iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo

Compacting the dustbin sounds like a small feature until you realize it's iRobot's answer to the price gap between a manual-empty bin and a full self-empty dock: the DustCompactor packs down what it collects so you're emptying the robot itself less often, even without a base station doing it for you. It still vacuums and mops in one pass, which is unusual at this price point.

Suction and mapping are simplified compared to the Plus and Max tiers, so it works best on hard floors and low-pile carpet rather than deep pile or heavy shedding. Running costs are close to zero beyond the odd filter and mop pad, since there's no dock consumables to buy. It's the right pick for a first robot vacuum, a small rental, or a secondary unit for one floor of a house that already has a nicer robot upstairs.