The Best Shark Robot Vacuum
Shark's robo-vac ticks most of the features you'd expect from a mid-range machine. It has reliable cleaning performance as well as a mobile app that is easy to use and produces accurate home maps.
It also has Matrix Clean Navigation, a system which does two passes back and forth before moving to the side for complete coverage. And its base is unbagged, which is different from other robot vacuums.
1. Roborock S4
This is an excellent robot vacuum for bare floors that collects debris and has a massive dirt storage. The app lets you manage cleaning and docking. Its smart pathing is extremely efficient. The app gives you an overview of the cleaning process, with the map that shows where the S4 was cleaned, as well as cleaning time and battery life.
The S4's maximum suction is 2,000Pa, which is similar to full-sized vacuums. With 19CFM, the S4's side and combo brush is located more to the front than in other Roborock models, which may be an effort to reduce the possibility of clogging.
The S4's advanced navigation system is able to digitally map a house up to four levels and will keep track of the areas it's vacuumed, making it easy to establish a cleaning schedule without having to manually move the robot around rooms. You can designate certain areas as "no-go zones" to stop the S4 from cleaning those areas.
It was able clean an entire floor of our house with ease, and was very efficient on floors with no carpets. It had a hard to remove dog hair. This is a common problem with robotic vacuums. Only 8.5 percent of the dog hair it picked up was actually collected in the dustbin and the majority was clumped around the suction inlet and brushes.
In comparison to other Shark vacuums, the S4 is noticeably more compact and lighter, which increases maneuverability. It can turn more quickly and avoid obstacles that bog down other robots. Its low profile design makes it easier to fit under furniture. It also has improved climbing capabilities to navigate flooring transitions and different heights of flooring. It can easily get to the bottom of stairs and is a great choice for homes with a lot of floors. The app allows you to set a schedule and includes the ability to control your vacuum manually. It can also return to its charging station to charge automatically between cleaning cycles. It has a large 5200 mAh battery, which is expected to last for 150 minutes or 2691 square feet between charges in standard mode.
2. Shark EZ Robot Self-Empty
This Shark robot vacuum is an excellent choice for pet owners who need a smart, easy-to-use machine. The self-emptying bagless base is a wonderful benefit, particularly when compared with other vacuums that use disposable dirtbags in their bases. You can empty the bin on top of a trashcan by simply removing it. It can be messy, but you save money on replacement bags.
The bin itself is quite large, which means that the EZ Robot is capable of handling a good amount of debris. It also performs very well on floors with no carpet. However, it struggles with dirt embedded in low pile carpet. It also has good navigation capabilities and a compact dock footprint.
Although the EZ Robot isn't as good as the Roborock S4, it's still an excellent option for those who are looking for a reliable and budget-friendly robot. It's well-built, offers an array of features for automation, and boasts outstanding cleaning performance on carpets with high pile and bare floors. However, its maintenance requirements are high and it comes with significant recurring costs.
Another fantastic feature of the Shark robot is its capability to recharge and automatically resume where it left off when it returns to its docking station following the full cleaning. This is a very handy feature, especially if you have an extensive home.
The IQ XL also comes with various other useful features. These include the ability to schedule whole-home cleanings remotely and review cleaning reports through the SharkClean App. You can also start, stop and resumptuate cleaning sessions using voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The row-by-row feature is an important benefit. It makes your home clean in neat rows, not a back and forth snake pattern as many other robots do.
The IQ XL has a major drawback in that it cannot overcome obstacles like power cords. It might consider them to be solid barriers and not attempt to climb over them. It's also not as efficient or quick in navigating a space when it's full of pet hair. This can tangle the brushes and slow it down.
3. Shark AI Robot
This is a reliable 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 combine the cleaning power of the robot vacuum and mop. It also comes with a precise grid-based cleaning mode and advanced home integration with support robot cleaner with mop for Alexa and Google Assistant. You can program it to clean, activate it at any time, or set virtual boundaries to prevent the robot 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 with ease. It isn't able to removing large, bulky particles from carpets with low pile and is unable to maneuver around furniture with large dimensions. It does have a do-not-disturb mode, which means you can use it while you're at home, and it won't interrupt your daily routine.
Another benefit is that it uses LiDAR technology to map out your home which allows it to detect and navigate around obstacles with greater precision than devices that rely on gyroscopes or infrared sensors. This helps it avoid crashing into fragile objects and to optimize dirt collection on various surfaces. The LiDAR system is also faster than gyroscopes, which could cause robots to slow down or lose control when they encounter uneven surfaces.
It's got a lot of other options, including the ability to control mopping with a remote, an automatic system, and multiple vacuum modes. It can even charge and recharge while it's working. The biggest flaw is that it only maps only one floor. If you have two floors, it's going to need to be manually carried to those areas and then programmed to repeat.
Another drawback is that it could be a little noisy, especially in mopping mode. It also has a lot of components that must be replaced or cleaned regularly which increases the cost of maintenance. The self-empty feature is a basic function that helps to reduce some of these expenses. It's also compatible with a bagless filter, which can further reduce the annual cost.
4. Shark ION Robot RV700 series
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is a complete package that meets all the criteria you would expect from a midrange robot vacuum, including solid cleaning capabilities and a fantastic mobile app that can create accurate home maps. It also has a bagless base that eliminates annual purchases for replacement dust bags. In our cleaning test, it was able remove 97.8% debris from hardwood and low-pile floors, but it wasn't quite as effective with high-pile. Its ability to maneuver makes it easy to move through furniture and even climb onto high-pile flooring. It can also easily pass over things like electrical cords and rug fringes without getting stuck.
The bristles with high-tensile in a helix pattern are durable enough to untangle and manage long hair, string, and other fibers. The brushroll also has an adjustable side which can be used in the event that it comes across an obstacle. Its slim design permits it to glide under furniture, and proximity sensors allow it to adjust and evaluate obstacles. It can be activated to begin cleaning with a pressing of a button, or scheduled for a daily schedule using the app. It is quiet at a moderate level, but can be reduced by using the do-not disturb mode or custom scheduling.
The RV700 is more manual than the Roborock S4 and iRobot Roomba j7+ that is to be expected from a non-self-emptying model. It's still more durable and easier to maintain. It is faster in charging and removes more debris from both high-pile and bare floors. Its navigation system can also create virtual boundaries and recognize and avoid obstacles, making it the best option for "set it and forget it" robotic cleaners.
The RV700 Series does not have a cliff-sensor to prevent it from falling down stairs. This could be a problem people 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. However, the RV700 Series is a less expensive alternative to the more sophisticated Roborock and iRobot models that offer self-emptying capabilities and cliff detection. The most attractive feature is that it can be emptied and recharged while docked in its base, making it a good choice for those who don't want to deal with the inconvenience of emptying the dustbin after every use.