The Best Shark Robot Vacuum
Shark's robot-vac checks all of the criteria you'd expect from a midrange machine. It provides reliable cleaning performance and an easy-to use mobile application. It also creates precise home maps.
It also comes with Matrix Clean navigation, a system that makes two passes back and forth, before moving side to side for complete coverage. And best robot vacuum for pet hair is unbagged, which is different from other robot vacuums.
1. Roborock S4
This is a top-notch robot vacuum for floors that are not clean that sucks up debris and has a massive dirt storage compartment. The app lets you control cleaning and docking. Its smart pathing is very effective. The app provides you with an overview of the cleaning process, with the map that shows where the S4 was cleaned, as well as cleaning time and battery life.
Its maximum suction of 2,000Pa is high enough to lift an AA battery off the floor, and is comparable to those of full-sized vacuums. With 19CFM the S4's side as well as combination brush is closer to the front of the unit than in other Roborock models, which could be a way to cut down on the possibility of clogging.
The S4's advanced navigation system is able to digitally map a home up to four levels. It will keep track of the areas it has already cleaned, making it easy to set up cleaning schedules without having to manually move the robot from room to room. You can also mark areas as no-go zones, which will block the S4 from entering those areas during a cleaning session.
It was able to clean all floors of our house easily and was extremely efficient on floors that were not. However, it had a difficult time cleaning up dog hair which is a common problem for many robotic vacuums. Only 8.5 percent was gathered in the dustbin. The rest was clumped together around the brushes and suction inlet.
The S4 is lighter and smaller than other Shark vacuums. This increases its maneuverability. It is able to make more precise turns and avoid obstacles that slow down other robots. Its low profile design makes it easier to fit under furniture. It also has a better ability to traverse flooring transitions and various heights of flooring. It can easily reach the bottom of stairs and is a good choice for larger homes with multiple floors. The app lets you set a timer and includes an automatic control for vacuuming. It also has the ability to automatically return to its charging base to charge between cleaning cycles. It has the largest battery, 5200 mAh, which can last for 150 minutes in the standard mode or 2691 square foot between charges.
2. Shark Easy Robot Self-Empty
This Shark robot vacuum is a fantastic choice for pet owners looking for a smart, easy-to-use machine. Its bagless self-emptying base is a huge convenience, especially when compared to other vacuums that use disposable dirt bags for their bases. You can empty the bin in the trashcan by removing it. It can be messy, but it will save money on the replacement bags.
The bin itself is also quite large, which means that the EZ Robot is capable of handling a good amount of debris. It's also a good performer on clean floors, but it does struggle somewhat with dirt that has been embedded on carpets with a low pile. It has good navigational capabilities and has a small footprint.
Although 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, has many features for automation, and boasts impressive cleaning performance on both bare floors and high-pile carpet. Its maintenance requirements are high and its ongoing expenses are very high.
Another excellent feature of this Shark robot is its ability to recharge and automatically resume where it was when it returns to its docking station after the full cleaning. This is a great feature, especially when your home is big.
The IQ XL is also equipped with a range of useful features, such as the ability to remotely schedule home cleans and review cleaning reports via the SharkClean app. You can also use voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to begin and stop cleaning sessions. Its row-by-row cleaning mode is a major benefit and it also is able to clean your entire house in neat rows rather than the back-and-forth snake design of many other robots.
The IQ XL's biggest drawback is its inability to get over obstacles like power cords, which it may detect as solid barriers and not climb over. It's also not as quick or efficient at maneuvering rooms that are stuffed with pet hair, which could tangle its brushes and slow it down.
3. Shark AI Robot
This is a great robotic vacuum from Shark that provides a range of features. It has a self-emptying base that holds up to 30 days of debris. It combines the cleaning power of both the robot vacuum and mop. It comes with a matrix grid cleaning mode, and features advanced smart home integration that can work with Alexa and Google Assistant. You can set it up to clean on a regular basis or activate at any time, or set virtual boundaries to prevent it from entering rooms that may contain fragile items or rugs.
The Shark AI Robot carries out an excellent job of cleaning bare floors, picking up debris like rice effortlessly. However, it has a hard time clearing larger bulky debris from low-pile carpet and is not capable of maneuvering around furniture. It does come with a do-not-disturb mode, which means you can set it to work while you're away from home and it won't interfere with your routine.
Another advantage is that it makes use of LiDAR technology to map your home which allows it to detect and navigate around obstacles with greater precision than those that rely on gyroscopes or infrared sensors. This lets it avoid hitting fragile objects and to optimize dirt collection on different surfaces. The LiDAR system is also faster than gyroscopes, which could cause robots to slow down or lose control when they encounter uneven surfaces.
Other features include the remote control, automated mopping and multiple vacuum modes. It is able to recharge and charge itself while it is 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 moved to those areas and then programed to repeat.
It can also be loud especially when in mopping mode. It also has many parts that must be changed or cleaned regularly, adding to its recurring cost. The self-empty function is the basic feature that can help reduce the cost of these items. It is also compatible with a bagless filter, which further lowers the cost annually.
4. Shark ION Robot RV700 series
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series ticks off all the boxes that you would expect from a mid-range robotic vacuum. It is reliable in its cleaning performance, a fantastic mobile app that can create accurate maps of your home, and a great cleaning performance. It also comes with a bagless basis which eliminates the need for annual dust bags to replace. In our test of cleaning, it was able remove 97.8 percent of the debris from low-pile and hardwood flooring, but it was not as efficient with high-pile. Its maneuverability makes it simple to navigate between furniture and onto flooring with high pile. It is also able to traverse over objects like rug fringes and electrical cords without getting stuck.
The bristles with a helix-pattern pattern are strong enough to handle and untangle long hair strings, other fibers and the like and the brushroll comes with an adjustable edge that can be deployed when it encounters obstacles. Its thin design allows it to glide under furniture, and proximity sensors allow it to adapt and analyze the presence of obstacles. It can be triggered to begin cleaning with a press of a button or scheduled for a daily schedule through the app. It is quiet at a moderate level, however it can be quieted by using the do not disturb mode or the 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 is better-built and easier to maintain, charges faster and clears more debris on floors that are not bare and high-pile carpeting. Its navigation system is able to create virtual boundaries, recognize and avoid obstacles and can also create virtual borders. This makes it the best choice for robotic cleaners you can "set and forget".
The RV700 Series does not have a cliff-sensor to keep it from falling down stairs. This could pose a problem for people who live in taller houses. It's not able of mopping and vacuuming simultaneously 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. Its most appealing feature is the ability to be recharged and emptied while docked at its base. This makes it a perfect option for those who don't wish to empty the onboard dustbin each time they use it.