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Roborock introduced three new models from its upper mid-range QRevo range this year: Curv, Edge and Slim. The Curv and Edge only differ in the design of their docking stations, and the Slim has a shorter profile that fits under more furniture. Although all of these models have the latest features, if you prefer the look of a curvy dock, you would go for a Curv. If you like hard edges, you would go for the Edge; and if you have a specific need for a shorter profile robot, you’d go for the Slim – but you’d be giving up a third of your suction power and some water and dust container space.
It’s worth noting that at $1,000, the Qrevo Slim is significantly cheaper than the $1,600 Curv and $1,300 Edge. But the Curv has already become one of my favorite robot vacuums on the market. Its state-of-the-art features include a chassis that can lift itself, and I was surprised at how effective the Curv could be in a winter where my floors were ruined by muddy paw prints and constant dirt.
Why the Curv is one of my favorite new robot vacuums
Photo credit: Amanda Blum
The first thing I noticed about the Curv is that it is much more compact than most docking towers. The Dreame L40, which I recently reviewedwas almost 60cm tall, but the Curv is barely 30cm high and no wider than any other model I’ve seen recently. The tower’s soft arches set it apart from all the other robots I’ve tested this year, and if you’re looking for something softer than the usual blocky robot towers, this is it.
The tower comes more or less assembled and ready to use and pairs seamlessly with the app on the first try. It is also lightweight and easy to transport and comes with two large water containers, one for dirty water and one for clean water. Unlike most dock towers I’ve seen, the front of this dock doesn’t come off; Instead, everything is accessible via the lid. If I had to complain about the docking tower, it would be that the design doesn’t provide space for cleaning fluid, which is the case with many modern docking towers. You need to add it to your clean water every time you fill it up.
The most extendable vacuum cleaner with split roller construction
Photo credit: Amanda Blum
There are a lot of new designs among the robot vacuum itself, and I was immediately impressed with the suction power. Most people don’t think about vacuum cleaner bristles often, but the silicone bristles that collect dirt are one of the most functional parts of a vacuum cleaner. Some models feature multiple swing arms while others allow the swing arms to extend further beneath the robot, but the Curv was the first to reduce the swing arms from three to two and placed the swing arms on a protruding link that extends outward can extend to hug a wall. The result is a better job of removing debris near a wall. I just wish the Curv had a soft, stationary cloth on the bumper to clean the baseboards like the narwhal.
The Curv is equipped with magnetic mop heads, meaning the machine activates the magnet when it is running. However, when the robot returns to the dock, the magnet drops the mop heads, allowing the dock to clean them more thoroughly. To take it a step further, this mop itself is actually removable and can be thrown in the washing machine and reattached.
Photo credit: Amanda Blum
The Curv features a liftable chassis that allows it to detach
One of the new design highlights is that the entire robot can lift itself using the front roller, rather than just a little. When it encounters something like a carpet or string, the robot looks like it’s doing a push-up to get over the obstacle, and the rear wheels have some suspension to help. The feature helped the robot navigate the mess of wires and dog toys under my couches, but it also meant that the robot repeatedly attempted to enter areas outside of its reach. Instead of avoiding obstacles, the Curv occasionally tries to climb them, like when I watched him struggle around a lamp base and try to solve an abandoned dog puzzle. In all cases, the robot recovered and set off. Many expensive robot vacuums do a mediocre job of clearing obstacles, but the Curv handled them well, and the extending vacuum did an excellent job of getting into corners and along walls.
The end result
I used to think that two rotating mops, like those used on the QRevo models and most current robots, weren’t as effective as a solid, vibrating mop pad, but the Curv made me rethink my opinion. The Curv cleans well with the amount of water it uses, the pressure on its rotating discs, and the reach of the discs. It’s not as good a job as the vacuum, but for most people and in most situations that will be as good as it gets.
The Roborock app continues to be great, too, and while I didn’t see any new innovations with this model, I still appreciate features like Pin and Go, where you place a pin on the map and the robot goes straight there; and a remote control that allows you to control the robot from your phone (mainly an aid in rescuing your robot vacuum from under your couch or other furniture). I would still like Roborock to come up with an innovative solution for sweeping baseboards while the robot is moving, and I would also like to see a container for cleaning solution in the dock. But until there’s a new S8 model, I’d say this is Roborock’s top-of-the-line model and worth the $1,599 price tag.
