iRobot states a climb height for none of its robots and a suction figure for exactly one of them. That one is also the best machine it sells, which makes this an easier page than it should be.
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Buy the iRobot Roomba Max 715 Pet. It is the only Roomba iRobot publishes a real suction figure for (a stated 30,000 Pa), it has the brush construction you want for hair, and its dock is the one sealed against allergens. Choose the Combo j9+ instead only if you specifically want iRobot's retracting mop.
Roomba is the word most people use for a robot vacuum, so "which Roomba" is usually the first real question rather than the last one. It is also harder to answer than it should be, because iRobot publishes less about its machines than any other maker on this site. There is no climb height for any Roomba, ever. There is no runtime, no dustbin capacity and no robot height for four of the five models it sells here.
What changed recently is that one model broke the pattern. The Max 715 Pet carries a stated suction figure, a stated dock interval, a stated filtration rating and a stated map count - and it is also, on those published figures, the best Roomba you can buy. That is unusual enough to be worth saying plainly.
Where iRobot goes quiet, and where it does not
Rows published across the four Roombas you can currently buy new
Specification
iRobot publishes it on
A suction row of some kind
4 of 4
A suction row containing an actual figure
1 of 4
Main brush construction named
4 of 4
Navigation system named
4 of 4
Dock behavior described
4 of 4
Climb / threshold height
0 of 4
Mop lift or carpet seal
1 of 4 (and only as a mechanism, not a height)
Runtime
0 of 4
Dustbin capacity
0 of 4
Robot body height
1 of 4
Counted across the four iRobot models we can currently confirm on sale new, from iRobot's own product pages and manufacturer listings. Every underlying figure is sourced on that model's spec sheet.
The climb row is the one that costs you. Not one Roomba, at any price, states how high a threshold it clears. That is the figure this whole site was built around, because a robot that cannot get over the strip between your kitchen and your hall does not clean your hall. Dreame publishes it for four of its five current models and eufy for three of five. If a raised sill is the problem you are trying to solve, the honest answer is that you cannot check a Roomba against it before you buy - see the cross-brand threshold table for who does publish one.
The runtime and dustbin blanks matter less than they look. Every Roomba here empties into a dock, so bin size is the dock's problem rather than yours, and iRobot states the dock interval in all four cases. The robot-height blank matters more: three of the four do not tell you whether they fit under your furniture.
Suction, and the one figure iRobot gives you
Stated suction, every Roomba currently sold new here
4 of 4 models publish this figure. Every number below links to the page it came from.
Compiled from the manufacturers’ own published material — every row carries the date its figure was read. We have not measured any of these figures ourselves, see how we pick. Found an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
Three of those four rows are sentences, not numbers. "Extreme power-lifting suction" and "one hundred percent stronger than the Combo i series" cannot be compared with anything, including each other. The fourth is 30,000 Pa on the Max 715 Pet, which is a figure you can hold against the rest of the market - it sits level with the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller and the eufy Omni S2, and just below the Narwal Flow 2. The argument about whether pascals mean much across brands is on the suction chart; within one brand's own range, and against a published field, the number does work.
The brush is the decision iRobot makes for you
Main brush construction, every Roomba currently sold new here
4 of 4 models publish this figure. Every number below links to the page it came from.
Compiled from the manufacturers’ own published material — every row carries the date its figure was read. We have not measured any of these figures ourselves, see how we pick. Found an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
This is the row to read before the price. Three of the four use dual rubber brushes, which is the construction you want if anything in your house sheds - hair rides along the rubber and into the bin instead of winding around a bristle row. The 105 Vac uses a Multi-Surface bristle brush, and that is the single reason it is ranked third here rather than first on value. Rubber versus bristle is the full argument; the short version is that a bristle brush in a house with a long-haired occupant becomes a weekly job with scissors.
Only the Max 715 Pet adds an anti-tangle side brush as well. The side brush is the one that gets forgotten and the one that splays out of shape first, so having both is a real difference rather than a spec-sheet flourish.
What the docks actually commit to
Dock behavior and stated interval
4 of 4 models publish this figure. Every number below links to the page it came from.
Compiled from the manufacturers’ own published material — every row carries the date its figure was read. We have not measured any of these figures ourselves, see how we pick. Found an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
Two things stand out. The Max 715 Pet's dock is stated at 90 days with a sealed AllergenLock bag and a 0.7-micron filtration figure, which is the only filtration number iRobot publishes anywhere in this range - it matters if the reason you want a robot is that emptying a vacuum sets you off. And the Max 705's dock carries no stated interval at all, on the most expensive vacuum-only machine here.
How we picked
Criteria first, products second. These are the things we ranked on, stated before anything is recommended.
Rank on what iRobot publishes, not on what it markets. Every model here comes from one company, so a blank row is a decision that company made rather than a difference in house style.
A figure beats a comparison. "One hundred percent stronger than the Combo i series" is not a suction specification; 30,000 Pa is. Only one Roomba gets a number, and that counts.
Weigh the brush heavily. iRobot ships both the best and the worst main-brush construction in its own range, and on a Roomba that single choice decides the hair maintenance you live with.
Credit the dock interval and the filtration. These are the two things iRobot does publish consistently, and on a self-emptying robot they are the specifications you interact with weekly.
No testing claims, in either direction. We have never run a Roomba. See how we pick.
What we did not do: test any of these machines. We do not own one, we do not have a lab, and nothing on this page is written as though we did. The full method.
Quick picks
Ranked on the published specifications below. Tap a row to jump to the full write-up.
#
Product
Best for
Suction
Price
1
iRobot Roomba Max 715 PetDual rubber anti-tangle brushes and a 90-day allergen-sealed dock — and the one place iRobot has printed an actual suction number instead of a multiple.
iRobot Roomba Combo j9+The mop arm retracts to the top of the robot rather than lifting a few millimeters, so it can mop and vacuum in one pass without routing around rugs.
Mopping without avoiding the carpet
Stated only as 100 percent stronger than the Roomba Combo i series
iRobot Roomba 105 VaciRobot's entry machine, and the first cheap one with real LiDAR — but it keeps the bristle brush, which is the wrong brush for a shedding household.
Every figure in this table is linked to the page it came from in the write-ups below. We have not tested any of these machines.
Top pick
iRobot Roomba Max 715 Pet
The only Roomba with a stated Pa figure
Dual rubber anti-tangle brushes and a 90-day allergen-sealed dock — and the one place iRobot has printed an actual suction number instead of a multiple.
It is a genuinely capable machine - LiDAR navigation, dual rubber anti-tangle brushes, an AutoEmpty dock - and it is the skip because of what it costs relative to what it tells you. It sits near the top of iRobot's vacuum-only pricing, and it publishes four of the nine rows we track. The Max 715 Pet, which costs substantially less, publishes the same four plus a real 30,000 Pa suction figure, a sealed allergen dock with a stated 90-day interval and a filtration figure, and a navigation system iRobot says builds five maps rather than an unnumbered count. Paying more for less disclosure is the one thing this site will not rank highly.
Skip this one
iRobot Roomba j9+
Not ranked, because you cannot currently buy one new. Its Amazon listing reads "Currently unavailable" and the same-product listings are Certified Refurbished, which we do not rank. iRobot has not withdrawn it, so this is out of stock rather than discontinued - its spec sheet stays up and its buy link falls back to a search. If pet-waste avoidance specifically is what you are shopping for, that is the model to watch for; the Combo j9+ below shares the same PrecisionVision system.
Which Roomba for which house
Pets, hair, or anyone in the house with allergies - the Max 715 Pet. Dual rubber anti-tangle brushes plus an anti-tangle side brush, a stated 30,000 Pa, and the sealed 90-day dock with a published filtration figure. It also undercuts both of iRobot's more expensive machines while publishing more than either.
You want a Roomba that mops and you have carpet - the Combo j9+. The retracting pad is the only mechanism here that removes the wet-pad-on-carpet problem rather than managing it.
The cheapest way into a mapping Roomba - the 105 Vac. ClearView LiDAR, neat rows, three saved maps and a 75-day dock, for a fraction of the others. Accept the bristle brush, which means it suits hard floors and a house without a shedding pet.
A tall door sill is your actual problem - no Roomba, and that is not a close call. iRobot publishes no climb height for any model. Start from the threshold table instead.
You have not decided whether to buy iRobot at all - is a Roomba worth it is that argument, with the three things iRobot still does better than anyone.
Questions people actually ask
+ Which Roomba is the best one to buy?
The iRobot Roomba Max 715 Pet. It is the only Roomba with a published suction figure (a stated 30,000 Pa), it uses dual rubber anti-tangle brushes plus an anti-tangle side brush, and its AutoEmpty dock is stated at 90 days with a sealed AllergenLock bag filtering to 0.7 microns. It also costs less than the Max 705 Vac, which publishes none of those figures.
+ Which Roomba is best for pet hair?
The Max 715 Pet, and the brush construction is the reason rather than the name. It pairs dual rubber anti-tangle main brushes with an anti-tangle side brush - rubber carries hair into the bin instead of letting it wind around a bristle row. Avoid the 105 Vac for a shedding pet: it uses a Multi-Surface bristle brush.
+ Does any Roomba publish a threshold climb height?
No. Not one iRobot model on this site states how high a threshold or door sill it can climb, at any price. If a raised sill is the problem you are solving, buy from a maker that publishes the figure - our threshold table lists every published climb height we could find.
+ Is the Roomba Combo j9+ worth it over the Max 715 Pet?
Only for the mop. The Combo j9+ costs considerably more and publishes no suction figure, but its pad retracts onto the top of the robot instead of hovering above carpet, which no other maker here does. If you want mopping and you have rugs, pay the difference. If you want the best vacuum, the Max 715 Pet is the better sheet at the lower price.
+ Which is the cheapest Roomba that still maps the house?
The Roomba 105 Vac. iRobot states it uses ClearView LiDAR, cleans in rows and stores up to three maps, with a 75-day AutoEmpty dock. The compromise is its Multi-Surface bristle main brush, which is the wrong construction for long hair or a shedding pet.
+ Can I still buy the Roomba j9+?
Not new, as of 2026-10-17. Its listing reads "Currently unavailable" and the same-product listings on offer are Certified Refurbished, which we do not rank. iRobot has not discontinued it, so it may return. The Combo j9+ uses the same PrecisionVision obstacle avoidance if pet-waste detection is what you want.
