I’ve used Roombas on and off for years. While they’ve gotten the job done on a basic level, I’ve always felt like I was babysitting them – constant emptying issues, clearing jammed brushes, and wondering why they missed obvious messes. The Roomba just hasn’t delivered the power or the intelligence I need in a busy household with pets and kids constantly tracking in dirt. That’s what excited me to the Roborock Saros 10R. Right out of the box, it felt like a major upgrade – smaller in size, but smarter, smoother, and way more powerful. It’s more intuitive, more capable, and honestly, it’s just made my life easier in ways Roomba never quite managed to.
When I first unboxed the Saros 10R, its promise of “ultra-thin” was obvious: the official site calls it 3.14-inch (7.98 cm) ultra-thin design, the “thinnest Roborock ever” (as of January 2025). In practice, that slim profile means it slips under my couch and the low coffee table with ease – something I tested deliberately: I nudged the couch a bit and sent it underneath. It disappeared under there and reemerged clean and triumphant.
Slim fit
Because of that slimness, it’s fair to say: the Saros is not as large (in height) as many robot vacuums I’ve tried. But – and this is key – it doesn’t feel compromised in power. If anything, it overperforms its stature. In my use, that contrast (small size, high punch) became a recurring theme.
Roborock advertises “HyperForce suction” and a “dual anti-tangle system” (main brush + side brush) to minimize hair wrap. In my tests, the Saros handled cat hair better than most mid-tier robots I’ve lived with. Before I had this robot, loose cat fur would linger on the floor, drift on lamplight, and occasionally float right into my nose in the next room (Okay, slight exaggeration). Since deploying the Saros, I rarely see stray cat hairs. It’s not perfect (nothing is), but the anti-tangle system seems legit: no frequent hair wrap maintenance, no clogged brushes, and very little residual fuzz along baseboards.
I deliberately scattered tufts of my cat’s shed in high-hair zones (under the bed, near the litter area) and ran multiple vacuum + mop passes. The Saros cleaned it up, no visible lint clouds, and no matted hair on the brush afterward. One subtle difference I noted: on heavier rugs or high-ply carpet edges, the suction felt noticeably stronger than I expected for such a slim robot. The “HyperForce” term isn’t just marketing flair – I see it.
A household with kids means tracked-in messes. My sliding-door entry sees soil, leaves, and little bits of grit blown in. I intentionally let a pile of dirt build up around the threshold and triggered a clean. The Saros shifted to mop mode. It wiped the floor clean quickly, and I could see no streaks or leftover damp patches in my hardwood (vinyl plank) zone.
Keep it clean
I tested it after a rainy afternoon: kids tromped in with wet, muddy shoes (in a small test area). I launched a “mixed pattern cleaning” run so it would vacuum then mop. The robot handled the transition smoothly, and by the time it was done, there was no trace of smudgy footprints. The mop drying and self-wash at the dock (with hot water, and warm air) impress me. The Roborock site claims up to 176 °F hot water mop washing and self-cleaning dock functions. In my hands, the dock stayed cleaner than many other mop robots I’ve used.
One caveat: if the dirt pile is extreme (gritty, chunky pebbles), the first pass sometimes leaves a faint “trail” before the mop pass finishes it. But that’s par for most vacuum/mop hybrids, and the Saros is smoother about it than my previous models.
I ran a “stealth under-sofa raid” one evening: I pushed the sofa forward slightly, launched the robot, and watched its map in the app. It slid under, negotiated chair legs, and came out the other side with zero bumping. Later, I dropped a snack crumb trail (cookies crumbly) from the kitchen into the living room carpet, then onto hardwood. It picked up the crumbs, then mopped the hardwood behind it. A couple of times, I walked barefoot on the freshly treated floor, and it felt cool, smooth, with no sticky residue. That gave me confidence. I will say one time going under my couch the mop heads came off. It has now been under my couch dozens of times without issue.
The edge
Another test: I left a fine dust layer (from sanding a small wood trim) in part of the room. After one clean cycle, I held a flashlight close to the floor and saw no dust motes dancing around. That was satisfying — indicates its suction and mapping precision are working well.
Also, I tested corners and edges. The FlexiArm™ riser side brush (advertised as sweeping edges) did a decent job pulling hairs and debris out of corners. Occasionally I still got a tiny scrap in the inner corner (very tight angles), but that’s unavoidable for nearly all robot vacuums.
For those of you looking for some quick hits without reading:
Strengths:
- It truly feels more powerful than its slim form would suggest (the HyperForce suction + anti-tangle system is more than marketing fluff).
- Its slim build gives real access under low furniture.
- The mop + vacuum combo performs very well on tracked-in dirt and wet messes (one pass cleans, dock washing helps).
- Low maintenance with anti-tangle brushes, automatic mop removal, wash/dry dock.
- Quiet mop mode so it doesn’t roar during gentle cleaning.
Limitations:
- On extremely heavy debris (pebbles, chunky soil), you may need two passes or a “boost” mode.
- Very tight corners or very low recesses (less than 3 cm clearance) may still hide a speck or two.
- The complexity of all the automation features (liftable chassis, auto mop removal, dock auto functions) means there’s more that can go wrong over time, though in my short trial I had zero hiccups.
- For very deep carpets or high piles, I’d want to test long-term wear and battery stress, though so far it hasn’t choked.
Summary
After a few weeks of rigorous use, I’d sum up my verdict like this: The Roborock Saros 10R is a compelling robot vacuum/mop hybrid that manages to deliver power beyond its size. It is not as large (in height, bulk) as many rivals, but in my hands, its suction, hair-handling, and dirt pickup is more than adequate -often better than many of its bulkier peers.
Its slim form gives it real-world advantage under couches and shallow furniture, and it no longer lets me find stray cat hair drifting around the living room. In homes where tracking in dirt is a constant (especially with kids, pets, sliding doors), the Roborock Saros 10R tackles both vacuuming and mopping seamlessly, switching modes, self-cleaning its mop, and drying itself. From my perspective as a tester, it’s one of the more balanced, human-friendly robots I’ve lived with.
If you’re chasing something that doesn’t dominate the room but dominates the dust, the Saros 10R is worth serious consideration.
