iRobot - Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo Robot
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
5
0
"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."
"It ’s very powerful suction"
8
0
"Self emptying is the best upgrade ... haaaated emptying that thing constantly"
"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."
8
1
"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👌"
"The 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."
3
1
"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)."
"We've had it since 2021."
2
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."
"It mapped my space great"
Disliked most:
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
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.."
0
1
"it starts just wadding up hair and leaving it in chunks"
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."
0
2
"Unfortunately their recent update is bricking everyone's 205.."
"Both broke after just a couple of months."
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.
skillzmaster77 1.0The new roombas have quality issues? The 105,205,504, and 705 releases
TeoProductions 1.0I have 205 and 705 and they are so good
TJH1985 1.0I have ones that do both, and despite thinking I would hate it - the 2025 Roomba actually does a better job on my floor. I put that down to it returning back to the dock to wash and wet it’s pad’s rather than just adding water from a internal tank to a already dirty pad… pleasantly surprised to be honest!