Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Review

What the RockDock Ultra Changes

Robot vacuums with self-emptying docks are not new.

What the S8 MaxV Ultra's RockDock Ultra adds is the complete automation of the mop, self-washing, self-drying, and self-refilling.

In practice, this means the mopping function becomes as hands-free as the vacuuming function, for the first time in a consumer robot vacuum.

Without a dock that washes the mop, a combined vacuum mop robot requires the owner to manually rinse the mop pads after each run.

Dual Rubber Brush Rolls

The S8 MaxV Ultra uses two rubber brush rolls instead of the single rubber or bristle roll found in most competitors.

The effect on pet hair pickup is significant, in four months with two cats shedding heavily during spring, the brush rolls required cutting only once.

By comparison, a bristle brush robotpreviously in the same household required cutting every 3 to 4 runs.

The dual brush design also improves coverage, the two counter-rotating rolls move debris more effectively into the suction path than a single roll.

10000Pa Suction

At 10000Pa, the S8 MaxV Ultra has among the highest suction of any consumer robot vacuum.

On medium carpet with embedded cat hair, the difference compared to 2000Pa to 3000Pa models is clearly visible, hair that required two to three passes with a lower-suction robot was cleared in one pass.

The practical question is whether 10000Pa is necessary.

For hardwood floors and low carpet: no.

LiDAR Navigation

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses a spinning laser to map the room by measuring return time of laser pulses.

Unlike camera navigation, LiDAR works in complete darkness and is unaffected by reflective surfaces.

The S8 MaxV Ultra navigated the test home in both full light and complete darkness with identical accuracy.

The LiDAR system produces a detailed floor plan map that persists between runs and updates automatically as furniture is rearranged.

Mopping Performance

Sonic mopping (the mop pad vibrates at 4000 cycles per minute) is more effective than drag-only mopping for removing light residue from hardwood and tile.

In the test home, the S8 MaxV Ultra's mopping eliminated the need for manual mopping on hardwood in the kitchen and hallway for the duration of the test, with the qualifier that no heavy spills occurred during this period.

Light spills that were allowed to dry before the next cleaning cycle required one manual mopping session during the test.

For deep cleaning (removing wax buildup, cleaning tile grout, removing dried-on residue) no robot vacuum mopping system is adequate.

Noise

In standard mode: approximately 60 dB.

In max suction mode: approximately 70 dB.

The RockDock Ultra's mop washing cycle runs for approximately 3 to 4 minutes after the cleaning run and is audible at approximately 55 dB, significantly quieter than the cleaning run itself.

Who Should Buy the S8 MaxV Ultra

Buy the S8 MaxV Ultra if: you have significant hard floor area that benefits from daily mopping; you have cats or short-hair dogs with no accident history; and you want the most complete floor cleaning automation available without daily intervention.

Consider the Roomba j7+ instead if: you have dogs with any history of indoor accidents.

Pet waste avoidance is the one capability the S8 MaxV Ultra lacks and the j7+ provides.

The vacuum-only j7+ plus a separate manual mop is safer for dog households than the mopping S8 MaxV Ultra without waste avoidance.

See Also

Best Robot Vacuums, full list across all budgets Roomba j7+ Review, top pet vacuum reviewed Roomba vs Roborock, brand comparison Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair, pet-specific picks