Roborock H6 cordless vacuum cleaner with display now available from DE for 339€ (Europe only)

Big bang in the household scene: Roborock is now not only in vacuum robots, but also in battery vacuum cleaners! At the CES 2020 in Las Vegas, the household expert presented the H6 cordless vacuum cleaner. We were already able to test it extensively.

• Roborock H6
  • at GearBest for $599
• Roborock H6 (Europe)
  • at Geekbuying for 336€ (coupon: H63399)

Roborock is a guarantor for good technology on the vacuum cleaner market. It is not without reason that the Chinese act as ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) for the tech giant Xiaomi and thus produce all Xiaomi vacuum robots. However, after Xiaomi’s initial investments, Roborock is increasingly encapsulating itself as an independent company in 2014 – and now probably wants to conquer the next product category.

Technical data: Comparison with Roidmi NEX

Duel of the Xiaomi subsidiaries: The Roidmi NEX is the current non plus ultra from China, of course a manufacturer with a big name has to be measured directly against the top models. The specs of both models in comparison:

Scope of delivery of the Roborock H6

The scope of delivery includes:

• Suction tube
• Suction head with attached dust chamber and handle
• Ground Roller
• Wall bracket with integrated charging station (without screws)
• Charging cable
• various attachments:
  • motorized mini brush
  • Crevice nozzle
  • Flexible hose
  • Dust brush
  • Carpet attachment
• Operating instructions and Quick Start Guide in English

A very generous scope of delivery that includes everything you need to operate a battery-operated vacuum cleaner in your home. No plastic smell, nice packaging, many attachments for many applications – praiseworthy.

The loading dock can be freestanding or wall-mounted, so the vacuum cleaner does not need to be hidden in the storage room – or take up too much space there. Personally, I find the Roborock H6 stylish enough that I would mount it firmly and visibly on the wall. This can be achieved with the wall bracket supplied. Mounted on the wall mount, you can easily charge the battery when you are close to a power outlet. The 3610 mAh battery is firmly installed.

Design and processing

The first impression when unpacking should last through the entire test phase: Wow, what a fancy device! Admittedly, I had not expected anything else from Roborock and the super processed vacuum robots, but here again everything fits: Modern design, high-quality material, pleasant haptics. After all, vacuuming can be fun and a plastic miracle is less fun.

Of course, it should not go unmentioned that Roborock has also copied a bit of the British top dogs in terms of design. The display, for example, is familiar from the Dyson V11, which we will be comparing directly with the one in this article.

With a weight of 1.4 kg (without floor roller), the cordless vacuum cleaner is not too heavy for anyone. With the floor roller attached, the dimensions are 110.0 x 21.5 x 11.0 cm. These are average values for a cordless vacuum cleaner. Of course, people who are very tall could have problems with this if they used it for a long time. Smaller people simply have to keep the vacuum cleaner a little further away from themselves.

The Roborock H6 comes without LED lights (as we know them from the Roidmi NEX), but with a display. Personally, I am a fan of LED lights, because you can see dust even in darker corners. I especially liked the automatic darkness detection of the NEX or the F8, so that the lights are switched on automatically in the dark. But also a display can make the tester heart beat faster.

The display

One can discuss with a clear conscience whether a display is useful for a vacuum cleaner. I don’t want to judge this one hundred percent, as I’m rather happy about additional features as a tester. I can understand very well that one is of the opinion that the vacuum cleaner would be cheaper without a display and that the recognition of battery status, suction levels etc. also works without. Everyone has to form his own opinion here.

On the display it can be read:

• Suction stage (one of three in symbols at the very bottom)
• Battery level in percent
• Battery level in minutes
• Release locked/unlocked
• Maintenance instructions

If the 3160 mAh battery of the vacuum cleaner is charged, one can see on the display at what percentage the battery status is. Maintenance instructions are also very practical, for example to know when to empty the dust chamber. However, we did not receive any maintenance instructions during our test phase of several weeks (except for the battery needs to be charged).

Working time and handling

After a charging time of 4 h, the cordless vacuum cleaner is ready for an above-average working time of 90 min. The Dyson V11, among others, brings this value onto the scoreboard. However, 90 minutes only apply to the lowest suction stage, 40 minutes working time can be expected on the middle stage, and 10 minutes on the highest stage.

With the mode button on the handle you not only change the suction stage, you can also change the language by holding it down for ten seconds. The three suction levels Eco, Standard and Max are powerful through the bench, and during the several weeks of testing there was no degree of soiling that the H6 could not cope with.

Just because it is often asked: Like umpteen other models, the vacuum cleaner does not stand on its own, has to be laid on the floor or leaned against a wall in between (e.g. to clear something away).

Two things are particularly positive. On the one hand, in contrast to the Dyson models or the Dreame V9, you can decide for yourself whether you want to keep the shutter release button pressed on the grip or remain in suction mode after pressing it once. For this purpose, there is a small button on the upper left side with which you can lock or unlock the shutter release. This is then also indicated on the display.

Dust chamber of the Roborock H6

Then there is another important, often neglected factor: The dust chamber can be emptied simply by flipping a switch on the bottom of the handle (above the battery). This small lever is marked with a trashcan symbol and can be easily pressed down. Then, the dust chamber with a capacity of 0,4 l opens at the bottom and the content falls out. Place the dust chamber over a trashcan accordingly.

The individual parts of the 0.4 l dust chamber can be easily taken apart and put back together again. The filter can be simply washed out or alternatively cleaned with the small brush provided.

The dust chamber thus fulfils all the requirements that such a chamber must meet: Allergy-friendly (because it can be emptied without direct contact with the contents), easy to clean and equipped with the appropriate HEPA filters (HEPA = High Efficiency Particulate Air filter).

Roborock gives an Airwatt specification of 140 AW for the H6 (comparison Dyson V11 Absolute: 185 AW). This means that it is almost in the same league as Dyson in this area as the first model. However, the Airwatt specification as such should be viewed with a critical eye. Short definition: Airwatt measures the performance of a vacuum motor, ergo the efficiency of a motor. The amount of air the device can move per minute is calculated by a formula and related to the vacuum achieved.

However, Airwatt only expresses the ratio of suction power (in m³/h) and suction force (in pa) at a given opening on the suction side. By changing the diameter of the opening, it is also possible to achieve high or low Airwatt results. Logically, these values have little to do with the real performance of a vacuum cleaner.

Operating Volume of the Roborock H6

Despite the high suction power of the Roborock H6, the operating volume of the vacuum cleaner is kept within limits. The sound level meter reports a value of 72 dB at the highest suction level, 67 dB at the middle level and 63 dB at the lowest level. Roborock has not cheated with the technical data. 72 dB is anything but quiet, but you are already used to this from other vacuum cleaners. The lower two levels are, however, within a normal noise range.

For comparison: we humans talk to each other at an average volume of 60 dB. What makes the H6 comparatively quiet (in relation to the suction power): The built-in dust chamber is designed to reduce noise, the airflow is minimised and further reduced by the rear filter. But here you can continue to work on it, the quieter the better. And no, loud does not equal suction power. In this respect, consumers should rethink something and not allow themselves to be influenced by it.

Attachments for many applications

Of course we also have – as usual with other models – various attachments with us. So the NEX can also be used as a hand-held vacuum cleaner, for example for the car or if you want to vacuum up something quickly. The roller is ideal for hard floors, but can also be used for carpets. Due to the high suction power, the vacuum removes a lot of dirt and lint even from thicker carpets.

The movable hose is used in more complicated corners at a distance. But in practice it is not used very often. The entire floor nozzle (which you use to walk across the floor) is 25 cm wide, the feed hood is only 8 cm wide. Accordingly, only elements with a suitable diameter fit through the feed hood. Fortunately larger toys are spared, but also larger dirt.

The vacuum cleaner copes well with fluff, dust or even dog hairs, both as a smaller hand-held vacuum cleaner and when completely removed.

Conclusion: Buy Roborock H6?

Roborock estimates a release price of $449 for the H6, a price you could possibly live with on Amazon, but it also shows that Roborock is not comparable with other Chinese manufacturers. This is already the highest pain threshold a Chinese producer has ever reached. In return they want to have the maximum in terms of workmanship and technology. Of course the comparable Dyson V11 costs another $300 more, but we are still used to less from Chinese manufacturers.

Talking about less used: The Roborock H6 has everything you can expect from a top model (except maybe LED lights). Of course, you can also want a battery vacuum cleaner with a wiping function like the Roidmi NEX, but as a pure vacuum cleaner I haven’t had a better model in my test so far. You don’t really have the feeling of doing housework with the H6. Within minutes you can do all household cleaning.

I can’t afford $449 for a cordless vacuum cleaner, even though the Roborock H6 may be worth it. Of course, everyone sets their pain threshold differently. But since there is also a Dreame V9 for just under $190 and the Roidmi F8 is ~$300, I don’t see any reason to spend more money at this point.

What do you think about the first Roborock cordless vacuum cleaner?