Stick vacs are everywhere and have gained popularity with the magnificent engineering and refined performance made possible by Dyson. Trendsetter Dyson pioneered so many industry firsts.
Among them are vacuums that never lose suction and require minimal maintenance, with NO nasty filters to care for after virtually every use like on so many others on the market today.
Just as with Apple products, great performance, longevity and design comes at a price. Competition has chased and emulated both Apple and Dyson designs, knocking off their appearance while not improving on their performance and, therefore, their value. Still, there are worthy competitors featuring many of the features and benefits at a much lower price point, so let’s have a look at a new standout. There is value in this competitor.
In the stick vacuum universe, boy, oh boy, are there a bunch! But what distinguishes some from the others? Keep in mind great suction, battery life per charge, ease of use and little needed by way of maintenance.
Ergonomics is another key point of consideration. How does it feel in use, both with the stick and as a handheld? Some feel all wrong, necessitating hand contortions into the most uncomfortable positions. Add to the uncomfortability factor the weight in both handheld trim and as a floor vac. I am happy to report that the H7 is not a wrist-tweaker nor does it cause undue hand, wrist or arm fatigue. It has been designed well for the ease of use by the customer. Unfortunately, poor ergonomics are not always immediately apparent. Good design in this area is detected right away, and I am pleased to report that H7 ergonomics has met the challenge.
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Followers know that I have become a fan of the Roborock S7 robot vacuum, now available with Auto-Empty Dock, reviewed here.
As was covered in my Roborock S7 review, anyone with a robot vacuum still needs the means by which to clean where the robot lacks capability. Areas include corners and any area the robot cannot go. In addition, let’s face it, it’s a lot more convenient to grab a stick vac for light jobs and quick cleanups of spills and home project junk on the floor than to send a robot to do the job. Robots are great for scheduled floor cleaning or any mostly unattended floor cleaning. Anything higher than the floor or in corners or other hard to reach places requires alternate means, perhaps a traditional vacuum or a stick vac.
**WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?**
When I saw and then read about the Roborock H7 stick vac, I asked to test it and here we are.
I purchased the official Roborock accessory floor stand as the configuration received for evaluation did not include it. Why do I care? The kit received allows for wall mounting the charging hanger and holder, but I did not want to drill and mount it and to be locked into a permanent wall placement spot.
The charging holder itself is designed as a cup into which the H7 head rests and charges. Along both sides is a ferrous strip (magnetic metal particles). Roborock calls this system, “MagBase™ Accessories.” Each accessory has a strong little magnet near the end which connects to either the extension tube or directly to the H7 head. Bam! The side strip holds the parts just firmly enough so as to remain in place until snatched off for use. No clicking into a mount or a two-handed press with one hand and pull off with the other. And since the accessories have the embedded magnets, they can also be attached to other surfaces to which magnets will adhere. Use your imagination.
The head itself has a clear and bright OLED information screen. Find state-of-charge, motor speed and run time at the selected speed. There is a motor speed adjustment control button at thumb’s reach above and behind the trigger as can be seen in the photo.
Another plus not found on many of the would-be competitors, including Dyson models, is a button that locks the H7 in the “ON” position so the trigger need not be constantly held. Very convenient. Touch the button again to release the Power Lock.
That same button, held in from the OFF position for a few seconds engages the Child Lock. Press and hold again to release the Child Lock. It’s easy to see if Child Lock is ON or OFF on the OLED display.
The head design impressed me. Earlier I mentioned the Dyson cyclonic design that never loses suction. A close look at the H7 reveals similar technology, with built-in HEPA filtration and front and rear washable filters, along with a washable cyclone and dustbin. It is easily dismantled for washing in the kitchen sink, and reassembly is similarly quick and easy.
The extension tube carries power from the head to the motorized brush at the bottom. Removing the tube, the accessories all attach and detach easily directly on the H7 head. Of note is the flex tube accessory. Use it in handheld mode with the accessory of choice. BOTH ends swivel freely allowing the cleaning accessory to rotate to any position for maximum effectiveness.
Charging is through the supplied plug-in brick that connects the bottom at the rear of the wall mount for a clean, uncluttered look.
The dirt holding area in the H7, the dustbin, is a two-way affair with Dust Bag Support. Use it as-is and empty the bin in a traditional way with a release button that opens the bottom (over a receptacle). Alternately, remove the bin to get to the multi-cyclone parts in the bin. Remove the cyclone and install the bag carrier with replaceable, sealed bag, like in a bag-type vacuum cleaner. No mess! The bag is said to hold a little less than the capacity of about ½ liter or .1 gallon without the bag. Users who are particularly sensitive to dust and dirt may be pleased with this option. One or two bags come with the H7 (depending upon the kit), and more are readily available online. Bags self-seal when removed. Another smart design. It’s nice to have options.
There is a five-layer air filtration system that includes a HEPA filter and is said to capture up to 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. That’s so small!
Suction power? The 480W motor is rated at 160AW (Air Watts) of suction on maximum power. Dial it down when cleaning bare floors. There is plenty of power to get the job done on any surface. Many would-be competitors have only 400W motors with less than 160AW, and less battery longevity. In fact, I see that some come with two batteries in order to say they can last as long as the H7 before charging.
Battery life? Up to 90 minutes. Run it at lowest speed without the powered accessories for maximum runtime. Crank it up to max with the powered floor head and get under 10 minutes, typical of other premium stick vacs. With Auto Carpet Boost to automatically add oomph to carpet cleaning, H7 activates its 50W planetary geared, multi-surface head motor to spin its anti-static bristles at close to 4,000RPM.
One feature the H7 does not have is a removable battery. I was surprised, but did not mind as this did not present a problem during the last nearly one month with it. Whether vacuuming the inside of the car or around the house, I found it convenient to grab the H7 as needed. Only occasionally did I find the battery exhausted before the job was done.
The truth is that most stick vacuuming requires only the lowest suction, so the battery life should not be of concern to most consumers. Recharging time is rated at 2.5 hours, which was borne out in my trials. This presumes that most of the user’s floors are bare and that rugs or carpets are low pile. Stick vacs are not the ideal product for use on deep pile carpets, especially if that is the majority of flooring.
Does the H7 require herculean strength to lift and use as a handheld? Why, no, it does not. Tipping the scales at just 3.2 lbs, how does it compare to others? Generally, a look at the Dyson sticks reveals a slight weight advantage to the Roborock. Several other brands weigh even more, but I am only interested in and recommend brands without high maintenance filters, and Dyson is the significant go-to competitor.
**WHAT’S IN THE BOX**
- Roborock H7
- Accessories include Multi-Surface Brush, Baton (extension tube), Motorized Mini-Brush, Flex Tube, Dusting Brush, Crevice Tool
- Dust bag(s)
- Power supply
- Charging base with wall-mounting hardware
- Documentation
**THE SETUP**
Assemble by attaching the baton and multi-surface brush or go handheld with a different accessory. Try it out! Choose to wall mount or purchase the floor stand accessory.
**PUT IT TO THE TEST**
Charged and ready to play . . . Off we go.
What a pleasure! Floor debris collected. Easy to maneuver under low-slung furniture. Bare floors became debris-free. All our area rugs are low pile. Good job on these, too. Cushioned rugs in front of bathroom vanities cleaned successfully. Auto Carpet Boost worked perfectly. We could hear when it kicked in. Its light weight made it easy to clean baseboards with the dusting brush fixed to the baton. No stooping needed. The same setup made it easier to reach for webs on the walls which seem to come out of nowhere here.
Going handheld with the accessories proved successful. I really like the rotating flex tube! The H7 did nice job in my car. We became accustomed to grabbing it for quick cleanups, and compared its ease of use and performance to a Dyson handheld. Performance was on par, but the H7 was easier overall because of its locking button.
The dustbin size has not been an issue.
Working in concert with our S7 has resulted in the best of both worlds. S7 roams on command autonomously a couple of times a week and more often when and where needed.
**WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE**
- Lighted multi-surface head to show the dirt ahead – ideally, this should be a green laser
- Customer replaceable/removable battery
**CONCLUSION**
And now, the pièce de resistance. Let’s talk price. The retail price of a Roborock H7 like mine is $499. Add the stand for $70. Optional bags? A set of 12 for $50. I will be using mine as a bagless model.
Neither the absence of a lighted head nor the lack of replaceable battery are of concern to me and should not be to you. I expect the H7 to see long service life. When the time comes that the battery requires replacement, I will contact Roborock Customer Service to ask the cost and procedure.
Roborock H7 is my new GO-TO stick vacuum and I am pleased to recommend one to you!
**WARRANTY**
Roborock provides its standard one-year warranty.
