Eureka E10s: two-minute review

The E10s is Eureka's mid-range robot vacuum, offering every feature you need. Its vacuuming and mopping capability is complimented by a bagless self-emptying dust station, real-time mapping, and customizable cleaning schedules.

The vacuum strength can be adjusted to suit the debris that needs picking up, but even at the strongest 4,000Pa of suction, there was still litter left behind. Freshly dropped crumbs and dirt were generally fine, but more stubborn walked-in dirt couldn't be captured. The noise at this level of suction also becomes a problem, especially if you're trying to relax at the same time or make sure the children stay asleep. This lack of high-end performance means you'll still need one of the best vacuum cleaners for those deeper cleans, though generally speaking no robotic cleaner can ever live up the the best vacuum cleaners in terms of suction power.

The E10s took a while to map my house, but once it was finished, it was able to predictably find its way around each room without too much trouble. As with most vacuums of this type, getting into corners was a little tricky, although the rotating dual brushes helped extend the capture range.

At the end of a clean, the E10 found its way back to its charging station and emptied its contents. It did this reliably and without any mess spilling out onto the floor. Unfortunately, the vacuum was rarely able to deposit the full contents of its clean into the base station. This resulted in the need for fairly regular maintenance cleaning to keep everything running smoothly. The base station itself looks great, with a clear perspex front, enabling users to see whether it needs emptying without having to tamper with it, though some may prefer vacuum debris to be left unseen.

The mop pad feels like a half-hearted attempt at providing a premium feature. In essence, all it is doing is running a wet cloth along the floor behind the vacuum. The app allows you to control how much water it uses, something you'll need to be conscious of with hardwood floors. The mop was able to clean up fresh spills but couldn't push through deeper stains. I don't particularly mind this, as any mop that excels at this is likely to risk damaging the top layer of the floor. 

The mop automatically lifts when it's working in a 'no mop zone' which means the vacuum can move between surfaces without the user having to remove or insert the mop pad. That being said, the pad does attract a lot of unwanted dirt when traveling across carpets, which substantially limits its effectiveness when it then moves on to a hard floor.

Despite these small setbacks, the E10s is still a fantastic mid-range robot vacuum that will keep your house clean and tidy. At only $699, you'll get a largely effective robot vacuum, which will only require you to get out a standard vacuum cleaner or mop when performing deep cleans. 

Eureka E10s robot vacuum review: price & availability

• How much does it cost? $699.99 / AU$1,099
• When is it available? Available now
• Where is it available? Available in the US and Australia

The Eureka E10s costs $699.99 / AU$1,099, and you can buy it in the US at various retailers, including Amazon and Walmart. The E10 is also available in Australia. There are no plans at the moment for a UK release.

This price point puts it firmly in the middle of the market between the super-budget options and premium alternatives. For the price, you'll get a fantastic all-rounder robot vacuum cleaner that includes a mop pad for basic mopping capabilities. Its bagless technology means owners will also avoid the cost of replacement bags, making this an even more affordable option. 

The Eufy Clean X9 Pro is a little more expensive, but delivers better mopping performance. If mopping is important to you, then the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni is another great option. If you want one of the best robot vacuums that excel at everything, then check out the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra for $1,599 / AU$2,699.

• Value score: 4.5 out of 5

Eureka E10s robot vacuum specs

Eureka E10 robot vacuum review: design & features

• Bagless Self-Emptying Dust Station
• 2-in-1 Vacuum and Mop System
• Multi-Level Cleaning

The Eureka E10s vacuum and base station are fairly compact and were well packaged inside a relatively small box. Having unboxed everything, I proceeded to plug the device in, download the app, and connect the two, which took no more than 10 minutes. After leaving the device to charge for a few hours, it was ready to map my house.

The robot vacuum is a beautiful round shape made of premium-quality powder-coated dark grey plastic. The color and material will help to keep the case looking great and free from scuff marks compared to white plastic alternatives. 

At 13.8 x 13.8 x 3.8 inches, it is a little larger than I expected, but it really looks the part. However, it is on the taller side of the robot vacuum spectrum, so it's worth considering if there will be enough clearance room for the E10s to venture beneath lower furniture. The top of the robot includes three neat buttons for quickly turning it off, setting it to clean, or sending it back to the base station for charging. More specific and targeted cleaning tasks can be carried out through the app.

Two side brushes are easily inserted into the vacuum, which helps it cover a greater area of dust and dirt. This was particularly effective at the edges and corners of rooms. Without them, I think it would have struggled in these areas.

The mop pad sits at the back of the device and is attached with velcro and a thin rod that you slide into the main unit. The pad can be easily removed for cleaning and re-applying. The dust box is easy to remove and clean out, something that is regularly necessary due to the middling performance of the self-emptying process.

Moving on to the base station, we find an identical design ethos with pleasing curved edges and the same powder-coated dark grey plastic. At a size of 9.87 x 7.1 x 17.4 inches, it sits next to the wall and, after a while, just blends into the background.

The debris receptacle is easily removed by pulling on the top handle and is largely made of see-through plastic, so you know when it needs emptying. The presence of a small LED light on the front of the base station tells you that it is connected to a power source.

The robot vacuum includes two metal connection points, which, when connected to the base station, allow the device to be charged. I found that the robot had no problems finding its way back to its home.

The vacuum is complemented by an easy-to-use, powerful app. This makes it possible to see the mapped area, specify rooms, and dictate the suction power and water level. You can also set up a cleaning schedule for automated cleaning at set times.

I found it funny that there was a 'Find My Robot' feature. I'm not sure whose house is so big that it might get lost, but maybe it could get stuck under a sofa or chair. I can't say I needed it, but the option is certainly nice to have.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Eureka E10 robot vacuum review: performance

• Easy-to-use app
• Vacuuming for everyday cleaning
• Sub-par mopping

For the first test, I sprinkled a mix of crushed digestives and flour onto my carpet and hard floor before setting it to clean on its lowest suction power. At this level of power, the E10s was unable to pick up any of the debris. The flour and biscuits just got compacted into the carpet, meaning I needed to wipe the carpet afterward. 

It fared slightly better on a hard floor, although it still struggled to collect a meaningful amount of dirt. After changing the power modes all the way from gentle through to turbo, I found that at the highest power setting, it was able to collect most of the debris, although it needed two or three turns to do it adequately.

The second test with oats was very much the same story. The dual brushes helped to direct the oats into the vacuum, but the lowest suction wasn't strong enough to draw them up. The highest suction power was able to get up most of the oats.

The mop pad cleaned fresh spills nicely, although its effectiveness in mopping up spills rather than just spreading them around was completely dependent upon how wet the pad already was. More stubborn stains weren't effectively removed, largely due to the lack of oscillating or rotating mops.

In terms of noise, the robot vacuum reached 55dB on its lowest suction and 70dB on its highest. The former noise level just blends into the background, whereas the latter ruins a nice, relaxing evening. Because you'll want to use the highest suction level most of the time, you'll need to run this vacuum when you're out and about, during the daytime, or when you're doing other jobs around the house and are less likely to be bothered by the volume. 

The E10s boasts self-emptying technology that negates the need for bags. I was excited to use this feature but was disappointed by its performance. Dust, dirt, and debris became stuck along the route from capturing to emptying, and it quickly became clogged.

This made the vacuum largely ineffective, even at the highest suction power. This problem meant that I had to get in the habit of cleaning out the various parts of the robot vacuum before setting it going. I don't mind a certain amount of maintenance, but when you expect your robot vacuum to remove these tasks, it becomes a little annoying.

The performance of the mapping and navigation technology was second to none. The robot vacuum took a while to map out our house, taking a lot of wrong turns and stumbling over table legs, but after it was finished, the map was surprisingly accurate. The software did a good job of straightening out edges and producing a reliable map for the robot to follow. 

These types of vacuums can have a hard time navigating around the edges of rooms, constantly readjusting themselves to try and access all areas. The E10s was able to detect objects and brush up alongside them with a high level of accuracy. Rather than rotating and readjusting, it opted to push alongside these edges and therefore perform more efficient routes.

There are, of course, times when the robot became confused or tried to repeatedly travel in a set direction, but on the whole, it proved to be both reliable and predictable.

• Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Eureka E10 robot vacuum review: app

• Easy-to-use app
• Room and zone mapping
• Cleaning scheduling

The Eureka app offers a high level of functionality while maintaining a relatively simple and intuitive interface. After performing the initial mapping, the app gives a full display of the scanned rooms and enables users to name rooms as well as set no-go or no-mop zones. The map also shows where the base station is to help you orient yourself.

Setting the robot to clean can be done in a number of ways. The easiest way is to select specific rooms on the map and hit the clean button. It is also possible to use the zones feature and create a cleaning area. For more stubborn dirt, it is possible to set the clean to be carried out up to three times. 

The final way to set a clean going is to use the Scheduled Cleaning feature. This lets you specify a time, a repeat schedule, and a number of cleaning cycles. It also allows you to specify which rooms are to be cleaned on that particular schedule. Finally, multiple schedules can be created to create a highly customized schedule.

Another feature is multi-floor mapping and thankfully, the robot is clever enough to not throw itself down the stairs. The only downside, albeit an understandable one, is that the robot can't move between floors and so will require manual moving before a clean occurs. This gets tricky when partnering multi-floor cleaning with a cleaning schedule.

I found the mapping and customizing of the resulting maps pretty intuitive, but after showing my parents how it worked, I realized that the process is not as straightforward as it needs to be for less tech-savvy people. There were times when the app went wrong or the robot struggled, requiring a certain level of intervention and troubleshooting. 

• App score: 4.5 out of 5

Eureka E10 robot vacuum review: battery life

• Battery lasts up to three hours
• Takes around 4 hours to recharge

The E10s is equipped with an internal lithium-ion battery that is advertised to last as long as 3 hours. The maximum battery life is only applicable when using the quiet setting for suction, and the life drops to 100 minutes when set to high suction power.

In practice, I found the battery lasted just over an hour when at its highest suction setting. Considering that the effectiveness of the vacuum requires it to be on this level, you shouldn't expect it to be able to clean much more than 600-800 square feet per charge.

It took around four hours to charge the battery from empty to full, an amount of time that is fine considering most people will only perform a maximum of one clean per day.

The robot will return to its base station whenever it needs a charge and will return to cleaning automatically when it has finished charging.

• Battery life score: 3.5 out of 5

Should I buy the Eureka E10?

Buy it if...

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Eureka E10: Also consider

If the Eureka E10s isn't for you, have a look at these alternatives.

How I tested the Eureka E10s

• Tested over several weeks
• Used all vacuum and mopping settings
• Tests included all floor types, including carpet and hardwood

I tested the Eureka E10s in my 600-foot home, which includes a mixture of carpet, hardwood materials, and a low-pile rug. Over several weeks, I set the robot out on several whole house cleans, and as much as possible, I tried to leave the vacuum to get on with the job itself. These cleans enabled me to see how the vacuum handled a wide variety of different debris and types of navigation situations.

I carried out some more defined tests, including a fine dust and larger debris test to check its vacuuming capabilities. The former was made up of crushed digestives and flour, with the latter consisting of oats. These helped me see how well the vacuum was able to handle different types of mess. 

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained – regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: March 2024

One-Minute Review

iRobot’s Roomba Combo J9 Plus (stylized as Roomba Combo j9+) is almost everything you could want from an autonomous cleaning companion, and one of the best robot vacuums if your budget allows for it.

It takes everything that made the Roomba Combo J7 Plus great (we awarded that model four-and-a-half stars in our review) – such as the first of its kind retractable mop pad that folds down from the top of the robot, ensuring zero risk of it wetting your carpet, unlike bottom-mounted mops – and elevates it with improved object detection, more powerful suction, and a smart scrubbing mop (a feature that's since been added to the J7 models).

The upshot is that this sleek cleaning machine will clear pretty much all the dirt you throw at it, with iRobot saying the vacuum delivers “100% more suction power” than its previous models. At the same time, the Combo J9 Plus avoids pet waste and any objects you’ve left lying around that might cause it issues. 

During my months of using the Combo J9 Plus, it has become stuck only once (on its first-ever clean), and a quick edit of the app’s map to label that area a Keep Out zone has meant in the dozens of cleans since it has managed to vacuum and mop my home and return to its self-emptying charging dock with zero issue.

Speaking of which, the Roomba Combo J9 Plus’ base is surprisingly stylish for a bin. A wood-effect top makes it look like (and it could be used as) a small table, meaning it would be fine to have it hiding in plain sight in your living room. That said, the noise of the vacuum emptying is a little loud, plus the base needs to be near an electrical outlet, and have a decent amount of space around.

The only slight disappointment for a robot vacuum at this top-tier level is that the base doesn’t clean its own mop pad. The upside is the base doesn’t store any dirty water, which can become smelly if it isn't changed regularly; and changing the mop yourself is hardly a hassle.

So, the only thing really holding back the Combo J9 Plus Roomba is its $1,399.99 / £1,249 price. As such, those on a budget would do well to keep their eyes peeled at sale time. 

Roomba Combo J9 Plus: Price and availability

• List price: $1,399.99 / £1,249

The iRobot Roomba Combo J9 Plus is available to buy online, and you can pick it up from either the official iRobot store or Amazon for $1,399.99 / £1,249. The good news for those on a budget is that we have seen it discounted during Black Friday and the January sales, for example, so be on the lookout for a deal.

For the price, you get a vacuuming and mopping robot, a self-emptying base that can refill the robot’s water, too, two mop heads, two AllergenLock bags, a spare filter, and an extra side brush for the first time you need to replace them.

If you want the self-emptying base but no mop then you can buy the Roomba J9 Plus for $899.99 / £949; or, the regular Roomba J9 with no self-emptying base or mop will cost you £699 (only available in the UK).

My advice is to get one of the Plus models with a base. Not having to remember to empty the Roomba every time is a major convenience. The Combo’s mop is certainly handy, too; but no matter what type of home you have, the base is worth the extra expense. 

Whichever model you choose, be aware that there are ongoing costs with this robot vacuum. The self-emptying base station’s vacuum bags need to be replaced when they’re full; the rollers, brush and filter will need to be switched out every so often – the app will notify you when it's time – and if you want the mop to deliver a better clean then you’ll want to use iRobot’s approved cleaning solution instead of regular water.

Value: 4/5

Roomba Combo J9 Plus: Design

• Stylish self-emptying and self-charging dock
• Mop pad that won’t drag on carpet
• 3.4-inch / 8.7cm tall

The iRobot Roomba Combo J9 Plus shares a lot of design features with its sibling, the Combo J7 Plus, with the best of these being mop placement.

Unlike most robot vacs that raise the mop down from underneath the base, bringing a risk that the mop will brush against your rug when your robot passes onto the raised surface, the Combo J9 Plus’ mop folds down from the top of the vacuum. As such, there's zero chance it will catch on surfaces it shouldn't mop.

The only downside is that the vacuum isn’t able to clean or replace its own mop as some other robot mops. I didn't find this a major inconvenience, though. 

Just like previous Roombas, the Combo J9 Plus is clad in an all-black plastic casing, with a gunmetal disc sitting at the center of the matte surface on the top side. Offset towards the front of the Roomba you’ll find the singular control – a button that can pause or start the robot when you press it mid-clean, or send it home on holding it down for a few seconds.

On the front side of the Roomba you’ll find its camera, and a protective plastic bumper that has some give so that both the robot and whatever it (gently) bumps don’t become damaged. Underneath you’ll find the brush that flicks dirt into the path of the vacuum rollers, as well as two bidirectional wheels and a swivel wheel that allow it to move in all directions.

At the back, you’ll find the robot’s dust bin and water container. The robot automatically empties its dirt and refills its water at the end of each clean  – or mid-clean, if necessary – so you’ll probably never need to deal with it. That is, except to change the filter when the app notifies you to do so.

Size-wise, the Room Combo J9 Plus measures 3.4-inch / 8.7cm tall, and 13.3 x 13.3 inches / 33.8 x 33.9cm in length and width. So before picking this robot up you might want to measure your furniture to see if the Roomba can get beneath it and navigate around it.

The base station is also a fairly sizeable 15.9 x 16.1 x 12.2 inches / 40.5 x 41 x 31cm (h x w x l), and iRobot recommends you have 1.5ft / 0.5m on each side and 4ft / 1.2m in front. It isn't massive, but neither is it the smallest; and it needs to be situated near a power socket, too.

If you do have to place the base in plain sight in your living room, for example, then you’ll appreciate its stylish design and wooden-effect top; it really doesn't look like a bin at all. Do note that the robot vacuum is quite loud when it empties itself, although the sound is no louder than a regular vacuum cleaner and the process is pretty speedy.

Opening up the base reveals the large water storage tank. Those who mop frequently, and have a lot of hard floors, should expect it to last a month. I have fewer hard floors, so that one tank should last a few months. There's also a drawer containing the AllergenLock bag into which dirt is deposited. This will usually require emptying around every 60 days of cleaning – the LED on the front of the base will light up red when it needs emptying. There are also two shelves on the back of the door for storing spare Roomba parts such as the extra dirtbag, filter and brush head that are supplied with the vacuum at purchase.

 Design: 4.5/5 

Roomba Combo J9 Plus: Performance

• “100% more suction power” than previous Roomba models
• Smart scrub tackles tougher messes
• Brush can flick larger debris around a bit before it’s vacuumed

The Roomba Combo J9 Plus is a cleaning powerhouse that’s able to suck up dirt and debris across a range of floor types. 

iRobot hasn’t said how powerful its J9-series models are specifically, but does state that they have “100% more suction power” than its i-Series robots. Previously iRobot said the Roomba Combo J7 Plus came with merely “standard” cleaning power, so we’ve taken this to mean the J9 models are twice as powerful as that robo vac too. 

In our tests, this boost in power saw the Roomba pick up all dirt and debris in its path. The only issue we found was that the brush can flick larger bits around, which can extend the time the robot vacuum spends cleaning. In addition, depending on the shape of your room and furniture placement, it won’t be able to get into every nook and cranny (although it does a pretty great job overall).

In addition to more powerful suction, the Roomba Combo J9 Plus and its J9 siblings arrive with Dirt Detective – some smart software that allows the robot vacuum to learn the areas of your home that get the dirtiest. With this information the vacuum will then turn on its high suction settings or scrub the floors a little harder in those areas.

Speaking of scrubbing, the Combo J9 models with a mop offer a smart scrub feature – that was also added to the Combo J7 models. Rather than simply dragging its mop over your hard floors, when the J9 Combo Plus cleaner detects a tougher stain, it will move back and forth over the area to scrub it clean. 

Those who want their robot to always deliver the most intense clean can even program the Roomba through the app to use its most powerful suction every time and / or do two passes of every room. Just note that this may mean the robo vac needs to recharge mid-clean, though.

You might also want to invest in some iRobot-approved cleaning solution if you want the mop to give your hard floors a deeper clean.

I'll add that this robot is also very reliable from the perspective that it’s able to clean with (almost) zero human assistance. In my months of testing the Roomba Combo J9 Plus, it has become stuck precisely once – it entered a small gap to go under a unit from which it then couldn’t escape. However, by adding a Keep Out zone in the app (more on that down below) it has never become stuck there again. The only other thing I had to do was remember to open the doors before sending it on a clean, and make sure my lights were turned on the light was low, since the Roomba can’t clean in the dark.

Performance: 5/5

Roomba Combo J9 Plus: App

• Can program, schedule, and start cleans from anywhere
• Analyze obstacles and adjust your map as necessary
• Keep an eye on your vacuum’s health

The iRobot app is your one-stop shop for managing everything related to your Roomba Combo J9 Plus vacuum, and it’s super easy to use. 

Setting up your vacuum is simple via the app, which takes you through the process step by step covering everything from connecting your robot, naming it, and creating your first map. 

Once your map is complete, you’ll want to do a clean or two – and my advice is to make sure you’re at home while these initial cleans take place. The robot is pretty darn smart and able to avoid obstacles, but as I mentioned above, my cleaner did become stuck on the first clean. Once I'd rescued it, the Roomba completed its task, and adding the area to the Keep Out zone via the app has meant that this hasn't happened again.

Note that this robo vac can snap pics of obstacles it comes across, which you can either mark as another Keep Out zone, as a temporary obstacle that you can make sure isn’t in the way next time, or as an imaginary obstacle that the vacuum doesn’t need to worry about. After those first two test cleans, I’ve been happy to let the Roomba Combo J9 Plus clean while I’m out – and it has always does a great job.

You can also add No Mop and Clean Zones if you want the Roomba to only vacuum a hard surface in that area, and if you want the robot to take extra care cleaning that space respectively.

Lastly in the app, scroll down to the Product Health menu and you can inspect every detail of your robot vacuum’s components. Based on the number of cleaning hours your Roomba has performed, the iRobot app will estimate how long your components have left before they need to be replaced. This is super handy for keeping your Roomba in tip-top shape.

App: 5/5 

Roomba Combo J9 Plus: Battery

• Cleverly recharges itself when needed
• Charge remaining only viewable in the app

In all honesty, the battery is a bit of a mystery to me since this robot vacuum handles charging itself. 

Most of the time, the Roomba Combo J9 Plus cleaned my spaces without needing to recharge its battery mid-clean. However, the one time I had it clean every room twice on Max suction settings, it did need to return to base to top up the battery. Nevertheless, it did so without any intervention from me. 

Roomba Combo J9 Plus: Score card

Should I buy the Roomba Combo J9 Plus?

Buy it if… 

Don’t buy it if…