The Shark i Robot Vacuum
The Shark i robot vacuum is a fantastic mid-range robotic. It is a great vacuum cleaner with some cool features.
It does a thorough job of cleaning and uses row-by-row patterns for cleaning floors. It is also good on rugs, and can be used to move over rug tassels.
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Shark i is a robot vacuum cleaner that has a variety of standout features. These include its intelligent navigation system and self-emptying dock. Its IQ navigation system uses the grid system to clean room-by-room. This ensures that no corner of your home is left unclean. It also empties its dustbin into the bagless base following each cleaning, making it completely hands-free.
The vacuum can also be controlled with Amazon Alexa and the SharkClean App, which means there's no need for an additional remote. The vacuum also has a button on the top of the unit to operate the vacuum.
You can use the app to create a profile for your vacuum, name it, schedule cleanings and see the history of cleaning. You can also design virtual boundaries to prevent the i from getting into places it could be stuck in or knock over fragile objects. You can also choose different power modes to help you save energy when working on difficult tasks.
It also has a pair of wheels that are grippy to help it get over obstacles like stairs or floor transitions. It is able to detect and avoid obstacles such as electrical cords. This is useful for pet owners with small shed cats or dogs.
The i has three power settings that include an energy-saving Eco mode and a default Normal mode, and a high-power maximum mode. You can create customized cleaning schedules, which are ideal if you reside in a house that requires regular cleaning.
It can be programmed to return to its dock on a regular basis and empty its trash bin. However, you must be vigilant about its battery life since it is prone to overestimate how much time is left. It can also be confused and restart when you tell it to 'Clean Entire Home' and you must be careful when you start or end it.
Design
The Shark i robot has a sleek design and a premium look. Its main drive wheels are covered with rubber treads, which gives it excellent maneuverability. It is small in size and is able to fit under most furniture. Despite its size, it can still climb over rugs with high piles and even reach under couches.
The robot has several sensors that help to map your home including cliff and boundary sensors. It also includes a module that can detect and avoids obstacles. The app lets you manage the robot's settings, plan cleaning sessions and view its cleaning history. The app is easy to use, however 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 remove large amounts of debris, like hair from pets. It also gets stuck on surfaces that are cluttered. The dirt compartment may get full, making it difficult to empty it after cleaning. The vacuum doesn't come with an automatic emptying dock. You will have to empty the dust bin manually once it is full.
The vacuum's battery life is limited and often it runs out before it can return to its base. It is also a bit loud and the app doesn't allow you to choose particular areas to clean. It's therefore best combo robot vacuum mop used in conjunction with another robot vacuum rather than as an individual machine. However, the benefit of delegating your vacuuming duties to a robot is undeniable. The iRobot Roomba has superior mapping and navigation capabilities and also an automatic dock that empty itself. It's also less expensive than the Shark i robot.
Cleaning Performance
The Shark IQ vacuums well however it isn't easy to master the robotic noise. It isn't confused and doesn't reverse steps like other Shark robots, like the ION85 or the RV871. The iQ also does a great job at mapping your home by creating a map in the app that lets you name rooms so it knows where to go, thereby making it more efficient than ION 85 in terms of not wasting time going over the same areas over and over again.
However, it struggles with bare floors and rugs. Although it can remove small particles, it can be overwhelmed by pet hair as well as larger items like rice and cereal. In addition, its dirt compartment gets filled quickly and may begin to lose suction power as it fills up, making this robot not ideal for use on bare flooring or carpets with high pile. It also gets blocked when it comes into contact with furniture that is tangled, or tipped furniture.
It's easy for you to resolve these issues by emptying its bin at the base. The dust bin automatically empties into the bin after it's full. This eliminates the need for having to manually empty the bin at the end of each run. The extra-large bin requires to be empty every 30 days, which lowers the cost of ownership in the long haul.
You can also use the SharkClean app to set different cleaning modes and monitor its battery life, make a schedule, see your cleaning history and create virtual boundaries to prevent it from entering rooms where it might get stuck or knock over fragile items. The iQ can be controlled by hand using its remote, which has direction arrows to guide it around your home.
Battery Life
This vacuum has great battery performance, even when it's on its high-suction mode, 'Max. It can run for as long as an hour at that setting, and that's sufficient for the majority of cleaning tasks in all rooms. It also has an energy-efficient "Eco" mode that increases the maximum runtime of the robot up to 160 minutes. This is a great feature to have if you frequently switch between multiple rooms or are concerned about running out of battery power when using the robot.
Like many of its competitors this vacuum cleaner comes with an impressive suite of automation features. The companion app allows you to view the remaining battery life, direct the vacuum to a particular area, pause or restart cleaning, and switch between power modes. It can also be controlled via voice commands, if have a Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa device that works with it. It is equipped with physical boundary markers to ensure that the robot is kept away from certain areas.
This Shark model is adept in maneuvering, but it isn't able to handle large amounts of debris, particularly if the dirt compartment is stuffed. It's also susceptible to get stuck on rug tassels and electrical cords, and can get stuck between the legs of chairs.
Overall all, the Shark IQ robotic vacuum is an excellent option for those looking for an entry-level robot with decent mapping capabilities and easy-to-use features. However it's not an ideal alternative to the Roborock S7 for most purposes. The former is more robust and more robust, is less prone to maintenance requirements, is able to bear lower recurring costs, recharges quicker, offers an extended battery life, performs better on bare floors and carpets, and can move through obstacles with ease.