Shark's robot vacuum checks most of the features you'd expect from a midrange machine. It is reliable in cleaning, an easy-to-use mobile app and produces precise home maps.
It also comes with Matrix Clean Navigation, a system which does two passes back and forth, before moving to the side for full coverage. Its base is not bagless like the majority of robot vacuums.
1. Roborock S4
This is an excellent robot vacuum for floors that are not bare with a large dirt container that can remove debris. The app lets you manage cleaning and docking. Its smart pathing is highly efficient. The app also provides an easy overview of your cleaning needs, which includes a map of where the S4 has cleaned, cleaning duration and battery life.
The S4's maximum suction is 2,000Pa, which is similar 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 may be to help reduce the chance of clogging.
The S4's advanced navigation system is able to digitally map your home up to four levels and will recall the areas it's cleaned, making it easy to establish a cleaning schedule without the need to manually move the robot from room to room. You can also mark off zones that are not allowed to enter, which will prevent the S4 from entering these areas during the cleaning process.
It was able clean all floors of our house with ease, and was very efficient on floors with no carpets. However, it was not successful in cleaning up hair from dogs which is a common issue for robotic vacuums. The only 8.5% was captured in the dustbin. The rest was clumped up around the brushes and the suction inlet.
The S4 is lighter and smaller than other Shark vacuums. This increases its maneuverability. automatic vacuum cleaner can make tighter turns and avoid obstacles that slow down other robots. Its low-profile design makes it easier to get under furniture. It is more able to climb for navigating flooring transitions and different flooring levels. It is able to get to the bottom of stairs and is a great option for homes with a lot of floors. The app lets you create a schedule and includes a manual vacuum control. It can also return to its charging station to charge automatically between cleaning cycles. It is equipped with an enormous battery of 5200 mAh. It can last for up to 150 minutes in the standard mode or 2691 square foot between charges.
2. Shark Easy Robot Self Emptying
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 fantastic convenience, especially compared to other vacuums that utilize disposable dirtbags for their bases. It is easy to remove the bin and then empty it over a trash can; this may be messy, but it saves you money on bags to replace.
The bin itself is 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 struggles with dirt embedded in low pile carpet. It has good navigational capabilities and a small footprint.
While the EZ Robot isn't as good as the Roborock S4, it's still an excellent option for those who want a high-quality, budget-friendly robot. It's well-built and comes with a variety of automation features. It also boasts an impressive cleaning performance on floors that are bare and carpets with a high pile. However its maintenance requirements are a challenge and it comes with significant recurring costs.
Another excellent feature of this Shark robot is its capability to recharge and then resume where it left off when it returns to its docking station following a full cleaning session. This is an extremely useful feature, especially if you have an extensive home.
The IQ XL also comes with various other useful features. It is possible to schedule whole-home cleanings remotely and review cleaning reports via the SharkClean App. You can also control the device using voice via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to begin, stop, and resume cleaning sessions. The row-by-row cleaning feature is a huge benefit as it cleans your entire home in neat rows instead of the back-and-forth snake design of many other robots.
The IQ XL's biggest drawback is its inability to scale obstacles like power cords, which it may consider solid barriers to avoid climbing over. It's also less effective or fast at navigating a space that is cluttered with pet hair. This can cause tangles on the brushes and slow it down.
3. Shark AI Robot
This is a solid robotic vacuum from Shark, offering a good combination of features. It has an elongated base that can hold up to 30 days' worth of debris, and it blends the cleaning power both of the robot mop and a vacuum cleaner. It also comes with an exact matrix grid cleaning mode as well as advanced smart home integration, with support 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 excellent job of cleaning floors, picking up dirt like rice with ease. It has a difficult time getting rid of bulky, large particles from carpets with low pile and is not able to move around large furniture. It is in a do not disturb mode so you can use it at home without interrupting your daily routine.
Another advantage is that it utilizes LiDAR technology to map your home and allows it to recognize and navigate obstacles more precisely than devices that rely on gyroscopes or infrared sensors. This makes it less likely to collide with delicate objects and also optimize dirt pickup on different types of surfaces. The LiDAR system also works more quickly than gyroscopes, which can cause the robot slow down and lose control when it encounters uneven surfaces.
It's got a lot of other features, including an automatic mopping feature, a remote and a variety of vacuum modes. It can even recharge and charge while working. The biggest drawback is that it can only draw out one floor of your house, so if you have two stories, it will be necessary to manually transport it to the two floors during the first run, and then program it to repeat.
Another negative is that it could be a bit loud, particularly in mopping mode. It also has many components that must be changed or cleaned regularly, adding to the cost of maintenance. The self-empty feature is a basic function that assists in reducing the cost of these items. 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 would expect from a mid-range robot vacuum, with 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 eliminate 97.8% debris from hardwood and low-pile flooring, but it was not as effective on high-pile. Its maneuverability is strong and it can navigate through furniture, climb onto high-pile carpeting and go over things like electrical cords and rug tassels without getting stuck.
The bristles with a helix-pattern pattern are sturdy enough to manage and untangle long hair strings, other fibers and the like, and its brushroll has an edge that retracts and can be utilized when it encounters obstacles. Its slender design allows it to glide under furniture and proximity sensors enable it to adapt and analyze the obstacles. The app allows you to schedule cleaning times or trigger the machine using the press of a button. Its noise levels are average however, it can be quieted down by using a do not disturb mode or custom scheduling.
The RV700 is a bit more manual than the Roborock S4 or iRobot Roomba j7+. This is to be expected from an item that doesn't self-empty. It's nevertheless more durable and simpler to maintain. It is faster in charging and removes more debris from both high-pile and floors that are bare. Its navigation system is able to create virtual boundaries, identify and avoid obstacles, and also create virtual borders. This makes it the ideal choice for robotic cleaners you can "set and forget".
The RV700 Series does not have a cliff-sensor that would stop it from falling down stairs. This could be a problem for those who live in homes that are taller. Additionally, it can't mop and vacuum simultaneously and requires you to switch between the two modes available in 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 that it can be emptied and recharged while at its base, making it an ideal option for those who don't want the burden of emptying the dustbin each time they use it.
