I Was Convinced Robot Vacuums Were a Cleaning Placebo—Until I Tried the Roborock S4 Max (Which Is $150 Off Right Now)

The Roborock S4 Max features a floating main brush, which allows it to drop closer to the ground when it’s cleaning hardwood floors and move up when it’s cleaning carpets. Even better, there’s nothing you need to do on your part—it automatically detects what type of surface it’s rolling on and adjusts accordingly.

Con: It’s Kind Of Loud

I don’t have to worry about tripping over Roborock, because I’m always pretty aware of where he is (though if hedoesget lost, there’s a “Find my robot” button on the app). The S4 Max has four cleaning modes—quiet, balanced, turbo and max—as well as a “carpet mode” option in the app, where it will adjust its suction to suit your carpeting. On balanced and turbo, it’s about as noisy as your traditional vacuum—meaning you may want to turn on subtitles if you’re binging艾米丽在巴黎通过你的客厅虽然拉链。但在,et mode, it’s like having a white noise machine running in the background. I typically keep the device on “balanced,” since I run it every other day.

Despite its bubbly shape, I’ve been impressed with how the S4 Max can slip under my entertainment center, console tables and bed—even a low platform bed frame. I tried the old white-glove test after each one, and I couldn’t find any dust left behind. And that’s a feat, because I’ll be honest with you: Some areas had tumbleweeds of dust brewing under there. What’s more, it’s had no problem picking up dust, dirt, hair, cookie crumbs, rice and Elmo fur (my toddler’s beloved Halloween costume has a serious shedding problem).

Con: It’s No Match For Shag Rugs

The S4 Max handles low-pile rugs and carpets with ease, and easily climbs over bulky transitions between wood and tile floors, as well as maneuvering from hardwood floors to plush rugs (a common complaint about robo-vacs). But I learned the hard way that fringy, high-pile rugs are best avoided altogether. The long shag rug’s fibers got tangled in Roborock’s side brush, causing it to whir like crazy. Hearing its yelps of anguish, I raced over, desperately trying to untangle it…and accidentally tore off a couple bristles in the process. Sorry, little guy.

OK, I know I’m late to the party, but is there a feeling more delightful than kicking back on the couch, knowing that the chores are being handled by your future robot overlord? It’s pricey for sure, but I console myself that it’s less than a Dyson…and it requires almost no effort on my part, save for emptying the dustbin once a week. (BTW, theAmazon-exclusive modelfeatures a larger bin than previous Roborock models, so you don’t have to clean it as often.)

Now I’m just trying to figure out how to use the app’s remote control feature to have Roborock bring mecookies—or a glass ofwine—after a long day. A girl can dream.