Roomba’s newest robot vacuums are up to $400 off for Cyber Monday

With a new owner looming, iRobot is already getting into the Amazon discounting game by dropping the prices on its brand-new vacuums this Cyber Monday. On Friday, it started with its new budget and midrange lines, the Roomba Combo i5 Plus and Combo j5 Plus, and on Sunday, iRobot slashed $400 off its new top-of-the-line models, the j9 Plus and Combo j9 Plus.

The Roomba j9 Plus is the company’s new flagship robot vacuum and is on sale for $599, down from $899 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Wellbots. It comes with a self-empty dock and all the smarts of the Roomba j7, including AI-powered obstacle avoidance to steer clear of household clutter such as cords, clothes, shoes, and pet poop, plus higher suction power than the previous top-of-the-line j7. It also adds the option of three vacuuming levels and a new feature called Dirt Detective that learns which rooms in your home are dirtiest and cleans them first.

The Roomba Combo j9 Plus mopping version is also on sale for $999 ($400 off) at Amazon, Lowe’s, and Wellbots. This is the first Roomba that can refill its own mop reservoir as well as empty its bin. Its redesigned self-empty/fill dock has a new look that’s also practical — its wooden top can act as a side table, and it has space for extra supplies for the robot. Unlike most other mopping robots, the Combo j9 has a retractable mop that it can lift up over its body when it needs to vacuum carpet. Read my review of the Combo j7 Plus to see how it works.

The Combo j9 adds a new mopping feature (also coming to the j7) called SmartScrub that moves the robot back and forth while mopping to simulate scrubbing. SmartScrub combines with Dirt Detective to target rooms that are more likely to need it, like kitchens and entryways.

I’ve not tested any of the new Roomba’s yet, and iRobot is not discounting its excellent j7 Plus model, which is my top pick for the best robot vacuum you can buy. It’s also quite hard to find it anywhere right now, although Walmart has it at $685, $115 off.

However, the almost identical Combo j7 Plus, which adds the mop, is on sale for $699, down from $979. The main difference between the Combo j7 and the new j9 is that it doesn’t have the bigger base that refills the mop, nor the new Dirt Detective feature; it also has lower suction power. However, the j7 is getting the SmartScrub feature.

The Roomba Combo j7’s onboard water tank is small, so without the refill base you’ll have to fill it up every time you want to mop your floors. If that’s a deal breaker for you, spend the extra $300, otherwise, save the money and get the Combo j7.

The Roomba Combo i5 Plus ($349, down from $549 at Amazon, Target, and Wellbots) and Combo j5 Plus ($499, down from $799.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Wellbots) are iRobot’s new budget and midrange bots that can vacuum and mop and self-empty. Both are on sale for almost 40 percent off this week. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, each can also be purchased without the self-empty base. The Combo i5 (robot-only) is $229 down from $349, and the Combo j5 (robot-only) is $348.99 down from $549.99.

I’ve not tested these new bots yet, but as an upgrade to my top budget pick, the Roomba i3 Evo (which is hard to find right now), the Combo i5 Plus adds a swappable mopping bin and a sleeker self-empty base. It has mapping but no keep-out zones, so it is best for hardwood floors — unlike the higher-end Combo models, it doesn’t lift its mop up when it comes across carpet.

The new Roomba Combo j5 Plus is essentially the same robot as the i5 but with a sleeker look and more smarts. It allows for keep-out zones and no-mop zones and has the AI-powered obstacle avoidance of the j7 and j9 lines, so it will avoid common household clutter.

My current pick for the best budget robot vacuum, the Roomba i3 Evo Plus, is on sale at The Home Depot for $399.99. This is a great price for an excellent vacuum, but it has a bigger base station than the i5 and no mopping option. If you want mopping with it, Amazon has a combo deal with the Brava Jet M6 mopping robot for $568, down from $899.99 at Amazon.

This is a good price for two bots and is worth considering if you only have one floor / area you want mopped regularly, such as a kitchen or bathroom. The Brava Jet is a good mopping bot but is very slow and can’t handle high transitions. The i3 is an excellent budget vacuum; however, like the i5, it lacks virtual keep-out zones.

All the Roombas work with the iRobot app for scheduling and mapping and can be controlled by smart home platforms and voice assistants, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri.

Update November 27th, 11:35AM ET: Updated to include details on sales for the Combo j7 Plus and i3 Evo.