Forget Dyson: This stick vacuum surpassed a skeptic’s wildest expectations – and it’s $250 off

Roborock F25 Ultra Wet and Dry Vacuum with Steam

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Roborock F25 Ultra possesses a steam function and offers four flexible cleaning modes.
• It’s equipped with top features like lay-flat technology, self-cleaning capabilities, and voice-prompted instructions.
• Just be prepared for the hefty price and size.

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It seems like everyone’s got a vacuum mop. They’ve inundated our social media feeds, spliced videos showing splashy success — sucking up cereal and milk, ketchup and other condiments, coffee spills, and even the worst mess of them all — glitter. 

It’s hard to miss the magic these smart vac mops appear to offer. Plenty of my friends and family have already jumped on the bandwagon, raving about how nice it is to clean without breaking a sweat. I was a disbeliever for a while. 

Also: This vacuum mop combo changed my mind about smart cleaners, and it purrfectly tackles pet hair

The technology seemed too good to be true, and there wasn’t anything that could beat the classic clean of a bucket and mop — right? But I was wrong. And the Roborock F25 Ultra vacuum and steam mop made me eat my words. 

The F25 Ultra is one of the first wet-dry vacuums with a steam cleaning option, a particularly great feature for routine maintenance and stubborn stains and debris. As a longtime fan of an early 2000s Shark steam mop that had reached the end of its life, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use one in my own home. 

Also: The top 10 robot vacuums and mowers ZDNET readers bought in 2025

Right out of the box, the F25 Ultra, which retails for a whopping $800, felt like something out of the Jetsons. It’s fairly heavy, weighing about 12 pounds, which is more than my Shark stick vacuum, but it’s not too cumbersome to handle. It’s cordless and comes with a standing base that serves as both a charger and a cleaning station when the mop isn’t in use. The F25 Ultra features steady, motorized wheels to help with navigation. 

If you’re in a small space, the setup may be a bit large, but since it replaces several cleaning machines, it may be worth the loss of square footage. 

I do think Roborock could benefit from a better technical writer, because the instructions aren’t the easiest or most cohesive (coming from someone who lacks experience with these products). I decided to freestyle the unboxing. Essentially, you need to assemble the handle, water tanks, and roller brush into place, and then set up the base and charger. Once you input water and cleaning solution into the mop, you’re ready to (Robo)rock. 

Also: I let my robot vacuum go on autopilot for 10 days while I was away – here’s the result

I immediately noticed the mop’s self-control, which guides any of your own movements and propels the machine where it needs to be. It’s super seamless. The mode controls are on the top handle of the mop. There are four to choose from: auto, sponge, steam, and hot water. There’s little information on what the different modes actually mean (or do) in this case, but I tried my best to channel my Mom and all her cleaning wisdom. 

Auto mode seems simple enough; it’s the base selection that offers non-heated cleaning. Steam and hot water appear to be the same from what I can tell, but Roborock specifies that the hot water setting cleans at 187 degrees while the steam setting cleans at 302 degrees. Mop mode is likely intended for liquid spills. 

I live with five cats. Which means at any given time, my floors are covered in a lot of cat hair and a fair amount of dirt, debris, and, yep … litter. An inevitability of having cats is that litter ends up in the most unexpected places, even with a strict cleaning routine. The area by my cats’ litter boxes is naturally the worst area of tracked litter. Before the F25 Ultra, I swept. A lot. But litter is finicky. And stubborn. Even the best vacuums struggle to capture it. 

Also: You probably shouldn’t buy a Roomba vacuum this Black Friday (or any time after) – here’s why

So you can imagine my astonishment when I watched the F25 Ultra pass through not one, not two, but three neatly swept piles of litter. I’d like to emphasize the word p-i-l-e-s of litter. I’m not sure how long I stood staring at this machine in utter disbelief after this accomplishment.

Naturally, my inner TikToker was channelled, and I proceeded to test other messes. From ketchup, cat hair, mustard, and cereal, to dirt, dust, and dander, this vac mop cleaned up everything. Stubborn stains still took multiple passes, even with the steam setting, and the mop head doesn’t pick up spills in grout as well as I’d like. I did have to clean up some leftover condiments that lingered in the grout, so that’s something to keep in mind. 

There are some refined touches, such as a front-facing light to illuminate dust, debris, and stains, motorized wheels for smooth swipes, an LED display for easy awareness, and an apt turning radius that makes it feel like you’re gliding on ice. Additionally, it can lie completely flat to fit under furniture and can even be controlled via an app for enhanced navigation while using this feature. A note on the app: It’s a nice addition that allows for customization of cleaning modes, such as suction level, water level, and detergent level, but I don’t find it necessary. 

The Roborock F25 Ultra truly is a maestro. But even as a first-time user, I have a few qualms. 

Though it can lie flat, the cleaning head itself is slightly too thick to fit under the base of some of my cabinets and appliances, which is a slight bummer. If it were just a tad thinner, it would’ve been perfect. I also noticed that the edge-to-edge cleaning isn’t the best on this mop. 

It performs fairly well against a baseboard, but it requires multiple passes and a few angle adjustments from different angles to achieve the clean I was looking for, especially in the narrower spaces, which are somewhat limited due to the cleaning head. 

Also: I’ve tested dozens of robot vacuums. These are the three I recommend most to family and friends

The steam feature is also a bit unique. To use the steam function, you must wait for the mop to heat water, which is fair. However, to do this, the mop must be in the activated (and therefore, bent) position. That means you either need to continue cleaning while it heats up (it counts up to 100 before it’s ready) or simply stand there holding the mop until it’s ready, which is annoying. 

Additionally, steam is ideal for tile, ceramics, and other hard surfaces; however, it is not recommended for hardwood or LVP floors. Of course, it’s up to you to decide, but I only tested auto mode on wood floors, not any higher temperature modes. 

But even with those itty-bitty downsides, the proof was in the water tank. The water tank separates out dirty water and particle debris with a strainer, and the sight is not for the weak. My first cleanings revealed a fair amount of brown water and debris, but my second pass-through made my stomach turn. What was in the tank was a dark gray sludge (I spared you the photos), which I can only imagine was the combo of wet cat litter and dirt. So thrilling — and disgustingly satisfying. 

The charge time is also great. Roborock claims it lasts approximately an hour in auto mode or around 20 minutes when using steam features, and I agree that’s correct. I was able to complete my kitchen, foyer, and half of my hallway and living room with one charge, though I was switching between settings. 

The water tank is a 1L capacity, and it lasted for the cleans I was able to complete on one battery charge. This included two self-cleaning rounds, activated by a single button, which feature a wash-and-dry cycle automated by a voice prompt (which you can turn off, thankfully).

ZDNET’s buying advice 

The Roborock F25 Ultra is the crème de la crème of Roborock’s wet-dry vac offerings, and it has a price tag to match. Its cleaning capabilities are equally lofty, and I’m impressed with this machine’s 22,00 Pa suction power, long battery life, and self-cleaning modes. It makes tackling tricky debris like cat litter a breeze, and despite the less-inclined edge control, I still highly recommend it. The F25 Ultra is large — both in terms of price and size — but it’s a competitive model that’s ideal for hard floors. 

Also: I let my robot vacuum go on autopilot for 10 days while I was away – here’s the result

If you need a narrower cleaning head for better edge detailing, have limited space, or don’t require a steam feature, you can likely skip this model. Roborock offers a few alternatives within the same family, such as the F25 Ace (which features app functions and auto-dispensing detergent) and the base F25 (an option that’s half the price of the Ultra, but lacks steam or hot water modes). 

You’ll also want to keep in mind that this vac-mop requires Roborock cleaning solution, which sells for around $26 a bottle, and will need a Roborock filter every six months or so, which costs about $30 for a pack of two. 

At a sale price of $550 ahead of Black Friday (that’s $250 off) at both Amazon and Roborock, it’s a great option to consider if you’re looking to upgrade yourself or a loved one’s cleaning experience in 2026.