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In my home, vacuuming has to be done regularly, and I mean at least three times a week. That’s because the amount of hair shed between my dog and I can be, well, a lot, and when combined, his short fur and my long strands of hair can be a doozy on any regular vacuum cleaner.
This constant need to vacuum is truly a chore and it makes maintaining a clean home exhausting. That’s why I am always seeking products that can not only handle our messes but also provide us with convenience in cleaning. One such cleaning tool that is always in my arsenal: a robot vacuum.
I’ve tried many different kinds of robot vacuums, and one thing has remained the same: I can always rely on them to help lighten the cleaning load. Since most can be automated you can rest easy knowing that you have a little helper that’s on the ground ready to go. Robot vacuums can get pricey, especially the newer models that have the best tech available, but it’s well worth it in the end for the assistance it can provide you.
Recently, I had a chance to test a higher-end robot vacuum from Roborock, a company well-known for its high-quality vacuum cleaners, specifically the new Roborock S8 Pro Ultra. I’ll admit, I never knew what the hype was on Roborock vacuums, but when my husband and best friend heard I was about to test it, they were elated. My husband has always wanted one and my best friend and her husband rave about theirs: the Roborock S7 MaxV.
Now I was excited and nervous. Was this going to be worth the price point, which costs more than a quality budget robot vacuum (over $1,000 compared to $200-400, and will it be as good as they say it’ll be? Well, I was about to find out.
I tried the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra over a few months — here’s my honest review and what surprised me the most about it. Spoiler alert: I was thoroughly impressed.
It’s stylish and sleek.
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is one of the latest offerings from Roborock. It has an all-in-one RockDock, which is the home for your vacuum. The dock is a little large, but nothing out of the ordinary for any other docking robot vacuum. This model comes in two colors — white and black — and I went with the white one. I placed it in a corner of my living room that I’ve now deemed the “cleaning corner” and it looks great against my white walls.
It’s so self-sufficient.
This is the best thing about it. It’s self-cleaning, self-emptying, self-washing, self-drying, and self-refilling. It truly is an independent powerhouse cleaner.
After you set it up (which was easy to do), download the app, and let the robot charge, you can begin the mapping process — which was kind of a jaw-dropping thing to watch. The little robot barely moved around my living room, and yet, it was able to get full detail of every single nook and cranny. Then, in the app, you can start naming different spots and creating zones. The first floor of my home is divided into four areas: living room, dining spot, kitchen, and bathroom. This all took mere minutes and it was a sight to see.
After several months of having the robot vacuum clean, I can attest to its self-sufficiency. Once you’ve set it on a schedule or told it to clean, it goes to work. On every run, I’ve seen it vacuum and mop while making stops to clean and empty itself. The only alerts I get are if the bin is full or if it needs more water, which is not a regular thing. I’ve watched it maneuver around house slippers, cords I’ve left on the ground, and more items I’ve even intentionally thrown around it.
I did forget about cleaning.
The tagline for the S8 Pro Ultra is “Forget About Cleaning, Really” which is a big claim to say the least. I was skeptical. Surely, the robot would get stuck and cry out for assistance or there would be some other error. After months of using this robot vacuum though, I did forget about cleaning my floors (but not completely, I’m a cleaning editor, it’s hard to forget about cleaning!) and about the robot itself, too.
Since you can have the vacuum work on a schedule and change what kind of cleaning it does — like vacuum only, full cleaning, vacuuming filled by mopping — you really can just set it and forget about it. Not only that, you can forget about maintaining the vacuum, too. The only times you are alerted about it is if it needs to be emptied, water replenished, or it gets stuck (a very rare occurrence). And because of how well it cleans, I forgot about my floor’s dirtiness too.
Something to point out: when mopping, you are cleaning with just water, so if you do want to include a cleaning agent, you’ll have to purchase one. Roborock offers its own cleaning solution, available to buy on the site or Amazon, which is where I bought mine from, that lasts a long time since it is a concentrated solution. (You only drop a capful in the water.)
How does it compare to the S7 Max Ultra?
The biggest standouts for this model are that it has better navigation, more suction power, and faster mapping, compared to the S7 Max Ultra, which is the most similar model to it.
The S8 Pro Ultra also has a DuoRoller Riser brush, an all-new dual rubber brush that reduces tangles, and makes it easier to pull debris even on thick carpet. Plus, the VibraRise 2.0 mopping system allows for even better mopping power, with a brush that can lift out of the way.
Roborock offers a comparison page so that you can see what different models offer and compare them side by side before picking out the one you want.
Now, I get why Roborock’s line of vacuums is something to get excited about. I was thoroughly impressed by the S8 Pro Ultra’s cleaning capabilities and how much I didn’t have to think about cleaning my floors (or at least as much as I can forget about it).
Any robot vacuum cleaner is an investment, but they become so ingrained into your cleaning routine that it’s usually worth the buy. The higher the cost, the more features and capabilities. It all depends on your preference and price point.
The S8 Pro Ultra is a steep purchase but it truly is as self-sufficient a cleaner as they come. The S7 Max Ultra costs just a little less and has similar features, but not all the upgrades as this one does, so that’s something to consider, too.
Buy: Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, $1,599.99
