The Best Shark Robot Vacuum
Shark's robo-vac ticks most of the criteria you'd expect from a mid-range machine. It has dependable cleaning capability and an easy to use mobile application. It also creates precise home maps.
It also has Matrix Clean Navigation, a system which makes two passes in a row, before moving to the side to provide complete coverage. And its base is bagless, unlike many other robot vacuums.
1. Roborock S4
This is a top-quality robot vacuum for bare floors that sucks up debris and has a huge dirt compartment. The app lets you control cleaning and docking. Its intelligent pathing is very effective. The app provides you with an overview of the cleaning process, with a map showing where the S4 was cleaned, the cleaning time and battery life.
Its maximum suction of 2,000Pa is enough to lift an AA battery off the floor and rivals the suction of larger vacuums. With 19CFM the S4's side and combination brush is more to the front than in other Roborock models, which may be a strategy to lessen the amount of clogging.
The S4's advanced mapping system can map a home up to four levels deep. It can also remember the areas that it has already cleaned. This makes it simple to set up a schedule for cleaning without the need to manually move robots between rooms. You can mark certain areas as "no-go zones" to prevent the S4 from cleaning those areas.
It was able to clean all levels of our home with ease and was very efficient on floors that were not paved. However, it was not successful in collecting hair from dogs that is a typical problem for robotic vacuums. It only 8.5 percent of the hair was collected in the dustbin. The rest was clumped together around the brushes and the suction intake.
Compared to other Shark vacuums in the market, in comparison to other Shark vacuums, the S4 is noticeably smaller and lighter, which improves maneuverability. It is able to make more precise turns and avoid obstacles that slow down other robots. The low-profile design makes it easier to fit under furniture. It also has improved climbing capabilities to traverse flooring transitions and various levels of flooring. It can even reach the bottom of the stairs and is a great option for homes with multiple levels. The app lets you set a timer, and also includes a manual vacuum control. It also has the ability to automatically return to its charging base to charge between cleaning cycles. It is equipped with a 5200 mAh battery that is designed to last for 150 minutes or 2691 square feet of space between recharges in normal mode.
2. Shark EZ Robot Self-Empty
This Shark robot vacuum is a fantastic choice for pet owners searching for a machine that's easy to use and smart. The self-emptying bagless base of this model is a fantastic benefit, particularly when compared with other vacuums that use disposable dirtbags for their bases. Simply detach the bin and then empty it into a trash container. This could be messy, but it will save you money on bags to replace.
The bin is also quite large, which means that the EZ Robot can handle a lot of debris. It also performs very well on floors with no carpet. However, it has a difficult time with dirt that is embedded in low-pile carpet. It has excellent navigation capabilities and a tiny footprint.
Although the EZ Robot isn't as good as the Roborock S4, it's still a solid option for people who are looking for a reliable affordable robot. It's built well, comes with many automation options, and offers impressive cleaning capabilities on carpets with high pile and bare floors. Its maintenance requirements are high and its ongoing expenses are very high.
Another excellent feature of this Shark robot is its capacity to recharge and then resume where it left off when it returns to its docking station after the full cleaning. This is an excellent option, especially when your home is big.
The IQ XL is also equipped with a range of useful features, like the ability to remotely schedule home cleans and review cleaning reports via the SharkClean app. You can also start, stop and resume cleaning sessions using voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The row-by -row mode is a major plus. It cleans your home in neat rows, rather than an in-between snake pattern, as other robots do.
The IQ XL has a major drawback in that it cannot overcome obstacles like power cords. It might mistake them for solid barriers and not attempt to climb over them. It's not as fast or efficient at maneuvering a room when it's filled with pet hair, which can tangle its brushes and slow it down.
3. Shark AI Robot
This is a solid robotic vacuum from Shark, offering a good combination of features. It comes with a self-emptying base that holds up to 30 days of debris. It it combines the capabilities of an automatic vacuum and a mop. It offers a matrix grid cleaning mode, and features advanced smart home integration that works with Alexa and Google Assistant. You can program it to clean, turn on it on demand or set virtual boundaries to block the robot from entering rooms that contain fragile items or rugs.
The Shark AI Robot does a good job cleaning bare floors. It picks up debris effortlessly, like rice. It has a hard time getting rid of bulky, large particles from carpets with low pile and is unable to maneuver around large furniture. It does come with a do-not-disturb mode, which means you can set it to work while you're at home and it won't interrupt your daily routine.
It also uses LiDAR to map your home. This lets it locate and navigate around obstructions more precisely than units which rely on gyroscopes alone or an infrared sensor. This allows it to avoid hitting delicate objects, and optimize dirt collection on different surfaces. The LiDAR system also works faster than gyroscopes, which can cause the robot to slow down and lose control when it encounters uneven surfaces.
Other features include remote control, automatic mopping and multiple vacuum modes. It is able to charge and recharge itself while it is in use. Its biggest drawback is that it will only trace the floor of your home, so if you have two stories, it will be necessary to manually move it to those areas on the first run and then program it to repeat.
Another issue is that it can be a bit loud, particularly in mopping mode. It also has a lot of components that must be cleaned or replaced regularly, which adds to its ongoing costs. Fortunately, the self-empty feature cuts down on the costs associated with these items and is compatible with bagless filters, which lowers its annual costs.
4. Shark ION Robot RV700 Series
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is a complete package that meets all the criteria you'd expect from a midrange robot vacuum, offering reliable cleaning performance and a superb mobile app that can create accurate home maps. It also comes with a bagless base that means no annual purchase of replacement dust bags. In our test of cleaning it was able to remove 97.8 percent of debris from low-pile and hardwood flooring, but was not as effective on high-pile carpeting. Its maneuverability is strong and it can navigate through furniture, climb onto high-pile carpeting and go over objects such as rug tassels and electrical cords without getting stuck.
Its high-tensile bristles in a helix pattern are strong enough to untangle and manage long hair, string and other fibers. The brushroll has a retractable side which can be used in the event that it encounters obstacles. Its slender design allows it to glide under furniture and proximity sensors enable it to adjust and evaluate obstacles. It can be activated to begin cleaning at the click of a button or scheduled on a daily basis using the app. Its noise levels are average however it can be quieted down with a do-not-disturb feature or a custom scheduling.
The RV700 is more manual than the Roborock S4 and iRobot Roomba j7+, which is to be expected from a non-self-emptying model. It's still more durable and easier to maintain. It charges faster and eliminates more debris from both high-pile and floors that are bare. Its navigation system is able to create virtual boundaries, and also detect and avoid obstacles which makes it the ideal option for "set it and forget it" robotic cleaners.
The RV700 Series doesn't have a cliff sensor that prevents it from falling down the stairs, which could be a problem check here for those living in homes that are taller. It also can't mop and vacuum at the same time and requires you to switch between two modes in its app. The RV700 Series offers a cheaper alternative to the more advanced Roborock and iRobot robots that have self-emptying features and cliff detection. Its most appealing feature is the possibility of being recharged and emptied while docked at its base. This makes it a perfect alternative for those who don't want to empty the onboard dustbin every time they use it.