Roborock S5 Max Robot Vacuum Review

The Roborock S5 Max feels very well-built. Its glossy top cover and matte plastic bumpers give it a similar look to the Roborock S6, but without the brushed-metal finish for its LIDAR sensor. It uses a slightly different brushroll design than the older Roborock S5, with softer, more flexible bristles. It feels sturdy, as its body doesn't creak or flex when picked up. There are a few small weak points, however. The top cover to its dirt compartment will break if you overextend it while removing the dirt compartment, and the mop pad attachment can wear out over time.

Out-of-the-box setup isn't too difficult. You have to download the Roborock companion app to complete the setup process and pair the vacuum with its docking station. You'll also need to screw its side brush into place.

The Roborock S5 Max has quite a few parts that need regular cleaning, but thankfully it's designed in such a way that makes it easy to access these components.

• Dirt compartment: The dirt compartment can be removed by lifting the back cover of the vacuum and pressing the single release tab. The vacuum provides an audio notification to tell you when the dirt compartment has been removed or re-seated in its housing. You should empty it once a week or whenever you notice that it's full. You can also wash the dirt compartment under water to remove any stuck-on debris.
• Brushroll: You can access the brushroll by flipping the vacuum over and removing the brushguard, after which you can pull the brushroll free. It's pretty tangle-prone, and longer strands of hair can get wrapped not only around the middle of the brush but also the brushroll's cylindrical bearings, which can be quite tricky to clean, though they can be twisted free. You can use the included hook-blade cleaning tool to cut away any tangled hair from the brushroll's bristles. The brushroll needs cleaning twice a week or whenever you notice a significant debris buildup.
• Side brush: The side brush is a little trickier to remove than most other components, as you'll need to flip the vacuum over and remove the retaining screw holding it in place with a Philips-head screwdriver. Unlike most other robot vacuums' side brushes, like that of the Ecovacs DEEBOT OZMO T8 AIVI, tangled hair gets wrapped tightly around it and can't be slid free. You should clean it once a month or whenever you notice a degradation in sweeping performance.
• E11 filter: The filter is clipped onto the dirt compartment, and can you can pull it out with minimal effort. It has a simple design with well-spaced vanes, so clearing away any stuck-on dirt isn't too hard. You should wash it under water every two weeks, but make sure to let it dry for at least 24 hours before reinstalling it.
• Front wheel: The front wheel is another difficult-to-clean component. You'll probably need to use a pair of pliers to gain sufficient leverage, but be careful not to damage it by squeezing too hard. You have to clean it once a month, and it helps your vacuum move more smoothly.
• Mop cloth: The mopping cloth is velcroed to the mop mounting plate, which can be slid onto the vacuum and removed from the vacuum by pressing the two release tabs on either end. You should clean it under water after each use.
• Water tank: You can pull the water tank out from the back of the vacuum. You can clean it as required by rinsing it out with clean water.
• Sensors: If dust and debris are building up on the sensors, you can clean them with a dry cloth.

Any part washed with water should be allowed to dry for at least 24 hours before being put back in the vacuum.

The Roborock S5 Max incurs high recurring costs.

• Brushroll: The brushroll needs replacing after 300 hours of use. You can buy a replacement here.
• Side brush: The side brush has a service life of 200 hours. You can buy a replacement here.
• E11 filter: The filter needs replacing following 150 hours of use. You can buy replacements in packs of two here.
• Mop cloth: You should replace the mop cloth every three to six months. Replacements can be bought in packs of two and are available to buy here.

Most parts are also sold through Roborock's Amazon store.

The Roborock S5 Max is very easy to store. The vacuum has the same overall dimensions as many other Roborock vacuums and is consequently small enough to squeeze under most tables and chairs. Its charging station is also very low-profile, and it comes with a moisture-proof pad, so you don't have to worry about the vacuum's mop cloth soaking the floor when not in use.

The Roborock S5 Max has a reasonably large dirt compartment. It has a larger capacity than pricier models like the Roborock S7 MaxV; however, it's important to note that some pricier models are compatible with self-emptying stations, where internal dustbin capacity isn't as relevant since the vacuum will empty itself whenever it fills up. You'll receive an audio alert through the vacuum's companion app to let you know when it's full.

• Roborock S5 Max vacuum
• 1x E11 filter
• Dirt compartment
• Main brushroll
• Brushroll guard
• Main brushroll cleaning tool
• Water tank
• Mopping adapter attachment
• 1x Microfiber mop cloth
• Charging dock
• Charging cable
• Moisture-proof mat
• User guide

The Roborock S5 Max's range is limited only by the room left in its dirt compartment and the charge status of its battery. However, it can't climb or descend staircases.

The Roborock S5 Max is pretty portable. Its onboard water tank and all other associated mopping hardware make it heavier than vacuum-only models like the Roborock S4 Max, but it's still lighter than the flagship Roborock S7 MaxV.

The Roborock S5 Max has excellent battery performance. It can run for more than four hours in a single charge in its most energy-efficient 'Gentle' mode, which gives it plenty of time to deal with lightweight debris on bare floors. Its runtime drops to a little over an hour and a half when used in its high-power 'Max' mode, but this is still sufficient for dealing with larger stubborn messes. The vacuum stops cleaning once its charge level drops below 20%, at which point it refuses to take any more cleaning jobs and attempts to make its way back to its charging station.

The Roborock S5 Max robot vacuum has a handful of quality-of-life features. There are five different power suction modes: the low-power 'Gentle' mode, the slightly more potent 'Quiet' mode, the default 'Balanced' mode, the 'Turbo' mode for cleaning heavier debris, and 'Max' for dealing with stubborn messes or debris embedded deeply within carpet fibers. You can also tweak the water flow for its mopping attachment through four settings: 'Close', 'Low', 'Medium', and 'High'. The 'Carpet Mode' feature allows the vacuum to automatically detect when it's cleaning the carpet and increase the suction power mode to 'Max'. This feature is turned on by default, but you can turn it off in the app.

The Roborock S5 Max has a five-arm silicone side brush to direct debris into the path of its brushroll. It also comes with a hook-blade cleaning tool for cutting away tangled hair. There's also a washable mop cloth attachment for scrubbing away stains. You can place the included rubber floor pad under the charging dock to keep water from its mop cloth from dripping onto your floor when it isn't in use.

The Roborock S5 Max performs exceptionally well on bare floors in its default 'Balanced' mode. It easily clears away small debris like rice and bulkier material like cereal.

The Roborock S5 Max's performance on low-pile carpet is middling. It has a hard time with large debris like sand and finer material like baking soda.

The Roborock S5 Max performs passably on high-pile carpet. It clears away a fair amount of larger debris like sand and finer material like baking soda, but it'll still need to make an extra pass or two to fully clear away all of it.

The Roborock S5 Max is remarkably effective in dealing with pet hair. While its brushroll and side brush are both quite tangle-prone, the vacuum itself has no trouble collecting pet hair on bare floors or low and high-pile carpet.

The Roborock S5 Max has relatively good suction force for a robot vacuum, though not quite as much as pricier models like the Roborock S7 MaxV. Like most other robot vacuums, its suction inlet is positioned too high above the contact surface to create a tight seal, so real-world suction measurements are low.

The Roborock S5 Max is exceptionally quiet. You'll hear what people nearby are saying when the vacuum is running in its most powerful suction mode, and when you use it in its low-power 'Gentle' mode, you'll have little trouble carrying on a normal conversation even when the vacuum is very close to you. It's substantially quieter than the more powerful Roborock S7 MaxV.

The Roborock S5 Max's maneuverability is great. It cleans in an organized pattern that ensures pretty comprehensive coverage, but it's worth noting that its movement is noticeably choppier than newer Roborock vacuums. Still, its side brush is effective in dragging debris from the edges of a room into the path of its primary brushroll. It's also short enough to clean under most couches. It's capable of mapping out its coverage area as it cleans, but it's important to remove its mopping attachment before letting it do so for the first time. Unfortunately, it can have a hard time cleaning tasseled rugs, which can get tangled in its brushroll, and shag-pile carpeting, which it has trouble climbing over.

The Roborock S5 Max does a good job of sealing in fine allergens. Unlike the Roborock Q5, fine particles aren't blown free of its LIDAR sensor while it cleans.

Like most other robot vacuums, the Roborock S5 Max has a hard time dealing with debris in cracks. It lacks the necessary suction force to draw out debris from deep within crevices.

The Roborock S5 Max does a poor job scrubbing away stains. Unlike the pricier Roborock S7 MaxV, which uses a separate motor to vibrate its mop pad and physically scrub away stains, the S5 Max uses an entirely passive system that effectively consists of a damp mop cloth being dragged behind it. Even running multiple cycles does little to impove its stain-cleaning performance, and you can see the result of eight passes here.

The Roborock S5 Max has a decently wide range of physical automation features. You can technically use the vacuum with its two control buttons without needing an internet connection and its associated companion app, but you're losing out on most of its features by doing so. Pressing and holding the power button turns the vacuum off while tapping it has it start and stop a cleaning session. Tapping the 'Home' button sends it back to its dock, and you can hold it down to have the vacuum spot-clean a small area. Unlike the Roborock Q5, it isn't self-emptying compatible, so you'll have to empty its dustbin manually once it's filled up.

The Roborock S5 Max's companion app is fantastic. The vacuum offers multi-level mapping, letting it store up to four different floor plans, meaning you can use it on any floor of your home. Its LIDAR sensor can recognize what floor plan it's on based on the furniture within. You can access its coverage map though its easy-to-use companion app to set up virtual boundary lines and 'No-Go' zones that you don't want the vacuum to enter, or even set up 'No-Mop' zones for areas that you don't want mopped. You can tweak the suction mode and water flow rate for its mopping feature for specific rooms or even create a custom schedule for cleaning individual areas.