Roborock F25 Stick Vacuum Review: Your Newest Smart Cleaner
Roborock’s latest wet dry vacuum cleaner packs many premium features in one affordable package. We put it to the test.
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There’s one thing about vacuum cleaners that consistently suck, and it’s not the suction power. Prices for cleaning appliances are steeper than ever before, as more products with vacuuming and mopping capabilities now climb closer towards the $2000+ mark.
So we couldn’t help but get excited when saw the Roborock F25* – a wet dry vacuum cleaner which self cleans at high temperatures, for just $699.
Read my review below to see whether this versatile stick vacuum is actually worth buying, or if you’re better off saving up for something else.
QUICK LINKS
- Design
- Set up
- Settings
- How easy is the Roborock F25 to use?
- How well does the Roborock F25 clean?
- Is the Roborock F25 worth buying?
- How much does the Roborock F25 cost?
IS THE ROBOROCK F25 WORTH BUYING?
Roborock F25 Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner
Tried and Tested by Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito, Senior Shopping Writer Tech, Homes & Appliances
There’s plenty to love about the Roborock F25* and the great price tag doesn’t even make the top five perks. It boasts a strong 20,000 Pa suction power you can see and feel when using the wet dry vacuum, and also offers a long 60-minute maximum runtime. When it comes to vacuuming, the cleaning quality is impeccable. Mopping also leaves the floors shiny and refreshed, not sticky or oversaturated – plus there are no white water marks!
The fact that you can easily add cleaning solution in the water is a bonus, as is the self-cleaning function with hot air washing and air drying.
For me, the major downside is that it’s only suitable on hard floors and there’s no vacuum-only mode.
However, the Roborock F25 gives an insanely good clean overall and is well worth the money.
HOW WE TESTED THE ROBOROCK F25 VACUUM CLEANER
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DESIGN
The Roborock F25 is part of the aptly named Roborock F25 series, which includes a variety of upright wet dry vacuum cleaners across a range of price points. This particular unit isn’t the most petite upright vacuum cleaner, especially with the docking station being on the bulkier side, but it’s still relatively simple enough to tuck away in the corner of a living room or laundry room.
At the top of the vacuum cleaner, you’ll find three control buttons (power, cleaning mode and self-clean) as well as the speaker and LED display. The LED display is particularly handy for when you need keep an eye on the battery life to make sure you’re on track to clean the whole house with one charge – especially if you’re using MAX mode (which will drain the runtime faster, similar to all other vacuums).
The dirty tank sits just below, along with the release tab and handle. Finally, you’ll see the clean tank, wheels and roller on the bottom half.
For the charging dock, there’s a drying tray, drying air outlets and a spot where you can store the little brush.
* Please note that the review unit in the picture is an overseas model and required an adaptor, but the Australian unit you’ll be purchasing will have the correct plug.
SET UP
Setting up the Roborock F25 was super easy. It comes with a mop, mop base, a small bottle of cleaning solution and a handy cleaning brush.
While I may aspire to be someone who uses vinegar and other natural alternatives, I’m glad that this wet dry vacuum can be used with detergent – although the company recommends sticking to a Roborock approved product, which aren’t always the cheapest. The upside is that you only need to add a tiny amount of solution. Plus, the floors smell deliciously fresh. (Roborock recommends adding 1/4 of the bottle cap into the clean water tank.)
SETTINGS
There are three buttons on the handle with different functions; power, self-clean and switching modes (i.e. Eco, Max, Sponge and Auto). You can use the LED display to check the current mode, battery level, drying indicator and any error alerts.
The Roborock F25 will also speak to let you know which power setting you’re on and remind you to run the self-clean mode after each session, among other things. And no, the volume isn’t adjustable. I don’t mind a talking vacuum, but it’s worth keeping in mind if you’re wanting minimal sound. The appliance itself is also noisy to use.
IS IT EASY TO USE?
If you’re like me and hate vacuums with a power trigger that needs to be held down, this won’t be a problem with the one-touch on/off button on the front of the handle. Plus, the self-standing design is convenient whenever you need to multi-task and pause mid-clean.
The cleaner head is pretty compact and swivels nicely, making it easy to slide into corners and weave under chairs and tables. You can also lay the appliance flat more comfortably than other vacuum cleaners that don’t have the same flexibility, which is great for tackling the annoyingly hard to clean abyss under the bed and other low profile furniture (or at least anything more than 12.5cm above the ground).
One design gripe is that you’ll need more force than you might think to open the dirty tank to empty the debris. I actually searched on YouTube to double check how to do it because it felt like I was going to break it.
I also found the Roborock F25 surprisingly heavy at times, despite only weighing a little over 4kg. It could be because the water tank is attached to the roller brush, instead of the ‘main’ longer half of the body.
HOW WELL DOES IT CLEAN?
Got some hairy (and furry) issues at home? Well, I do and I also have hardwood floors that inevitably cause white water marks upon being mopped and vacuumed. The Roborock F25 does a great job of effortlessly sweeping everything up in one go and doesn’t leave those frustrating white streaks. To be fair, it’s only been a month in so I would be interested to see how well it fares after a year when there are a lot more battle wounds.
The mopping function leaves the floors looking refreshed and it also does a decent job of cleaning within two or three swipes. The fact that the Roborock F25 vacuums at the same time makes it really convenient when it’s a mixed bag of solids, liquids and anything in between. I sacrificed a few eggs during testing and being able to suck it all up at once softened the ‘eggs-pensive’ blow to my grocery bill.
I loved how spills didn’t turn into larger stains before being fully wiped up, and how it handled typically stubborn items like flour that had no trouble getting stuck between the tiles. I also tried vacuuming larger chunks of hair and fur and there were no issues of the vacuum clogging or becoming less efficient.
Honestly, vacuuming the floors is just ridiculously easy. Even ECO mode – the ‘weakest’ cleaning mode – is still incredibly powerful and efficient.
The edge-to-edge cleaning also deserves a special shout out. While the cleaner head isn’t monstrously large, it’s still not as small as a crevice tool – and it seemed to work just as efficiently. I have actually used some nozzle attachments that have been much more useless, despite being the perfect size.
IS IT EASY TO CLEAN?
When it’s time for clean-up, everything is stored in the same dirty tank. Most solids are attached to the top part of the reservoir while all the liquid stays at the bottom, however I still got stubborn large chunks at the bottom when dealing with both wet and dry messes.
You’ll need to get a little dirty when cleaning the tank, but it’s all still pretty easy.
Self cleaning
There are two sides to having a wet and dry vacuum cleaner. On one hand, you get fantastic versatility and convenience. And on the other, the unit needs more frequent maintenance to prevent a mouldy, smelly and overall unsavoury collaboration between the dirt and the damp roller brush. The self-cleaning mode on the Roborck F25 offers a nice solution for in-between cleans, so you don’t need to do a deep clean every time you take out the Roborock F25 (literally, because there’s no vacuum-only mode).
After each clean, you can press the self-cleaning button on the handle once the unit is back in its dock. Once it has finished the process, hot air drying will automatically start and stop. Both the hot wash and hot air drying operate around 90C to help minimise bacterial growth.
For those who particularly hate the loud noise from self-emptying docking stations, the Roborock F25 has a quiet drying mode which is barely noticeable. There’s also a handy five-minute fast drying setting, which has been really handy for when I need to pause cleaning to hang the washing and don’t want the roller brush just marinating.
MAINTENANCE
The maintenance needed to keep the Roborock wet dry vacuum cleaner performing at its best isn’t too demanding. The charging dock is easy to wipe clean, unlike similar multipurpose docking stations for robot vacuums that usually have plenty of hard to reach crevices.
The different vacuum parts, such as the cleaner head and roller, are also fairly simple to deep clean and can be done together on a monthly basis (or earlier if needed).
HOW MUCH DOES THE ROBOROCK F25 COST?
The Roborock F25 is available for $699 from Roborock’s official online store as well as your favourite retailers like Amazon Australia.
CAN YOU USE CLEANING SOLUTION WITH THE ROBOROCK F25?
More Coverage
The Roborock F25 can be used with any “cleaning solutions recommended by Roborock”. The company suggests adding 1/4 of a the bottle cap into the clean water.
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*Product has been loaned by Roborock for a 100 per cent independent, honest review.
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