The Roborock brand is known for its robotic vacuum cleaners – these devices offer the best value for money compared to competitors. However, Roborock produces not only affordable models, but also powerful robotic vacuum cleaners of the middle mid to high price segment.
Design and construction
When you unpack the RoboRock S5 Max robot, you immediately notice that it is very compact and low. The diameter of the device is 35 cm, and the height is only 9.6 cm. So the “max” in the name does not exactly refer to its size – which is good, since it is easier for a miniature vacuum cleaner to crawl under furniture and clean the darkest corners of rooms.
Otherwise, the design of the model is quite standard: a round tower rises above the body of the device, in which sensors are hidden (accelerometer, odometer, infrared sensor, compass); on the right side there is a five-blade rubber brush for collecting debris, and at the bottom there is a turbo brush and wheels. By the way, the wheels have a long travel, thanks to which the robot can climb onto curbs up to 2 cm high.
On sale you can find a vacuum cleaner in two colors: black and white. We had a white version on our test. The body of the model is made of plastic and decorated with a red stripe along the perimeter. The lid is glossy, but not easily soiled – no dust is visible on the white coating.
There are two buttons on the top panel of the body: to return the vacuum cleaner to the base and start cleaning. However, you most likely will not have to use them, since you can control the device through a mobile application.
The vacuum cleaner supports dry and wet cleaning and is equipped with two containers: for dust (460 ml) and for water (280 ml). The dry rubbish bin is attached to the rear bottom of the robot and detaches with a clip. And to get access to the water container, you need to flip the top cover. Also, for wet cleaning, you will need to attach a microfiber panel to the “belly” of the robot – it is supplied with the vacuum cleaner.
All brushes and tanks can be removed and washed with plain water, which simplifies maintenance of the vacuum cleaner.
Control and functions
Since Roborock is part of the Xiaomi ecosystem , the robot is configured and controlled via the Mi Home app. You can also add other devices from these manufacturers to it and combine them in a smart home system. First, you need to connect the vacuum cleaner to your home Wi-Fi network so you can access the robot from anywhere in the world. For example, start cleaning on the way from work, or periodically send him to vacuum when you are on vacation.
During the first cleaning, the device builds a map of the room – and not only the immediate environment, but the entire space inside the walls. This is possible thanks to a smart system that scans the room at 300 rpm. In the future, the map can be saved and edited by adding restricted areas, virtual barriers (invisible walls) and areas where wet cleaning is prohibited.
The suction power is also adjustable in the application: there are 4 modes in total, including “Silent”, “Equilibrium”, “Turbo” and “Maximum”. In the same tab, the intensity of the water supply during wet cleaning is regulated.
One of the interesting features of the S5 Max model is the voice prompts that it issues with every action. For example, going to the base, completing or starting cleaning.
Even if you decide to clean the vacuum cleaner and take out the container with garbage, the device will comment on your action with the appropriate message: “the dust container is removed” or “the dust container is installed”. The volume of notifications can be adjusted in the app or turned off altogether if you don’t want to know about every action of the vacuum cleaner.
Dry cleaning
By default, the robot uses the “Equilibrium” program for dry cleaning – and as practice has shown, this is the most optimal mode. In “Silent”, the suction power is greatly reduced, and in the “Turbo” and “Maximum” modes, the vacuum cleaner is very noisy and raises all the dust into the air due to the active operation of the fans. It is impossible to work with such noise, let alone sleep or rest.
But the quality of cleaning pleasantly surprised us. If you ignore the noise, that in the most powerful mode, the robot almost rips the parquet from the floor, not to mention dust and debris. This is especially true when cleaning smooth floor coverings – there is no chance for adhering dust. When cleaning carpets, the vacuum cleaner automatically switches to the “Maximum” mode, but for this it is better to use the “Equilibrium” program – it has less power, but the device will definitely not damage the pile.
The cleaning process can be completely controlled. By default, the robot first goes around the room around the perimeter, and then cleans it in the center, moving like a snake. Since the device belongs to a number of smart ones, depending on the shape of the room and the location of obstacles, it corrects its route. However, the application has the ability to limit the cleaning area using virtual barriers or indicate a specific point where the robot should go.
Wet cleaning
Wet cleaning has always been a weak point of robotic vacuum cleaners: they either smear dirt, or leak, or carry a rag over the surface of the floor without pressing it properly. The Roborock S5 Max does not have such problems – the robot is quite suitable for maintenance wet cleaning of floor coverings.
And that’s why. First, the vacuum cleaner has a huge 280 ml water container. Compared to competitors, this is really a lot – this amount of liquid is enough to clean two or three rooms. The manufacturer assures that the robot will remove 200 m 2 at one gas station – but even if you divide this number by two, you still get a decent area.
Secondly, the Roborock S5 Max is able to precisely control the flow of water to the microfiber thanks to a peristaltic pump – this is used in intravenous drippers. The user only needs to set the required amount of water for cleaning: maximum – for heavily soiled ceramic surfaces or laminate, and medium or minimum – for parquet and wooden floors, which will be damaged by excess moisture. To prevent the robot from driving onto carpets during wet cleaning, you can place appropriate barriers on the room map.
Thirdly, the vacuum cleaner creates a pressure of 300 g on the floor, due to which the microfiber adheres tightly to the floor covering and, accordingly, wipes it thoroughly.
And finally, it is easy to start wet cleaning. To install the microfiber panel, the vacuum cleaner does not need to be turned over – it slides in from the side. And when you return to the base, the water supply is turned off, so that the device does not “make a puddle” while charging.
Autonomy
The robot vacuum cleaner is equipped with a large 5200mAh battery. It took him about 15 minutes to clean a room with an area of 15 m 2 in the “Equilibrium” mode, during which he lost about 10% of the charge. If you use quiet mode, the robot can work on a single charge for up to three hours.
If during cleaning the robot calculates that its energy is not enough to complete the process, then it will go to the charging station that comes with the device.
Conclusion
The Roborock S5 Max model should be chosen by those users who hate cleaning – thanks to the high suction power, the robot will eliminate the need to “clean” the floors behind it with a conventional vacuum cleaner. And thanks to high-quality wet cleaning, you can keep the floor clean even longer and carry out general cleaning by hand no more than once a week. However, the model has a drawback – loud noise at maximum power. If you are not going to start the robot during rest or work, then it will not interfere with you, otherwise you will have to leave the room during cleaning.
