The Shark i Robot Vacuum

The Shark I robot vacuum is a great mid-range best robot vacuum for carpet and hardwood. It is a very good vacuum cleaner, with some unique features.

It cleanses floors thoroughly and employs a row-by-row. It is also good on rugs and can be used to move over rug tassels.

Features

Shark i is a robot vacuum cleaner that has a variety of distinctive features. Its intelligent navigation system and self-emptying dock. Its IQ navigation system uses a matrix grid for cleaning room-by-room. This makes sure that no area of your house is missed. It also empties the dustbin into the baseless bagless after every cleaning.

The i can be controlled by both the SharkClean app and Amazon Alexa, so you can control it with your voice without the need for an additional remote. It also has a button on the top-side of the vacuum to manually operate it.

The app lets you create an account for your vacuum to name it, schedule cleans and look at the history of your cleaning. You can also set virtual boundaries to block the i from entering areas it could get stuck in or knock over fragile objects. You can also choose different power modes so you can save energy when working on difficult tasks.

Other important features include its NeverStuck technology and two grippy wheels that allow it to get over obstacles such as stairs or floor transitions. It is able to detect and navigate around obstacles like electrical cords. This is useful for pet owners who have small shed cats or dogs.

The i has three power settings that include an energy-saving Eco mode, a default Normal mode, and a high-power max setting. You can also make custom cleaning schedules to individual rooms or floors, which is ideal if you live in an enormous home that requires frequent cleaning.

It is possible to program it to return to its dock automatically and empty its trash bin. However, you should keep an eye on its battery life because it is prone to overestimate the amount of time left. It can also get confused and restart itself when you instruct it to 'Clean Your House', so you should be vigilant about when you start or stop it.

Design

The Shark i robot is sleekly designed and has a high-end appearance. The main wheels are covered in rubber treads which give it an excellent ability to move. It is small and can be tucked away under the majority of furniture. It is able to climb over carpets with high piles and get under couches despite its size.

The robot has numerous sensors that help map out your home including boundary and cliff sensors. It also comes with a vision module which can detect and avoid obstacles. The app lets you control the robot's settings, plan cleaning sessions and view its history of cleaning. The app is simple to use, though it's not able to create virtual no-go zones.

The Shark i robot can be an excellent choice for those with no floors. However, it is not able to take in large amounts of debris, like hair from pets. It can also get stuck on messy surfaces. The dirt compartment can also get full which makes it difficult to empty after cleaning. The vacuum doesn't also have an automatic emptying dock, so you'll have to manually empty its dust bin when it is full.

The battery of the vacuum is short and it runs out often before it can return to the base. It's also quite loud, and the app doesn't allow you to set certain areas to clean or skip. This is why it should be utilized in conjunction with a different robot vacuum, and not as a stand-alone device. However, the benefit of delegating your vacuuming duties to an automated machine is evident. The iRobot Roomba has superior mapping and navigation abilities and a dock that automatically empties itself. It's also a little cheaper than the Shark i robotic vacuum.

Cleaning Performance

While it can be tricky to get used to the robotic sound that is a part of any robot vacuum The Shark IQ seems to perform pretty well in the vacuuming department. It doesn't get confused and retrace steps like older Shark robots, like the ION85 or shark I robot vacuum RV871. The iQ does a fantastic job of mapping your home by creating an app-generated map that allows you to name rooms so that it can determine where to go, thereby making it more efficient than the ION 85 in terms of not having to go over the same areas over and over again.

It struggles with bare floors or carpets. It is able to pick up tiny particles, but pet hair and heavier objects such as cereal and rice can overwhelm it. The dirt compartment can get full quickly, and its suction power will begin to decrease as it fills. This model is not suitable for floors that are not bare or carpets with a lot of pile. It could also get blocked when it comes in contact with furniture that is tangled or furniture that is tipped.

It's easy to clear these problems by emptying the bin in its base. The bin automatically empty into the bin after it is full. This saves you from having to manually empty the bin at the end of each run. The extra-large bin requires emptying it every 30 days. This can lower costs for ownership in the long run.

You can also make use of the SharkClean app to set different cleaning settings and monitor its battery life, create a schedule, see your cleaning history and create virtual boundaries that block it from entering rooms where it may be entangled or knock over fragile objects. The iQ is also controlled manually using its remote control, which has directional arrows for guiding it around your home.

Battery Life

Even when in its high-suction "Max" mode the robot vacuum has a long battery life. It can last for an hour in this mode and that's more than enough to complete most cleaning tasks. It also comes with an energy-efficient "Eco" mode that extends the maximum runtime of the robot to more than 160 minutes. This is a good feature to have if you often change rooms or are worried about running out of battery power while using the robot.

This robot vacuum also has numerous impressive automation features. The companion app lets you check the remaining battery life, direct the vacuum to a certain area, pause or restart cleaning, and select different power modes. It also supports voice commands if you have a compatible Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant device and has physical boundary marking strips to ensure it stays out of certain areas.

This Shark model is good in maneuvering, but it struggles to pick up large debris, especially if its dirt compartment fills up. It is also susceptible to get stuck on tassels for the rug or electrical cords. It can get stuck between the legs of chairs.

Overall overall, the Shark IQ robot vacuum is an excellent choice for those seeking a basic robot vacuum mop combo that's easy to use and offers decent mapping capabilities. It's not better than the Roborock S7 in most cases. It's more sturdy and more robust, and has lower maintenance requirements, is able to bear lower recurring costs, charges quicker, offers an extended battery life, performs better on bare floors and carpets, and can move around obstacles more easily.