I rarely come across a robot vacuum that’s both pretty and practical, but Roborock’s new model surprised me in more ways than one

I may be Ideal Home’s Certified Expert in Vacuums, but I also work for a homes magazine - which means that I love pretty things. And when I spotted the Roborock Qrevo Edge 2 Flow Robot Vacuum, I thought it was one of the sleekest, chicest robot vacuums I’d ever seen.

But I also take my job of finding the best robot vacuum cleaners very seriously. And while the Roborock Qrevo Edge 2 Flow may look good, I wanted to see whether it has the cleaning power to back it up. So, I’ve spent the past two weeks putting this competitively-priced robot vac and mop through its paces - and this is what I found out.

In a nutshell

I’ve already had the pleasure of testing a few Roborock robot vacuums and mops, including the Roborock QV 35S and the Saros 20. But where the brand-new Qrevo Edge 2 Flow differs from these models - and, in fact, the entire UK range - is that this model is the first one to use a rotating roller instead of rotating mop pads.

This new-and-improved mopping ability, coupled with 36,000Pa of suction power, makes for a very impressive all-around cleaner. The new roller shroud is also a nice touch, as it lets it move from hard flooring to soft flooring without soaking carpets and rugs.

During testing, it tackled dry and wet debris with ease, and its ability to not only detect but also navigate obstacles is up there with robot vacuums priced in the thousands - which makes its £799 price tag hugely competitive, in my eyes.

However, it’s not perfect. For some reason, Roborock doesn’t offer a mop-only option for this model, forcing users to vacuum their floors even when they don't want or need to. The app also offers a lot of customisation that isn’t strictly necessary and can feel overwhelming, and it takes a bit of practice. Overall, though, it’s a solid choice.

Specifications

• Max. run time: 240 minutes
• Suction power: 35,000Pa
• Bin volume: 2.7 litres (up to 65 days)
• Mop function: Yes
• Multi-level mapping: Yes (up to 4 maps)
• Charge time: 4 hours
• Noise levels: 68dB (tested by us)
• Dimensions: 47L x 45.1W x 40.2H centimetres
• Weight: 13.5kg (bot and dock)
• Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple, Matter
• Warranty: 2 years

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

Like almost every robot vacuum I’ve tested, the Roborock Qrevo Edge 2 Flow Robot Vacuum came in a hefty box. It was big, bulky, and weighed in at a whopping 17kg. It did have carry handles on the side to make it easier to move from my doorstep to my testing room, but you may need an extra set of hands.

Everything inside was packaged very securely, and I could see the contents were heavily protected. But one thing I will knock Roborock down for is that it wasn’t very eco-friendly at all. The bot and the dock were encased in polystyrene (which isn’t typically recycled kerbside), and then wrapped further in LDPE 4 plastic (which can only really be recycled at certain supermarkets). As a result, only the box was recyclable.

Nevertheless, I was impressed with how little assembly was required. All I had to do was place the dock on a flat surface and click in the dock base before filling the clean water tank, located next to the dirty water tank on top of the dock. If you remove both of these, you can also see the dust chamber and dust bag, which were already pre-installed.

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I’ve tested a couple of Roborock robot vacuums now, and I was a little disappointed to note that Roborock still doesn’t offer a sample bottle of detergent with these machines - especially as they recommend you only use Roborock-approved detergents in these robot vacs.

I always think a sample not only aids cleaning and improves results, but also encourages future detergent purchases. So, I had to just stick with water for the duration of testing. But with the water tank filled and the dust bag already pre-installed, the only thing left was to link the Roborock Qrevo Edge 2 Flow in the Roborock app and create a map of my home.

All in all, the mapping process took less than five minutes. It was also incredibly accurate, and I loved that I could customise the map by adding my furniture placement, separating and merging rooms, and setting no-go zones. I could even add the location of my dog's food and water bowls!

Ease of use

I’ve previously criticised the Roborock app for being a bit overwhelming and complicated, but I found it easier to navigate this time around. I guess this shows that the more you get familiar with what you need to use, the less complicated it seems.

After all, there are so many customisable options on the app - from changing the cleaning sequence to choosing which room(s) you want to clean, and how you want it to be cleaned. You can choose from three modes: vacuum & mop, vacuum followed by mop, and vacuum-only. You can then adjust everything from the water flow to the cleaning count.

However, Roborock seems to have removed the mop-only mode, which has been an option on other Roborock models I’ve tested. I have used this mode a few times for wet spills and when I don’t want to actually mop, since it also stops the side sweeper brush from getting caught in the wetness.

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Taking this away seems like an oversight, but it only really affects you if you regularly have wet spills that need cleaning.

You can also use the app to set schedules, turn on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode, adjust your home layout, change the mop wash frequency, set it to ‘Pet’ mode, and even let the robot vacuum take onboard photos of pets and other obstacles. It also shows you the remaining lifespan of your main components.

Truthfully, you could spend hours fiddling with the different settings, but I’m not sure you really need them all. They’re a nice touch, but the Qrevo Edge 2 Flow is so intuitive and smart already that you can largely leave it to its own devices.

Performance

I’ve developed a thorough methodology for testing robot vacuum cleaners at Ideal Home, but before I start throwing rice on the floor or putting obstacles in its way, I like to let the robot vacuum clean my home as it would anyone else’s.

I set it loose in four rooms downstairs in my house - the dining room, kitchen, living room and small hallway (an area of 31 m²) - and it took the Roborock Qrevo Edge 2 Flow Robot Vacuum 55 minutes to vacuum and mop it. It was fully charged before this cleaning task, and I was impressed to see that it still had 58% battery left when it finished.

This also let me experience some of the fun features, like the Edge-Adaptive Roller Mop, which extends to ensure skirting boards and edges get the same treatment as the rest of the room. If I looked closely, I could also see the Automatic Roller Shield close over the roller when it went over my rugs. This meant that I didn’t have to worry about them getting mopped, too.

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The slimline design also meant it fit underneath my low TV unit, sofas, and other low furniture, which is always handy because they’re a nightmare to clean.

And although I follow my own advice and declutter before using a robot vacuum, the Qrevo Edge 2 Flow’s ability to manoeuvre around furniture and plant pots suggested that it would have no problem during my dedicated obstacle test.

The smart navigation and reactive AI obstacle recognition were even able to show exactly which obstacles it encountered on the app, using cute little symbols - like a plant pot or electrical wires.

However, I wanted to test this properly, so I set up a dedicated obstacle course as per my official testing process. I popped down a couple of obstacles in the path of the Qrevo Edge 2 Flow and waited to see how it would navigate them.

As you can see, the obstacle detection was super smooth. The robot vacuum and mop got as close to the obstacle as it could get (without bumping into it), and tried a few times to find an alternative route. When it realised it couldn’t go that way because of another obstacle, it tried again and eventually realised that area was out of bounds.

This was a resounding success in my eyes, and I was thoroughly impressed with the robot vac’s ability to not only detect obstacles but also find its way out of a sticky situation. But I wasn’t going to give it its flowers without officially testing its debris pickup, too.

So, I threw a collection of different debris - including rice, sugar and oats - onto the floor to see how the robot vacuum would cope. As you can see from the video, it picked up most of the debris in a single pass. The side brush did fling a few bits of rice out of its way in the process, but the robot vacuum picked them up when it continued its cleaning routine.

I then repeated the process on the carpet on the upper level of my house, and it was once again a positive outcome. This time, a few oats were left behind, but the Qrevo Edge 2 Flow picked them up once it finished its route.

I also share my home with a very fluffy cocker spaniel, and this model had no trouble picking up the little mounds of hair he likes to leave all over the place. Its anti-tangle design meant that I didn’t have to remove any hair from any of the brushes or rollers, either.

The last test was the mopping test, where I poured some orange juice on the hard flooring in my living room. The robot vacuum and mop had no trouble wiping this away in one swipe, and it left the floor looking as good as new. My only critique is that it smelled like orange juice for a while until I sprayed the area with cleaner, which is where detergent would have helped.

While I found that this Roborock robot vacuum and mop generally managed to traverse hard floors, rugs, and carpet with ease, I did have a slight niggle during testing. I often found it left little pockets of debris on the edge of my rug when it moved off the rug onto the hard floor. I then had to go round with a handheld vacuum to remove this.

However, it is worth pointing out that I have a wiggle-edged rug, so this could be due to the shape rather than the robot vacuum’s cleaning ability.

Roborock also claims that this robot vacuum runs at 66 dB, and I measured a maximum of 68dB on my decibel meter app. This sits at the upper end of the noise-level rankings, but you can set it to Quiet Mode, which reduces operational noise (like the voice alerts) and suction power. This is handy if you want to use it at night.

Cleaning and maintenance

Removing the dirty water tank proved to me that the Roborock Qrevo Edge 2 Flow is excellent at mopping. Just look at the colour of that water! I had thought my floors were clean, but that colour suggested otherwise. So, I quickly removed it from the dock, poured it down the sink and gave it a rinse.

Aside from that, it requires very little maintenance. The dock auto-empties the dry debris, and the all-new pressurised self-cleaning system cleans the mop roller after use. Smart detection means that it will re-wash itself if it's not happy with the end result. Then, 63°C warm air dries the mop roller to prevent odours or bacterial growth.

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Of course, you’ll also need to keep on top of cleaning sensors and filters, but this is standard when cleaning a robot vacuum. Roborock suggests washing the filter every two weeks, and replacing it every 6-12 months. These are £29.99 for two on the Roborock website. You can also buy replacement dust bags and detergent here, too.

However, I do think that Roborock is missing a trick by not including some detergent as standard. It makes a much better first impression and means that customers are set up for the first few months without needing to pay extra - especially as robot vacuums aren’t cheap in the first place.

How does it compare to similar models?

When looking at this new Roborock robot vacuum, it’s always a good idea to compare it to other Roborock models - especially ones I’ve already tested. The last one I reviewed was the Roborock Saros 20, which I also gave 4.5 stars. However, I actually think I prefer this one more.

It has the same level of suction power and offers the same impressive mopping ability, but there are some distinct differences. And if you have higher thresholds, the Saros 20’s AdaptLift chassis would definitely be a better option.

However, the Saros 20 is well over £1,000 - for not a lot more, in my opinion. It offers a similar level of cleaning (admittedly a little more thanks to the new roller, rather than rotating mop pads). So if you’re after an impressive Roborock robot vacuum and mop that gets the job done, I’d actually recommend this one more.

It’s also worth comparing it to the model that has been number one in my guide for months now: the Eufy E25 Omni - which I awarded 5 stars. I liked everything about the Eufy model, from the app to the cleaning power and the overall look. But I do think that this Roborock model is a very close contender. Especially as it’s a very similar price.

They both offer similar rotating mop rollers, but I’d say the biggest differences are the controls and the detergent. Eufy’s app is much easier to navigate, and it includes a dedicated detergent cartridge. However, it does offer less suction power at 20,000Pa. So, it’s worth weighing up what matters most to you.

Verdict: Should you buy the Roborock Qrevo Edge 2 Flow Robot Vacuum?

I love it when an appliance looks good and does a good job at the same time, and the Roborock Qrevo Edge 2 Flow Robot Vacuum does just that. It’s powerful and capable, and surprisingly high-tech for its competitive price tag. Because of this, I’d have no qualms recommending this to family and friends.

It doesn’t come with any detergent or spare parts, which is a bugbear of mine, and I do think that they’ve missed a trick by removing the mop-only function. However, it proved its cleaning power during testing, and I do think that it’s one of the sleekest, chicest robot vacuum cleaners I’ve tested so far.