Great robot vacuum cleaner that needs too much

With a long list of impressive specifications and features, there is very little that the Dreame X60 Max Ultra ($1699.99 at Amazon) cannot do on paper. As an automated floor cleaning system, this robot vacuum cleaner offers 35,000 Pa of suction, up to 15 N of mopping pressure, and a base station that facilitates continuous operation.

With a lot of good things going for it on the surface, how well does it perform in the real world? I ran the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete in my home for a couple of months to find out.

The Dreame

If you’ve been exploring Dreame’s catalog of robot vacuum cleaners, you may have seen the Dreame X60 Max Ultra alongside the Dreame X60 Ultra ($1,499.99 at Amazon). The Max Ultra version adds the dual detergent option for pet cleaning, multispectral dirt detection, and a retractable vacuum pressure chamber, but otherwise they are very similar.

Setup of the X60 Max Ultra unit I received was simple, and the The dry waste bag and detergent are located behind the front cover of the base station, while the clean and dirty water containers are located under the top cover. The mop pads use magnets to connect to the robot, allowing you to leave them behind when you don’t need them. Extendable arms allow the X60 Max Ultra to reach into corners for sweeping and mopping.

Battery life has been excellent, and the vacuum was able to run for several hours before returning to the base to charge in my testing. The app is relatively complex compared to some competitors, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to use and the voice controls are a useful extra. Scheduling also makes cleaning the entire house easy, at least until the mop water needs to be changed; We’ll talk about that later.

What I’m trying to say here is that the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete is, for the most part, on par with the The best robot vacuum cleaners on the current market.which is what you would expect with the ultra premium price. However, there are some areas where Dreame could improve the mopping experience that falls short.

I have been testing the best robot vacuum cleaners for a while now and the Dreame X60 Max Ultra has features that place it among the best in the sector; However, it’s the little things that make the difference for me at this price, considering the level of polish you typically get at this level. A real differentiator for elite performance is how often you have to manually intervene, and unfortunately the X60 Max Ultra has required its fair share of intervention in my time with it.

The first concern I have is that under normal load, the X60 Max Ultra uses a lot of water. I think I need to change the water after about 600 square feet of cleaning. That means I need to change the water every 1.5 times I clean my house, or every other day. That’s a lot compared to the competition, which can go several days without a problem.

The other frequent intervention is to rescue the mops from the mop. The magnetic connection of the mop pads is both a plus and a minus, and this really isn’t a problem with magnets; It’s a navigation issue I encountered with the X60 Max Ultra around carpets. When the robot enters my bathrooms or my front entrance, it does not jump onto the carpets. You push toward them, pile up the rugs, and then try to clean too close. I love that the robot cleans under the edges of the carpets, but the mop pads almost always get stuck and come off.

On the other hand, the X60 Max Ultra measures just 3.13 inches tall with the turret lowered; This is much shorter than many robots out there and much shorter than all the furniture in my house. It’s great to see the robot crawl under the couch and tables and come out again.

Overall, the Dreame X60 Max Ultra leaves nice shiny floors. The detergent works well on my hardwood and tile floors; The suction and sweeping arms run along the edges and collect all the dust. Best of all, the X60 Max Ultra has been really good at identifying the step leading into my living room and avoiding accidents.

The Dreame X60 Max Ultra is a solid offering from a rising smart home brand that wants you to buy one of its products for virtually every smart home niche. And the top-notch specs and features show that Dreame is paying attention to what it takes to compete in the modern robotic vacuum market. The overall performance of the X60 Max Ultra series tells me that it also cares about its offerings and, taken in isolation, it is a fantastic floor cleaning machine.

Simply put, you wouldn’t go wrong buying the Dreame X60 Ultra series for your home. It navigates and cleans as well as the best robots on the market, but it just needs a little more hands-on attention than the direct competition.