In this article video we compare a few Roborock models. Find out what are their similarities and differences.
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Roborock E4 vs E5 Comparison
The Roborock E4 and E5 are nearly identical in many ways though there are some distinct differences between them.
The E5 was tested to have more airflow and suction than the E4, which contributed to it performing slightly better in our carpet deep clean testing and in our hard floor crevice test.
Both the E4 and E5 use gyroscopes and an optical sensor on the bottom of the robot to navigate and generally they did navigate very similarly, especially in our empty room testing.
Though the E5 did get better coverage than the E4 underneath the chair frame in our clutter room testing. It switched to circular cleaning patterns around the chair legs more consistently, which allowed it to get better coverage underneath the chair over the full duration of the test.
Otherwise the only real tangible difference between the E4 and the E5 is that the E5 comes with a physical remote control, while the E4 does not.
Both robots performed very similarly in both our carpet stress test and in our hard floor stress test. They also clean edges very similarly.
They have similar trouble with longer hair and similar success with shorter hair.
We didn’t test the E4’s mopping performance but it’s compatible with the exact same mopping attachment as the E5 and should perform just as well as the E5.
You use the exact same app to control both robots and app functionality is much the same for both robots.
The E5 does add a physical remote control, which you can use instead of the app as was mentioned earlier.
Both the E4 and E5 are not mapping robots and so require physical boundaries to keep them out of certain sections of your home.
Both are compatible with the same boundary accessories.
Both also have the exact same battery life dust spin volume and similar noise output. Both robots are also the exact same size.
When it comes to general recommendations, the E5 is a better robot vacuum than the E4. It has more power and therefore deep cleans better.
It also navigates slightly better around more complex obstacles like chair legs.
But it is usually considerably more expensive than the E4, and we don’t think its advantages over the E4 are worth its extra cost.
So for most applications we actually recommend the E4 over the E5 because it is a much better value.
Roborock S5 Max vs S6 Pure Comparison
the biggest difference between the S5 Max and the S6 Pure is that the S5 Max has a mopping attachment that’s separate from its reservoir, while the S6 Pure does not. It has more of an all-in-one mopping attachment.
Separating the mopping attachment from the reservoir allows for a larger reservoir and electronic control of that reservoir.
The S5 Max’s reservoir has a capacity of 290 milliliters. The S6 Pure’s reservoir is much smaller with a capacity of only 180 milliliters. Reservoir capacity determines the robot’s area of coverage.
The S5 Max with its larger reservoir can cover more area before needing to be refilled with water.
The S6 Pure with its smaller reservoir is able to cover less area before needing to be refilled with water.
With the S5 Max you can also use the Roborock app to control how much water the reservoir releases onto the mopping attachment over time.
With the S6 Pure, you cannot use the app to control flow rate. You can still control flow rate but you have to manually flip a switch on the reservoir to set it.
Our testing showed that flow rate does impact performance, but once you have a flow rate that works, you’re likely to just stick to that flow rate, which diminishes the value of the S5 Max’s electronic control of this rate.
Outside of these differences, the S5 Max and S6 Pure are very similar.
In our mopping test both robots cleaned the test surface equally well.
In all other tests the S5 Max and S6 Pure performed very similarly also.
That is because outside of mopping functionality they have an almost identical design.
With similar airflow and suction, essentially the exact same brush roll and brush roll compartment and the exact same laser perched on the top of the robot for navigation.
In our carpet stress test their performance was nearly identical.
In our carpet deep clean test they picked up the exact same amount of debris. And in our hard floor stress tests they once again perform similarly with very similar edge performance also.
In our human hair pickup testing, their brush rolls both tangled with hair to the same extent. In our pet hair pickup testing, both robots didn’t have any issues at all.
In our navigation testing, they again both performed equally well, navigating just as well as we would expect a robot to navigate in these tests.
Both robots are also full-fledged mapping robots that allow you to label rooms set keep out zones and set cleaning zones.
Both robots also have the exact same battery life, dust bin size, noise output and dimensions.
When it comes to making general recommendations, it’s really a toss-up.
You’re getting essentially identical performance from either vacuum. So our recommendation is that you buy whichever model you can find cheaper. It’s really that simple.
Neither robot has any sizeable advantage or disadvantage compared to the other.
Roborock S5 Max vs S6 MaxV Comparison
There are only two significant differences between the S5 Max and S6 MaxV,
The first is edge performance. The S6 MaxV gets closer to the edge than the S5 Max when moving close and parallel to it. And so it cleans edges better than the S5 Max.
The second difference between these models involves small obstacle detection and avoidance.
The S6 MaxV has two front-facing cameras that give it the ability to recognize and avoid small
obstacles like shoes and pet waste.
The S5 Max doesn’t have these cameras and so it doesn’t have this functionality. It will run right over smaller obstacles instead of avoiding them.
In almost all other aspects these two robots are very similar. They both have very similar tested airflow and suction. Very similar general pickup ability on carpets and on hard floors. They also deep clean carpet equally well.
They have a very similar brush roll design and so they also perform very similarly in our human hair pickup testing and in our pet hair pickup testing.
Both robots can mop and in our mopping test they performed equally well.
Both robots use a laser for general navigation and so they both performed equally well in our general navigation testing.
Both are mapping robots and so you can set keep out zones, clean zones and the like with the same Roborock companion app for either robot.
They also have the exact same battery life, bin size and noise output. The robots themselves are also exactly the same size.
In terms of general recommendations, we generally do not recommend the S5 Max because of its poor edge performance. It’s an excellent robot vacuum otherwise, but for us, its poor edge performance is a deal breaker.
The S6 MaxV on the other hand is currently recommended as the best robot vacuum we’ve tested so far.
It really doesn’t have any major flaws and it has excellent performance in all of the most important categories, like general debris pickup, edge performance and navigation.
Not to mention the fact that it also adds an extremely helpful feature, small obstacle detection and avoidance, which makes a big difference in the level of care and maintenance required for day-to-day use of the vacuum.
Roborock S6 Pure vs S6 MaxV Comparison
The S6 Pure and S6 MaxV are very similar though there are a few distinct differences between them.
The first is edge performance.
The S6 MaxV cleans edges much better than the S6 Pure according to our testing. It does so because it gets closer to them as it cleans close and parallel to them.
The S6 Pure doesn’t get as close and so it doesn’t clean edges as well.
The second big difference involves small obstacle detection and avoidance. The S6 MaxV is equipped with two front-facing cameras that allow it to detect and avoid smaller obstacles like shoes and pet waist.
The S6 Pure doesn’t have these cameras and so it doesn’t have the same functionality. It runs right over smaller obstacles.
The third big difference between these robots involves mopping. The S6 MaxV has a mop attachment with a separate mopping reservoir. The S6 Pure has a mop attachment with the reservoir integrated into the attachment.
Its reservoir is therefore much smaller with a volume of 180 milliliters versus 297 milliliters for the S6 MaxV’s reservoir.
The S6 MaxV having its reservoir separate from the mopping attachment and seated in a compartment in the actual robot also allows for electronic control of that reservoir.
You can set the flow rate of water out of the S6 MaxV reservoir using the Roborock companion app. You have to set flow rate manually for the S6 Pure’s reservoir using a physical switch.
Despite these apparent advantages for the S6 MaxV, the S6 Pure with its basic all-in-one mopping attachment, mops hard floors just as well according to our testing.
Both robots performed equally well in our mopping tests. This really describes the results for most other tests we performed also.
Both robots performed very similarly in most of these tests. That is because they have very similar airflow and suction and an almost identical brushable compartment and brush roll.
And so they both performed equally well in our carpet stress test, in our carpet deep clean test and in our hard floor stress test.
They had the same amount of trouble tangling with longer hair and the same success picking up shorter hair.
They both generally navigate using a laser perched on top of each robot and they both performed very well in all of our general navigation testing.
They both are full-fledged mapping robots that allow you to label rooms, set no-go zones and clean zones on top of a myriad of other functions using the Roborock companion app.
They also have the exact same bin size, battery life, noise output and dimensions.
In terms of general recommendations, the S6 MaxV is easily the better robot. It cleans edges much better and is able to avoid smaller obstacles, while the S6 Pure cannot.
The S6 MaxV in general is a great robot vacuum and the robot we currently recommend as the best robot vacuum overall.
The S6 Pure is for the most part also a very good robot vacuum but we can’t recommend it over the S6 MaxV and we really cannot recommend it in general because of its poor edge performance. Its edge performance is unacceptable for a robot vacuum at its price point.
Also read: Roborock S6 MaxV vs S7.