Unboxing

The robotic vacuum cleaner Roborock Q8 Max+ has arrived from the Polish warehouse. It has already become common that no duty needs to be paid from the EU warehouse, in this case as well. The parcel was handled by the DPD courier service. 

A job well done as the shipment had no damage! The package arrived in 4 days straight to the house. The Roborock manufacturer takes care of its product's travels by packing it in an additional shipping box. 

Contents of this package: robot vacuum cleaner, charging/dusting station with a garbage bag already inside, parking base, additional garbage bag, floor cleaning cloth with holder, power cord, user manual. 

Quality

The dust collection/robot charging station is made of strong, high-quality plastic, typical of Roborock products. This charging station comes with the platform. This access platform is designed not only to charge the pump, but also to remove accumulated dust from the pump. The platform is fixed with a few screws from below, and the kit even includes a tool for tightening.

When viewed from the front of the station, the power cord connects from the left side, and the excess cord can be wrapped around the back of the station. The LED indicator light on the front is easy to see, its various types of flashing inform about the operation of the pump/station. The garbage bag fits inside the station. You only need to lift its upper part by holding the handle of the lid.

The appearance of Roborck Q8 Max Plus does not differ much from the previous models. Three buttons at the top: for on/off, return to the station (home), "spot" cleaning or activation of the child lock.

A vertical "bumper" protrudes through the middle and a "LiDAR" sensor inside it, with the help of which the robot can draw a map of the premises and freely navigate around them. In the front part, this model is equipped with the ReactiveAI combined system, which consists of an additional sensor and a separate algorithm implemented for it.

A container pulls out from the back of the robot. It is divided into two parts: one for vacuumed garbage, the other part for filling with water for wet floor cleaning. A dust filter is also placed in this container.

When you turn the robot over, the innovation is immediately noticeable - two rotating main brushes. Other components are well known from older models: rubber wheels, side-rotating brush, front wheel, wet cleaning cloth and 4 sensors to keep the robot off the stairs.

Functionality

Roborock Q8 Max Plus has excellent cleaning efficiency. This model has an advanced and powerful navigation system - LiDAR, which is designed for advanced navigation and mapping capabilities. 

LiDAR technology uses lasers to measure distances and create detailed maps of the surrounding environment. Using the LiDAR system, Roborock Q8 Max Plus can accurately scan and recognize the environment, so it can create a real-time map of the area to be cleaned.

This allows the robot vacuum cleaner to maneuver efficiently in space, avoid obstacles and clean every corner efficiently. The LiDAR system also allows the Roborock Q8 Max Plus to plan and track the most optimal cleaning methods, ensuring thorough coverage and reducing cleaning time.

Seamless floor cleaning - this function allows you to clean the floor even more efficiently. In the app, it is enough to indicate in which direction the floor is laid in your house. In other words, if your floor has a pattern, you only need to indicate its direction in the room and the robot will drive in that direction so that all the dirt is lifted from the gaps of that pattern. A system of two rotating brushes is designed to ensure this efficiency.

The system of two rubber, rotating main brushes effectively cleans different types of floors. This design helps reduce the chance of snagging or tangling. In addition, it easily copes with hair of various lengths.

It is possible to personalize the cleaning routine by creating a different cleaning mode for each day, time of day or room. For example, a full cleaning of the rooms of the house can be set on a selected day of the week, or a different vacuuming mode can be set for each room separately. Love to eat snacks while watching movies on the weekends? The robot can be set to run around the living room after the session and collect scraps from the floor.

Automatic cleaning of the garbage container after vacuuming. This functionality can be controlled from the app. The following modes are available: Smart, Light, Balanced, Maximum. If cleaning a small room, the manufacturer recommends choosing a light one. In this mode, a small amount of dust may remain in the tank. For larger rooms, it is recommended to choose balanced or maximum. "Smart" mode will prevent the user from turning his head and the robot will decide for you how to clean.

Pumping

During testing, the autumn weather from outside brought quite a bit of sand/mud onto the sole of the shoe. When carrying things from the car to the house, that sand very willingly finds a place for itself on the tiles. With the old S7 model, you had to vacuum several times to lift the dirt in the spaces between the tiles. 

This model, like the previously tested S7 Max Ultra, has a powerful engine. Therefore, it is enough for the robot to pass only once and the gaps between the tiles are clean, you don't even need to connect to the maximum power, even the "High" mode is enough!

Wet cleaning

Mop without vibration mechanism. The first models with a cloth had such a cleaning system. In previous tests between the S6 and S7 model, an obvious result was seen that the mop with the vibro mechanism is much more effective.

It is the vibration mechanism that provides more effective floor cleaning. To clean even a small cocoa stain on the floor, the Roborock Q8 Max Plus needed 10 passes to remove the stains, but even after that - some stains remained.

Dust collection at the station

Although the sound of pulling dirt out of the robot's garbage can is "impressive", it's only for the better. Only dust that adheres well remains in the container. To visualize it, think of running your finger across a dusty object, blowing the dust off your finger, and what's left. That's all the dirt in the tank.

Obstacle course

Although it has a smart "Reactive Tech" system in the front to avoid real obstacles, but the clothes dryer is still an invisible obstacle. The robot does not see it and successfully "rides" on it. Sometimes I even have to go and scrape it off. Also, I noticed that it detects obstacles better on the floor or carpet. 

I placed several items during the test. The children's puzzle toy was detected immediately and bypassed without problems. A small ball was touched, and an even smaller one proved to the robot that it was not an obstacle that should be avoided at all.

What did we like?

Roborock Q8 Max Plus is much lighter than the already tested Roborock models. At first I thought that I didn't add something or something was missing, but everything is in its place. Compared to my old S7, this one is much lighter. 

Just because the internal garbage container of the robot and the container for water are one and the same "box", only divided in half. I think this is a very good solution, because the garbage is still pulled out into the garbage bag. Plus, if the living quarters have several floors, it is much more pleasant to carry a lighter weight.

What we didn't like?

Very loud sound when the station sucks accumulated dirt from the robot's garbage container. Even all the curtains of the room where the robot is standing move, and the sound emitted is very well heard throughout the house. Therefore, I suggest pumping after assessing whether the loud sound emitted will not affect the activities of those around you at home, sleep or the like.

It does not have a carpet sensor and a cloth lifting mechanism. It is possible to set a "no mop zone", but it would be much more convenient if it detected the mat itself and then it was enough to choose not to ride on it. It is not a very convenient function, because, for example, small rugs like to change their place, or the vacuum cleaner can pull it somewhere while vacuuming.

Double roller system. I definitely had higher expectations for this system. Even according to the manufacturer, only +20% improves efficiency. Different types of hair or this type of dirt are also pulled out perfectly by the single roller system. Now instead of buying one roller, you will have to buy two, which will result in higher service costs.

Verdict

With each released model, the Roborock manufacturer tries to make household chores easier for the user so that the time spent servicing the pump is as short and convenient as possible. However, in my personal opinion, the Q8 Max Plus lacks the automatic damp cloth lifting mechanism with vibration function and the same sensor that detects the carpet.

The dual roller system did not appear to significantly improve suction, the previously tested Roborock S7 Max ULTRA model with only one roller cleaned just as well. And the Reactive Tech combined system still needs improvements.

Thinking of upgrading from the older Q7 Max to the Q8 Max? I don't think it's worth spending money. Although the Q7 Max model does not have the improvement of more effective obstacle detection, the new Q8 could have this technology work even better (maybe something else will change with firmware updates).

On the other hand, if you are upgrading from an older model (e.g. S5 series), you want an automatic dust collection station and the main focus will be on vacuuming - then for its price, the Q8 Max+ is definitely a worthy model.

If the budget allows - we recommend choosing the Roborock S8 / S8 Plus model, which has those most important aspects - the "vibro" washing function with the lifting mechanism and the better "Reactive 3D" obstacle avoidance system.

Well, if you want to move your finger as little as possible while maintaining the cleanliness of the floor, I suggest choosing the Roborock S7 Max ULTRA. You can read about this model in the NiuxTech review below.

Which Roborock pump to choose?