Roborock F25 ACE review: engineered for everyday household chaos

Roborock is a class leader in the burgeoning sphere of robotic vacuum cleaners, including those that also mop hard floors. Well here’s a striking cordless upright wet-and-dry mop that doesn’t just wash a hard floor, it also swallows whatever’s in its path, whether it be wet matter or solid matter.

It’s called the Roborock F25 ACE and this fast jet of cordless mop has so much onboard tech it’s hard to know where to begin. In fact, with its motorised AI-empowered wheels, ability to lie flat and even head deep under a bed using its remote control function, the Roborock F25 ACE might just be the most high-tech hard floor cleaner yet. Let’s give it a whirl.

Roborock F25 ACE review: price and availability

There are five models in the Roborock F25 range but only two come with the motorised SlideTech 2.0 system – the F25 ACE and the F25 Alt. All of these models are undergoing a staggered launch around the world so Brits may need to wait a while for them to arrive on these shores.

If you live in the USA, however, visit the Roborock store where the F25 ACE retails at $439.99.

Roborock F25 ACE review: why you need a cordless wet and dry mop

If you’ve ever spilled a bowl of cereal or porridge – who hasn't? – you’ll know what a pain it is to clean up. The normal method involves reaching for a pile of paper towels, a tea towel or a dustpan but none of these methods is as efficient and hassle free as simply reaching for a cordless wet and dry mop.

This cordless domestic helper uses a spinning cylindrical mop and powerful suction to swallow liquid spills of any kind, including cereals, wine, gravy, porridge, soup, vomit, you name it. One second there’s a catastrophe on the hard floor, the next there isn’t. It’s that simple. And when you’re done cleaning, you simply place it back in its cradle where the whole mopping mechanism is given a thorough clean. All you have to do is pour the hideous contents into the toilet bowl and give the dirty water tank a quick rinse. Job done.

Roborock F25 ACE review: mop design and features

At 4.7 kilos in weight, the F25 ACE is quite a hefty thing but you won’t notice this at all unless you carry it up a flight of stairs. All wet-and-dry cordless mops are equipped with two water containers – one for clean water, the other for the dirty stuff. Also, some models come with a separate detergent tank while others require measuring out a cap full of floor cleaner and adding it to the main water tank. This model ticks all the boxes and comes with a 740ml clean water tank, a 720ml dirty water tank and a separate 100ml detergent tank (Roborock supplies a 200ml bottle of floor cleaner with the product).

Rather cleverly, the F25’s clean water tank sits directly above the floor head unlike most other models that usually have both water tanks positioned in the main housing. Having at least one water container at floor level means a much lower centre of gravity for easier maneuverability and a lower profile for reaching under beds and sofas.

The F25 ACE’s cylindrical toweling mop measures 25cm in length with just 6mm of space on either side for close-to-the-edge cleaning. Positioned behind the roller mop is a toothed comb that separates hair from the roller as it’s sucked up into the dirty water tank along with everything else. Like Roborock’s premium robot vacs, the F25 ACE sports a high suction power rating of 20,000 Pascals.

Heading to the top of the unit, there’s a shiny circular display just below the ergonomic multi-grip handle that displays four modes of cleaning – Eco, Auto, Max and Sponge, which is a vacuum-only mode designed for collecting liquid spills. You assign these modes via the circular arrow button which is just behind the main power button.

The product features a DirTect module that detects the level of dirt during cleaning, adjusting suction power and water where necessary. DirTect also determines the optimal self-cleaning intensity after you place the cleaner on the charging dock. The F25 ACE should achieve a running time of around 40 minutes in Auto mode and 60 minutes in Eco mode. That’s more than enough time for all mopping sessions bar a full spring clean of a stately home.

Roborock F25 ACE review: dock design and features

Like all good cordless mops, the F25 ACE comes with its own mop-cleaning dock that also charges the unit when not in use. This dock has a deeper tub than normal and yet it’s still compact enough to not be noticed when in situ. In essence, the F25 ACE’s dock both charges and cleans the mops whenever you return the unit to the dock. Simply press the self cleaning button on the top of the mop unit’s handle and the mop will spin back and forth while being washed using water at an impressively effective 90˚C. It will then quickly dry the cleaned but damp mop using hot air to kill 99.99% of bacteria and prevent mould and smells from developing between uses.

Aside from the dock’s mop cleaning ability, I’m especially impressed with how easy it is to reengage the F25 ACE for charging. Some models I’ve tested have had charging docks with poorly designed interfaces that make it difficult to line up the mop unit’s electrical contacts for charging. But not this model because at no time have I had any issues when placing the unit in the dock – it engages every time and charges the battery.

Roborock F25 ACE review: adaptive drive system

I don’t recall ever coming across a mop or even a cordless stick vac that has power-assisted wheels, but this one does. With a brushless motor in each wheel and some AI enhanced tech to govern it all, Roborock’s SlideTech 2.0 system kicks in like an electric power-assisted bicycle whenever its sensors feel a sense of forward or rearward motion from the user. So, as soon as you push or pull the mop, the wheels instantly provide a level of self-propulsion that feels so natural you wonder if you’ve just grown another set of biceps.

In fact, you can easily push and pull this model using just one finger – that’s how light it feels. This adjustable power assistance also applies to the turns, giving the F25 ACE the ability to effortless glide around furniture with 70˚ steering. You can adjust the power and response of the Smart Active drive wheels in the Roborock app.

Given Roborock’s expertise in the arena of robot vacuum cleaners, the F25 ACE’s drive system can also be used remotely using the Roborock app to literally drive the unit in a forwards, rearwards and partly sideways direction. This is a useful feature if you have a king- or super king-sized bed that’s too long for the mop to reach all the way.

If you look closely at the handle’s rear section you’ll see a tiny wheel. This wheel makes contact with the floor when the whole handle assembly is laid flat so the F25 ACE can roll along the floor without any friction. Hence, if your bed is on a hard floor, you can position the unit at the end of it and simply drive the entire unit forward, backwards and a few degrees to the left and right like an RC car so it mops the entire length and breadth of the floor without you having to get down on hands and knees.

Roborock F25 ACE review: performance

The Roborock F25 ACE delivers a slick and very satisfying mopping experience that’s intelligent, impressively powerful and very effective at both general mopping and sucking up liquid spills. Its self-propelling design makes it feel practically weightless in use, turning tight corners and gliding under furniture with zero effort. Similarly, the motorised roller brush digs into sticky patches, while the vacuum component lifts dust and crumbs with surprising efficiency. It’s also quiet enough not to disturb the household.

I tested the F25 ACE on an ingrained stain and it removed it in three short passes. I also tried it out on a spilled bowl of muesli and milk and it sucked 98% of it up in a single pass. This, for me, is the main reason for owning a cordless mop like this because the alternative – using paper towels or a tea towel – is a horribly sticky and often slimy task that leaves wet ingredients all over your hands. And even when you’ve wiped it all up, you still need to reach for a mop and bucket to finish it off. With this model you simply push it through the debris and it’s all cleaned up in a thrice. You then place it back on its plinth, tap the self clean button and, when it’s finished, chuck the contents of the dirty water container into the loo bowl. You should be able to eek out around 40 minutes of mopping in Auto mode, and that’s pretty admirable in my book.

The F25 ACE is also more economical with its fresh water use that any other cordless wet-and-dry mop I’ve ever tested and that means fewer trips to the sink for a top up. A final shout out, too, to the designers for fitting the easily-removed fresh water tank about the cleaning head. This keeps the centre of gravity low for better maneuverability while also making the container much easier to fit and remove.

I’ve been extremely impressed by how well this unit has performed, but there a couple of niggles to report. Firstly, the icons on its circular LED screen are very small and the manual doesn’t explain in any real detail what each mode actually does. Auto, Eco and Max are pretty self explanatory but most users might not know what Sponge mode does. As the moniker suggests, it’s for sucking up liquid spills – a little more clarity in the manual would’t go amiss.

My other small gripe is something that affects quite a few wet-and-dry mops. Since the spinning roller add extra forward momentum when it’s running, you have to be careful if switching it on while it’s upright because it quite literally scoots off on its own. The solution is to always unlock the handle by putting a foot on the base and pulling it back. That way you’ll have a better grip on the unit when you turn it on.

Roborock F25 ACE review: verdict

I’ve reviewed many cordless wet-and-dry hard floor mops from the likes of Tineco, Eufy, Bissell, Vax and Gtech but I’ve never seen one like the sleek and slim F25 ACE. Whether it’s everyday grime, a post-dinner mishap or even a small puppy mess, this smart and very effective cordless mop delivers a genuinely time-saving clean. Top marks!