★★★★★ 5
THE robovac that will doom Neato...
Color: Black04, Color: Black04
This is going to be an ongoing review with lots of updates I am sure.
07.18.2021: I come with a long history of robovacs, specifically (exclusively) Neato Robotics. Until my (ongoing) issue with their new D8, I've had five Neato's in my past. They simply don't last. My venerable Neato D7 was the best ever. But it inexplicably took a dive down our loft steps and is currently in intensive care with Neato being repaired. And I impulse bought the new D8. It lasted ten days before going dark. I'm on my third D8; it's still in the box unopened in the garage and will definitely be returned in favor of...
The Roborock S7! Now, THIS is what a robot should be. It's currently only on its second clean run, so much yet to observe and learn. But right out of the box it was a success. Setup was easy (nice REAL instruction manual), set up with WIFI seamless (ask me about the D8 WIFI sometime), and it was cleaning in minutes. The app is miles above Neato. You can actually watch the robot move in-app and see exactly where it has cleaned. Amazing. And everything the company says about the app's abilities and features is true, It automatically color codes all your rooms so you can instruct the robot in any manner of cleaning routines. No-go zones and "invisible walls" are easy to set up. It does caution against falls (no drop sensors?) but after you do an initial run (safely blocked from staircases, etcetera), you can ad an invisible wall and you're good to go. I assume.
Our S7 cleans our lower hardwood floor. About 765 square feet. Clean time was 1:19 minutes and it had 33% battery life left. The Neato D8 was taking on average 2:45 (sometimes as long as three hours!) to do less footage (it wasn't as effective getting all the floor vac'd) including numerous trips back to charge. Even in vacuum power>MAX, the S7 vacuumed in a fraction of the time. And it's more quiet.
I have not experimented with the mop feature yet. That was a secondary consideration for me as our floors are steam-mopped bi-monthly. But based on what others have said, it works. I am running three clean cycles first to get all the accumulated dog hair up before I install and test that.
Now, my first (small) list of gripes. The dirt bin is tiny. We have a Siberian Husky that sheds twice a year--six months at a time. And two Beagles that drop what look like Gremlins all over the floor. After the initial break-in vacuum run, I popped the dirt bin out and it literally pooped a giant glob of hair out! But it never experienced a slow down of the motor, and the entrance chute was clear. So this thing can suck! I reckon the subsequent cleanings won't jam it up as badly. We haven't really vacuumed in a few days since all our bots were down or non-functioning. But all that hair didn't deter the S7. And the HEPA filtering is very nice.
Also, I experienced one error code, lifted wheels if I recall. It got hung up on a thin exercise mat in our mudroom. It curled up the corner and got hung. Easy fit. Picked it up and it was on its way. It did not have any issue with two plush area rugs in front of the bathtub and bathroom sink area.
That's all the issues so far.
Back to the app. I am amazed at the detail and functionality. I find myself wasting time just watching it on the screen! And the robot (this is obvious looking at the patterns the robot makes) very meticulously goes left right left right (or up down up down) when vacuuming, once it outlines the room first. The Neato's just seem to aimlessly wander around, eventually getting everything (but at the expense of charge).
Everything is picked up now, and I even moved the dining room chairs out (this was a major source of pain for me with the D8 as it would spend a majority of its time tangled up in the chair legs). So the jury is still out on how the S7 will handle chair obstacles. Check back.
One last thing that was a concern for me was the round shape of the S7 as opposed to Neato's signature D shape. I wondered how well the S7 would do with corners, nooks, and crannies. The Neato's excel here. But the huge side brush of the S7 gives it, effectively, a D shape with great reach. It's easily three times the expanse of the Neato side brush. So, so far, no issues with the S7.
So far the S7 is perfect. It's well built, heavy construction, low profile (it easily glides under all our furniture and beds), and is FAST. And the mapping and accuracy are top of the line in my experience.
I'll post back more reviews of the mopping feature and other observations in the coming days and weeks.
UPDATE 07.20.2021: Dang it! I'm an idiot. I returned my Neato D8 but picked the S7 as the return! Practically impossible to contact Amazon about this, so we'll see what happens. But I digress...
Still working great, the S7. Attached the mop pad and filled the tank. It mopped (and vacuumed) the house again. Did a good job. Just have to remember to wet the pad first. Had one WiFi issue today where it could not connect. I suspect this was on our end. It reconnected during the mop run and everything rectified itself. Still absolutely loving the job it does. Ironically, the Neato D8 issued a major firmware update today (but I sent it back) that seems to address many of the issues it had. But no support at all for legacy Neato products (like our venerable D7) so I am done with Neato.
UPDATE 07.28.2021: S7 continued to perform admirably. The skill and perfection exhibited during the actual cleaning phase continue to amaze me. I have been running a deep mop as well as deep clean now on every morning run. I was confused at first as it wasn't remembering the mop command from day to day. But user error on my part: you have to program that into the scheduling. Once I did that it mops every day. Just have to remember to fill the mop tank, but if you don't no biggie.
I also love the ability to pick up the phone and tell the robot to clean/mop a particular room of the house. This is really helpful when, say, your son closes the door to his room while the robot is doing a scheduled cleaning.
Also, continue to be amazed at how fast it cleans and mops. We're averaging 780 sq ft in 80 minutes.
UPDATE 08.15.2021: Still love the S7! We have had practically no issues since first run. I experienced one weird "trapped" error and it was in the middle of the floor. However, a day later the app reminded me to clean the sensors (it keeps track of this for you), and once I did this I never had another issue. I believe one of the bottom sensors caused this error.
I added a screen shot on how well the robot negotiates table and chair legs. Amazing. This was always a major problem for our Neato D8.
Now, a minor complaint about the mopping feature. As others have eluded to, it leaves streaks on the floor. Not a deal breaker as I guess they are clean streaks! But they are very noticeable. Contrary to the warnings in the instructions, I've have tried plain water, distilled water, a mixture of Mop-n-Glo, and also a mixture of white vinegar and water (this is what our cleaning lady uses when she does our floors). Everything streaks, even if you wash the pad between mops. Further, I cannot see any problem using solutions other than water, but it doesn't seem to help any.
Finally, I have to say that this really is an amazing bot. You definitely need to empty the bin daily (at least we do with the Husky) but fit and finish is truly amazing, and the app and all the data presented continues to amaze me.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2021