Nice video, but you didn't talk a lot about what differentiates the Max from non-Max variant. Matt finish and different wheels? Surely there's more to it than that. I've got the non-Max S4 and am very pleased with it - and I've used several other robot vacuums. Roborock is the best of the bunch. At least of the bunch I've tried.
You're right. My apologies. We should have done a better job at covering those differences. Here are the biggest differences between the S4 and S4 Max: S4 Max has higher obstacle clearance, so it should get on and off carpets / rugs better than the S4 S4 Max also has automated carpet pressurization, which detects carpets and increases pressure / suction S4 Max has multi-level mapping, so it can identify different levels of your home S4 Max is 1 dB louder compared to S4 S4 Max has a 460 mL dust bin compared to S4's 420
Buy Roborock S4 Max - amzn.to/3lu4KMp Questions? Ask in the comments! I do my best to respond within 24 hours. S4 MAX VS S4 COMPARISON: S4 Max has higher obstacle clearance, so it should get on and off carpets / rugs better than the S4 S4 Max also has automated carpet pressurization, which detects carpets and increases pressure / suction S4 Max has multi-level mapping, so it can identify different levels of your home S4 Max is 1 dB louder compared to S4 S4 Max has a 460 mL dust bin compared to S4's 420
I’m trying to decide between the S4 Max and the S6 Pure, since they’re similar in price right now for Black Friday. I’m more concerned with carpet performance because I have allergies. Which would you choose?
If carpet is the primary factor I would go with the S4 Max. In our tests, the S4 Max performed notably better than the S6 on carpets. It's unclear why exactly, as in terms of specs the S6 is supposed to be better. But the test data doesn't lie...and the S4 Max simply pulled more debris out of the carpet compared to the S6.
@j s They may be different models, but even Roborock doesn't themselves don't think of them as very different. Several months ago I asked my rep at Roborock how they are different. Here's what he said: "With the introduction of the S6 Pure, we wanted to make the best features available on the S6 at a sweeter price point. Building off the S6, it features the same high-precision laser navigation system and advanced mapping software, but at a more affordable price point. There isn't much really to differentiate between the two, which is why I did not bother to send you one initially." It is this statement from Roborock that I based my views on the S6 Pure and S6 off of.
WIth the S6 Pure, they got a low price point by using infrared instead of LIDAR for obstacle avoidance, and reduced the number of edge sensors. Do you know if the S4 Max uses LIDAR both for navigation AND obstacle avoidance?
I got one of these as my first smart vac. Love it. I set it to run every afternoon at the same time, and I'm baffled that even after 2 weeks the thing is full of dust every day. Surely a house does not produce this much dirt.
Even after years of owning and using robot vacuums I am continually surprised at the volume of dirt and dust they find. Truly astounding how much we track into our homes.
It's made me think about those more expensive models with the dock that also empties the trash out of the vac. I feel like the price for those may very well be worth it to not have to empty it every night. Funny thing about these vacs is that they have changed my behavior. Now before I go to bed I go around the house and make sure no socks or other items are on the floor. I don't want the vac to suck them up and jam up.
@@bonkersmcgee4356 Yeah, me too. I definitely keep the house more "picked up" than ever before. Which ends up just being super nice. House always looks good, robot always has mostly clean lanes to vacuum / mop. It's win win.
2 more weeks later and I'm still amazed to see that every single day the collection bin is completely full of dust. I don't know where it's all coming from.
In our tests, the S4 Max cleaned better than the S6 Pure, especially if you exclude mopping. Perhaps it was just a fluke, because in terms of hardware the S6 Pure should perform better. Even so...If you have 80%+ carpet then I'd go with the S4 Max. Less than that I'd go S6 Pure.
That to me is unclear. I reached out to my contact at Roborock to ask him and they too were surprised and did not have an answer. My theory is that because the S4 Max has a different height adjuster on the brushroll this allows it (again in theory) to create a better suction seal on the carpet, which is likely leading to increased performance on carpets.
@@ModernCastle Sorry for the Incomprehensible comment 😅 Is there any table (based on videos) that compares features between the robo vacuums and shows the best one available in the market? - Thanks
@@DOC7ORT Nothing that we've created or that I'm aware of that would compare everything. Though we've done tables and comparisons in smaller groups and specific brands. Here's some of our comparisons: moderncastle.com/roborock-s6-vs-s5-vs-s5-max-vs-s4-vs-e35-vs-e25/ moderncastle.com/shark-iq-vs-roomba-s9-plus-vs-roomba-i7-plus/ moderncastle.com/roborock-s6-vs-s5-vs-s5-max/ moderncastle.com/roomba-s9-plus-vs-s9-vs-i7-plus-vs-i7-vs-e5/ moderncastle.com/best-roomba-for-pet-hair/ If you have a specific question or want a recommendation just let me know what your preferred features, budget, floor types, and other needs are.
Technically, it is released and available here - amzn.to/3mxmgzS However, it's just out of stock either due high demand or perhaps just supply chain issues.
We haven't yet, no. We tested a Neato D3 a couple of years ago and were really disappointed with the performance. So we haven't exactly been itching to get another one.
Only in the case where it wrapped around a loose carpet thread. But as long as the carpet is in good shape, no. Never had that issue. Did you experience that?
@@ModernCastle Yes. I just received the s4 max today and used it for the first time and the side brush does get tangled in the carpet at times when it's not moving forward. I wash thinking of replacing the side brush with the traditional nylon bristles.
@@ModernCastle No. It's low/medium pile carpet on my entire 2nd floor. I've noticed from forums that other people have experienced this issue but I'm surprised that robocock hasn't come up with a resolution. I think a firmware should fix it where it would stop the spinning side brush when the vacuum is not moving forward.
@@muchmuchmore It's possible. But even so, S5 Max is going to be a fantastic robot no matter what they release. Roborock's best robots by model in order are: S6 MaxV S6 S6 Pure S5 Max ...and then like 8 other models below that. So you're very near the top with the S5 Max as is.
Roborock sent us one ahead of the official release. And no, the regular S4 is not being discontinued (at least not that we've heard). Roborock has Max versions of their S4, S5, and S6, I think it's just how they like to differentiate their product lineup.
@@nickbien Yeah, that's probably the most likely. Given what Roborock's done with their other models when a Max variant comes out I would be completely shocked if they stopped selling the regular S4.
@@ModernCastle thanks for the helpful info. In the future can you consider adding a test to see how high of a bump the robot can climb (0.5 in, 0.6 in, 0.7 in...) :)
@@nickbien My pleasure! And absolutely. We're working a sort of navigation obstacle course now to test things like how high it can climb, getting around / out of obstacles, etc. So hoping to have that soon.
Thanks! S5 Max and S6 MaxV are the 2 best options from Roborock, and arguably in the industry at large. We've been using both the S5 Max and S6 MaxV in a long-term test in my home and have been really impressed with both. Good are equally good at mopping, however, the S6 MaxV is a bigger navigator...so it's overall performance is better. You can find our S6 MaxV review here - moderncastle.com/roborock-s6-maxv-review/ S5 Max review here - moderncastle.com/roborock-s5-max-review/
![Roborock S4 Max Review [Perhaps My Favorite Roborock to Date]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/d59Yfan1ZGY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Roborock S4 Max Review [Perhaps My Favorite Roborock to Date]](/img/tr.png)
Nice video, but you didn't talk a lot about what differentiates the Max from non-Max variant. Matt finish and different wheels? Surely there's more to it than that. I've got the non-Max S4 and am very pleased with it - and I've used several other robot vacuums. Roborock is the best of the bunch. At least of the bunch I've tried.
You're right. My apologies. We should have done a better job at covering those differences.
Here are the biggest differences between the S4 and S4 Max:
S4 Max has higher obstacle clearance, so it should get on and off carpets / rugs better than the S4
S4 Max also has automated carpet pressurization, which detects carpets and increases pressure / suction
S4 Max has multi-level mapping, so it can identify different levels of your home
S4 Max is 1 dB louder compared to S4
S4 Max has a 460 mL dust bin compared to S4's 420
I wish it had a “dustbin full” notification
Buy Roborock S4 Max - amzn.to/3lu4KMp
Questions? Ask in the comments! I do my best to respond within 24 hours.
S4 MAX VS S4 COMPARISON:
S4 Max has higher obstacle clearance, so it should get on and off carpets / rugs better than the S4
S4 Max also has automated carpet pressurization, which detects carpets and increases pressure / suction
S4 Max has multi-level mapping, so it can identify different levels of your home
S4 Max is 1 dB louder compared to S4
S4 Max has a 460 mL dust bin compared to S4's 420
I have the s5max and it’s a total game changer. I have two toddlers and it’s a mess after every meal. It’s a must need for busy families!
Nice! Glad to hear it's working out so well for you!
I’m trying to decide between the S4 Max and the S6 Pure, since they’re similar in price right now for Black Friday. I’m more concerned with carpet performance because I have allergies. Which would you choose?
If carpet is the primary factor I would go with the S4 Max. In our tests, the S4 Max performed notably better than the S6 on carpets.
It's unclear why exactly, as in terms of specs the S6 is supposed to be better. But the test data doesn't lie...and the S4 Max simply pulled more debris out of the carpet compared to the S6.
@j s They may be different models, but even Roborock doesn't themselves don't think of them as very different.
Several months ago I asked my rep at Roborock how they are different. Here's what he said:
"With the introduction of the S6 Pure, we wanted to make the best features available on the S6 at a sweeter price point. Building off the S6, it features the same high-precision laser navigation system and advanced mapping software, but at a more affordable price point. There isn't much really to differentiate between the two, which is why I did not bother to send you one initially."
It is this statement from Roborock that I based my views on the S6 Pure and S6 off of.
Would you opt for the Roomba i3+ or the Roborock s4 Max?
Personally, yes. As I value the self-empty bin over the advantages of the S4 Max.
WIth the S6 Pure, they got a low price point by using infrared instead of LIDAR for obstacle avoidance, and reduced the number of edge sensors. Do you know if the S4 Max uses LIDAR both for navigation AND obstacle avoidance?
Yes, it uses LIDAR only.
I got one of these as my first smart vac. Love it. I set it to run every afternoon at the same time, and I'm baffled that even after 2 weeks the thing is full of dust every day. Surely a house does not produce this much dirt.
Even after years of owning and using robot vacuums I am continually surprised at the volume of dirt and dust they find. Truly astounding how much we track into our homes.
It's made me think about those more expensive models with the dock that also empties the trash out of the vac. I feel like the price for those may very well be worth it to not have to empty it every night. Funny thing about these vacs is that they have changed my behavior. Now before I go to bed I go around the house and make sure no socks or other items are on the floor. I don't want the vac to suck them up and jam up.
@@bonkersmcgee4356 Yeah, me too. I definitely keep the house more "picked up" than ever before. Which ends up just being super nice. House always looks good, robot always has mostly clean lanes to vacuum / mop. It's win win.
2 more weeks later and I'm still amazed to see that every single day the collection bin is completely full of dust. I don't know where it's all coming from.
@@bonkersmcgee4356 the dust comes from your air conditioning vents, towels, clothes, couch fibers, pets, amazon boxes
should I pick S6 Pure over S4 Max even if I don't use mopping features? Do you think the S6 Pure cleans better?
In our tests, the S4 Max cleaned better than the S6 Pure, especially if you exclude mopping.
Perhaps it was just a fluke, because in terms of hardware the S6 Pure should perform better.
Even so...If you have 80%+ carpet then I'd go with the S4 Max. Less than that I'd go S6 Pure.
Appreciate the Amazon link, but the page doesn't exist. Perhaps out of stock or something.
Hrm...yeah, they seemed to remove the page. I cannot find it anywhere on Amazon. Not sure what's going on. Hopefully we'll see it come back soon.
Why is s4max cleaning on carpet better than s5 max with same suction power?
That to me is unclear. I reached out to my contact at Roborock to ask him and they too were surprised and did not have an answer.
My theory is that because the S4 Max has a different height adjuster on the brushroll this allows it (again in theory) to create a better suction seal on the carpet, which is likely leading to increased performance on carpets.
And what’s also interesting is with the current discounts the s5 max and s6 max are almost the same price as s4 max
Any table shows the best robo vacuum in the market
I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean?
@@ModernCastle Sorry for the Incomprehensible comment 😅
Is there any table (based on videos) that compares features between the robo vacuums and shows the best one available in the market? - Thanks
@@DOC7ORT Nothing that we've created or that I'm aware of that would compare everything. Though we've done tables and comparisons in smaller groups and specific brands.
Here's some of our comparisons:
moderncastle.com/roborock-s6-vs-s5-vs-s5-max-vs-s4-vs-e35-vs-e25/
moderncastle.com/shark-iq-vs-roomba-s9-plus-vs-roomba-i7-plus/
moderncastle.com/roborock-s6-vs-s5-vs-s5-max/
moderncastle.com/roomba-s9-plus-vs-s9-vs-i7-plus-vs-i7-vs-e5/
moderncastle.com/best-roomba-for-pet-hair/
If you have a specific question or want a recommendation just let me know what your preferred features, budget, floor types, and other needs are.
do you know when roborock will be releasing this to the public?
Technically, it is released and available here - amzn.to/3mxmgzS
However, it's just out of stock either due high demand or perhaps just supply chain issues.
@@ModernCastle thanks!
@@jaredgrossman8788 You're welcome!
Have you ever review the Neato D7 ?
We haven't yet, no.
We tested a Neato D3 a couple of years ago and were really disappointed with the performance. So we haven't exactly been itching to get another one.
I've had one. Don't waste your money. I replaced it with an S4 which has been both better and less expensive.
Have you ever encountered an issue with the side brush getting stuck on carpet?
Only in the case where it wrapped around a loose carpet thread. But as long as the carpet is in good shape, no. Never had that issue.
Did you experience that?
@@ModernCastle Yes. I just received the s4 max today and used it for the first time and the side brush does get tangled in the carpet at times when it's not moving forward. I wash thinking of replacing the side brush with the traditional nylon bristles.
@@alexleon8406 Interesting. Do you have especially high pile carpet? or another special carpet fiber?
@@ModernCastle No. It's low/medium pile carpet on my entire 2nd floor. I've noticed from forums that other people have experienced this issue but I'm surprised that robocock hasn't come up with a resolution. I think a firmware should fix it where it would stop the spinning side brush when the vacuum is not moving forward.
@@ModernCastle I also kept getting error at times during the initial mapping about the main brush is jammed which it isn't.
Brilliant vid👏
Thank you!
The S5 Max and S4 Max are almost the same price now. Does the S4 Max have any advantages over the S5 max?
It does not. S5 Max is a step up over the S4 Max.
@@ModernCastle Thanks. With the S5 Max price so low, it's like they are clearing out for a new model..? Amazon has a coupon now for $110 off
@@muchmuchmore It's possible. But even so, S5 Max is going to be a fantastic robot no matter what they release.
Roborock's best robots by model in order are:
S6 MaxV
S6
S6 Pure
S5 Max
...and then like 8 other models below that. So you're very near the top with the S5 Max as is.
@@ModernCastle Any negative to having the mopping feature if you don't plan to use it?
@@muchmuchmore No. It won't impact it if you don't use it.
I know u r kidding. LOL XD you make me laugh with your humor!
Lol...we try :D
How did you get one so fast? Also is the regular s4 being discontinued?
Roborock sent us one ahead of the official release.
And no, the regular S4 is not being discontinued (at least not that we've heard).
Roborock has Max versions of their S4, S5, and S6, I think it's just how they like to differentiate their product lineup.
@@ModernCastle I was just wondering bc on amazon its currently unavailable. Might be because so many people bought an s4 at the 299 sale price.
@@nickbien Yeah, that's probably the most likely.
Given what Roborock's done with their other models when a Max variant comes out I would be completely shocked if they stopped selling the regular S4.
@@ModernCastle thanks for the helpful info. In the future can you consider adding a test to see how high of a bump the robot can climb (0.5 in, 0.6 in, 0.7 in...) :)
@@nickbien My pleasure!
And absolutely. We're working a sort of navigation obstacle course now to test things like how high it can climb, getting around / out of obstacles, etc. So hoping to have that soon.
Exelent review , what good options are there vacuum and mop.? S5 max is good?
Thanks!
S5 Max and S6 MaxV are the 2 best options from Roborock, and arguably in the industry at large. We've been using both the S5 Max and S6 MaxV in a long-term test in my home and have been really impressed with both. Good are equally good at mopping, however, the S6 MaxV is a bigger navigator...so it's overall performance is better.
You can find our S6 MaxV review here - moderncastle.com/roborock-s6-maxv-review/
S5 Max review here - moderncastle.com/roborock-s5-max-review/