The Best Shark Robot Vacuum
Shark's robot vacuum checks most of the boxes you'd expect from a mid-range machine. It has dependable cleaning capability and an easy to use mobile app. It also produces precise maps of your home.
It also offers Matrix Clean navigation, a system that allows two passes that go back and forth before moving side to side for complete coverage. Its base is not bagless like many other robot vacuums.
1. Roborock S4
This is a fantastic robot vacuum for floors that are not bare that has a large dirt container and can pick up debris. Its smart pathing works very well and the app allows users to control cleaning and docking. The app also provides an easy overview of your cleaning needs, which includes a map of where the S4 has been cleaned, cleaning duration and battery life.
Its maximum suction of 2,000Pa is enough to lift an AA battery off the floor and rivals those of full-sized vacuums. The side brush and combo brush are closer to the front of the machine than the other Roborock models. This could be to help reduce the chance of clogging.
The S4's advanced navigation system can digitally map a house up to four levels and will remember the areas it has already vacuumed, making it easy to set up cleaning schedules without having to manually move the robot around rooms. You can designate certain areas as "no-go zones" to deter the S4 from cleaning those areas.
It was able to clean the entire floor of our house with ease and was extremely efficient on floors with no carpets. However, it struggled with collecting dog hair, which is a common issue for robotic vacuums. It only 8.5% of the dog hair it picked up was actually collected in the dustbin and the majority was clumped in the suction inlet and brushes.
Compared to other Shark vacuums In comparison to other Shark vacuums, the S4 is noticeably more compact and lighter, which enhances maneuverability. It can make tighter turning and avoid obstacles that slow down other robots. The low-profile design makes it easier to place under furniture. It also has improved climbability to navigate flooring transitions as well as different heights of flooring. It is able to easily get to the bottom of the stairs and is a great option for larger homes that have multiple floors. The app allows you to set a timer, and includes a manual vacuum control. It can also return to its charging station to recharge automatically between cleaning cycles. It comes with a massive 5200 mAh battery, which is rated to run for 150 minutes or 2691 square feet of space between charges in normal mode.
2. Shark Easy Robot Self-Empty
This Shark robot vacuum is an excellent option for pet owners who want an efficient, user-friendly machine. The self-emptying bagless base of this model is a wonderful convenience, especially compared to other vacuums that use disposable dirtbags in their bases. It is possible to empty the bin in the trashcan by simply taking it off it. It's messy, but you'll save money on bags to replace.
The bin itself is also quite large, which means the EZ Robot is capable of handling a large amount of debris. It also performs well on floors that are unfinished. However, it has a difficult time with dirt that is embedded in low-pile carpet. It also has decent navigation capabilities and a compact footprint for the dock.
While the EZ Robot isn't as good as the Roborock S4, it's still a solid option for people who want a high-quality, budget-friendly robot. It's well-built and comes with a variety of automation features. It also boasts outstanding cleaning capabilities for floors with no carpet and carpets with high pile. However its maintenance requirements are demanding and it comes with high costs that are recurring.
Another fantastic feature of the Shark robot is its ability to recharge and automatically resume where it was when it returns to its docking station after a full cleaning session. This is a great feature, particularly if your home is large.
The IQ XL also comes with a variety of other useful features. These include the ability to schedule entire-home cleanings remotely and review cleaning reports through the SharkClean App. You can also control the device using voice through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to start or stop cleaning sessions. The row-by -row mode is an important benefit. It will clean your home in neat rows, rather than the back and forth snake pattern as many other robots do.
The IQ XL's biggest drawback is its inability to scale obstacles like power cords, which it could consider solid barriers and avoid climbing over. It's also not as quick or efficient in navigating a room when it's filled with pet hair, which could make its brushes tangled and slow it down.
3. Shark AI Robot
This is a great robotic vacuum from Shark that offers a combination of features. It comes with a self-emptying base that can hold up to 30 days of debris and combines the cleaning power of a robot vacuum and a mop. It has a grid cleaning mode, and features advanced smart home integration that can work with Alexa and Google Assistant. It can be set to clean on a schedule or on demand or set virtual boundaries to block it from entering rooms that may have fragile items or rugs.
The Shark AI Robot carries out an impressive job of cleaning bare floors, picking up debris like rice easily. However, it has a hard cleaning larger bulky debris from carpets with low pile and is not capable of maneuvering around large furniture. It does have a do-not-disturb mode, so you can program it to work when you're at home and it won't interrupt your daily routine.
Another advantage is that it makes use of LiDAR technology to map your home, allowing it to detect and navigate around obstacles with greater precision than devices that rely on gyroscopes and sensors. This helps it avoid crashing into delicate objects, and also optimize dirt collection on various surfaces. The LiDAR system is also more efficient than robot vacuum gyroscopes that can cause the robots to slow down or lose control when they come across uneven surfaces.
It comes with a variety of other features, including an automatic mopping feature, a remote and various vacuum modes. It is able to charge and recharge itself while it is in use. Its biggest flaw is that it only maps out one floor. If you have two floors, it's going to need to be manually carried to those areas, and then programed to repeat.
Another issue is that it can be quite loud, especially during mopping mode. It also has many parts that need to be cleaned or changed regularly, adding to its recurring cost. The self-empty feature is a basic function that assists in reducing some of these expenses. It is also compatible with a bagless filter that reduces the annual cost.
4. Shark ION Robot RV700 Series
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series fulfills all the requirements you'd expect from a midrange robot vacuum, including high-quality cleaning performance and a great mobile app that produces accurate maps of your home. The bagless base removes the need for dust bags to replace every year. In our cleaning test, it was able to remove 97.8% of debris from carpeting with low pile and hardwood floors however it was not as effective on carpets with high piles. Its maneuverability is strong, and it can easily maneuver around furniture, climb onto high-pile carpeting and go over things like electrical cords and rug tassels without getting stuck.
Its high-tensile bristles in a helix pattern are strong enough to manage and untangle long hair, string, and other fibers. The brushroll also features a retractable side that can be used when it comes across an obstacle. Its thin design allows it to coast underneath furniture and proximity sensors detect and adapt to surrounding obstacles. The app allows you to schedule cleaning times or trigger the machine with one button press. It has a moderate sound level, however it can be quieted by using the do not disturb mode or custom scheduling.
The RV700 is a bit more manual than the Roborock S4 and iRobot Roomba J7+ that is to be expected from a non-self-emptying model. But, it is more robust and easy to maintain, and charges faster and clears more debris on both bare floors and high-pile carpeting. Its navigation system can create virtual boundaries and detect and avoid obstacles making it the ideal choice for "set it and forget it" robotic cleaners.
The RV700 Series does not have an incline sensor that could stop it from falling down stairs. This could pose a problem for those who live in houses that are taller. It's not able of mopping and vacuuming at the same time and you must switch between modes within the app. The RV700 Series offers a cheaper alternative to more sophisticated Roborock and iRobot robots that come with self-emptying capabilities as well as cliff detection. Its most appealing feature is the ability to be recharged and emptied when docked at its base. This makes it a perfect alternative for those who do not need to empty the dust bin every time they use it.