Review: Roborock H6 - a cheaper alternative to Dyson

Update:

After about half a year, our Roborock H6 started to sputter. At first, he made a very high-pitched noise. Then he didn’t do anything. An inspection revealed that the printed circuit board that controls everything was extremely dusty and was not protected with a special coating as usual. Clearly a cost-saving operation, so I can no longer recommend the Roborock H6.

Original review:

One of the most popular posts on my site is about our robot vacuum cleaner: the Roborock S6 MAXV. Six months later, my opinion on it is identical: it’s easily one of the best household purchases of my life.

Besides our little robot friend, we’ve also had a Dyson V8 for several years. We were also quite satisfied with that, but it did have two drawbacks:

• The normal mode, which allows you to vacuum for 25 minutes, is not powerful.
• The turbo mode gives you only 7 minutes of battery, too short for an entire home.

The last few months, our Dyson was running out of power rather quickly. My first thought was that the battery needed replacement. But a bit of research showed that it overheated in turbo mode. Of course, the warranty had just run out, and a new motor is costly.

A new Dyson, then? Eight hundred euros is a lot for a V11 Absolute Extra Pro.

Roborock

Luckily our Chinese friends at Roborock have applied the knowledge they gained when developing robot vacuum cleaners to a wireless vacuum cleaner. Or so they say in their marketing talk. The first model wireless vacuum cleaner is called the Roborock H6.

Because Roborock proved to be worthy of my trust in the field of robotic vacuum cleaners, we bought one.

Almost everything on the H6 screams Dyson copy. The accessories’ holes are even at an almost identical distance (however, do not try, the voltages are different). Those red clicky things for attachments? The same.

Innovations

However, Roborock has managed to innovate in a few areas. The first one is weight: a Dyson weighs 3 kilograms, the H6 is lightweight with its 1.4 kilograms. This low weight is thanks to its light LiPo battery. This type of battery is also used in drones and weighs much less than the classic Li-ion battery.

Also, there is a handy wall-mount We got a bag for our attachments with our Dyson, which then disappeared into a closet, never to be seen again. The wall-mount of the H6 is broader, and you can store all accessories nicely.

Accessories

You have your standard motorized vacuum cleaner head, something for keyboard dust, a motorized small vacuum head, a crevice tool for crevices, and a flexible hose. The latter, which we did not have with our Dyson, has already proved useful for hard-to-reach places, as the woman demonstrates below.

Suction

At the maximum mode (10 minutes battery), it sucks better than our Dyson V8. According to the product specifications, 150 AW, compared with 115, 150, and 185 AW respectively for the Dyson V8, V10, and V11. This good suction power puts it in front of the V10, which only lasts 6 minutes on this mode.

However, you will only use that maximum mode if your child has thrown a plate of Choco Pops on the ground. For everyday use, you have the normal mode (36 minutes battery), perfect for vacuuming well. Here again, this is more powerful than our old Dyson and probably similar to the V10.

If you want to vacuum for a long time, the eco-mode promises 90 minutes of battery. But come on, who has such a big house that he needs to be able to vacuum for 90 full minutes?

OLED & Handsfree

There is a beautiful monochrome OLED screen on top of the vacuum on which you can see how long you can vacuum and in which mode you are using. However, my favorite little feature is the small button on the side: when you push it, you don’t have to pull the trigger anymore to engage the vacuum cleaner.

Price & Conclusion

!!! Read the update at the top of this article.

The biggest reason to go for the Roborock H6, and not for a new Dyson, is the price. A Dyson V10 will cost you about 500 euros, a V11 about 800 euros, and the Roborock H6 can be found on Aliexpress for less than 300 euros (with coupons).

That price difference alone makes it worthwhile. The H6 is a high-quality vacuum cleaner that does an excellent job. You’ll probably lose a few hipster points with your Dyson friends, but with the price difference, you can buy some fancy dinner.

Our H6 was delivered three days after we ordered (shipped from Germany). However, if you are reluctant to buy at Chinese webshop: