Review: Roborock's Auto Self Empty Dock! Does it Suck?

[@andreabalzarini6615]

Next step: station for automatically refill water tank

[@DouglasTempest]

This. I find it pointless to get an auto-empty bin if I have to still refill the water tank. If i'm refilling the tank I might as well empty the dirt bin myself in one swoop.

[@flyshacker]

@@DouglasTempest Yes! AND the Roborock should be able to detect when its dustbin is full and then to go empty it. That probably will be Roborock S8.

[@thea7826]

@@flyshacker it cant do that? O.o

[@flyshacker]

@@thea7826 My understanding is you have to program it to empty itself after vacuuming a room whether it's full or not. They keep improving these things all the time. Wait long enough and it will water your houseplants, too. :)

[@miket.1933]

@@DouglasTempest In my opinion the dust removal is much more important than the water refill. I want it to clean every day but it only needs to wish 2 times a week or so. With the automatic removal I don't have to clean it for a month or longer.

[@alexleon8406]

Great review. It's good to know that the self empty bin is able to clean the filter as well.

[@jamie.andrews]

Thanks Alex. This was a nice surprise for me too. I hate cleaning those filters.

[@xeon2k8]

@@jamie.andrews lol cannot agree more :)

[@felinequeen9243]

The US model doesn't even come with a bagless option which forces you to buy bags in order to just use its self-emptying feature. Not buying another Roborock ever! The batteries give out after 1 year with Error 13 of not being able to be charged. Mine gave out after 2 years. Paid $600+ for it and it lasted 2 years. Received no support from Xiaomi or the dealer that I bought the roborock from which supposedly provides the warranty. Buyer be aware! They might be good to use at first but they don't last long.

[@texasdavid9764]

@@felinequeen9243 Parts, including batteries, are easily replaced. There are KZbin videos to guide you through the process. If you are looking for local support, you are correct. Roborock may not be your best option. However, most people toss out vacuums they can’t easily fix due to cost of shipping and repairs of the device. At least you can order parts and fix the Roborock devices yourself without extensive knowledge or experience. I’ve had two for almost 4 years and replaced the lidar motor on each. Cheap parts and 15 min or so of my time. Am more than pleased with Roborock.

[@Wacko_5.0]

Thank you very much for this fantastic review. I was a bit concerned on how the dock would handle a completely full dust bin. This answered all of my questions. Just ordered mine and can't wait to get it!

[@jamie.andrews]

You are very welcome! Glad I could help!

[@shanew7361]

How do you like it? We have 2700 sq ft carpet, tile and vinyl. One Persian cat and 1 girl. Concerned about pet hair and ability to clean carpets. Any issues with emptying the dirt bin or hair breaking or getting stuck on rollers etc? How is the maintenance? Does it auto detect when the on-board bin is full and go back to the base for a clean or does it keep cleaning but doing a poor job because the bin is full? Does the robot detect when the outside waste bin bag is full?

[@utiniposungu1221]

Hi Jamie, first of all, great review, thank you! I went ahead and ordered the auto empty station over here in Europe. To my surprise, the description of the shop article had been correct and I received the station with one paper bag, but with this... turbine thing as well!

[@jamie.andrews]

Excellent! I wish we had that option here. Thanks for your support!

[@iverolaibakken869]

Yeah, the European version can be used bag-less or bagged.

[@lindacole4724]

It seems to me that another advantage that I am looking forward to is that, if your dock is situated in a carpeted area, the large plastic floor plate will protect the carpet from a wet mop when the roborock returns after mopping the kitchen or wherever.

[@jamie.andrews]

Yea that is a good point!

[@JoseRamirez-og8hk]

The mop portion of the S7 is lifted up when not in use.

[@CubNole]

It doesn’t. With my auto dock sitting on hard flooring, the wet mop pad drags slightly on the floor because of the angle the vacuum is at while driving up the ramp. So there is always a wet spot in front of the dock.

[@Cassp0nk]

Lame that they are designing for bags for more revenue. Bag less is the way forward.

[@wesfishcare]

WOW, I wondering how well it would empty a full bin of cat-hair, and I'm so pleasantly surprised. I was also curious what the brush roller would do during a clean cycle, and as i suspected it spins! Thank you!

[@jamie.andrews]

Glad I could help get some questions answered for you. It is a pretty neat system and I am surprised it works so well.

[@sorvex9]

As you suspected, the brush spins. lmfaooooo

[@RobotMasters]

Nice video Jamie, your video presentation very good 😆. Keep up the good work!!!

[@jamie.andrews]

Thanks buddy!

[@ARC87]

If the dustbin of the S7 wouldn't be so small, it could easily clean a whole house. Since it has no way of determining when the dustbin is full, and it is so small, you will probably have a house that is half-clean after one run... not ideal. Either a big dustbin or a smart feature to allow emptying the dustbin when full. Thank you for the very thorough and detailed video!

[@jamie.andrews]

I think iRobot has the patent on the dustbin sensor that tells the robot when it is full. Thanks for watching!

[@klausadrift7568]

Best review from all the other stuff around here. Thank you so very much. Excellent job! Really helped me to decide whether to buy the auto empty dock or not.

[@utiniposungu1221]

I am quite happy with my new toy, but one thing made me contact the Roborock support: It is not possible to send the robot back to the station to have his dustbin cleaned during a cleaning cycle! So as the S7 does not have a sensor to indicate when it is filled up in my environment (I have dogs), an emptying cycle should be configurable through the app (empty every 5/10/15/...) minutes. Or I should at least be able to send the Robot back to the station for additional emptying during one cleaning session. Does that make sense? Edit: Roborock support got back to me. It indeed is not possible to send the Robot back for an emptying cycle during a cleaning job. It is also not possible to set an auto emptying task every x minutes. They said they will pass this matter on to the appropriate department.

[@jamie.andrews]

Yes it makes sense. The s7 does not have this ability. I suggest sending it out for just a few room at a time. Scheduling can help with is. Every time it goes back to the dock it will empty itself.

[@pidgepagonis]

Thank you! this is exactly the review I needed to see. selling my ecovacs now and getting this instead.

[@jamie.andrews]

Which model Ecovacs do you have?

[@Poraqui]

The filtering occurs after the trash goes to the bag. Correct? There's an outlet from the bag compartment to the filtering compartment. Correct? Thanks

[@jamie.andrews]

Correct.

[@ram64man]

A real shame it’s not bag-less given the vac already is

[@PaulHojda]

Bags are way better than bagless. You don't have to deal with cleaning out filters and dirt, you just throw a bag away. Much more hygienic.

[@kadirdurma]

Jamie this is the best review I've ever seen in youtube for Self Empty Dock. Thanks a lot...

[@jamie.andrews]

Thanks!

[@Parslej]

Mine just arrived and seems it has both bag and bag less system

[@jamie.andrews]

You must be overseas.

[@madsnummedal3263]

Noe i got my roborock s7 in Norway/Europe and i got both bagged and bagelss system. I think this is a thing in Europe

[@thbe51]

April 2022: It can run without dustbin now. It is available now (at least in Sweden).

[@jamie.andrews]

Check this link out kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3u1eZRsnperqNU

[@concretecharlie51]

Best purchase I have made in a long time.

[@jamie.andrews]

Glad to hear it! It is incredible.

[@tomeksZzzz]

In EU we do have bagless system and it seems to be working quite well also. There is also a bag in the set.

[@jamie.andrews]

Good to know! Thanks

[@madsnummedal3263]

Do you when it will be available in Norway? The robot and the dock

[@ShaneShepherd]

Yep. Roborock plans to fleece the US market by not offering it the bagless version. :-(

[@brokenwrench404]

@@ShaneShepherd bags suck!

[@Twistedpaolumu]

@@madsnummedal3263 Elkjøp, s7plus 15.09, pris 7999,-.

[@deepakvrao]

So the Robovacs have only a single side brush vs the dual on Ecovacs. How does that impact the cleaning?

[@jamie.andrews]

Not much honestly.

[@vetekli3885]

Fantasic video! Goes into details that others do not.

[@jamie.andrews]

Thanks!

[@delorespico]

awesome video. I just got mine and I am very confused. How does the mop work? Is there a video on that?

[@jamie.andrews]

Have a look here: www.androidheadlines.com/how-to-use-mopping-feature-roborock-robot-vacuum

[@Dr4gondice]

Cut the bottom of the dustbag open.. then use a strong clipper to seal it and use it again? Should work for those who don't want to purchase new bags :)

[@jamie.andrews]

Not a bad idea

[@PublixCarrotCake]

I was thinking shop vac the bag opening.

[@PaulHojda]

Bad idea. The bag pores would be clogged.

[@Chris-sj5fh]

If the filter has gunk on it will the auto empty get it reasonably clean? My S7 gets a clay-ish dust on the filter (I live surrounded by farm fields) and needs to be cleaned often.

[@jamie.andrews]

Pretty clean. I hardly ever clean my filter.

[@gwenburkhardt]

I have used my roborock for 5 days and I only have just a dirt mark where it must have blown just a puff of dirt. All of my dog hair collects inside of the filter instead of the bag is this how it works?

[@jamie.andrews]

Are you talking about the dock filter has dirt on it?

[@gwenburkhardt]

@@jamie.andrews yes it was only just like a small amount of dust. then I wiped it out with a wet cloth and it picked up hair an left it in the plastic box. the vacuum wouldn't suck it up . seems like the vac bag wasn't getting any hair or dirt. pulled that apart and after i got every crevace possible wiped it finally sucked up the hair in the plastic box. not reall excited about the mop job it does though. but thank you for answering me , I appreciate it

[@jamie.andrews]

@@gwenburkhardt My S7 Maxv Ultra did that exact same thing the other day. I reset everything and it worked. Prior it was not empting the robots dustbin.

[@delorespico]

Hi Can you help? I cannot get the grau half circle out of the canister. Is there a way to do this? Not in the directions. A;lso is the robot when cleaning suppose to go to the edges to clean? Mine does not touch the edges of walls about 2 inch away. Thanks

[@jamie.andrews]

The semi-circle filter just pulls straight out. I think I showed it in this or another video on the dock. I am not sure why it would be 2 inches from the wall. That should not be the case.

[@delorespico]

@@jamie.andrews Ok. Thank you! I had to put it up from the ends of the circle. It was in there snug... I cleaned everything and the sensors so now it is hitting the side.. Thank you so much for your advice!!

[@torbjornkarlsen]

Will you do one featuring the Xiaomi Roidmi EVE Plus? It seems like an interesting candidate, but it would be nice to see how it really compares to better known models.

[@jamie.andrews]

I would love to, but those are not sold in the US where I am based.

[@pidgepagonis]

do you think we can cut out that center plastic piece without ruining the structure?

[@jamie.andrews]

I think it is partially used as a bridge for the front center wheel. If you think about it the front wheel has to cross across that opening.

[@christinamiller6398]

My multi stage filter is full. Do I have to buy a new one or can I empty it out somehow?

[@jamie.andrews]

I would blow it out with compressed air. It should not be full though. If it is that might mean you have a bad bag or a hole in your bag. Are you using Roborock bags?

[@youheather766]

Is the filter in the robot hepa?

[@jamie.andrews]

No not a real hepa

[@RoboVacParty]

👍another great review thx

[@jamie.andrews]

Thanks!

[@MrKoneZu]

First of all, great video. In my country, they have s7 and s7+ and I couldn't find the difference between these 2 models. Can you help me clarify?

[@jamie.andrews]

Yes. The S7+ is the S7 robot and the auto empty dust bin together. You can buy them both separately though. I am working on my full review which will be out in a few days.

[@djnomad123]

Hi, thank you for that interesting. Video. I’ve seen videos about the S7 scratching wood floor. Can you confirm or invalidate that information please ?

[@jamie.andrews]

Unfortunately I do not have wood floors to test, however I have not heard reports about it scratching wood floors. I am a moderator on the official Roborock Reddit and nobody has confirmed scratches yet.

[@stephenthomas8317]

@@jamie.andrews I have wood floors and no scratches here.

[@jamie.andrews]

Thanks Stephen!

[@alexleon8406]

No scratches for me with my s7. I think it comes down to how much debris is on the roller brush. If you're getting scratches, it's probably because of the small pebbles/dust particles that is stuck to the rubber brush getting rubbed onto the hardwood floor.

[@jamie.andrews]

@@alexleon8406 The thing with the S7 is the drags the little plastic nubs on the floor as shown in my video.

[@delorespico]

Thanks so very much!!!

[@gayharris7446]

I have watched a couple of your reviews for the S7 Max but still have not found a tutorial for using the mopping function. Do you have a link to watch?

[@jamie.andrews]

Not sure which ones you have already seen, but here is an app overview that might help you kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXaVf5h4f9iYpcU

[@gayharris7446]

Thank you.

[@gayharris7446]

I did already watch this one.

[@jamie.andrews]

@@gayharris7446 Sorry that is all I have for now, but I will keep that in mind for future reviews.

[@michaelplaczek9385]

I hear that they are developing a newer model of the auto empty bin station

[@jamie.andrews]

I think that is just a rumor.

[@juanmacias4854]

AZMN is sold out, is there another site that I can purchase the Dust Bin? Not worth buying the vacuum bot by itself. In your tests, is the camera and AI important ? Seems the S7 is doing good without the camera, is there a comparison to the S6 in avoidance capability?

[@jamie.andrews]

The stock on the auto empty dustbin is low. Amazon, Walmart and Roborock are the only places in the US to buy. The S7 is the only one compatible with the Auto Empty dust bin. All robots other than the S6 MaxV can not see anything below their deck lid.

[@STXR4EVER731]

Is the dock smart? Can we just get the bagless version dock from the chinese or Europe?

[@jamie.andrews]

Nothing smart about the dock. I have heard they do not work in our region.

[@optimistic32]

great review...but why you didnt speak on the mop feature?

[@jamie.andrews]

Mop feather? What is that?

[@optimistic32]

@@jamie.andrews Meant... Mop feature, mop option of the S7!

[@jamie.andrews]

Oh because this is the review for the auto empty dock only. For the S7 review see my video here where I talk about the mop. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqeZgWSpoKZ3gtE

[@optimistic32]

@@jamie.andrews Got it... Thanks! 🍻

[@braddeicide]

They're bagless in some countries

[@zachdenney]

thanks for the video.

[@jamie.andrews]

Thanks for watching!

[@stevevets]

Does it work with the s5 and s5max?

[@jamie.andrews]

Only the S7.

[@stranarn1]

Do you think S7 will have the possibility to be compatible to the Washing dock station as well ? As in the top of the line S7 V max ultra ? 🤔🤪

[@jamie.andrews]

Het Simon, It is not physically possible for the S7 to work with the Ultra dock. The S7 MaxV was redesigned work with it by having a redesigned water tank and charging contacts. The S7 can't even charge on the dock. The S7 MaxV can charge on both docks however.

[@stranarn1]

@@jamie.andrews ok thank's for the quick answer , but I can buy an automatic empty station later , and I suppose it' charge it self at that station , or 🤔🤪?

[@jamie.andrews]

@@stranarn1 Yes you can buy the Auto Empty Station later to add on to the S7 and it will charge it.

[@stranarn1]

@@jamie.andrews thank U ! And now I am sure that with our 5 cats , I don't think I can buy a better robot for the price of S7 🤣👍

[@garygibbs7683]

Cardboard bent’s and breaks I prefer bag less

[@jamie.andrews]

I have not had the issue myself with the cardboard. I do have the bagless canister as well.

[@sarahprescott3943]

PowerPro Carpet Cleaning in Manalapan NJ Thank You Great Video

[@fahmidaafrose2525]

Hi Jamie how long does it take to complete 3000sf. Floor

[@jamie.andrews]

It really depends on the layout and how open the floor plan is. It is hard to say plus I would guess that it would need to go back to the dock atleast once to charge before finishing. I would say 3 hours or so, but that is just a guess. I can do 1500 square feet in 80 minutes without recharge.

[@xeon2k8]

All RR i had on different floor plans they do 1 sqm per minute. Convert that to your metric.

[@perlcafe]

Is there any robot vacuum that you’d like to recommend with the almost same feature with this roborock s7 with a lower price? Because in my country the price for this s7 and this self emptying dock is the same! So i am looking for a robot vacuum which can mop (decently) and can self clean at a lower price. Do you have any idea? The closest one I can find is Roidmi eve plus but i cannot find youtube video reviews on its mopping ability.

[@jamie.andrews]

What country are you in? I am most familiar with the US market. I assume you do not have Ecovacs?

[@perlcafe]

@@jamie.andrews malaysia.. oh yes i can order ecovacs. After browsing through videos, there’s ecovacs t9 and ecovacs n8 pro+. With t9 it has more battery capacity of n8 pro+. But n8 pro+ has more water tank capacity. T9 (180ml) n8 pro+ (240ml). And suction power of t9 is 3000pa, n8 pro+ is 2600pa (i hope i get my facts right hahaha). Im not sure is it okay to have 180ml which is considered a bit small? And then i got to know Roidmi Eve Plus…. Now im confused! Because i havent seen yet the comparison between roidmi eve plus and ecovacs..

[@brokenwrench404]

Disappointed that it’s a bag system. Seems like a step backwards

[@jamie.andrews]

You are not alone with this opinion.

[@garygibbs7683]

The bag has cardboard and not good and does bag less available

[@jamie.andrews]

What is wrong with the cardboard? I have never had a problem with it and I like that it is more biodegradable than the plastic ones.

[@madsnummedal3263]

I need to wait for the robot itself and the auto empty dock to came to Norway. Do you now any date.

[@jamie.andrews]

No I am sorry I do not.

[@madsnummedal3263]

@@jamie.andrews I think se in norway/europe Get a bagged and bagless system

[@CosmicBills]

Very expensive in Australia why

[@jamie.andrews]

No clue. Here in the US it is not cheap either.

[@modernwize]

Does the bin seem large compared to other self empty bins?

[@jamie.andrews]

Larger than most yes.

[@kamediavlog7164]

I am on the way to sell my T8+ , the empty bin suck so bad with my dog hairs :( Tried many hack but can not help at all.

[@jamie.andrews]

Let me know how the Roborock compares!

[@randymullins5525]

This or a s9plus. 1500 Sq foot of dark hardwood flooring and 4 dogs and 4 cats. Ugh

[@jamie.andrews]

Either is a good choice. The S9plus does not mop thpugh.

[@TheShiftyman]

Now I just need to wait for it to be available over in Europe so I can just have my s7 suck up all the dog hair and forgot all about it

[@jamie.andrews]

Do they have a release date there yet? I think you will also get a bagless option too!

[@xeon2k8]

@@jamie.andrews couldnt find anywhere mentioned the release date ,although the bin is advertised on RR german website, but not a single date.

[@madsnummedal3263]

@@jamie.andrews I live in Norway and one store will get the roborock s7 on 27 August

[@IvanSchob]

super video

[@jamie.andrews]

Thanks

[@nqh4393]

It sucks. Yes.

[@MrBlueCreeper]

It does Suck (in a good way)!!! How does it do with cereal or rice or something like that?

[@jamie.andrews]

I plan on doing tests like that in the future. I'm not a huge fan of them for an initial review, because they do not represent real life. I usually do those when comparing different vacuums and mops in head to head challenges to level the playing field. I am thinking about putting this up against the new Z10 Pro so I may do it then. I appreciate you watching!

[@MrBlueCreeper]

@@jamie.andrews ok

[@MrBlueCreeper]

Looks like the Z10 Pro has the Dual port Auto-Empty Dock like the Ecovacs one, but this one has air circulation, so one port outtakes dust, and the other intakes dust. The Deebot Auto-Empty Station has 2 ports and both ports suck out the dust.

[@jamie.andrews]

That is correct. It also does not have Hepa filter. It looks like they took the L10 Pro and added a few ports to it.

[@MrBlueCreeper]

@@jamie.andrews yea

[@ultimatum123456]

Jim Gaffigan has lost quite a lot weight. Good for him!

[@vBDKv]

I dont understand why these smart robots have such a tiny dustbin .. They are designed for large spaces, yet dumb robot vacuums have a far larger bin. It makes no sense to me.

[@jamie.andrews]

The more technology and options means less room. Auto empty dust bins become the answer since the alternative is making the robot bigger. That leads to it getting stuck more often and it will not be able to reach as many areas.

[@thinmintXD]

Heh. Does it.. suck lol

[@andrzejflorczak2717]

Nothing about dimmensions... :( useless review

[@jamie.andrews]

Here let me Google that for you. 12.36 x 17.99 x 15.12 (inches) Anything else I can help you with?

[@izsakitt3711]

I use my central vacuum edge tool to empty the dust bin. I found that using the mopping feature ends up soiling the entire machine and I have to do more elaborate and frequent washing of the components. - I use an ultrasonic tank. I was not satisfied with the effectiveness of the mopping. I am firm on having clean / dirty solution tanks rather than just attempting to trap dirt on the mop. I use the Tineco Floor One S3 Cordless Hardwood Floors Cleaner - yes it is a manual task

[@jamie.andrews]

That all sounds very wise and I do not disagree with your thoughts. Water and a dry vacuums do not mix. I have often asked to have an option to completely turn off the vacuum while mopping. I will soon review the Dreame H11 Max wet dry mop. Stick around for that one which is similar to the Tineco.

[@Cleedek]

@@jamie.andrews Isn't there option to mop withou vacuuming (deep cleaning)? Cause I'm using it on my Roborock S7 :)

[@jamie.andrews]

@@Cleedek It says it but the vacuum motor still runs.

[@Cleedek]

@@jamie.andrews Ah okay, btw my auto self empty dock arrived today and it's amazing