Roomba Combo 10 Max vs. Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra
Roomba Combo 10 Max
Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra
Roomba Combo 10 Max
- Size (LxWxH) 13.3”x13.3”x3.4”
- Weight 11 lbs
- Station Size (LxWxH) 15.8”x20.1”17.6”
- Station Weight 23 lbs
- Maximum runtime 120 minutes
- Noise level 55 dB
- Batteries 1 LFP
- Recharge and resume yes
- Charging time 3 hours
- Mopping performance Yes
- Hands-free dust storage Yes
- Сarpet detection Yes
- Multi-floor mapping Yes
Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra
- Size (LxWxH) 13.7”x13.8”x4.0”
- Weight 9.7 lbs
- Station Size (LxWxH) 16.1”x16.5”x18.5
- Station Weight 20 lbs
- Maximum runtime 180 minutes
- Noise level 67 dB
- Batteries 1 L-ion
- Recharge and resume yes
- Charging time 4 hours
- Mopping performance Yes
- Hands-free dust storage Yes
- Сarpet detection Yes
- Multi-floor mapping Yes
In this article, I compare two new top models: Roomba Combo 10 Max and Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra. I perform cleaning tests and study their technical characteristics to find the best Combo for the price and cleaning performance.
Robotic vacuum cleaners have taken care of most households’ everyday cleaning of hard floors and carpets. Pet owners and families with kids especially appreciate them. Every year, the robots become more and more advanced to ensure the full coverage and removal of all dirt and stubborn stains. Moreover, you can purchase models with a multi-functional docking station. These stations perform automatic dust removal, storage for many days, washing and drying of washing pads, refill, and other essential features to minimize manual maintenance.
Even though you can purchase robots with top functions at a price of up to one thousand dollars, in this review, I collected two expensive models – Roomba Combo 10 Max vs. Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra. I want to highlight the benefits of these models, which are the top models of the two most popular brands of robot manufacturers – iRobot and Roborock. iRobot is a company with 30 years of experience, while Roborock has only worked for ten years. Let’s find out together which model is the best.
Roomba Combo 10 Max vs. Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra – Face-to-Face comparison
Roomba Combo 10 Max is a round black robotic vacuum cleaner. On the top, near the iRobot sign, is located the clean button, which starts auto-mode cleaning. During only vacuuming mode, the mopping pad plate is located on the top at the back of the lid.
To protect the robot from crashes, the robot is equipped with a bumper. On this bumper is located a camera. The water tank and dustbin are assembled; to clean both, you need to take the unit out from the back.
On the bottom, apart from numerous sensors, you may access main brushes, charging contacts, and one edge brush. Moving around the floor requires two rubber wheels and one front caster wheel.
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is a round black robotic vacuum cleaner. You may also purchase this model in white.
On top of that, it has a LIDAR sensor and three buttons (spot cleaning, auto cleaner, and home button) for control. To access the dustbin and water tank, you need to pull half of the lid up.
On the bottom, there are two main brushes, one side brush, two rubber wheels, and one caster wheel for turning. In different parts of the robot, there are several sensors to navigate effortlessly, detect carpets, and avoid obstacles and cliffs.
For me, most of the robotic cleaners look similar, but the Roomba Combo 10 Max nevertheless has a special design with a special design of a mopping pad plate. While Roborock s8 has a standard design. Both models are slim and round to go under almost all types of furniture. I can’t call the winner in this round, as both models look good.
The Roomba Combo 10 Max has several cleaning modes: separate and simultaneous vacuum and mop. In the simultaneous vacuum and mop mode, the robot features a 4-stage cleaning system to efficiently clean all corners and floors. On the carpet, it only vacuums, and on the floor, it can vacuum and mop.
The Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra has three cleaning modes: mop or vacuum only, simultaneous vacuum, and mop. During vacuum, only the mop is a lifter; during only mop mode, the brush is lifted, and in the dock, the brush and mop pad are lifted. In the smartphone app, you can also choose the direction of vacuuming—along the floor direction.
I found only three identical cleaning modes for both vacuum cleaners. There is no winner in this part.
The Roomba 10 Max has one mopping pad plate where you need to place a washable microfiber mopping pad. On carpets, it uses an auto-retract mopping system of a mopping pad to the top of the robot to avoid a wet mess on the carpet. The mopping pad creates constant pressure with the SmartScrub feature, ensuring deep scrubbing back and forth to clean stubborn stains.
The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has an upgraded VibraRise 3.0 Mopping system. It vibrates using dual modules 4000 times /min and scrubs the stubborn messes intensively. The mop is lifted 20 mm when the robot detects with sensors carpets to avoid dampness. For mopping corners, it has an extra edge mopping system – a side mopping pad to come close to 1.68 mm to corners.
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is the winner in this comparison, as it has an additional small mopping pad to mop close to the edges. The retractable mopping pad requires careful maintenance, and I prefer more standard lifting pads.
The Roomba Combo 10 Max’s suction power is about 6000 Pa—100% more than the models from the previous Roomba series. This suction allows it to easily pull dirt, dust, and pet hair from hard floors or carpets.
The extreme suction power (HyperForce suction) of Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra sucks all dust and dirt in the dust bin safely. On carpets, the robot boosts the suction power to a maximum to achieve a 99.5% hair pick-up rate.
Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra is obviously more powerful than Combo 10 Max. This robot is the winner in this round.
sing an advanced mapping system, the robot Combo 10 Max can not only build the maps of your home seven times faster than previous models, but it also recognizes and names the rooms 90% more accurately than other robots for better cleaning.
The robot is equipped with detection sensors and a camera to avoid obstacles eight times better than other robots, including pet waste and cords and move-around furniture. If you turn on the SmartScrub function in the smartphone app, the robot will go back and forth with pressure on the same spot to remove all stubborn stains.
Roborock S8 uses 3D structured light and RGB camera to detect all obstacles (73 objects in memory), navigate around the home, and identify rooms to ensure specific cleaning of each room.
The robot navigates perfectly during the day and night using adaptive route algorithms in real-time. The LIDAR Navigation system scans the home six times faster than previous models, creates a 3D map display, optimizes the cleaning route, and reduces the cleaning routes.
From my tests, I have found that Roborock S8 navigates better and avoids obstacles more precisely. The Roomba model is not significantly worse, but in comparison, the Roborock wins.
Roomba Combo 10 Max has a non-washable HEPA filter. To clean it, you need to tap the filter against your trash container. The filter captures up to 99% of particles with a size of less than 0.3 microns. It safely traps dirt, pollen, allergens, and other substances in the dustbin.
Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra has a washable HEPA filter. It is made from air-coated Teflon for long-lasting service and effective filtration. This filter can capture particles less than 0.0001 mm.
Roborock washable filters have longer service lives and require fewer replacements than Combo filters. I personally like more washable filters. In this part of the comparison, Roomba Combo 10 Max vs. Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra, Roborock is the winner again.
Roomba Combo 10 Max has dual main brushes and one side brush. These multi-surface brushes are made from rubber and are light and dark green. The brushes have rubber angled fins on the whole length and small ones.
They move in different directions to prevent tangled hair and stay in constant contact with carpets and hard floors. One brush loosens dirt and agitates it, while the other extracts it and pulls it to the dustbin. The side brush is a standard one with plastic bristles in three directions.
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has dual rubber main brushes and one side brush. One red brush and one black brush with fins are moved in opposite directions to prevent hair tangling and ensure precise dirt direction in the dustbin.
The flex arm side brush rotates at 185 rpm and ensures cleaning with almost 100% corner coverage and up to 1.68 along the edge. The side brush is automatically extended when it detects corners and areas under low-profile furniture.
Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra's flexarm technology performs better in cleaning edges, so I say Roborock is the winner.
Roomba Combo 10 Max has a combined water tank and dustbin that you can access from the back by pressing the button.
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra integrates a dustbin and a water tank. To clean both, you need to open the lid, press the button, and pull the unit.
The larger water tank and dustbin ensure longer cleaning efficiency time. That is why, in this part, I consider Roomba Combo 10 Max the winner.
Roomba Combo 10 Max is equipped with a 4200 mAh Lithium Iron Phosphate battery (LFP). This battery ensures up to 120 minutes of cleaning time on one single charge.
The robot will automatically come for recharge if the battery is low during the cleaning cycle; after that, it will resume. The full charge takes about three hours.
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has one 14.4V/5200mAh (TYP) lithium-ion battery to ensure up to 180 minutes of working time without recharging.
The full charge takes about four hours. The robot recharges and resumes automatically.
Even though a Roomba full charge takes less time to recharge, it is better for nonstop cleaning and more working time on one charge. The Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra is the winner.
The Combo 10 max goes with AutoWash Dock station, which requires minimal attention from your side. When the robot arrives for charging, the dust is automatically emptied into the dust bag for storage for 60 days the water tank (7 days of liquid refill) washes and dries the mopping pad after each use.
You can also start a self-cleaning cycle from the button on the dock or from the app to keep it clean; it pumps the water through the station several times to remove all dirt and debris.
To clean the dock manually, you can remove the removable ramp and pad washing roller, filter, and basin. LED indicators on the docking station will inform you when you need to fill the clean water tank and empty the dirty water tank.
The S8 MaxV Ultra robot has a multi-functional station. It performs auto dust emptying and storage for up to 7 weeks, hot water mopping pad washing and hot air drying, auto tank refilling (4L), and 30% faster charging than previous models of Roborock.
The station has a special sensor that checks how the mopping pad is washed and adjusts the washing duration to increase it if necessary. You can also set off-peak charging to decrease electricity bills.
To minimize manual cleaning, you can press the button on the docking station for self-cleaning. For effective cleaning of hard floors, the Clean Water Tank detergent dispenser (sold separately) can be auto-added. The detergent is stored in the 580 ml detergent tank to be used for three months.
Roborock's docking station is more functional, which makes it the winner in this regard.
There are many control options for the Roomba Combo 10 Max. Using voice assistants, you can start the cleaning process with simple commands. The smartphone app helps to monitor the status of the cleaning process and the health of the robot.
The app gives suggestions on cleaning routines, gives personalized suggestions, and provides integration with other smart devices to create a Smart Home. The app also allows users to set no mop zones and schedules. One of the amazing features for me is the Dirt Detection system, which learns your habits and optimizes the cleaning process to go to the dirtiest places first and give them the deep cleaning. Also, this model can start cleaning while you are away.
The S8 MaxV Ultra has several smart features. In the smartphone app, you can set no-go zones, receive smart suggestions, choose an area for cleaning (SmartPlan Technology) or temporary cleaning, and many more. The robot supports not only popular voice assistants but also built-in voice assistants that start most of the processes.
The dirt Detection system is included in the Roborock S8 MaxV, and it helps to recognize the dirtiest spots, identify them, and adjust the cleaning modes to clean the floor quickly and efficiently. The camera on the robot can make real-time connections, remotely command, and make video calls. Using this camera, you may have your pet photographs available for download.
The two models have similar numbers of control options and smart features, so I can’t say who won in this round.
iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max comes with:
- Robot Vacuum
- Docking station
- 2 Mopping pads (1 extra)
- Line cord
- 2 side brushes (1 extra)
- 2 High-efficiency filters (1 extra)
- 2 Dirt Disposal Bag (1 extra)
- Quick Start Guide
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra comes with:
-
Robot Vacuum
- Robot Vacuum
- Docking station
- 1 Mopping pad
- Power cord
- 1 side brush
- 1 Dirt Disposal Bag
- User manual
Maintenance and setting up
Roomba Combo 10 Max and Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra do not require significant actions to set up. For both models, the actions are the same, you need to download the smartphone, position the docking station on a hard surface with good Wi-Fi coverage, remove the dock ramp and parts in the robot for transportation, fill the clean water tank (and dispenser if required), plug in the dock and charge the robot to the full charge. During the first run, the robot makes the home map.
The maintenance table for Roomba Combo 10 Max and Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra is the following:
| Robot part | Cleaning frequency | Replacement frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Dust bin/ Water tank | Once a week | Not required |
| Dust bag | Once a week | Replace with the LED indicator |
| Mopping pad | Not required (manually if needed) | Every 1-2 months |
| Filter (Roomba) | Once a week | Every 2 months |
| Filter (Roborock) | Once in two weeks | Every 6-12 months |
| Main brushes / side brush | Once a month | Every 12 months |
| Docking station | Every month | Not required |
| Water/Dirty Clean Tank | Rinse as required | Not required |
| Sensors / charging contacts | Once a month | Not required |
| Wheels | Every two weeks | Every 12 months |
Cleaning Tests
Performance on Bare Floors (simultaneous vacuum and mop)
Performance on Bare Floors (simultaneous vacuum and mop)
- Soda
- 93
- 94
- Wet paw marks
- 94
- 94
- Urine stains
- 95
- 94
- Margarine marks
- 96
- 97
- Cooking oil
- 92
- 96
- Dried porridge spots
- 94
- 97
- Honey spots
- 92
- 94
- Flour
- 96
- 97
- Rice
- 95
- 96
- Sugar
- 96
- 97
- Kitty litter
- 94
- 94
- Cherrios
- 94
- 95
- Saw dust
- 95
- 95
- Sand pebbles
- 96
- 95
Performance on Carpets
Performance on Carpets
Which Robot Vacuum Cleaner is Better: Roomba Combo 10 Max vs. Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra?
In my detailed overview, numerous comparisons have shown that Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra is the better robotic cleaner because of the higher suction power, extended brush, and mopping pad to achieve the corner. Moreover, it has a more functional docking station to charge the robot faster and provide more intensive control of washing pad cleaning. Nevertheless, the Roomba Combo 10 Max is a cheaper model, but it is close in cleaning performance and functionality of the docking station, so it is a good alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the RED flashing LED light around the power button pulsing on the Roomba Combo 10 Max robot?
This means that the robot’s battery is low and needs charging. When the ring becomes fully white, charging is complete.
Can I fill the water tank in the Combo 10 Max robot manually?
Yes. You need to extract the combo dustbin and water tank from the robot by pressing the button. Pull out the rubber cap and fill the tank with water. When the robot starts the cleaning cycle from the docking station, it is not required to fill the tank manually; it will be cleaned automatically when it is empty.
Can I add a cleaning solution to the Roborock S8 MAXV Ultra?
Yes. You can add a cleaning solution approved by the manufacturer directly to a water tank.