Roborock S6 MaxV Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Robot cleaners has been in the market for quite a while now but as laggards (as usual), we finally managed to try out one recently. Even though we never thought of getting one, since we HAD a helper in the house back then, I had personally heard stories on cheap sets being bought and discarded within days because of lack of suction power, as well as sets being kept in storage as the owners spent more time rescuing them from being stuck! So yes, I know I needed to manage own my expectations for the Roborock S6 MaxV review set that we got recently.

She has got a little help now, since she always kenna arrow to vacuum also.

So after having used it for a while now, let me share with you on my experience with the Roborock S6. Call me mountain tortoise, but this nifty gadget is really high tech sia! All I needed to get the cleaner started, was to download the Roborock app from Play Store, set up my profile and just connect the cleaner to my home Wi-Fi network. The app automatically detects the cleaner and setup was as easy as can be! I never even had to refer to the instruction manual except the time when I needed to empty the bin for the first time and cannot find the receptacle opening in the cute machine.

For a laggard like me, the machine really quite hi-tech lor!

I left the S6 charging in the dock until it had full power before starting it on its maiden job in my house. I was really amazed by the very accurate mapping of my entire living room as I see the watch the map of my living room slowly materialize on the app. After a complete cleaning of my living room, I was able to see the cleaning limitation, with the various obstacles in my house reflected in the virtual map. For example, the S6 was not able to get pass the legs of the chairs to get underneath the dining table lor, and many nooks of the house are also stacked with lots of boxes. 

I  pity the robot... Need to navigate through lots of obstacles indeed.

In all honestly, I dare say the S6 would do a very good job at picking up all the irritating hair and food pieces in the house with its good suction power. I know, because I was amazed by the amount of dirt picked up in just one run when I emptied the bin! But the disclaimer would be, the area to be cleaned, also needed to be reasonably obstacle-free because the robot will end up avoiding all the occupied areas or risk getting stuck somewhere leh. This to me, is the most irritating problem because with 5 kiddos in the house, keeping the place tidy is virtually (and physically) impossible lah! 

Really quite a lot of dirt even after just one run!

The mopping function though, is kind of iffy. I mean we cannot seriously expect the S6 to replace the physical mopping done manually right? The floor does feel cleaner on the feet but any tougher stains would still require intervention by yours truly of course. I was thinking to myself, maybe if I add a little bit of disinfectant in the water tank, it can even sanitize the floors during this Covid time! I personally think adding a little bit of disinfectant would not affect the performance of the machine, but don't quote me hor!

You do need to clear the hair from the side brush though, so yes, you still need to maintain lah.

For maintenance, you can also refer to the app to find out when you need to clean the different parts. Recommended to clean the main brush and dustbin weekly and maybe the rest as required.

What I really liked about the machine is that you can control it anytime, anywhere and program it to adhere to your cleaning schedule via the app. You can even command it to clean certain zones in your house, indicating no-clean or no-mop zones as well. If you are really so bored, you can even watch the cleaning live on the app, through the lens of its camera and also send voice messages across to whoever is on the other side! You are not paying just for the machine, but the whole suite of high tech functions that come with the Roborock app!

Check out irregular shape of my living room as mapped by the robot. It is really accurate lor, but the shape is funny because of the numerous items all over the house!

In all honesty, I would imagine S6 to be extremely useful for those living in huge properties with lots of open space but for HDB-dwellers like myself, it may feel like a little overkill. One thing for sure though, is that it does give me some motivation to clear the mess left behind by the kiddos so as to allow the machine to perform its duty to the best of its abilities! I do have to admit that it seems to be a little pricey to be retailing at $659.90 on its official store on Lazada, but it sure beats buying a cheap knockoff from Tao Bao and then complain that that sucks because that does not suck? Pun intended.

You can even view the cleaner from its POV from anywhere while it cleans your house and even speak to anyone over through its microphone!

Nevertheless it still feels like a luxury item to me, but please go ahead and get it if you are confident of working it really hard and making your money's worth, but you still must clear your house of obstacles first hor! The Roborock S6 MaxV will surely fit right into your smart home, although it seems that S7 will debut in US later this month.