Roborock Q Revo Review: An Autonomous Champion

Rating:
8/10
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1 – Absolute Hot Garbage
2 – Sorta Lukewarm Garbage
3 – Strongly Flawed Design
4 – Some Pros, Lots Of Cons
5 – Acceptably Imperfect
6 – Good Enough to Buy On Sale
7 – Great, But Not Best-In-Class
8 – Fantastic, with Some Footnotes
9 – Shut Up And Take My Money
10 – Absolute Design Nirvana

Price: $900

Michael Bizzaco / Review Geek

The Roborock Q Revo is an exceptional robot vacuum with insane cleaning capabilities and a docking station that puts all other charging docks to shame. And while the price is high, if you can afford it, my right hand to the LiDAR overlords, the Q Revo is one of the best robot vacs I’ve ever tested.

Here’s What We Like

Excellent suction
Impressive mopping capabilities
Great object avoidance
Intuitive companion app
Easy voice assistant integration

And What We Don’t

Expensive

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Design: A Docking Station Like No Other

Michael Bizzaco / Review Geek

Dimensions (vacuum): 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.8in (353.06 x 353.06 x 96.52mm)
Weight (vacuum): 10lbs (4.53kg)
Dimensions (docking station): 22.1 x 19.2 x 13.4in (561.34 x 487.68 x 340.36mm)

The Roborock Q Revo is a little beast of a robot vacuum, from its sturdy outer shell to its humongous docking station. Measuring 13.9 inches in diameter, 3.8 inches from top to bottom, and weighing 10 pounds, these aren’t abnormal dimensions for a robot vac, but the Q Revo certainly feels tough when you pick it up. And then there’s the docking station; Clocking in at a whopping 22.1 inches tall, 19.2 inches wide, and 13.4 inches from front to back, this is the biggest robot vac docking unit I’ve ever seen. Not only does the station recharge the Q Revo, but it can also clean and dry the Q Revo’s mop heads, collect dirt and debris from the vacuum, and re-fill the vacuum’s water tank.

A hinged compartment on the front of the docking station is where the automatic 2.7-liter dirt disposal bag is located. You’ll also see two plastic tanks up top, both with handles. One is a refill tank for mop water, and the other is a disposal tank for mucky H20. At $900, one would certainly hope for an impressive docking station, and while Roborock definitely delivers the goods, the docking unit’s footprint isn’t going to bode well for some residences. You need a good amount of space to store this part of the vacuuming equation, as well as access to an AC power outlet.

As far as the Q Revo itself goes, the shell of the vac is made of a tough industrial plastic that wraps from the front bumper to the charging contacts on the back of the bot. Up top, a flip-up hood reveals the removable dust tank and a QR code for adding the Q Revo to the Roborock app (more on that in a bit). Behind the hood, you’ll find the circular housing for the vac’s LiDAR sensor, along with “Power” and “Home” buttons. When you flip the bot over, you’ll find two tough tumbler wheels, a front-center wheel for turning, and the Q Revo’s main rubber brush. There’s also a side-sweeping brush that can be removed, but unlike other models that let you pop these bad boys right off, you’ll actually need to unscrew it from the Q Revo. You’ll also find two indentations for attaching the vacuum’s detachable mop heads.

The Q Revo features a few different types of navigation tech, as well as object avoidance, and these cameras and sensors are located around the bot’s outer rim. This part of the Q Revo also includes venting for the vacuum and a suction port for depositing debris into the docking station’s disposal bag.

Both the vacuum and the docking station can be purchased in white or black combos. Other box contents should include a removable tray for the docking station, an extra dirt disposal bag, and a user manual.

Setting Up the Roborock Q Revo: Scan and Go

Getting the Q Revo up and running is a quick and simple process. To get things started, you’re going to want to download the Roborock app (for iPhone and Android). If you don’t have a Roborock account already, you’ll need to create a login and password.

Your first step toward using the Q Revo is adding it to the app, which you can do manually by scanning the QR code on the bot itself or by having the app scan the environment for the vacuum. Do keep in mind that the Q Revo will only connect to 2.4GHz network bands and that you’ll need to press and hold both the “Power” and “Home” buttons at the same time to put the bot into pairing mode. I used my phone to scan the QR code on the vacuum, located under the flip-up hood, where you’ll also find the Q Revo’s removable dust tank.

Once you scan the code, you’ll be asked to head into your device’s network settings to connect to the Q Revo’s temporary hotspot. Once you do this, you can return to the Roborock app, and the app should start searching for available Wi-Fi networks. Once you choose your network and enter the password, you should hear a voice confirmation from the vacuum, letting you know the initial setup is complete.

Cleaning Experience: One of the Best

Michael Bizzaco / Review Geek

Suction power: 5,200Pa
Navigation: PreciSense LiDAR Navigation, Reactive Tech Obstacle Avoidance
Dirt disposal storage limit: Up to 7 weeks
Water tank storage limit: Up to 4,305 square feet (399.94 square meters)

The Q Revo is one of the best robot vacuums I’ve ever fostered for a week or two, and I must admit I was sad to part ways with the autonomous butler. And while it wasn’t an entirely perfect robot vac, the combination of top-shelf navigation tech and powerful cleaning tools kept my apartment looking fresh.

When it comes to object avoidance, I’ve found that many robot vacuums struggle with dodging the parts of your home you don’t want them to collide with. Of course, you can always create a No-Go Zone or Invisible Wall to ensure the bot won’t bump into heirlooms and prized furniture, but I actually found the Q Revo did a great job of simply avoiding these obstacles on its own. Sure, there were a few times when the vacuum would get trapped under a chair or end table, forcing me to go bail it out, but compared to other models I’ve tested, the Q Revo needed human help far less often. In fact, there were many times that I simply watched in amazement as the bot avoided a large piece of furniture that it logged during its initial quick mapping. Instead of zig-zagging its way into my TV stand, the Q Revo simply moved straight past the entertainment center in a straight line. It’s the little things that count, folks.

Also, in the event that the Q Revo collides with a wall or piece of furniture, the vacuum does so ever-so-lightly, then simply turns away from whatever object it has encountered and continues on.

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Now as far as overall vacuuming goes, the Q Revo is chock-full of power. With its 5,500Pa of suction, the bot can tackle pretty much any mess you toss at it, and I was pleasantly surprised to see just how much dirt, debris, and girlfriend hair the vacuum was able to grab from the plush carpeting throughout my apartment. It was also nice to finally be able to clean the flooring underneath the bed and couch, which I’d normally have to pull away from the wall to get at. For the many cleaning sessions I put the Q Revo through, I actually kept the vacuum at its “Balanced” power setting the entire time, save for a single instance where I had to set the bot to “Max” mode to rip some big pieces of Sun Chips out of the living room carpet.

When you’re dealing with cushioned surfaces, the Q Revo truly performs like a champ, but even when you’re cleaning a hard floor, the vac still does an excellent job. Seeing as I had pre-labeled the different rooms in my apartment, the Q Revo knew that when it entered the kitchen, it would need to vacuum and mop. As far as vacuuming went, it did pretty good, although that sweep-siding brush did tend to fling some of the dried oats I had laid around the kitchen instead of simply scooping them up. But what I thought was very impressive was the Q Revo’s mopping strength. Using just a regular amount of water flow, the bot took about five minutes to mop the entire kitchen, and it did a fantastic job. I’m betting that with a little more pressure, I could have gotten even more dirt off the ground, but the Q Revo is maybe the only robot vacuum I’ve ever tested that I would want to use for its mopping know-how. And seeing as the docking station has that dirty water tank, it was nice to know that the Q Revo was slurping up its own liquids after its mop head passes and depositing the soiled H20 into the docking station.

Do keep in mind that if any part of your Q Revo’s cleaning route includes mopping, the mop heads are going to get the first part of the route damp, no matter what. Roborock claims that the Q Revo will lift the mop heads from any flooring that’s not supposed to be mopped, and while this is true, there’s really not a way to make those mop heads completely dry before they hit a hard surface. Of course, you can set No-Go Zone and No-Mop Zones in the Roborock app, but no matter the barriers you place, whatever flooring comes into contact with the vac in its first two or three minutes of cleaning is going to get just a little damp.

Battery Life: Not Too Shabby

In terms of battery power, the Q Revo is equipped with a 5,200mAh rechargeable battery, which Roborock claims will get you up to 180 minutes of cleaning time on a single charge (with low- to mid-power settings). My test model actually did a little better than the advertised runtime. It took the Q Revo about 45 minutes to vacuum and mop my entire apartment, at which point the vac had about 60% of its battery remaining; and I was just using regular suction and water flow settings to get the job done.

And speaking of battery: Once the Q Revo finishes a cleaning cycle, the bot will automatically return to the docking station to empty its internal dust tank, deposit its dirty water, clean and dry the mop heads, and recharge the battery. You can also manually perform most of these actions in the Q Revo app (more on that below).

Using the Roborock App: Settings, Settings, and More Settings

Works with: iOS, Android
Voice assistants: Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri

The Roborock app (for iOS and Android) is one of the best robot vacuum apps I’ve ever used. From its robust list of features, automations, and customizations to its snappy UI and easy-to-navigate controls, I found very little to complain about, and the app always did what I wanted.

When you launch the app, the Home Screen will display the Q Revo front and center, with a status indicator located beneath the device name that will tell you if the bot is in the middle of cleaning or charging (a battery life indicator will tell you how much battery is left, too). Tap the “Enter” button to get into the main control dashboard for the Q Revo. On the next screen, you’ll see a 2D or 3D map of your home that shows the progress of your Q Revo’s last cleaning session. At the top of the page, this gets broken down into total cleaning area, cleaning time, and how much Q Revo battery is remaining. You should also see a small ribbon of map commands toward the bottom of the screen, with options including “Full,” “Rooms,” and “Zones.” If you’re set to “Full” and tap “Clean” at the bottom of the screen, the Q Revo will do a sweep of the entire map. If you tap “Rooms,” you’ll be able to choose what specific areas of your home the vac will tackle. Whatever cleaning mode you opt for, you need to tap “Clean” to start the actual cleaning cycle.

I actually recommend you choose the “Rooms” option first because you’ll want to do yourself a few favors after the Q Revo’s initial quick mapping. On the “Rooms” screen, tap the “Edit” button (an icon of a pencil writing on paper) to bring up a sub-menu of commands that include “No-Go Zone,” “Edit Room,” “Edit Furniture,” and “Edit Surface.” When I was first using my Q Revo, I noticed that the vac was getting mop water all over the carpet. To get around this, you can tap “Edit Surface” to assign different floor types to different rooms. This made it so the Q Revo knew to only mop rooms that featured floor surfaces like linoleum and tile. Anything designated as carpeting, the Q Revo would only vacuum. You can also tap “Entrapping Threshold” to indicate where there are thresholds throughout your home.

Back on the “Rooms” screen, when you tap “Edit Rooms,” you’ll be able to create and merge the actual rooms of your home. Without doing this, your Q Revo will treat your abode like one giant cleaning zone. Now let’s return to the Home Screen for a minute or two. Tapping the vacuum/mop power button (an icon of a fan and a water droplet) will let you choose between different levels of suction and water flow. You can also decide whether you want the Q Revo to follow a Standard or Fast cleaning route. When you tap the “Dock” or “Docked” button on the Home Screen, you’ll be able to manually empty the Q Revo’s dust tank, as well as wash and dry the mop heads. You’ll also see a readout of how much clean water is left, and whether or not the dirty water tank and/or docking station dustbin is full.

There’s also a “Settings” dashboard you can access from the Home Screen by tapping the Three vertical dots icon in the top-right corner. Here is where you’ll be able to access multiple floor maps (if your home has multiple floors), choose between different cleaning schedules you’ve created for the Q Revo, along with many other adjustments. If your home is filled with carpeting, I personally recommend going into “Carpet Settings” to customize exactly how the Q Revo will react when it detects carpeting along its cleaning path. My apartment has really plush carpeting, and this control dashboard allowed me to toggle on “Carpet Boost” for enhanced suction, ensuring the Q Revo would give extra attention to our carpet.

Another handy setting I enjoyed was “Remote Control,” which lets you pilot the Q Revo yourself using buttons or a joystick. I did so when attempting to clean a specific area of my living room, but you can also elect to tap “Spot Clean” (on the same screen) to have the Q Revo clean one specific area instead. When you’re finished navigating the vac, tap “Dock” to send it back to the docking station.

You’ll also be able to use Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to create custom automations and issue voice commands to the Q Revo using a smart speaker or smart display. On the Alexa end, you’ll need to create an Xiaomi account (Roborock’s parent company), which you’ll link up to your Amazon account.

Should You Buy the Roborock Q Revo?

If you’ve got the dough to spare, the Roborock Q Revo is one of the best robot vacuums money can buy. It’s powerful, adaptive, intelligent, and the companion app will get you access to any and all automations and customizations you could possibly need.

Rating: 8/10
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Price: $900