News Every Day | 30 November 2024, 11:17

A lot of Roombas are on sale for Black Friday, but only a few are worth your cash

UPDATE: Nov. 28, 2024, 5:46 p.m. EST This story has been updated with the current best Black Friday Roomba deals at Amazon as well as iRobot's website, including several budget-friendly mopping and smart mapping options.

A quick look at the best Black Friday Roomba deals

Best standalone Roomba deal

iRobot Roomba Combo j5

$299.99 (save $230)

Best self-emptying Roomba deal

iRobot Roomba Combo i5+

$299 (save $250.99)

So many robot vacuums go on sale for Black Friday that decision fatigue is imminent — unless you're specifically set on a Roomba, that is.

Roombas do tend to run slightly more expensive than competitors with the same features, so November is a wise time to buy one — Black Friday has been known to trigger new record-breaking discounts on several Roomba models. In terms of where that happens, Amazon is the best place to find a Roomba on sale despite the flop of the acquisition of iRobot by Amazon (though iRobot's own website has good options, too). Because iRobot doesn't debut new models for the year at CES in January like many other big robot vacuum brands do, you can also be confident that the Roombas on sale during Black Friday won't be phased out in a month or two.

So yeah, there are quite a few Roombas on sale for Black Friday — mainly at Amazon's Black Friday sale, with a few other deals scattered at iRobot's website (and a few matched deals at Target and Best Buy). But while most of those deals look good in terms of the percentage off that you're getting, many of them just aren't worthwhile when you consider the features you're securing, especially when taking into the bigger list of robot vacuum deals from other brands this Black Friday.

For instance, the base-tier Roomba Vac Essential being on sale for $149 sounds great until you realize that this Roomba doesn't have smart mapping, which means it can't clean specific rooms on command. When robot vacuums that do have smart mapping like the Shark IQ Ultra or Eufy L50 are on sale for $148 and $159, respectively this Black Friday, that particular Roomba Vac deal is far less exciting.

This doesn't mean there aren't any Roomba deals that I think are worth it this Black Friday. The i series and j series Roombas under $500 that are currently live are stellar — multiple models are nearly 50% off, with both self-emptying and mopping being optional depending on your needs. (As you get into the more expensive j series Roombas, the deals start to become less appealing. Premium robot vacuums from other brands simply do more than something like the Roomba Combo j9+ for less money.) For a deeper dive into these features, check out my guide that unpacks the differences between the main Roombas.

This story will be updated any time a new noteworthy Roomba deal drops between now and the end of Cyber Week. While you can be pretty certain that the Roombas on sale now are at their Black Friday pricing, Amazon or iRobot could very well drop completely new Roomba deals over the next few days — I'll keep you posted. Note: Any deal marked with a 🔥 has dropped to a record-low price at Amazon.

Best early Black Friday Roomba deal

Credit: iRobot

iRobot Roomba Combo i5

$299.00 at Amazon
$549.99 Save $250.99

Why we like it

This nearly 50% discount on the Roomba Combo j5+ already looks great on its face, but it's an even sweeter deal when compared to the current sale price on the cheapest self-emptying Roomba, the Roomba Vac 2. For $249.99, the ultrabasic Roomba Vac 2 doesn't mop and can't smart map your house. For $299 — just $50 more — the Roomba Combo i5+ can mop and can smart map to clean specific rooms in your home on command. If $300 is your budget cap for a new robot vacuum, spending that extra $50 is a no-brainer.

The only downside to choosing the Combo i5+ over the more advanced Combo j5+, which is also at an amazing sale price of $399 for Black Friday, is that the i series Roombas don't have the small obstacle avoidance technology that helps dodge things on the floor like charging cords or pet waste. However, if your home is already pretty tidy as it is, or you're down to deal with tidying up ahead of vacuuming, the Combo i5+ is a total steal at this price.