Roomba Max 875 Adds Carpet-Sealing Vacuum Head

iRobot’s new flagship targets deeper carpet cleaning, but its $1,199 price demands proof.

What changed

iRobot announced the Roomba Max 875 Combo, a robot vacuum and mop.

The Verge reports it uses a new system called SealForce.

A skirt lowers around the cleaning head when it finds carpet.

That seal aims to direct more airflow into carpet fibers.

iRobot says the system delivers three times deeper carpet cleaning than without SealForce.

That is a company claim, not an independent cleaning test.

The Max 875 also has a vane-style blower motor. iRobot says it moves 20 liters of air per second.

The company lists 35,000 Pa of suction power. The Verge says that is iRobot’s highest published figure.

What you get for $1,199

The Roomba Max 875 Combo is available now through iRobot, according to The Verge.

It vacuums and mops. Its dock empties debris, washes the mop with hot water, and dries it with hot air.

Other features include lidar, camera-based obstacle detection, and a roller mop for edges.

A retractable mop cover is meant to keep carpets dry during vacuuming.

It also has new anti-tangle brushes, including a hair-cutting main brush.

The cheaper option

The $899 Roomba Plus 678 Combo also gets SealForce.

It has lower stated suction and airflow than the 875.

It skips the 875’s ThermaMist heated stain pretreatment and mop cover.

Buy, wait, or skip?

Wait. SealForce may help on carpet, but the key performance claim comes from iRobot.

The technology is not unique. The Verge notes Narwal and Dreame already offer similar sealing approaches.

The 875 deserves attention if carpet is your main cleaning problem. Its real-world edge over rivals remains unknown.