I love robots vacuum cleaner. As a full-time working parent of two elementary school kids and a big, cranky dog, there’s no way I can keep our floors clutter-free without a dog.
In fact, I love them so much and I’m willing to let go all the way of matter. Yes, you must perform regular routine maintenance. Yes, you will have to choose your floor. My kids are expert in robotic vacuum traps (spinning no-spinning thread is a favorite here). And yes, they do sometimes get stuck and the clean isn’t as deep as what you get from a hand-held push-pull vacuum.
But in the past six months, all those problems have disappeared. Simply put, the Roborock Q+ is the most hassle-free and low-maintenance vacuum cleaner I’ve ever had with any robotic vacuum – which is saying something, because I’ve had it. The robotic vacuum cleaner runs continuously for about five years. Even as other robot vacuums have come and gone, the Q+ has stayed. It’s not the most groundbreaking in terms of specs or features, but it’s something I can’t help but do.
Simple is better
Compared to older devices like the Roomba — a brand name synonymous with robot vacuums — Roborock is a newcomer. Since I started testing them in 2019, they have solved a lot of their annoying bugs. Roborock vacuums currently have performance comparable to some of the most well-known and trusted manufacturers and are priced accordingly.
The Q5 vacuum is their mid-range option, a step down from the high-end Q7 and S7 MaxV Ultra. It has a suction capacity of 2700-Pa, or slightly less than the premium models, but it still starts at $460 without the auto-emptying base (I tested it with the base). This is Not the Rockdock Auto-Empty Pure, unbelievably, has a separate chamber for the air filter. The dock is said to be compatible with a Roborock S7 which I also have on hand, but I can’t get the auto-empty function to work.
In some cases, the simpler the robot, the better. To the naked eye, the Q5+ and the auto-empty dock are indistinguishable from many other robot vacuums I’ve tested over the years. It has no wiping function. The dock itself is 16.5 inches tall and is also easy to use and set up. The lid gently lifts to reveal the auto-emptying vacuum bag, with a deep handle that probably isn’t meant to store cleaning tools, but I put it there anyway.
The vacuum itself doesn’t look special either. It’s round and about 3 inches tall, short enough to fit under all of our couches. It’s easy to set up and connect to Wi-Fi, which can be daunting for some robot vacuums. I had to rename the different Wi-Fi bands so the vacuum could connect, but that’s not the point here. The app also becomes much easier to navigate.
There are two simple buttons at the top, the dust canister and the air filter are easy to press on and off. The sensors along the bottom and front are easy to find and wipe clean when they get dusty. The roller on the bottom has a brush, but it was easy to press out and cut my daughter’s and mine’s long hair as it wound around. There are even arrows that show you how to properly replace the roller cover.
If all of this seems like small things… it’s not. On many robot vacuums, these routine maintenance tasks are difficult to perform. Vacuum disconnects Wi-Fi; It is very difficult to remove the dust bin. Unfortunately, you won’t believe how difficult it can be to change the roller cover sometimes — especially since both my daughter and I have long hair that regularly wraps rubber rollers. Q5+ is very easy to maintain.
Mapping Master
In contrast to simple bounce navigation, the Q5+ series uses Lidar, which uses a laser to navigate. Other robot vacuums, including the high-end Roborock S7 models, use camera-based navigation to help identify obstacles in the house (Roborock’s version is called ReactiveAI). But honestly, I’m fine with having fewer portable cameras in the house.
In 2021, my family moved into a large, ramshackle house that most robot vacuums are difficult to navigate; Many people simply go out halfway, unable to cope. The Q5+ is the only vacuum that has cleaned the entire floor. Even the Roomba j7+ left a corner in place for several weeks, unnoticed.
