I tried Roborock's new Qrevo Curv, and it's almost perfect — except for this one big problem

The dizzying array of robot vacuums on the market right now can often feel overwhelming, and not just the choices, but the confusing range and model names. But when a new robovac comes to the fore with a neat feature, I pay attention.

Say hello to the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, which is admittedly a bit of a mouthful. It features an extendable roller mop for better edge-to-edge cleaning and getting into those awkwardly small spots. In addition, it boasts strong suction, a dual roller setup, and excellent navigation, making this a promising contender in such a saturated market.

But is it any good, or does the hassle and 'babysitting' make it more trouble than its worth? Here's what happened when I put the Curv 2 Flow through its paces in my home.

Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow review: Price and availability

At the time of writing, the Qrevo Curv 2 Flow is available for an introductory price of $849 on the Roborock website, before it reverts to its standard retail price of $999. Which is also the same price on Amazon.

The Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow sits on the higher end of Roborock’s robovac range, above the Q and S series, while the Saros series serves as the company’s flagship lineup. For even more confusion, the Curv sits at the top tier of the Qrevo range, above the Master and Pro models.

For what there is (and what there isn’t), the Curv 2 Flow feels a touch too expensive — I’d have liked to have seen that intro price locked in for the long term, particularly as competition is scarily fierce in this segment. Plus, you’ll also need to invest in dustbags and detergent for this one, priced at $25.59 for six and $18.99 for 480ml, respectively.

Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow review: Design

I immediately took to the striking design of the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow. This glossy white Stormtrooper helmet-esque unit is easy on the eyes and can suit most homes without seeming out of place. Its base is on the wider side, so ensure you measure your intended space to ensure it fits. It also has a cuboid shape, so expect it to stick out from walls or shallow alcoves.

Lift the top lid, and you’re greeted with two large tanks for clean and dirty water. A third compartment also opens up and serves as a storage area for the dustbag. The base station also encompasses an all-in-one design, and while the ramp isn’t detachable, the cleaning tray is.

The design of the robot itself isn’t dissimilar from many of its predecessors and rivals. There are twin spinning rotors with long brushes, dual-rotating anti-tangle brush heads, and a large roller mop.

What's more, the latter features an Edge-Adaptive function, extending out of the base to better mop edges and tight gaps, though, like most robovacs, it’s not possible to mop right up to the edge. Sadly, the brush heads don’t get the same treatment, so there’s no extendable brush, limiting how to clean smaller nooks.

It’s also a taller unit than most with a sizeable LIDAR unit atop the vacuum, so it’s a fair bet this model may struggle getting under some couches.

Still, when it’s time for maintenance, the Curv 2 Flow is designed to limit fiddly cleaning, so its rollers, roller shield, and cleaning tray are removable for easier washing. The latter part is a bonus, as trays often get mucky and can interfere with the function of the dock without regular cleaning, and it’s so much better to scrub away without being on your hands and knees.

You can also tilt the roller mop out of its position to remove any pesky objects and gunk. I’ve often preferred roller mops to spinning mopping pads, though maintenance with the former is trickier, so the fact that you can open it up helps level the playing field.

As you might expect from higher-end vacs, AI powers its cleaning and detection systems. Its DirTect feature identifies mess types and automatically adjusts cleaning strategies. Heavy dust? The robot ramps up suction while raising the roller mop out of the way.

#Big spills? It’ll switch to mop only mode and lift the brushes out of the way for less mess. In fact, it’s reportedly capable of recognizing 200 types of common obstacles, including cables, footwear, and pet muck, avoiding objects as small as 5cm wide and 3cm tall, so you don’t come home to a nasty surprise that requires more cleaning.

Finally, there’s video calling via the vac unit itself. Specifically, the live video view mode lets you control the robot as it trundles around, while the pet mode allows you to talk to any furry bestie you may have. It can also cruise around automatically as you check the live feed, giving security guard vibes.

Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow review: Performance and test results

We use standardized tests to objectively measure how robot vacs perform against their many peers. They include sprinkling 20g of Cheerios, 20g of kitty litter, and 5g of pet hair on a laminated hardwood floor and low-pile carpet to determine how much the vacuum sucks up and what percentage remains. As well as that, I’m using the Qrevo Curv 2 Flow day to day for one to two weeks.

In tests, this Roborock delivered amazing results with Cheerios and cat litter, though it fared less well (yet still respectable) with cat hair, the last bits of which partially clogged the small dust inlet due to the clumped hairs, kicking out the remaining hair without picking it up.

Still, I’m impressed by these excellent scores from clearing up Cheerios and cat litter, thanks to its near-comprehensive coverage and 20,000pa of suction.

During the tests, I noticed that with its standard cleaning program, it would both edge clean and then vacuum in an ‘S’ shape twice, helping ensure any objects it missed or brushed away.

Its longer rotating brush heads were long enough to reach edges, though there were some corners where it could not clean fully — here’s where an extendable brush would have earned it a better grade.

I also noticed it had some trouble fully clearing larger debris from the robot’s dust extraction outlet that goes into the dock’s main dustbag.

When it came to mopping, I also encountered a big issue: streaking. Each pass would leave a set of streaks across the kitchen floor, and while the mop would double back to do another 'S' pass, there was no guarantee of 100% coverage.

It seems the eight nozzles distributed along the roller mop are insufficient to ensure even water flow across the roller. However, the default water output is set to low (5 out of 30), and most will overcome the streaking issue by cranking this up to 20 or 25.

With this now addressed, I found it to be a solid mop, and thanks to its sufficient downforce, floors turn out clean and shiny. I even threw a load of ketchup on the laminate wood, and it was able to clean it all up without fuss, though some of the underside of the unit saw some collateral redness.

It also has a funny tendency to bail from its set route, go off to tackle another area, before coming back to finish the original route. Therefore, it can take longer than usual to finish a cleaning cycle, but to be honest, the fact that it delivers such a solid performance is the key takeaway here.

I tested this vacuum on both custom and AI cleaning, and I much prefer the custom modes, as I found the AI a touch erratic, and there’s no way to address the water streaking issue using this method.

Finally, it may be a small issue, but I’m mourning the lack of a separate detergent tank. One of the big appealing draws of robot vacuum mops is that they help eliminate hassle, and measuring out detergent for the water tank is an extra step that arguably shouldn't be a thing at this price point.

If you do want a great robot vacuum and mop hybrid, however, we recommend the Dreame L10s Ultra Gen 2 that gave spotless mopping results in our tests.

Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow review: App

At first glance, the Roborock app has a fairly clean and inviting look. I like that you can easily and instantly access your standard and customizable cleaning routines on the first screen. Diving further into the menu system, there are heaps of settings you can tweak, including vac and mop, vac only, and even vac followed by mop. Within these modes, you can adjust suction power, number of cleaning passes, how much water to use, and how tight you want routes to be for quick or more extensive cleaning.

Though general customization is plentiful, some options are buried a little too deep for my liking — it’s all too easy to miss the quick-mapping function, and there are even more carpet and floor cleaning options hidden in the settings menu. The menus are also littered with awkward, straight-from-Chinese translations, so localization could be better.

Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow: Verdict

There are features I wish the Curv 2 Flow didn’t skimp on, including the detergent tank and the extendable brush head, but I genuinely love the extendable roller mop, which applies decent downward pressure and good mop coverage, as long as you bump up the water output. The live video chat can also be useful to check in on a beloved pet while you're away, though don't expect FaceTime fidelity.

Despite these niggles, the bottom line is that this Roborock model offers excellent cleaning, and while it was prone to taking the path less traveled, it never got itself lost or stuck somewhere it couldn't get out of.

Add to this voice control and a deep level of cleaning customization, and you have a decent background worker that can remove dirt and cooking splatter with ease. The Curv 2 Flow is a great performer, and its navigation helps ensure it doesn’t get stuck in a tight spot or awkward cranny.