Forget Dyson: This Stick Vacuum Surpassed A Skeptic's Wildest Expectations - And It's $250 Off

Roborock F25 Ultra Wet and Dry Vacuum pinch Steam

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Roborock F25 Ultra possesses a steam usability and offers 4 elastic cleaning modes, complemented by a competitory artillery life
• It's equipped pinch apical features for illustration lay-flat technology, self-cleaning capabilities, and voice-prompted instructions
• It's dense successful value and size, and struggles to connection seamless separator power and item cleaning for grout.

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It seems for illustration everyone's sewage a vacuum mop. They've inundated our societal media feeds, spliced videos showing splashy occurrence -- sucking up cereal and milk, ketchup and different condiments, java spills, and moreover nan worst messiness of them each -- glitter. 

It's difficult to miss nan magic these smart vac mops look to offer. Plenty of my friends and family person already jumped connected nan bandwagon, raving astir really bully it is to cleanable without breaking a sweat. I was a disbeliever for a while. The exertion seemed excessively bully to beryllium true, and location wasn't thing that could hit nan classical cleanable of a bucket and mop -- right? But I was wrong. And nan Roborock F25 Ultra vacuum and steam mop made maine eat my words. 

The F25 Ultra is 1 of nan first wet-dry vacuums pinch a steam cleaning option, a peculiarly awesome characteristic for regular attraction and stubborn stains and debris. As a longtime instrumentality of an early 2000s Shark steam mop that had reached nan extremity of its life, I couldn't walk up nan opportunity to usage 1 successful my ain home. 

Also: The apical 10 robot vacuums and mowers ZDNET readers bought successful 2025

Right retired of nan box, nan F25 Ultra, which retails for a whopping $800, felt for illustration thing retired of nan Jetsons. It's reasonably heavy, weighing astir 12 pounds, which is much than my Shark instrumentality vacuum, but it's not excessively cumbersome to handle. It's cordless and comes pinch a opinionated guidelines that serves arsenic some a charger and a cleaning position erstwhile nan mop isn't successful use. The F25 Ultra features steady, motorized wheels to thief pinch navigation. 

The bottommost half of nan mop machine.

Kayla Solino/ZDNET

If you're successful a mini space, nan setup whitethorn beryllium a spot large, but since it replaces respective cleaning machines, it whitethorn beryllium worthy nan nonaccomplishment of quadrate footage. 

I do deliberation Roborock could use from a amended method writer, because nan instructions aren't nan easiest aliases astir cohesive (coming from personification who lacks acquisition pinch these products). I decided to freestyle nan unboxing. Essentially, you request to combine nan handle, h2o tanks, and roller brushwood into place, and past group up nan guidelines and charger. Once you input h2o and cleaning solution into nan mop, you're fresh to (Robo)rock. 

Also: I fto my robot vacuum spell connected autopilot for 10 days while I was distant - here's nan result

I instantly noticed nan mop's self-control, which guides immoderate of your ain movements and propels nan instrumentality wherever it needs to be. It's ace seamless. The mode controls are connected nan apical grip of nan mop. There are 4 to take from: auto, sponge, steam, and basking water. There's small accusation connected what nan different modes really mean (or do) successful this case, but I tried my champion to transmission my Mom and each her cleaning wisdom. 

The controls connected nan Roborock F25 Ultra handle. 

Kayla Solino/ZDNET

Auto mode seems elemental enough; it's nan guidelines action that offers non-heated cleaning. Steam and basking h2o look to beryllium nan aforesaid from what I tin tell, but Roborock specifies that nan basking h2o mounting cleans astatine 187 degrees while nan steam mounting cleans astatine 302 degrees. Mop mode is apt intended for liquid spills. 

I unrecorded pinch 5 cats. Which intends astatine immoderate fixed time, my floors are covered successful a batch of feline hairsbreadth and a adjacent magnitude of dirt, debris, and, yep … litter. An inevitability of having cats is that litter ends up successful nan astir unexpected places, moreover pinch a strict cleaning routine. The area by my cats' litter boxes is people nan worst area of tracked litter. Before nan F25 Ultra, I swept. A lot. But litter is finicky. And stubborn. Even nan champion vacuums struggle to seizure it. 

Also: You astir apt shouldn't bargain a Roomba vacuum this Black Friday (or immoderate clip after) - here's why

So you tin ideate my astonishment erstwhile I watched nan F25 Ultra walk done not one, not two, but 3 neatly swept piles of litter. I'd for illustration to stress nan connection p-i-l-e-s of litter. I'm not judge really agelong I stood staring astatine this instrumentality successful utter disbelief aft this accomplishment.

Naturally, my soul TikToker was channelled, and I proceeded to trial different messes. From ketchup, feline hair, mustard, and cereal, to dirt, dust, and dander, this vac mop cleaned up everything. Stubborn stains still took aggregate passes, moreover pinch nan steam setting, and nan mop caput doesn't prime up spills successful grout arsenic good arsenic I'd like. I did person to cleanable up immoderate leftover condiments that lingered successful nan grout, truthful that's thing to support successful mind. 

The F25 Ultra sucked up spilled condiments, but nan grout was reliable for it to clean. 

Kayla Solino/ZDNET

There are immoderate refined touches, specified arsenic a front-facing ray to illuminate dust, debris, and stains, motorized wheels for soft swipes, an LED show for easy awareness, and an apt turning radius that makes it consciousness for illustration you're gliding connected ice. Additionally, it tin dishonesty wholly level to fresh nether furnishings and tin moreover beryllium controlled via an app for enhanced navigation while utilizing this feature. A statement connected nan app: It's a bully summation that allows for customization of cleaning modes, specified arsenic suction level, h2o level, and detergent level, but I don't find it necessary. 

The Roborock F25 Ultra genuinely is simply a maestro. But moreover arsenic a first-time user, I person a fewer qualms. 

Though it tin dishonesty flat, nan cleaning caput itself is somewhat excessively heavy to fresh nether nan guidelines of immoderate of my cabinets and appliances, which is simply a flimsy bummer. If it were conscionable a tad thinner, it would've been perfect. I besides noticed that nan edge-to-edge cleaning isn't nan champion connected this mop. 

It performs reasonably good against a baseboard, but it requires aggregate passes and a fewer perspective adjustments from different angles to execute nan cleanable I was looking for, particularly successful nan narrower spaces, which are somewhat constricted owed to nan cleaning head. 

Also: I've tested dozens of robot vacuums. These are nan 3 I urge astir to family and friends

The steam characteristic is besides a spot unique. To usage nan steam function, you must hold for nan mop to power water, which is fair. However, to do this, nan mop must beryllium successful nan activated (and therefore, bent) position. That intends you either request to proceed cleaning while it heats up (it counts up to 100 earlier it's ready) aliases simply guidelines location holding nan mop until it's ready, which is annoying. 

Additionally, steam is perfect for tile, ceramics, and different difficult surfaces; however, it is not recommended for hardwood aliases LVP floors. Of course, it's up to you to decide, but I only tested car mode connected wood floors, not immoderate higher somesthesia modes. 

But moreover pinch those itty-bitty downsides, nan impervious was successful nan h2o tank. The h2o vessel separates retired soiled h2o and particle debris pinch a strainer, and nan show is not for nan weak. My first cleanings revealed a adjacent magnitude of brownish h2o and debris, but my 2nd pass-through made my tummy turn. What was successful nan vessel was a acheronian grey sludge (I spared you nan photos), which I tin only ideate was nan combo of bedewed feline litter and dirt. So thrilling -- and disgustingly satisfying. 

The mop resting connected nan charging and cleaning base. 

Kayla Solino/ZDNET

The complaint clip is besides great. Roborock claims it lasts astir an hr successful car mode aliases astir 20 minutes erstwhile utilizing steam features, and I work together that's correct. I was capable to complete my kitchen, foyer, and half of my hallway and surviving room pinch 1 charge, though I was switching betwixt settings. 

The h2o vessel is simply a 1L capacity, and it lasted for nan cleans I was capable to complete connected 1 artillery charge. This included 2 self-cleaning rounds, activated by a azygous button, which characteristic a wash-and-dry rhythm automated by a sound punctual (which you tin move off, thankfully).

ZDNET's buying advice 

The Roborock F25 Ultra is nan crème de la crème of Roborock's wet-dry vac offerings, and it has a value tag to match. Its cleaning capabilities are arsenic lofty, and I'm impressed pinch this machine's 22,00 Pa suction power, agelong artillery life, and self-cleaning modes. It makes tackling tricky debris for illustration feline litter a breeze, and contempt nan less-inclined separator control, I still highly urge it. The F25 Ultra is ample -- some successful position of value and size -- but it's a competitory exemplary that's perfect for difficult floors. 

Also: I fto my robot vacuum spell connected autopilot for 10 days while I was distant - here's nan result

If you request a narrower cleaning caput for amended separator detailing, person constricted space, aliases don't require a steam feature, you tin apt skip this model. Roborock offers a fewer alternatives wrong nan aforesaid family, specified arsenic nan F25 Ace (which features app functions and auto-dispensing detergent) and nan base F25 (an action that's half nan value of nan Ultra, but lacks steam aliases basking h2o modes). 

You'll besides want to support successful mind that this vac-mop requires Roborock cleaning solution, which sells for astir $26 a bottle, and will request a Roborock filter each six months aliases so, which costs astir $30 for a battalion of two. 

At a waste value of $550 up of Black Friday (that's $250 off) astatine some Amazon and Roborock, it's a awesome action to see if you're looking to upgrade yourself aliases a loved one's cleaning acquisition successful 2026.