automatic pad cleaning and drying, automatic dust removal from the unit. We love it!

There are many YouTube videos out there comparing these vacuums and some specifically on the X10.

I caught it on a spring sale on Amazon for 550, regular price I think is around $800 so it's a good deal. But I pay $800 Ford after having it seeing what it can do. You map out zones, create schedules, select types of cleaning, etc they are great especially in Florida homes with only one level

[Federspiel]

Bought Robot with auto empty feature.
Returned and bought a conventional vacuum now. Much happier!

[feversol]

We have LuBlueLu that does a fine job. The mobile app permits selection of a single room such as kitchen to clean. We have the Vacuum/charger/docking station because emptying it each time was a nuisance. Vacuum increases when it moves from tile to rug. You do need to keep small things like strings/shoelaces, etc picked up as they will wrap up the rotor. It announces if there is a problem. Because it is round, we may wish to hose vacuum ourselves a time a two a year. It will also Spot vacuum. If you don't want it in an area, you can create a 'Virtual Wall' in the app that it will not cross. We''ve had it since Thanksgiving and still happy with it.

[Bodrum]

Can anyone recommend a Roomba style vacuum please?

There are so many different types of options it's tough to choose one.

It the wet mopping capability worth the cost? What about the automatic empty feature?

Anything else about this type of vacuum to consider?

TIA
Definitely get the automatic empty feature. I read report to some people said the mop feature was not that accurate but I can’t tell you I can’t tell you this. It is really great. My wife is in Istanbul on visiting her mother and yet she starts room for me from Istanbul

[MikePgh]

If you have any type of pet get used to taking it apart once in awhile to clear the hair off the gears and axle.

When we had 2 large hairy dogs I had to tear ours apart to clean it out once a month.

Frankly they work best if you have all hard surface flooring and no pets.

[jjalex]

We have had 2 Roombas, but were very disappointed with our last one. Now that we live in TV we purchased a self-emptying RoboRock Q5 Max+ for vacuuming and love it! I based that on some independent reviews and haven’t looked back. I can’t believe a robot would have enough water to do a good job mopping, especially with a dog that refuses to wipe his feet. :)