Kobold VR7
Vorwerk's vacuum-only robot, with a D-shaped front for corners and an optional self-emptying station. Well built and good on hard floors, but it has no mop, a thin app and patchy obstacle dodging for the money.
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The short version
The Kobold VR7 is Vorwerk's only robot vacuum, sold mainly in continental Europe and in Italy as the Folletto VR7s. It follows the old Neato-style D shape, with a flat front and a wide main brush meant to get closer into corners. It maps with a spinning laser and has a small camera in the bumper to spot things like cables and socks. You can buy it with a simple charging base, or with the RB7 station, which empties the bin into a bag.
The trade-off is value. It only vacuums, there's no mop at all, and the app covers the basics without extras such as a live map. Testers found it cleans hard floors well and feels better made than most rivals, but for similar money you can buy robots that vacuum, mop and wash their own mops. The battery is easy to swap yourself, which should help it last.
Our take: Buy it if you already use Vorwerk's Kobold system, want a well-built vacuum-only robot, and value a battery you can replace yourself. Skip it if you want mopping, a feature-rich app or dependable avoidance of pet bowls and small clutter. A Roborock Q8 Max+ gives you a self-emptying laser-mapping vacuum with a basic mop, and all-in-one robots at this price do far more.
Where it sits in Vorwerk’s range
- Kobold VR300Previous Kobold robot, app-only controls
- Kobold VR200Older Kobold robot with the same D shape
- Kobold VR7This model
What reviewers found
Three tests: tchgdns used it with the RB7 station at home, Smarthomeassistent ran it through measured tests in its test area, and Hardware Upgrade tried the Italian Folletto VR7s. They agree it cleans hard floors well and that the app is basic. They split on carpet and hair, where tchgdns was impressed and Smarthomeassistent measured weak results, and on obstacle avoidance. tchgdns and Hardware Upgrade both think it offers too little for the price.
tchgdns, hands-on, Jun 2023 · Smarthomeassistent, lab test · Hardware Upgrade, hands-on, Mar 2024
Hard floors are its strength
tchgdns found even the Eco or Auto mode picked up practically everything from hard floors, and Hardware Upgrade said it collects dust effectively, helped by the wide main brush. Smarthomeassistent measured 81.73 out of 100 in its laminate pickup test. If your home is mostly hard flooring and you just want it vacuumed daily, this is where the VR7 earns its keep.
Carpet and hair split the testers
tchgdns found carpet cleaning faultless, with trodden-in hair lifted reliably, though it warns deep-pile rugs over 1.5cm are a problem. Smarthomeassistent measured 63.63 out of 100 on short-pile carpet and weak hair scores: 3.2 out of 10 on laminate and 5.1 on carpet, with tangling penalised. tchgdns also found hair and threads wrap the brush. With long hair in the house, expect to cut the brush free often.
Avoids cables and socks, not bowls
tchgdns found the camera reliably stopped for cables and socks, which Vorwerk says it trained it on, and furniture was spotted early. Other small objects were pushed around or driven over, including the dog's food and water bowls across the kitchen. Smarthomeassistent scored it 29.5 out of 53 in its obstacle course while listing strong avoidance as a plus. Tidy small things off the floor first.
A basic app, a tidy map
tchgdns found the app clear and well translated but thin: no live position on the map, no changing suction mid-clean, and Fast Mapping that missed rooms until it let the robot do a full clean instead. Smarthomeassistent also lists few app functions as a drawback. Hardware Upgrade found mapping quick and liked the clean perimeter-then-rows pattern. Smarthomeassistent timed its navigation room at 37 minutes, a full score.
Well made, but short on features
tchgdns rated the build as better than most rivals and liked the swappable battery, held in by three screws. It found the RB7 station less solid, with a sticking filter flap, and still loud when emptying, if quieter than some. Its verdict was that the VR7 arrived a few years too late, since similar money buys robots that mop too. Hardware Upgrade called the Italian price out of step with the market.
Tchgdns and Smarthomeassistent tested the German Kobold VR7; Hardware Upgrade tested the Italian Folletto VR7s with its emptying station. Vorwerk's own pages disagree on runtime: its FAQ says up to 120 minutes in Eco mode, its shop page up to 60 minutes.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Can it mop?
No. The VR7 is vacuum only, per the specifications, and Hardware Upgrade and tchgdns both point out that rivals at this price also wash floors. If you want mopping from the same brand, Vorwerk sells separate cordless floor cleaners, not a robot mop.
Will it avoid cables and pet mess?
Cables and socks, mostly. tchgdns found the camera stopped for those reliably, but it shoved pet bowls around and drove over other small objects. Smarthomeassistent scored it 29.5 of 53 on obstacles. There's no evidence it avoids pet mess, so don't run it unattended around accidents.
Does it fit under low furniture?
Vorwerk gives the height as 11cm, per the specifications. tchgdns notes that figure includes the laser turret and the body itself is about 8.5cm, so it can reach part way under furniture that stops the turret. Measure your gaps against both numbers.
How does it handle rugs and door bars?
Vorwerk says it gets over obstacles up to 2cm and carpets up to 1.5cm pile, per the specifications. Smarthomeassistent measured it climbing 1.9cm. tchgdns found any rug with pile longer than 1.5cm a problem, as with most brush-roll robots.
How often do I have to empty anything?
With the RB7 station, Vorwerk claims up to 60 days before changing the 2.2-litre bag, per the specifications. With the basic charging base, tchgdns emptied the 480ml bin every five to seven days. Either way, cut hair off the brush regularly.
Compare with
Q8 Max+
A self-emptying laser-mapping vacuum that reviewers rate for pickup and mapping, with a basic mop added.
Edges and small obstacles still catch it out, and long hair tangles on its rollers.
Roomba Max 705 Vac
A vacuum-only robot praised for pickup, obstacle sensing and quick laser mapping.
A tester hit docking and incomplete emptying problems, and owners report missed schedules.
Q7 M5 / M5+
A budget mapping vacuum that testers found strong on debris and pet hair.
It bumps into clutter and you empty the bin yourself.
Full specifications
Figures come from the manufacturer’s product page unless a source is named. A blank means nobody we trust has confirmed it.
Owner reviews
Own a Kobold VR7?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner reviews are shown separately from expert tests and never mixed into the score.
Sources
Everything cited on this page. Expert scores are shown as the reviewer gave them.
- tchgdns: Vorwerk Kobold VR7 mit Absaugstation im TestHands-on
- Smarthomeassistent: Vorwerk Kobold VR7 test · 4,3 (Ausreichend), partial resultLab test
- Hardware Upgrade: Vorwerk Folletto VR7s, quando il brand non bastaHands-on
- Vorwerk: Kobold VR7 product FAQManufacturer
- Vorwerk: Neuer Kobold VR7 Saugroboter (press release)Manufacturer
- Vorwerk: Kobold VR7 with RB7 Servicestation (shop)Manufacturer