Shark's robot vacuum checks all the boxes you would expect from a product in this price range. It has reliable cleaning performance as well as a mobile app that is easy to use and produces accurate home maps.
It also offers Matrix Clean navigation, a system that performs two passes back and forth, before moving side to side for complete coverage. Its base is unbagged, which is different from other robot vacuums.
1. Roborock S4
This is a great robot vacuum for bare flooring with a large dirt container and is able to take in debris. The smart pathing system works well, and the app lets users to control cleaning and docking. The app also provides an easy overview of cleaning, including a map of where the S4 has been cleaned, cleaning duration, and battery life.
The S4's maximum suction is 2,000Pa, which is comparable to some larger vacuums. The side brush and combo brush are located closer to the front of the machine than the other Roborock models. This may be to reduce clogging.
The S4's advanced mapping system can map a home up to four levels deep. It will also keep track of areas it has already cleaned. This makes it easy to create a cleaning schedule, without having to manually move robots from room to room. You can designate certain areas as "no-go zones" to stop the S4 from cleaning those areas.
It was able to vacuum all floors of our home with ease and was extremely efficient on floors that were not. However, it was not successful in collecting hair from dogs that is a typical problem for robotic vacuums. It only 8.5 percent of the dog hair it picked up was captured in the dustbin, and the majority was clumped up around the suction intake and brushes.
The S4 is smaller and lighter than other Shark vacuums. This increases its maneuverability. It can make tighter turning and avoid obstacles that slow down other robots. The low-profile design also makes it easier to fit under furniture. It also has improved climbability to traverse flooring transitions and various levels of flooring. 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 also has a manual control for vacuuming. It can also return to its charging station to charge automatically between cleaning cycles. It is equipped with a 5200 mAh battery that is designed to last for 150 minutes or 2691 square feet of space between charges in normal mode.
2. Shark EZ Robot Self-Empty
This Shark robot vacuum is a fantastic choice for pet owners who want an efficient, user-friendly machine. The self-emptying bagless base is a major benefit in comparison to other vacuums that use disposable dirt bags for their bases. It is possible to empty the bin in the trashcan by simply taking it off it. It can be messy, but it will save money on replacement bags.
The bin is also large, meaning that the EZ Robot can handle a lot of dirt. It also performs very well on floors with no carpet. However, it has a difficult time with dirt embedded in low-pile carpet. It also has good navigation capabilities and a compact footprint for docks.
Although the EZ Robot isn't as good as the Roborock S4, it's still an excellent choice for those who want a high-quality, budget-friendly robot. It's built well, comes with many automation features, and has impressive cleaning performance on both carpet and floors with 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 began when it returns to its docking station following the full cleaning. This is a great feature particularly if you live in an extensive home.
The IQ XL is also equipped with a variety of useful features, including the capability to remotely schedule entire-home cleaning sessions and review the results using the SharkClean app. You can also use voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to initiate and stop cleaning sessions. The row-by -row mode is an advantage. It cleans your home in neat rows, rather than a back and forth snake pattern like other robots do.
The IQXL's main drawback is its inability to climb over obstacles like power cords, which it might consider solid barriers to avoid climbing over. It is also less effective or quick in navigating a space when it's full of pet hair. This can cause tangles on the brushes and slow it.
3. Shark AI Robot
This is a great robotic vacuum from Shark that offers a combination of features. It comes with a self-emptying base that can hold 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 has advanced smart home integration that works with Alexa and Google Assistant. You can set it up to clean on a regular basis, activate on demand, or create virtual boundaries to keep it from entering rooms that contain rugs or fragile items.
The Shark AI Robot does a excellent job of cleaning floors that are not bare. It can pick up dirt with ease, like rice. However, it has a hard to remove larger, bulky debris off carpets in low pile and is not capable of moving around furniture. 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.
It also uses LiDAR to identify your home. This lets it detect and navigate obstructions more precisely than units which rely on gyroscopes alone or an infrared sensor. This lets it avoid crashing into delicate objects, and optimize dirt collection on different surfaces. The LiDAR system also works faster than gyroscopes, which can cause the robot slow down and lose control when it comes into contact with uneven surfaces.
It has a fair number of other options, including an automatic mopping feature, a remote and a variety of vacuum modes. It is able to charge and recharge itself while working. Its biggest disadvantage is that it can only draw out the floor of your home, so if you have two stories, it will be necessary to manually move it to those areas on the first run and then program it to repeat.
Another drawback is that it can be a bit loud, particularly in mopping mode. It also has many parts that must be cleaned or changed regularly, which increases its recurring cost. Fortunately, the self-empty feature cuts down on some of these expenses and it's compatible with bags-free filters, which reduces the annual cost.
4. Shark ION Robot RV700 series
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is a complete package that you would expect of a mid-range robotic vacuum. It is reliable in its cleaning performance, a fantastic mobile application that produces accurate maps of your home, and a excellent cleaning performance. The bagless base makes it unnecessary to purchase dust bags to replace every year. In our cleaning performance test it was able remove 97.8 percent of the debris from hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting however it was not as effective on carpets with high piles. Its maneuverability is solid, and it can easily move through furniture, climb onto carpeting with high pile, and traverse objects such as rug tassels and electrical cords without getting stuck.
The bristles with a helix-pattern pattern are durable enough to manage and untangle long hair strings, as well as other fibers and the brushroll comes with a retractable edge that can be deployed when it encounters obstacles. Its thin design lets it glide over furniture and proximity sensors detect and adjust to obstacles. robotic shark vacuum allows you to schedule cleaning times or trigger the machine with the press of a button. Its noise levels are average however it can be quieted down by using a do-not-disturb mode or a custom scheduling.
The RV700 is more manual than the Roborock S4 and iRobot Roomba j7+, which is to be expected from a non-self-emptying model. But, it is better-built and easier to maintain, is faster in charging and clears more debris on both bare floors and carpets with high pile. Its navigation system is able to create virtual boundaries, detect obstacles and avoid them, and also create virtual boundaries. This makes it the best option for robotic cleaners that you can "set and forget".
The RV700 Series doesn't have a cliff sensor that prevents it from falling down a flight of stairs, which can be a problem for people living in homes with higher ceilings. It also can't mop and vacuum simultaneously and requires you to switch between the two modes in its app. However the RV700 Series is a less expensive alternative to the more sophisticated Roborock and iRobot models that offer self-emptying and cliff detection capabilities. The most attractive feature is that it can be used to empty and recharged while at its base, making it an ideal option for those who don't want to deal with the burden of emptying the dustbin after each use.
