The Best Shark Robot Vacuum
Shark's robot vacuum checks most of the criteria you'd expect from a midrange machine. It provides reliable cleaning performance and an easy-to use mobile app. It also provides accurate home maps.
It also features Matrix Clean Navigation, a system which makes two passes back and forth, before moving to the side to provide complete coverage. Its base is not bagless like many other robot vacuums.
1. Roborock S4
This is a great robot vacuum for flooring that is not in use with a large dirt container and is able to remove debris. The app lets you control cleaning and docking. Its smart pathing is very effective. The app also provides an easy overview of your cleaning needs, which includes a map of where the S4 has been cleaned, the cleaning duration and battery life.
The S4's maximum suction is 2,000Pa, which is comparable to full-sized vacuums. The S4's side brush and combo brush are closer to the front of the machine than the other Roborock models. This could be to reduce the chance of clogging.
The S4's advanced mapping system can map a home up to four levels deep and keep track of areas it has already vacuumed. This makes it easy to set up a schedule for cleaning without the need to manually move robots between rooms. You can also mark zones as no-go zones which will prevent the S4 from entering those spaces during the cleaning process.
It was able to clean the entire floor of our house with ease and was extremely efficient on floors that were not. It had a difficult time picking up dog hair. This is a typical problem with robotic vacuums. It only 8.5 percent was gathered in the dustbin. The rest was clumped up around the brushes and the suction intake.
Comparatively to other Shark vacuums, The S4 is noticeably more compact and lighter, which enhances maneuverability. It can turn more quickly and avoid obstacles that bog down other robots. Its low profile design makes it easier to get under furniture. It is more able to climb to navigate flooring transitions and different flooring levels. It can reach down to the lowest point of the stairs and is an excellent choice for homes with multiple levels. The app lets you set a timer and also has a manual control for vacuuming. It can also return to its charging station to recharge automatically between cleaning cycles. It is equipped with a 5200 mAh battery that is expected to last for 150 minutes or 2691 square feet between charges in normal mode.
2. Shark Easy Robot Self-Empty
This Shark robot vacuum is an excellent option for pet owners who need an easy-to-use, smart machine. Its self-emptying bagless base is a fantastic convenience, especially compared to other vacuums that utilize disposable dirt bags in their bases. It is easy to remove the bin and then empty it into a trash container. This could be messy, but it saves you money on replacement bags.
The bin itself is quite large, which means that the EZ Robot is capable of handling a large amount of debris. It's also a great performer on bare floors, though it does struggle somewhat with embedded dirt on low-pile carpet. It also has good navigation capabilities and a compact footprint for the dock.
The EZ Robot may not be as efficient as Roborock S4, but it is still a great option for those who are looking for a robot that can perform well and is priced reasonably. It's well-built and has various automation features. It also boasts an impressive cleaning performance for floors with no carpet and carpets with a high pile. Its maintenance requirements are high and its ongoing costs are high.
Another great feature of this Shark robot is its capability to recharge and then resume where it was when it returns to its docking station after the full cleaning. This is an excellent feature, especially in the case of a large home.
The IQ XL also comes with many other useful features. These include the ability to schedule your entire home cleaning remotely and review cleaning reports using the SharkClean App. You can also use voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to start, stop, and resume cleaning sessions. The row-by-row mode is also a major plus. It cleans your home in neat rows, not the back and forth snake pattern, as other robots do.
The IQ XL has a major disadvantage in that it is unable to climb over obstacles like power cords. It could think they are solid barriers and not attempt to climb over them. It's also less effective or fast here at navigating a space that is cluttered with pet hair. This can cause tangles to the brushes and slow it down.
3. Shark AI Robot
This is a great robot vacuum from Shark that comes with a variety of features. It comes with a self-emptying base that holds up to 30 days of debris and it combines the power of an automatic vacuum and a mop. It also offers a precise matrix grid cleaning mode and advanced home integration, with support for Alexa and Google Assistant. You can set it to clean on a schedule or activate at any time, or set virtual boundaries to block it from entering rooms that contain fragile items or rugs.
The Shark AI Robot carries out an impressive job of cleaning floors, removing debris like rice effortlessly. It has a hard time removing large, bulky debris from low pile carpets and isn't able to maneuver around furniture with large dimensions. It is in a do not disturb feature so you can use it at home without interrupting your daily routine.
It also uses LiDAR to identify your home. This allows it to locate and navigate around obstructions more precisely than devices that rely solely upon gyroscopes or infrared sensor. This allows it to avoid collisions with delicate objects as well as improve dirt pickup on various surfaces. The LiDAR system also performs faster than gyroscopes, which can cause the robot to slow down and lose control when it encounters uneven surfaces.
Other features include the remote control, automated mopping, and a variety of vacuum modes. It can also recharge and charge while working. Its biggest flaw is that it only maps out one floor. If you have two floors, it's required to be manually transported to those areas and then programed to repeat.
Another negative is that it can be a bit loud, especially during mopping mode. It also has many parts that must be cleaned or replaced frequently, which adds to its cost per year. Fortunately, the self-empty feature reduces some of these expenses and it's compatible with bagless filters, which further reduces the annual cost.
4. Shark ION Robot RV700 Series
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series ticks all the boxes you'd expect from a midrange robot vacuum, with reliable cleaning performance and a superb mobile app that creates precise home maps. It also comes with a bagless base that eliminates annual purchases for replacement dust bags. In our cleaning test it was able to remove 97.8 percent of debris from hardwood and low-pile floors, but it wasn't quite as effective with high-pile. Its maneuverability is solid, and it can easily maneuver around furniture, climb on carpeting with high pile, and traverse things like rug tassels and electrical cords 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 an extension side that can be used when it encounters obstacles. Its slender design allows it to glide under furniture and proximity sensors allow it to adjust and evaluate obstacles. The app lets you schedule cleanings or trigger the machine with one button press. Its noise levels are average, but it can be slowed down with a do-not-disturb feature or custom scheduling.
The RV700 is more manual than the Roborock S4 or iRobot Roomba J7+. This is to be expected from the fact that it does not self-empty. It is more robust and easy to maintain, is faster in charging and gets rid of more debris on both bare floors and high-pile carpeting. Its navigation system can create virtual boundaries, and also detect and avoid obstacles making it the ideal pick for "set it and forget it" robotic cleaners.
The RV700 Series does not have a cliff-sensor to prevent it from falling down the stairs. This could be a problem those who live in homes that are taller. It's not able to mop and vacuum at the same time and you must change between modes in the app. However the RV700 Series is a less expensive alternative to the more sophisticated Roborock and iRobot models that come with self-emptying capabilities and cliff detection. Its primary selling point is the fact that it can be recharged and emptied while docked at its base. This makes it an excellent choice for those who don't wish to empty the onboard dust bin every time they use it.