iRobot - Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo Robot
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 15, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
10
2
"We have three kids, two dogs, and a cat that sheds more than both dogs combined, and having robot vacuums has been a game changer. ... But the robot keeps the main areas of the house from getting hairballs and dirty."
"I've had my roomba for like 5 years now.. We have 3 big dogs and a cat, in a small house. Still works great, I've replaced the brushes and obviously the filters on it but it still works awesome."
"the vac feature is excellent. ... Since we have a young son & a dog that sheds constantly, I'm ok w/just the vac👌"
4
2
"I bought one well over a year ago possibly on year 2. ... If it only lasted a year I’d buy another one. ... It works as well as it did when I bought it."
"I've had my roomba for like 5 years now.. We have 3 big dogs and a cat, in a small house. Still works great, I've replaced the brushes and obviously the filters on it but it still works awesome."
"been working well for two plus years with regular part replacement (filters, rollers etc)."
8
0
"Now we have two good ones (iRobot) with the bin that they self empty into when they get full. ... Before we got the one with the bins, it would get full and need emptying before it finished a whole cycle. Now it goes and empties itself and then goes back to cleaning."
"It runs daily at 9:30 am, recharges and empties itself, then finishes rhe rest around 2 in the afternoon. ... That robot is a wonderful thing."
"It has a reservoir of the liquid at the charging station and a bag dispenser for the dust as well."
6
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"Suction has been amazing. We have a shag rug that even our Dyson V8 struggles with, and this handled it with no problem."
"The app is awesome too. You can control the suction, mop water levels, and turn the compactor on or off."
"I also live near a beach and it straight picks up all the sand too. ... It’s great."
1
1
"It also navigates way better than our old Roomba. The LiDAR makes a huge difference-it doesn’t bounce around under chairs or get stuck in tight spots. It mapped our 1700 sq ft home in under 10 minutes."
"this can detect pretty much everything it’s run into without needing to use the bumper. ... it seems to be avoiding everything lol. ... this one just barely uses the bumper."
Disliked most:
0
2
"they don't sell repair parts."
"it starts just wadding up hair and leaving it in chunks"
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3
"Unfortunately their recent update is bricking everyone's 205.."
"The app kept crashing (I tried on a few platforms) and it wasn't my only complaint."
"the headaches I endured with the software wasn't worth it.. Still after many updates, my Lefants software was better than this one.."
2
2
"However, the few times I have attempted to use the mopping feature, it has not worked well at all. ... It starts off fine, but after no more than 10 min if that, it seems to get stuck. ... What it's stuck on is beyond me because it happens in dining room each time & sounds like it's spinning it's wheels (like a car stuck in mud). ... There are no rugs, chairs are moved out of the way & there's no visible debris obstacles like one of my son's marbles or a plastic milk cap or anything. Literally just hardwood flooring. ... I've tried rebooting, I've tried popping the water/mop pad on & mopping immediately (thinking it would help reduce soaking & "puddling" near the wheels), I've tried wiping the wheels and following behind it to wipe up the drag marks of water. But it still spins & does nothing."
"I didn’t realize that you can’t mop and vacuums carpets the same time. ... So if the mop attachment is on you can’t go on carpets"
0
2
"My dead $80 Vac beats the hell put of the $250 I paid for this crap"
"another that supposedly maps the space. The cheaper, random movement robot is vastly superior in all ways."
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3
"Unfortunately their recent update is bricking everyone's 205.."
"Both broke after just a couple of months."
"it died after 2 years though ... I kept it limping along for another few months until I gave up on it."
amandainpdx 1.0My first robot was the i7, bought in 2020 (with a matching Braava). I thought, at the time, this was the best of what robots had to offer. It wasn't until I started testing robots that I understood just how poorly iRobot was adapting to the changes in the industry. I recently tested the 205, part of the new lineup. I thought it performed abysmally. [https://lifehacker.com/tech/roomba-205-dustcompactor-combo-review](https://lifehacker.com/tech/roomba-205-dustcompactor-combo-review) The app kept crashing (I tried on a few platforms) and it wasn't my only complaint. In terms of apps, it depends on whether you're striving for simplicity or features. I enjoy little talked about features like Pin and Go and Remote Control, and kind of hate in app adverts. So Roborock is one of my favs. But Ecovacs and Dreame robots have a decent app as well. I would never, ever overlook Switchbot, btw.
Associate-143 1.0So far, really impressed with this vacuum. I’m still a little skeptical about the dust compactor, but if it actually works long-term, it could be a total game changer. The app is awesome too. You can control the suction, mop water levels, and turn the compactor on or off. If everything keeps working like this, it might honestly rival the hands-off feel of the 405. Suction has been amazing. We have a shag rug that even our Dyson V8 struggles with, and this handled it with no problem. It also navigates way better than our old Roomba. The LiDAR makes a huge difference-it doesn’t bounce around under chairs or get stuck in tight spots. It mapped our 1700 sq ft home in under 10 minutes. It’s also a lot quieter, especially on hardwood. And so far, the way it senses carpet versus hard floors and adjusts accordingly has been working really well. We’ll see how it holds up, but things are looking really good so far.
Caayn_ 1.0Can't you get a Roomba 205 vac only for around $300,-? I'm happy with my 205 combo.
Cryptofluxx 1.0So far so good. I didn’t realize that you can’t mop and vacuums carpets the same time. So if the mop attachment is on you can’t go on carpets Setup had some hiccups but works well now I have the 200 series I believe where the dust bin has the windshield wiper thing. It’s very powerful suction It does feel a mediocre plastic but solid enough. Overall happy with it. Long term will tell.
drizzle_R 1.0Allmost all robots are a downgrade regarding cleaning performance - it is really a shame that iRobot abandoned the "s plattform". In the current iRobot-Pieca universe nothing (also current models like the 705 max (i have not tested the combo yet)) is even close to the s9 in regarding cleaning performance. I have tested 2 other robots so far dominating the s9 in every test i do (carpet and hardfloor) - both are also vac only robots with one being pretty much EOL. Everything else vacuums not very well and even mopping does not archive the same level of just dust removal most of the time depending on your flooring. You can find various examples for this on my channel. A funny sidenote : the 205 combo is able to clean my laminate grouts with mopping while all other fancy spinning mops, roller mops and so on fail. But more on this later :D.
Gobberwarts 1.0The 205 with the compactor works great on my cat hair. It can do the entire house several times where my old 960 had to be emptied 5 times. Unfortunately their recent update is bricking everyone's 205..
PDavent 1.0I have a Roomba 205 and it vacuums and mops really well. Perhaps different machines suit different homes. We don’t have pet, so basically vacuuming and mopping hardwood surfaces and vacuuming carpet bedrooms.
TeoProductions 1.0I have 205 and 705 and they are so good
Jefreta 0.1I Jumped the Robo Vacs wagon with a cheap " bump and go " to see if it was a fit for me.. Finally gave up after 3 years, RIP, so decided to get into the new Roomba line with Lidar and " advertised" better bells and whistles.. My dead $80 Vac beats the hell put of the $250 I paid for this crap and the headaches I endured with the software wasn't worth it.. Still after many updates, my Lefants software was better than this one.. Roomba is on it's way out and rightfully so..
Leather_Bicycle_2697 0.1My Roomba is also lasting like forever, I just replace the battery every couple years and it still comes back with a lot of debris it captured. The bot is 880. Also their new LiDAR bot is high quality too
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