Comparison Roborock Q7 Max vs Roborock Q7 Max+

Docking station with dust container. Upon getting to such a stand, the robot can recharge the battery and carry out self-cleaning — unloading the collected garbage into an external container. The capacity of the station is enough for several unloadings. The convenience of this function is obvious: it allows the device to work longer without user intervention and eliminates the need to manually clean the vacuum cleaner when the dust container is full (besides, unloading garbage from the dock is usually easier than such cleaning). Unfortunately, such a feature is quite expensive. There are also upright vacuum cleaners with a similar station. In such models, the cleaning is carried out with minimal human intervention - you only need to install the vacuum cleaner in the docking station. The self-cleaning mode independently moves the debris from the dust collector of the device to the dust container of the station.

The type of dust collector in the docking station indicates where exactly the base stores the dust and how "clean" the maintenance of the self-cleaning system will be.

— Bag. A disposable dust collector where the base "packs" everything the robot unloads during self-cleaning. The strong point of the bag is hygiene and clean maintenance: dust, pet hair, and small debris remain inside, the bag is removed and discarded without emptying, which means less contact with allergens and a lower risk of a "dust cloud" in the room. Compared to the cyclone, the downside is obvious — consumables are needed, and it's important for the bags to be affordable and available; however, maintaining the system is usually simpler and less frequent.

— Cyclone. A reusable container where the base collects waste after the robot's auto-cleaning without bags: the airflow swirls, and dust and crumbs settle in the vessel. The main feature is the absence of consumables, making this option more advantageous for frequent cleaning and a large amount of waste (sand in the hallway, crumbs in the kitchen, small construction debris after renovations). Compared to the bag, the cyclone usually requires a bit more maintenance: the container needs to be emptied and filters/channels cleaned from time to time, and emptying may release fine dust, which is not always comfortable for allergy sufferers.