The iRobot Roomba Combo J7+ takes the evolution of the vacuum bot to the next level by adding mopping and better visibility in the home.
Just last week, I reviewed the new Samsung Jet Bot+ vacuum cleaner that uses LiDar technology to add an extra layer of intelligence to the cleaning robot. But Samsung is not alone in making its robots smarter. iRobot, the company which literally pioneered this space, is adding more visibility of obstacles for its Roomba Combo J7+ along with the ability to mop the floors it also vacuums, something that will keep a lot of Indian households happy.
From a design perspective, the iRobot Roomba Combo J7+ is very similar to earlier bots from the company, except for the headlight up front. But it is not that simple. This design now has a tank for storing and dispensing water for mopping. But I was surprised to see that there was no mop below the bot as I have seen in similar models before. Interestingly, the Combo J7+ has a folding crescent-shaped part on top where you stick the mop cloth and this part comes down to the bottom when the robot has to mop the floor. This is actually a very practical design because, in other vacuum bots with mops, the fibre clothes just end up being soiled over time, because it is being dragged about everywhere.
There is just one button on top of the Combo J7+ and most of the controlling has to be done via the iRobot app. The water tank on the site of the device can be removed to add water. iRobot recommends that the water has to be drained after every run, which is not a practical thing if you ask me. In the box, there is also a liquid cleaner for hard floors which can be added to the water tank. The iRobot Roomba Combo J7+ also comes with a stylish and compact charging dock which also cleans the robot after every run.
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Setting up the iRobot Roomba Combo J7+ is easy and all you have to do is let the app find the robot and then connect it to a Wi-Fi in the house. The robot needs to make a few mapping runs before it has a sense of the area it is going to work in. The mapping runs are relatively silent. Once this is done it will be ready to start cleaning.
Unlike Samsung, the iRobot app does not show the map in real-time with the location of the bot. Instead, after the mapping run, it gives the option to save the map. Ideally, do this only after the robot has mapped the entire house and areas you want it to clean. Once this is done, you can define each area on the map and mark the no-go zones.
The light on the front of the bot is useful for the vacuum cleaner to actually see what is in front of it. The bot makes a note of the obstacles and clicks pictures. You will get regular alerts on the app asking you to identify if an obstacle in permanent or temporary. Based on your selection, the bot will decide how to tackle this in its next run. The app also lets you schedule daily or weekly runs and select the particular kind of job you want — just vacuum or vacuum with mopping.
iRobot being a pioneer in the space has no issues tackling any sort of vacuuming. In fact, when the Roomba was on my fabric carpet I could see the threads stand up because of the suction power. The mopping is a bit more muted though and you can see a thin film of water on the areas that have been wiped. And frankly, this is good, otherwise, you will have wet floors. A full cleaning run of my 2BHK house takes about 90 minutes and ends up using the entire water in the tank.
The bot has a good level of intelligence. For instance, it will retract the mop when it comes near the carpet. It also cleans a particular area and then scoots to another place it remembers needs its attention. Initially, it seemed a bit arbitrary, but gradually I realised there was a method to this madness.
One place where it has an issue is with humans. If you are standing in a place the bot is trying to clean, it will keep bumping into your legs and not go away like some of the other robots I have tested. Also, when the bot empties its bin in the charging dock the sounds can be scary for small kids and pets in the house. So keep the dock in a place that is usually away from those who might be impacted by loud noises.
The iRobot Roomba Combo J7+ takes the evolution of the vacuum bot to the next level by adding mopping and better visibility in the home. The Rs 89,900 price tag is however a bit steep for most households, unless you are in a place where human help is hard to come by. Just for context, the basic Roomba vacuum robot I purchased during the pandemic cost me less than a fourth of this. But with devices like this, they pay back the investment with regular use. Just ensure you really have the use case for one.
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First published on: 05-07-2023 at 14:15 IST
