Dreame X40 Ultra vs Roborock Saros 10R

“I tested and retested the Dreame X40 and X30, they just didn't do as good as the older L20, I don't know why, but it was consistent over many tests. Same thing with the S8 MaxV vs the S8 Max Ultra. The short answer is that before I did this new test, I was mostly just guessing about relative differences in mopping ability, I could do the basic mopping tests that I did, but those really only helped me find particularly bad mopping robots, they didn't help us to know which one was better than another in an objective way. Now that I have a system that, at least I believe is accurate, it will change the rankings going forward. You could argue that I shouldn't weigh the mopping ability scores so heavily in the final rankings, and I may revise that in a future algo update, but for right now I think its a good system, even if it radically changes my view on which are the best robots out there right now. One thing I have found over the years is that every release of every product is different. certain little changes in manufacturing change performance metrics even with its not supposed to on paper. testing products in increasingly better ways is the only way to keep the manufacturers honest.”

“You’re overcomplicating this by framing vacuums as simply good vs. bad. Take the Saros-10r yes, the suction is weak, and that’s a real drawback. But saying Mova, dreame, and Ecovacs all have “bad” navigation or obstacle avoidance isn’t accurate. They’re not beat in class, sure, but they’re absolutely good enough to handle the job, and most people are happy with them. As for issues like high defect rates, bad quality, or poor customer service—unfortunately, that’s common across the entire industry. There’s no perfect brand there. Longest warranty goes to Mova at 3 years if you care about that. Instead of thinking in binaries, look at this as a spectrum. Different models within each brand perform differently, so generalizing across an entire lineup just doesn’t hold up. And remember, navigation and obstacle avoidance aren’t the same thing. If you share your budget, I can point you to the best options in your range.”