Roborock S8 Maxv Ultra Vacuum Cleaner Robot Clear

Let’s set the stage: I’ve owned three robot vacuums before—two from Eufy and one from Ecovacs. Why those brands? They were affordable, and I like having food on the table and clean floors. But deep down, I’ve always wanted a Roborock. To me, it’s the Apple of robot vacuums—the aspirational “someday” gadget.Fast-forward to my recent move into a new condo. Roborock had a 10th-anniversary sale, and I finally caved. I bought the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra for $1,099, justifying it as a “home renovation expense” (because vacuuming is basically construction, right?). Turns out $1,099 is the regular price now, so... not exactly a “sale.” Oh well.The first unit I received had a faulty mop-lifting mechanism (seriously?). Thankfully, Roborock’s customer support came through. ... MoreLet’s set the stage: I’ve owned three robot vacuums before—two from Eufy and one from Ecovacs. Why those brands? They were affordable, and I like having food on the table and clean floors. But deep down, I’ve always wanted a Roborock. To me, it’s the Apple of robot vacuums—the aspirational “someday” gadget.Fast-forward to my recent move into a new condo. Roborock had a 10th-anniversary sale, and I finally caved. I bought the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra for $1,099, justifying it as a “home renovation expense” (because vacuuming is basically construction, right?). Turns out $1,099 is the regular price now, so... not exactly a “sale.” Oh well.The first unit I received had a faulty mop-lifting mechanism (seriously?). Thankfully, Roborock’s customer support came through. After a few painless email exchanges, I shipped the defective one back and got a replacement within about a week. Props for that!Now, after a month of putting it through its paces, here are my thoughts:The Good1. Sleek Looks: It’s a looker. Sure, the new Q Revo Curv is flashier, but this one still feels modern and premium.2. Vacuum and Mop Performance: If it can reach a spot, it’ll clean it. Carpets? No problem—it lifts the mop automatically.3. Self-Washing Mop: The mop cleans and dries itself, making this almost completely hands-off.4. No Manual Detergent Refills: One less thing to worry about.5. Tangle-Free Rollers: Unlike my old vacuums, I don’t have to untangle hairballs weekly (gross, but true).6. Sprinkled AI: It’s got some smarts, from recognizing furniture to navigating efficiently.7. Voice Assistant: Surprisingly handy when you need it.8. App: The app is straightforward, with a clean and intuitive UI.The Not-So-Good1. Navigation Hiccups: Despite having both LIDAR and a camera, it’s not perfect. It’s tried to eat cat toys and has tangled itself in a phone charger cord. Rookie mistakes for a “smart” vacuum.2. Edge Cleaning: For all the hype about its FlexiArm design and Extra Edge Mopping system, the edge-cleaning is just... okay.3. Height Limitations: At its current size, it struggles to clean under low cabinets and the dishwasher—missed opportunities for a spotless floor.The TL;DRIt’s not perfect, but it’s pretty great. If you can snag it for under $1,000 during a sale, it’s a solid investment.A Note to Roborock (if you're reading this):1. Improve Object Detection: If there’s machine learning or AI involved, please make it smarter with software updates. Fewer tangles and no cat toy casualties, please.2. Better Mopping System: A mop that rotates and applies downward pressure seems like the logical next step (my inner engineer is looking at you, Qrevo Curv).3. Slimmer Design: A thinner vacuum would handle those hard-to-reach spots under cabinets and appliances.Would I Recommend It?Yes, but with tempered expectations. If you’re upgrading from a budget robot vacuum, it’s a revelation. If you’re expecting perfection... well, you might want to keep that trusty broom around for backup.

Have tried various robotic vacuum cleaners over the years and had become skeptical about being a successful owner. The S8 MaxV Ultra has completely changed my mind after three weeks of ownership. The vacuum/mop capabilities have met or exceeded my expectations and have been performing well on both my hard floors (wood and tile) and a large area rug. We have a dog so it has had to deal with a lot of pet hair as well.The one area that could use improvement is that the company should be clearer about placement of the charging base. The vacuum is more than capable of cleaning my 2,900 square foot house (with one recharge) but it only maps the house up to a certain distance from the charging base which prevents it from vacuuming the unmapped areas. After some back and ... MoreHave tried various robotic vacuum cleaners over the years and had become skeptical about being a successful owner. The S8 MaxV Ultra has completely changed my mind after three weeks of ownership. The vacuum/mop capabilities have met or exceeded my expectations and have been performing well on both my hard floors (wood and tile) and a large area rug. We have a dog so it has had to deal with a lot of pet hair as well.The one area that could use improvement is that the company should be clearer about placement of the charging base. The vacuum is more than capable of cleaning my 2,900 square foot house (with one recharge) but it only maps the house up to a certain distance from the charging base which prevents it from vacuuming the unmapped areas. After some back and forth with Roborock support, I moved the charging base more toward the middle of the house and then the whole house got mapped. Now it's easy to get the vacuum to clean rooms selectively.The app is very good. It would be better if you could custom name your own rooms instead of being restricted to the predefined list.

We have had our S8 MaxV Ultra now for just over 30 days and are very, very impressed. A couple items buyers should know. Initial mapping by the unit took one mapping-only run (no vacuuming or mopping) by itself where it established a 'draft' about 80% complete route. With another 2 actual workouts (1 vacuum run and one combo vacuum and mopping run) it established a better and fuller-coverage route which it then continues to enhance (finding a better means to clean a tight space or exploring under or around a piece of furniture or doorway) each additional time it cleans and/or mops. This is a very, very smart beauty which found a better route to climb a throw rug after its first two runs and thereafter tackles our two door 9'' x 4' wide entrance rugs with no problem. ... MoreWe have had our S8 MaxV Ultra now for just over 30 days and are very, very impressed. A couple items buyers should know. Initial mapping by the unit took one mapping-only run (no vacuuming or mopping) by itself where it established a 'draft' about 80% complete route. With another 2 actual workouts (1 vacuum run and one combo vacuum and mopping run) it established a better and fuller-coverage route which it then continues to enhance (finding a better means to clean a tight space or exploring under or around a piece of furniture or doorway) each additional time it cleans and/or mops. This is a very, very smart beauty which found a better route to climb a throw rug after its first two runs and thereafter tackles our two door 9'' x 4' wide entrance rugs with no problem. I did position two eight foot long 2" x 2" wood lengths on the backside of two identical sofas that have underside AC electrical cords for their built-in motorized electronics, so the Roborock bumps these wood lengths rather than attempting to get close to the AC and DC lines and a portion of the motorized arms for the built-in ottomans, but if wasn't because the Roborock unit hurt anything. But rather I was concerned that overtime it might have "bumped" the motorized housing arms and AC and DC lines along the 8' length backside of the sofas --- and the wooden barriers (secured to the floor with a couple strips of Velco) allowed the Roborock to more quickly identify a variable depth barrier and complete the needed vacuuming in about one-tenth the time by avoiding a lot of repeat mapping discovery with its sensing options or potential soft-bumping --- though only potentially as I never saw problems happen. But this was the only avoidance issue I pro-actively prevented to avoid Rocky touching a portion of the steel mechanics or embedded sofa AC and DC cords running beneath the backside of the sofas from the floor surface to about 3" above the floor. I would have hated to have Rocky also get crushed by someone waking up on the sofa and triggering the ottoman mechanics just as "Rocky" was attempting to scoot underneath. Big issues? I was quite disappointed with the mopping in two areas during the very first initial runs --- but the problem was me, never "Rocky". After discovering in the software --- a section which revealed itself after mapping was better established after "outing" number 3 --- I simply selected a higher intensity level of cleaning and/or mopping along with an additional options, and Voila --- great cleaning and mopping. And by-the-way, the Roborock cleaning solution left undiluted in the tank seems to be just fine --- but I still don't know absolutely whether it shoud be deluted with a 1 part solution to 20 parts water, or left undiluted in the tank. I know the S8 MaxV Ultra dilutes the tank by a 1:300 mix automatically but the bottle instructions (1 to 20 dilution) seem in conflict --- perhaps for other Roborock models. In any case, so far filling the tank with an undiluted cleaning bottle isn't leaving floor streaks using the higher intensity floor cleaning software settings on our solid hardware flooring, or bathroom tiles. "Rocky" continues to now combo vacuum and mop (when given that particular command in the software by voice) one approximate 1400 square foot area using about a third of its full power, and returns (depending on the dirt) about 2 to 3 times to its dock for emptying / mop self-cleaning (which seems to time out at about 4 minutes and 30 seconds each time), and then continuing its cleaning area for about 2700 total square feet (about half on carpet, half on wood or tile) still with about a 20 -25% % charge left. So "Rocky" seems very well designed, with both solid mechanics and brains, well-designed easily replaced pads, vacuum bags, and its spinning arms and pads. We purchased those accessories (full-kit back-up pack) and felt the pricing was also very competitive. So a 5 out of 5. In fact so far both my wife and I would give it a 6 out of 5. And when we say "Hello Rocky" and it spins and faces you and its female voice says "I'm here" and listens for your next command --- well, I'd say it deserves a 7 out of 5. Hats off to the product developers, product planners, service planners, packaging team (very well packaged for shipments!) and sales/marketing group. And whoever created Rocky's voice and cues. Very well done indeed.