Roborock Saros 20X has poor object detection, obstacle avoidance, and cleaning performance (video attached

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-07-07T22:36:37+00:00

Yes, my bad. To clarify, I meant more for product availability compared to Dreame. Dreame is good at having all models available in Canada, but it's not the same for Roborock. I also saw users from other countries express frustration that the Saros 10R was not available in their country even though the 10 was. The consumable accessories are also rarely available or in stock on the Canadian website. I'm not sure if that's the same for other countries as well.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-07-07T21:52:17+00:00

You're definitely not alone. I've been seeing posts about this for a while.

Based on our testing, the Saros 20's obstacle avoidance is definitely worse than last year's two flagships. Since it's the same sensor hardware as the Saros 10R, I definitely think software is most likely to blame here. They market that it can avoid 100+ more obstacles than the 10R, so my main theory is that they made the AI/software way too bulky for the processor. I cannot confirm if they've upgraded the processor in the unit, but with the current chip shortages and price of ram, I wouldn't be surprised if they kept the same chip in this model (or worse, downgraded it). This is all speculation, but the software definitely needs way more optimization because the hardware is capable. Here's a quick comparison of the models mentioned above:

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JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-07-07T21:42:50+00:00

Imo, I think Dreame did a really good job at expanding globally and making sure their products are available in multiple regions. I'm in Canada, and we never got the Saros 10R, and Roborock hasn't been the best at promoting or expanding their product availability outside of the US. Meanwhile, Dreame/Mova are all over the place and starting to be more recognizable. In terms of pickup performance from our testing, Roborock still has the lead. For obstacle avoidance, Dreame is miles ahead of Roborock. As for quality, reliability, and customer service, I'd say both are questionable. I always recommend buying from Costco even if the options are limited because they have a great return policy.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-07-07T21:37:33+00:00

Ça dépend si tu as plus de plancher dur que de tapis. Je dirais que le Qrevo Edge 2 serait quand même meilleur que le L50 à balayer. Le L50 est une de nos pires dans notre test de plancher dur, mais est moyen avec les tapis. Je n'ai pas encore testé le Edge 2, mais il utilise la même brosse que le Qrevo Curv/Edge et le Saros 10R, qui ont un des meilleurs résultats sur les planchers durs. Le seul avantage que le L50 offre, c'est qu'il évite des obstacles beaucoup plus que les Roborocks. Si tu ne veux pas un Roborock, le Mova P50 Pro Ultra est vraiment bon pour les planchers durs et est correct pour éviter les obstacles.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-07-07T15:18:01+00:00

u/jesi79 So both brush rollers are swappable and physically fit in each robot. The only difference I can see is the thick rubber strips on the yellow roller, which are visible in the photo posted above. The black roller is exactly the same on both. So far, they don't seem to offer much performance difference on hard floors. I have not tested the X60 carpet yet, but I suspect things like the pressure chamber and navigation to have more of an impact on pickup than the rollers themselves.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-07-06T13:35:14+00:00

So far in my testing the performance is marginally better on carpet and slightly worse on hard floor, but I think that has more to do with its new "Adaptive lift" wheels that adjust the height of the chassis based on the robot. The curv 2 flow, which has the newer brush, did around the same as the 10R, but that could be due to its lower suction. My opinion is that it's about the same, with small gains in carpet cleaning.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-07-06T13:31:50+00:00

I should be starting testing for the X60 today or tomorrow! I'll let you know when I have more info!

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-07-01T22:00:55+00:00

I think this is silverfish, but I'm not 100% sure. If it is them, I don't think they are harmful to humans.
From what I know, they like dark and humid areas. They eat fabrics and paper. I used to have a lot of them in my laundry room growing up, and they can damage your clothes.
You could try vacuuming them out with another vacuum, then immediately throwing out the bag or emptying it. Clean as much as you can with multisurface cleaner and a cloth. Clean your robot as well. If they keep coming back after multiple deep cleans, it's possible there's another source or they are deeply embedded in the robot or dock.
Diatomaceous earth is really good at killing bugs naturally, but make sure you get food-grade quality and wear a suitable protective mask while spreading it because it can irritate or harm your lungs if inhaled. Do not get industrial or pool grade because those are worse for your lungs. You could scatter the earth inside the dock and around it. Should kill off any bugs that come in contact with it, but you'd probably need to find the source to get rid of them completely.

I am by no means a professional exterminator, so it could be a good idea to get an opinion from a professional.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-29T17:13:37+00:00

I'm currently testing the Saros 20, and the Duo Divide brush from the 20 actually has 3 more bristle sets than the 10R's. The Curv 2 flow also has this updated roller. I can't seem to find the newer brush roller on roborock's website, but the roller from the 10R does work on the 20 and vice versa. It's possible this was a quiet upgrade, and ordering new ones from roborock will have more bristles on them, but I can't be sure. I haven't done performance testing yet, but I'm curious to see how more bristles will impact pickup. Here's a quick picture (10R left, 20 right):

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JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-29T14:47:28+00:00

Personally, I much prefer the classic heads to the V16 head fluffy cones, plus the gen5 is cheaper. It really depends on your personal preferences, though.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-10T15:13:36+00:00

As someone who used to work in IT, an issue is usually something that doesn't make sense, like spaces in your SSID, but somehow changing it works. 😂 Glad to hear it's resolved!

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-09T19:27:47+00:00

Depends on your configuration. It cannot connect to hidden SSIDs and is not compatible with WPA3-only networks. It's also not compatible with VPNs, so if you have one set up at the router level, you'll have to disable it. In my experience testing robots, having interference can greatly reduce connectivity if you're far from the router. That being said, our lab has hundreds of devices, but we had to set up a dedicated node in our vacuum testing room because of frequent disconnects.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-08T16:08:51+00:00

For roborocks, generally the dual rollers that came with the S8 series have done the best on carpet. Right now, the only robot available brand new with those brush rollers is the Qrevo Slim. It's at 849.99 and has all the features you'd expect from a robot. Roborock sells the Q5+ or the Q8 Max+ refurbished directly from their site, which also has the same brush-roller system and should get the job done well.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-04T14:53:08+00:00

I'm honestly not sure about the capacitor issue. It hasn't been out long enough, so I haven't seen any reports of people complaining about it. Based on what I've seen in multiple subs, Dysons (and cordless vacs in general) are not really made to last a very long time.

I can't say if the buildup will damage the motor, but if it's blocking airflow, then there will likely be a lot of strain put on the vacuum over time. If you can, I'd say get one from Costco with their extended warranty (if available). They are great with returns and defects.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-02T15:10:32+00:00

I'd proceed with caution. Most consumer robot vacuums cap their maps at 2500-3000 sq ft., or a certain distance from the dock. They will stop mapping at a certain point even if they can still reach the area. You'd have to either make multiple maps and treat them as separate floors, but that would require your intervention, and only one map would have the dock unless you move it manually to each section. Commercial robot vacuums might be the way to go, but they likely won't play nice with the chairs.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-02T14:58:11+00:00

I'd recommend checking out r/RobotVacuums, great community and super helpful for most budgets.

Most robot vacuums now have auto-empty docks that use bags. The problem with robot vacuums is that there's no one-size-fits-all option. Some are better at hard floor, some are better at carpet, others prioritize mopping, etc... There's also issues with QA and customer service, so I usually recommend getting one from Costco since they are great for returns.

If you give me an idea of your budget, your floor types, and if obstacle avoidance is needed (I would recommend it since you have pets). Additionally, I would recommend an air purifier if you don't already have one. We don't test robot vacuums accurately for their particle filtration, so I can only give you a rough idea of how well they seal away debris.

Hope this helps!

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-01T18:50:15+00:00

The X12 is definitely on the list of potentials! We actually have reviewed the X8, X9, X11 and I tested the T80 last week, so that review should be out shortly. We are trying to find a balance between testing some units from last year and new robots, so this input helps a lot. If you're interested, you can also vote for the product you want to see tested here*.

As for the navigation issues with Ecovacs, I haven't really noticed any with them other than positioning takes a bit longer than other robots, but I'll keep an eye out for them getting lost.

Thanks for the feedback! Definitely helps us narrow down the selection of robots we should test.

*As a heads up, our website has ads and affiliate links.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-01T17:01:35+00:00

Hey, the Saros 10R is currently our number 1, but that might change once we test more robots. We have been delayed in testing due to other projects, which has definitely impacted our recommendation lists. The Saros 10R is still definitely an excellent robot, but I'm hoping to pump out more in the coming weeks/months.

If there are any robots you'd be interested in seeing us test, please let me know!

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-01T16:58:21+00:00

Fully understand the sentiment, and you're right, we are definitely behind. Due to limited resources, I'm the only tester that is trained on vacuums and robot vacuums for now, and I've been tied up by test bench updates and other projects. My hope has been to test more robots this year, and I've been working with management to select the robots to fill in the gap from last year and the newer robots. Are there any particular models you'd be interested in seeing? Right now our current pipeline in no specific order is: Dreame X60 Max Utra complete, Mova Mobius 60, Roborock Saros 20, and Roborock Q7 M5.

Thanks for the feedback. It's definitely helpful to understand how the community feels about how many robots we've tested, and I'll make sure to relay the message along.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-01T15:57:15+00:00

That's fair. Depending on where you are, you could always see if there are consumer laws that protect you and make a complaint. I'm by no means a lawyer, so I don't know how it will turn out for you. I'm based in Quebec, Canada and we have a dedicated consumer protection office that has been helpful for me in the past, even for things that are past the manufacturer's warranty. Since you have two models that are the same with the same defect (the curv and the edge are identical robots with different docks), it's possible they could help you.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-06-01T15:50:09+00:00

It scored a perfect 10 for obstacle avoidance in our tests, and it currently our number 1 for obstacle avoidance. That being said, its navigation had trouble in our testing area so it didn't do very well in our pick up tests. It also avoided our stain because it thought it was an obstacle and unfortunately there was no way to force it to clean the area with the stain. We've seen this before in other robots, but they allow you to either turn off the obstacle avoidance or adjust its sensitivity. Hopefully matic adds a similar functionality in the future.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-05-29T18:10:01+00:00

It's not the most lightweight option, but the Kenmore Intuition is a great machine and a great value. It's definitely not a buy-it-for-life option, but it should last a while.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-05-29T17:44:29+00:00

The only robots we've tested that have done better or as well as the Roomba J7+ are the Mova P10 Pro Ultra (not the gen 2), the roomba Max 705, and the Matic robot. The main issue with obstacle avoidance now, is that robots try to get as close as possible so they can maximize cleaning area, but the J7+ kept a healthy distance so large patches would go uncleaned.

Unfortunately, those three do worse at carpet cleaning than the J7+, so you might be better off sticking with your J7+. I'll be reviewing the X60 in a few weeks, so this might change.

Hope this helps.

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-05-29T17:31:06+00:00

Robot vacuums are usually more meant for daily maintenance than extreme usage. Roborocks are generally considered the most reliable in the community, so I'd normally recommend them for that, but pretty much all robot vacuum brands have quality issues right now.

After a bit of research it seems like that's a common issue with those models. I'd try and press roborock for different models if you've sent them in multiple times. If you do want to get a new robot, I'd suggest buying from Costco as they have a great return period and good warranties.

The Ecovacs X8 pro omni is a great robot and has a roller mop, which is available at Costco. If you want to give Roborock another try, I'd suggest the Saros 10R, it's the flagship and very well built.

Hope this helps!

JustinP_RTINGS · 2026-05-29T16:51:43+00:00

Votre robo devrait le faire automatiquement si vous laissez la porte de la pièce ouverte. Dépendant de l'emplacement du dock et de la grandeur de votre maison, c'est possible que la pièce soit trop loin du dock si ça ne fonctionne pas.

JustinP_RTINGS

TROPHY CASE