The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is crazy expensive but a superb robot vacuum cleaner for pet owners

Should you buy the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra?

While there are many excellent robot vacuum brands out there, I’ve typically stuck with Roborock vacuums in the past. In fact, my previous companion was the Roborock S7, so I have some experience with the company’s products, including its premium offerings. However, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra offers many quality-of-life improvements over its predecessor, from its more powerful mop to its new smart features.

For starters, I had to empty the Roborock S7’s dustbin compartment every other day to keep it performing at its best. This isn’t the case with the Roborock S8 MaxV. When it reunites with its dock, it self-empties itself into a contained garbage bag, which, as far as I can tell based on my usage, you’ll only need to empty every two months or so.

The S8 MaxV also has dual brushes, which makes it much better at tackling hair tangles. Its 10,000Pa suction is also pretty incredible, and while it’s not the very top rank among the best robot vacuums right now, it’s up there with the best. That’s apparent when it increases its power to tackle carpets. You really feel like it’s properly vacuumed.

For smooth floors, the mop also makes for a substantial improvement over my retiring Roborock S7. It not only has a better water dispensing feature that evenly wets the entire mop, but it also packs stronger vibrations. It includes a side brush mop against walls and an automatic detergent dispenser you can fill and disregard for several months. There’s no need to worry about cleaning the machine after a mopping session. The S8 MaxV also auto-washes the mop when required with hot water and detergent and dries it in under two hours. It doesn’t use too much power to perform these sub-chores, either.

What about cleaning corners? The S8 MaxV Ultra employs an extendable, flexible rotating brush arm that pops out when the vacuum gets close to a corner. It’s a good idea in theory, but it doesn’t quite work on carpeted floors, largely due to the increased friction the device needs to overcome. Roborock also designed this arm to reach under furniture, but I’ve never seen it extend the arm underneath any furniture during my months-long review period. I still have to go in the corners with a little brush occasionally and push things into the middle, but for now, it’s not a super important selling point.

The software is usually one of my favorite features of Roborock vacuums, and that’s no different here. For the S8 MaxV Ultra, the company added a new smart AI-enabled cleaning feature that’s supposed to prioritize rooms depending on an algorithm, but this largely conflicts with my own cleaning schedule. A voice assistant is now also part of the package, too. Again, it is great in theory, but I’m seldom in the same room as the vacuum when I want to direct it. It’s much more convenient just to do it through Google Assistant.

Nevertheless, the S8 MaxV Ultra is pretty good at tracking everything around the house and cleaning up errant messes efficiently. I really appreciate its mapping and object detection smarts, which use a combination of LiDAR and RGB cameras on the front of the vacuum. It easily recognizes cables, garbage, and wet patches without fuss, but it does swallow the odd cat toy. Combine this with the auto-emptying garbage system, and you may lose a thing or two every now and then.

It’s important to touch on one more feature. Upon setup, you’ll need to input your email and answer whether you have pets. The latter detail informs the vacuum how it should approach a pet in the house and creates a one-to-one picture-sharing system between you, your vacuum, and your pet. You can use the S8 MaxV Ultra as a roaming pet monitoring system. This isn’t really a necessary feature, but if you ever wanted to video call your pet with a robot vacuum wireless camera through the internet, now you can.

So, is the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra a worthwhile investment? As a complete package, it is a perfect vacuum if you have a house with pets that needs constant cleaning. It’s a supremely good robot vacuum. However, it isn’t cheap. It’s $1,800 in the US. You may be able to find it discounted, but prepare to pay for all of its nifty features.

What are the best Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra alternatives?

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra may offer too much for those seeking a more practical device. Here are some alternatives:

• Eureka E20 Plus ($449.99 at Amazon): Coming in much cheaper than the S8 MaxV, the E20 Plus doesn’t require a bag, packs plenty of suction power, and smart navigation. You will have to give up on reliable rug cleaning, though.
• Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra ($1399 at Amazon): The S7 MaxV Ultra is a previous-generation device from Roborock, but it still offers great cleaning smarts, and you can pick it up for much cheaper. However, it’s not as good at tackling larger pieces of dirt or traditional blind spots.
• Narwhal Freo Z Ultra ($1499.99 at Amazon): The cheaper Freo Z Ultra has incredible suction power and a side brush for cleaning sideboards. It also offers mopping smarts and packs a no-tangle brush system.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra review: FAQ