Shark's robot vacuum checks most of the criteria you'd expect from a mid-range machine. It offers a 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 which performs two passes back and forth, before moving to the side for complete coverage. Its base is bagless unlike many other robot vacuums.
1. Roborock S4
This is a top-notch robot vacuum designed for floors with no floor that can take up debris and has a massive dirt compartment. The smart pathing feature works well and the app allows users to control cleaning and docking. The app gives you an overview of the cleaning process, with the map that shows where the S4 was cleaned, cleaning time and battery life.
Its maximum suction of 2,000Pa can be enough to lift an AA battery off the floor and rivals those of full-sized vacuums. The side brush and combo brush are closer to the front of the machine than other Roborock models. This could be to prevent the chance of clogging.
The S4's advanced navigation system is able to digitally map a house up to four levels and will recall the areas it's cleaned, making it easy to establish a cleaning schedule without having to manually move the robot between rooms. You can mark certain areas as "no-go zones" to deter the S4 from cleaning these areas.
It was able to vacuum an entire floor of our house easily and was extremely efficient on floors that were not. However, it struggled with picking up dog hair that is a typical problem for robotic vacuums. It only 8.5 percent was gathered in the dustbin. The rest was clumped together around the brushes and suction inlet.
The S4 is smaller and lighter than other Shark vacuums. This improves its maneuverability. It can turn more quickly and avoid obstacles that bog down other robots. Additionally, its low-profile design makes it easy to fit under furniture. It has improved climbing capabilities for navigating flooring transitions as well as different flooring levels. It can reach down to the bottom of the stairs, and is a great option for homes with multiple levels. The app allows you to set a schedule, and comes with a manual vacuum control. It can also return to its charging station to recharge automatically between cleaning cycles. It is equipped with an enormous battery of 5200 mAh that can last for up to 150 minutes in standard mode, or 2691 square feet between charges.
2. Shark EZ Robot Self Emptying
This Shark robot vacuum is an excellent choice for pet owners who want an efficient, user-friendly machine. Its self-emptying base that is bagless is a major plus in comparison to other vacuums that use disposable dirt bags in their bases. It is possible to empty the bin in the trashcan by removing it. It's messy, but you'll save money on replacement bags.
The bin is also large, so the EZ Robot can handle a lot of dirt. It also does well on floors that are unfinished. However, it is unable to deal with dirt embedded in low-pile carpet. It's got good navigation capabilities and a small footprint.
While 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, budget-friendly robot. It's well-built, has an array of automation options, and offers impressive cleaning performance on both bare floors and high-pile carpet. However its maintenance requirements are a challenge and it comes with significant recurring costs.
Another great feature of this Shark robot is its capability to recharge and resume automatically where it left off when it returns to its docking station following the full cleaning. This is a great feature particularly if you own a large home.
The IQ XL is also equipped with a number of other useful features, such as the ability to remotely schedule whole-home cleans and review cleaning reports via the SharkClean app. You can also use voice commands via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to start, stop, and resume cleaning sessions. The row-by-row feature is a major plus. It makes your home clean in neat rows, not the back and forth snake pattern as many other robots do.
The IQXL's main drawback is its inability to climb over obstacles like power cords, which it could consider solid barriers and not climb over. It's also not as fast or effective at navigating rooms that are stuffed with pet hair, which can tangle its brushes and slow it down.
3. Shark AI Robot
This is a fantastic robotic vacuum from Shark that provides a range of features. It comes with a self-emptying base that can store up to 30 days of debris and combine the cleaning capabilities of a robot vacuum and a mop. It offers a matrix grid cleaning mode, and it is equipped with advanced smart home integration that can work with Alexa and Google Assistant. It can be set to clean on a schedule, activate on demand, or create virtual boundaries to keep it from entering rooms that contain rugs or fragile items.
The Shark AI Robot carries out an excellent task of cleaning floors, removing debris like rice effortlessly. However it has a difficult time clearing larger bulky debris from low-pile carpet and does a poor job of maneuvering around furniture. It does have a do-not-disturb mode, which means you can set it to work while you're at home, and it won't disrupt your daily routine.
It also uses LiDAR to map your home. This lets it identify and navigate obstacles more precisely than devices that rely on gyroscopes alone or an infrared sensors. This helps it avoid collisions with delicate objects as well as improve dirt pickup on various surfaces. The LiDAR system also performs faster than gyroscopes. This can cause the robot slow down and lose control when it comes into contact with uneven surfaces.
It has a fair number of other features, including a remote, automatic mopping, and multiple vacuum modes. It can charge and recharge itself while working. The biggest drawback is that it can only draw out only one floor of your house, so if you have two stories, it will be necessary to manually move it to the two floors at the beginning of the run, and then program it to repeat.
It can also be a bit loud especially when in mopping mode. It also has many parts which need to be cleaned or replaced frequently, which adds to the cost of maintenance. The self-empty function is the basic feature that assists in reducing some of these costs. It's also compatible with a bagless filter that further lowers the cost annually.
4. Shark ION Robot RV700 Series
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series fulfills all the requirements that you would expect of a midrange robotic vacuum. It has a reliable cleaning performance, a fantastic mobile app that can create precise maps of your home, and outstanding cleaning performance. The bagless base makes it unnecessary to purchase dust bags to replace every year. In our cleaning performance test, it was able to remove 97.8% of debris from hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting although it wasn't as effective on carpets with high piles. Its maneuverability makes it easy to maneuver through furniture and even climb onto flooring with high pile. It can also go over objects such as rug fringes and electrical cords without getting stuck.
Its high-tensile bristles in a helix pattern are sturdy enough to manage and untangle long hair, string and other fibers, and its brushroll has an edge that retracts and can be deployed when it encounters obstacles. Its slender design allows it to glide over furniture and proximity sensors allow it to adapt and assess the obstacles. It can be triggered to begin cleaning with a press of a button or scheduled on a daily basis by using the app. The noise levels are moderate however, it can be slowed down by using a do not disturb mode or custom scheduling.
The RV700 is more manual than the Roborock S4 and iRobot Roomba J7+ and iRobot Roomba j7+, which is to be expected from a self-emptying model. However, it still feels better-built and easier to maintain, and charges faster and gets rid of more debris on the floors, including carpets with high pile. Its navigation system can also create virtual boundaries and detect obstacles, making it the best choice 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 for those living in taller homes. It's not able to mop and vacuum simultaneously and you must change between modes in the app. However, the RV700 Series is a less expensive alternative to the more advanced Roborock and iRobot models that offer self-emptying capabilities and cliff detection. best robot vacuum selling point is that it can be emptied and recharged while docked in its base, making it an ideal choice for those who don't want to deal with the burden of emptying the dustbin after every use.
