Shark's robot vacuum checks all the boxes you would expect from a product in this price range. It provides reliable cleaning capability and an easy to use mobile app. It also produces accurate home maps.
It also provides Matrix Clean navigation, a system that performs two passes that go back and forth, before moving side to side for complete coverage. And its base is bagless, https://www.robotvacuummops.com/ unlike many 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. Its smart pathing works very well and the app allows users to control cleaning and docking. The app provides you with an overview of cleaning, which includes maps showing where the S4 was cleaned, as well as cleaning time and battery life.
The S4's maximum suction is 2,000Pa which is comparable to some full-sized vacuums. The S4's side brush and combo brush are located closer to the front of the machine than other Roborock models. This may be to reduce the chance of clogging.
The S4's advanced mapping system can map a house up to four levels deep. It will also keep track of areas it has already vacuumed. This makes it easy to design a cleaning schedule without the need to manually move robots around rooms. You can even mark off zones as no-go zones which will block the S4 from entering these areas during a cleaning cycle.
It was able to vacuum all floors of our home with ease, and was very efficient on bare floors. It had a tough cleaning up dog hair. This is a typical problem with robotic vacuums. The only 8.5% of the dog hair it picked up was actually kept in the dustbin and the majority was clumped around the suction inlet and brushes.
Comparatively to other Shark vacuums in the market, in comparison to other Shark vacuums, the S4 is noticeably more compact and lighter, which increases maneuverability. It is able to make more precise turns and avoid obstacles which slow other robots. The low-profile design also makes it easier to fit under furniture. It has improved climbability to navigate flooring transitions and different flooring heights. It can even reach the lowest point of the stairs and is an excellent choice for homes with multiple levels. The app lets you set a timer and also includes a manual control for vacuuming. It can also return to its charging base to charge between cleaning cycles. It comes with the largest battery, 5200 mAh. It can last for 150 minutes in standard mode or 2691 square feet between charges.
2. Shark EZ Robot Self-Empty
This Shark robot vacuum is an excellent option for pet owners looking for a machine that is simple to use and intelligent. Its bagless self-emptying base is a major benefit particularly when compared to competitors that use disposable dirt bags in their bases. You can empty the bin on top of the trashcan by removing it. It's messy, but you save money on bags to replace.
The bin is large, which means that the EZ Robot can handle a large amount 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 also has good navigation capabilities and a small footprint for docks.
Although 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 affordable robot. It's well-built, offers an array of automation options, and offers impressive cleaning capabilities on carpet and floors with high pile. However its maintenance requirements are demanding and it has significant recurring costs.
This Shark robot also has a great feature: it will automatically resume the same place it left off when it returns to the docking station. This is a very handy feature particularly if you live in a large house.
The IQ XL is also equipped with a range of useful features, including the capability to remotely schedule entire-home cleaning and review reports using the SharkClean app. You can also start, stop and resume cleaning sessions by speaking through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The row-by-row cleaning mode of the robot is a huge benefit, too - it will clean your entire home in neat rows rather than the back-and-forth snake design of many other robots.
The IQXL's main drawback is its inability to get over obstacles like power cords, which it could detect as solid barriers and avoid climbing over. It's also less effective or quick in navigating a space that is cluttered with pet hair. This can cause tangles to the brushes and slow it.
3. Shark AI Robot
This is a great robot vacuum from Shark that offers a combination of features. It has a base that can store up to 30 days worth of debris, and it also combines the cleaning power of the robot mop and a vacuum cleaner. It also has a precise grid-based cleaning mode and advanced home integration that supports Alexa and Google Assistant. You can schedule it to clean, activate it at any time or set virtual boundaries to prevent the robot from entering rooms with delicate items or rugs.
The Shark AI Robot carries out a fairly thorough task of cleaning floors, removing debris like rice with ease. However, it has a hard to remove larger, bulky debris from low-pile carpet and isn't capable of maneuvering around furniture. It is in a"do not disturb" mode which allows you to use it at home without it disrupting your daily routine.
Another positive is that it uses LiDAR technology to map out your home and allows it to recognize and navigate obstacles more precisely than those that rely on gyroscopes and sensors. This helps it avoid collisions with fragile objects and improve dirt pickup on various types of surfaces. The LiDAR system is also faster than gyroscopes that can cause robots to slow down or lose control when they come across uneven surfaces.
Other features include a remote control, automatic mopping, and various vacuum modes. It can even charge and recharge while it's working. The biggest drawback is that it will only map out only one floor of your house therefore if you have two stories it will be necessary to manually move it to those areas during the first run, and then program it to repeat.
It can also be a bit loud especially when it is in mopping mode. It also has a lot of parts that need to be changed or cleaned frequently, which adds to the cost of maintenance. Fortunately, the base self-empty feature reduces the costs associated with these items and it's compatible with bagless filters, which further reduces 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'd expect from a midrange robot vacuum, with solid cleaning performance and a superb mobile app that creates accurate home maps. It also comes with a bagless basis which eliminates the need for annual replacement dust bags. In our cleaning performance test it was able to remove 97.8 percent of dust from carpeting and hardwood floors although it wasn't as effective on high-pile carpeting. Its maneuverability is solid and it is able to navigate around furniture, climb on carpeting with high pile, and traverse things like rug tassels, electrical cords, and rug tassels without getting stuck.
Its high-tensile bristles in a helix pattern are strong enough to manage and untangle long hair, string and other fibers. The brushroll also has a retractable side which can be used in the event that it comes across an obstacle. Its slim design permits it to glide over furniture, and proximity sensors allow it to adjust and evaluate obstacles. The app allows you to schedule cleanings or trigger the machine with the press of a button. It has a moderate noise level, but can be reduced by using the 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 anticipated from an item that doesn't self-empty. However, it still feels more robust and easy to maintain, charges faster and gets rid of more debris on both bare floors and carpets with high pile. Its navigation system can create virtual boundaries, identify obstacles and avoid them, and also create virtual boundaries. This makes it the ideal choice 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 that are taller. It also can't vacuum and mop simultaneously and requires users to switch between two modes available in the app. However it is the RV700 Series is a less expensive alternative to the more sophisticated Roborock and iRobot models that have self-emptying and cliff detection capabilities. Its primary selling point is the ability to be recharged and emptied while docked at its base. This makes it an excellent option for those who don't need to empty the dustbin every time they use it.
