I was lucky enough to have reviewed several very good appliances for NewForTech and its sister publication T3 this year, but the Roborock F25 Ultra-Hard Floor Cleaner is the product that impressed me the most.
At this point you may be wondering what a hard floor cleaner really is. And you wouldn’t be alone, because not even the manufacturers of this particular household product know what to call it. Some manufacturers mistakenly describe it as a “wet and dry mop”, which is probably not the case as the mop used is never dry, while others have opted for the more realistic but less glamorous moniker of “hard floor cleaner”.
You’ll also see things like “wet-dry vacuums” (NewForTech’s preferred term), although some similar models don’t have suction, which complicates things a bit.
For the uninitiated, a hard floor cleaner is a battery-operated upright floor cleaning system designed for wet cleaning of all types of hard floors, with the exception of some more delicate materials such as thin wood laminate, polished concrete and marble. Think of it as a liquid-guzzling vacuum cleaner and a convenient replacement for a traditional mop and bucket, and you’re halfway there.
However, please note that although it picks up dry deposits during wet cleaning like a normal cordless vacuum cleaner, it is in no way a replacement for a vacuum cleaner, which is of course designed to suck up dry deposits and dust from hard floors and, especially, carpets.
Strangely satisfying
There are a variety of models for cleaning hard floors, from Tineco (one of the first companies to introduce such a system), Vax and Bissell, but for my money, the tried and tested Roborock robot vacuum takes the cake with the recently launched F25 Ultra.
Stylish, efficient and practical, the F25 Ultra takes cordless hard floor cleaning to a whole new level by incorporating a range of new features and functions that make the unenviable task of mopping a strangely satisfying task.
Let’s say you just spilled a bowl of oatmeal or cereal or, bless him, the new puppy just pooped on your kitchen floor. With this product, you simply remove it from the charging station, swing it toward the disturbing mess, turn it on, and carefully push the device toward the mess. Then watch with a mix of amazement, and perhaps disgust, as the sump is literally sucked into the F25 Ultra’s 24.3 oz (0.72 liter) dirty water tank, leaving no trace of the pesky spill behind.
But that’s not all. When you’re done, simply place the device back on the charging base and it will perform its own self-cleaning process, restoring the roller and suction tube to like-new condition before drying them with hot air at 203°F/95°C to keep mold away.
Simply pour the contents of the dirty water tank into the toilet bowl and then briefly rinse the container under the tap. This has to beat using half a roll of tea towel, a pair of rubber gloves and, if it’s a puppy, a nose clip, not to mention the complicated and time-consuming mop and bucket combination for aftercare.
While effectively cleaning up pesky spills is easily the best thing about this modern hard floor cleaner, the F25 Ultra also cleans an entire hard floor in a fraction of the time it would take to do the same job with a traditional mop and bucket, and with less water waste. In fact, the F25 Ultra is at least two steps ahead of the competition in this regard, cleaning floors not only with room temperature water, but also with water preheated to 194°F (90°C) and even steam at a germicidal temperature of 356°F (180°C).
As for battery usage, I managed to clean with hot water for 20 minutes, steam clean for 25 minutes, and clean at room temperature for at least 60 minutes before the lithium battery died.
Apart from the innovative features mentioned above, one of the most attractive features of the F25 Ultra is the AI-powered servo wheels. This type of cleaner can be heavy and bulky, but the wheels on this model automatically provide self-propulsion, making it almost weightless to operate. And since the entire unit can lay flat against the floor, you can even literally control the F25 Ultra remotely like a remote-controlled car using the accompanying Roborock app to deep clean under a super king-size bed.
Yes, I loved most of last year’s Roborock robotic vacuums, as well as some products from the Dreame, Eufy and Anthbot ranges, but for its convenience and practicality in the face of several overwhelming household disasters, the Roborock F25 Ultra came to my rescue more than once this year, and that’s reason enough to name it my best product of 2025.
