Roomba Combo j9+ Robot Vacuum & Mop

Pros

• Mop lifting system ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 8 reviews 4.9
  Its top-mounted Auto-Retract Mop Arm fully stows the pad on top when it senses carpet, keeping rugs dry and allowing true vacuum-and-mop runs; in tight spaces the arm/pad can catch on rug corners or under doors if it lacks clearance to retract.
• Pet-Ready Features ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 4.7
  Strong for pet homes: camera-based obstacle detection plus the Pet Owners Official Promise for solid pet waste, with good performance around toys and cords; still benefits from basic floor pickup and pad swaps in high-mess areas.
• Carpet — Medium-Pile Pickup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.7
• Versatility ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 7 reviews 4.7
  True 2-in-1 versatility: it can vacuum, mop, or do both in the same run while keeping carpets dry, and supports room-specific jobs, multi-floor maps, and voice control routines.
• Hair‑Wrap / Tangle Resistance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.7
  Dual rubber brush rolls resist tangles better than bristle rollers and often avoid hair-wrap entirely; periodic checks are still recommended in shedding-heavy homes.
• Obstacle Avoidance (Robot) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 8 reviews 4.6
  PrecisionVision camera-based avoidance is a category strength, steering around cords, toys, and pet waste and enabling Keep Out zones plus obstacle photos for feedback; performance depends on lighting and isn't perfect on first runs in clutter.
• Crevice / Groove Pickup (Hard Floors) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.6
  Crevice pickup is above average for a Roomba-style dual-roller design, outperforming earlier models in some testing on grooves and edges.
• Under-Furniture Pickup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.6
  Low height helps it get under many beds, desks, and sofas, and camera-based navigation can clean under some valances that LiDAR robots treat as walls; coverage depends on clearance and clutter.
• Suction & Airflow ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 9 reviews 4.5
  Suction is widely described as very strong, with claims of roughly double i-Series power and lab tests showing a real boost; several reviewers still note that some premium rivals can match or exceed raw power on certain pickup tests.
• Bin & Bag ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 8 reviews 4.5
  The self-empty system uses replaceable bags (often claimed around 60 days capacity) that are quick to swap; the dock can store a spare bag and other small parts.
• Accessories & Tools ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.5
  Box typically includes spare consumables like an extra filter and side brush plus mop pads and an extra dirt-disposal bag; the dock door can store spares for quick swaps.
• Hair Pickup — Hard Floors ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.5
  Hair pickup on hard floors is strong for common pet and human hair, especially with multiple passes and Dirt Detect behavior in dirtier zones.
• AI, Smart & App / Automation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 9 reviews 4.5
  Feature-rich iRobot app supports multi-map room labeling, schedules, Favorites routines, Clean/Keep Out/No-Mop zones, and voice assistants; Dirt Detective and obstacle photos add automation, though some miss live robot position/progress and find the in-app guide limited.
• Solution / Liquid system ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 7 reviews 4.4
  The Auto-Fill dock holds a large clean-water reservoir (often framed as about 30 days) and can top up the robot mid-job; some find the reservoir shape wide/awkward to carry and recommend using approved cleaning solutions.
• Bag-full indicator ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.4
  The dock can signal when the disposal bag needs attention via a front LED indicator in some descriptions, helping prevent overfilling.
• Hard Floor — Large Debris Intake ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 reviews 4.4
  Large-debris pickup on hard floors is consistently strong, with high rice/cereal collection and few leftover piles when it runs systematic passes.
• Aesthetic design & finish ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 4.4
  Dock is designed to blend in with decor via a wood-look top that can double as a small side table; some reviewers love the furniture-like look while others find the faux finish cheap or dust-attracting, and the robot itself is simple black/silver.
• Carpet — Low-Pile Pickup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 4.4
  Carpet pickup is a standout, with strong results across particle sizes and impressive deep-clean performance; a few reviewers still note occasional leftover hair on low-pile rugs.
• Filtration / Dust Containment ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.4
  Dust containment is helped by the bagged Clean Base and replaceable filters, reducing the dust plume when emptying; overall filtration depends on keeping the filter fresh per app reminders.
• Low-profile design ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.4
  At about 3.4 inches tall it is lower-profile than many premium hybrids and can fit under more furniture; the Auto-Fill dock footprint is still substantial and needs clearance.
• Assembly and Setup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 4.3
  Little to no physical assembly is required, but first-time setup depends on the app and mapping runs; mapping can take multiple runs and may feel slow or clumsy at first for some homes.
• Emptying & Mess Control ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 4.3
  Bagged emptying keeps dust contained and avoids a messy bin dump, and the design avoids storing dirty mop water; you still handle dirty pads manually, which shifts the mess from the dock to pad washing.
• Odor control ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 reviews 4.3
  Because the dock doesn't store dirty mop water, it can be less prone to tank odors than self-washing systems; odor control still depends on washing or swapping dirty pads promptly.
• Battery & Charging ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 4.3
  Runtime is typically reported around 113-120+ minutes depending on mode and home size, with recharge-and-resume and mid-run water refills; charging back to full can take a couple of hours and double-pass or max modes may require a recharge break.
• Ease of use ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 4.2
  Day-to-day use is mostly hands-off thanks to auto-emptying and auto-refill, and routines are easy to start from the app or voice; it still benefits from tidying floors, initial learning runs, and regular pad/brush checks.
• Dock noise ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.2
  Auto-emptying is noticeable and can be loud in a quiet room, though some reviewers find it quieter or less shrill than older Roombas; the noise is brief and happens at the dock.
• Cord management ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.2
  Dock design can include a cord-wrapping area to wind up excess cable for a tidier install.
• Docking & Auto-Empty Reliability (Robot) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 8 reviews 4.2
  Auto-emptying and auto-refill are usually reliable and enable true vacuum-and-mop runs, but a few reviews report early mapping weirdness, occasional failure to resume, or a defective unit requiring replacement.
• Mopping performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 8 reviews 4.2
  Mopping is strong for day-to-day maintenance with Smart Scrub/back-and-forth motion and good carpet avoidance, and it can handle dried-on spots well; it's less effective than spinning/vibrating rivals on sticky messes and can leave minor streaks or residue without frequent pad changes.
• Dried-On Stain Removal ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 4.2
  Smart Scrub and repeat-pass behavior remove many dried spills and muddy prints better than simple drag-pad mops; very heavy grime or sticky food may still need manual scrubbing.
• Area Rug Handling ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 4.1
  Rug handling is generally confident and the retracting mop prevents wetting, but thick edges, bath mats, or certain rug corners can trap the mop arm or snag the pad in tight clearances.
• Hard Floor — Fine Dust Pickup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 reviews 4.1
  Fine debris pickup on hard floors is generally good in real homes, but controlled sand tests place it mid-pack versus the strongest hybrid competitors; repeat passes improve results.
• Controls & UI ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 4.1
  Controls are minimal on-device (single start/pause button with status light and audible error cues), with most control in the app; the app is generally intuitive but some reviewers call menus and in-app documentation cluttered or hard to read.
• Corner Cleaning (Robot) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.1
  Corner reach is decent for a round robot but still limited by geometry; most corners benefit from occasional targeted runs or manual touch-ups.
• Support & Reliability ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.0
  Support signals include the pet-waste replacement promise and at least one case of a malfunctioning unit being swapped; reliability is generally good but buyers may want to keep receipts for early runs.
• Map & Path Efficiency (Robot Vacuums) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 8 reviews 3.9
  Once mapped it tends to clean in orderly rows with good coverage, but initial mapping can be slow and sometimes incomplete; some reviews note longer runtimes versus LiDAR rivals though keep-out zones help refine routes.
• Privacy controls ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 3.9
  Privacy is a consideration with a camera-based robot: mapping/obstacle data is processed via iRobot systems with options and controls, but there is no live camera-view feature; some reviewers highlight the trade-off between convenience and data sharing.
• Stuck resistance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 3.8
  It avoids many common traps, but can still get stuck on bath mats, rug edges, or when the mop arm lacks clearance to retract; keep-out zones usually prevent repeats after the first incident.
• Hair Pickup — Carpets ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 3.8
  Hair pickup on carpet is generally solid and helped by the dual rubber rollers, but some users still spot a few stray hairs on low-pile carpet and may need an extra pass for perfection.
• Weight ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 3.8
  The robot is roughly 9 lb and the dock is around 22 lb, making the box heavy; placement is best treated as semi-permanent once installed.
• Comparative performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 reviews 3.8
  Compared to rivals, many reviewers rate its vacuuming and obstacle avoidance among the best, while some conclude competitors offer stronger scrubbing and more self-maintenance (pad washing/drying) for similar money.
• Streaking / Residue ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 3.7
  Most users see better-looking floors than vacuuming alone, but streaks or sticky residue can appear on tacky spills (jam/jelly) or when pads are dirty; adjusting water level and swapping pads reduces streaking.
• Build quality & durability ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 3.7
  Build quality is generally solid, but some testers saw scuffing from bumper contact during early mapping and at least one defective unit; gentle bumping is common for camera-based navigation.
• Maintenance requirements ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 8 reviews 3.5
  Maintenance is moderate for a premium hybrid: you still wash/swap mop pads and periodically replace bags, filters, rollers, and brushes; the lack of dock pad-washing lowers dock mess but increases hands-on pad care.
• Ongoing ownership costs (bags, filters, batteries) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 3.5
  Ongoing costs include disposable bags, filters, rollers/brushes, mop pads, and optional approved cleaning solution; the app's component-health tracking helps predict replacement timing.