Top 3 Best Shark Robot Vacuum Reviews
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Short on time? These are the top picks for the best Shark robot vacuum:
Best Shark Robot Vacuums
Different houses have different needs. Whether you're looking to clean up after pet hair or make hardwood floors shine, there is a Shark robot vacuum for each purpose. Here are the top 3 Shark robot vacuums:
1. Best for pet hair: Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum
- INCREDIBLE SUCTION: Powerful Shark suction picks up dirt and debris on all floor types—tackling even the toughest of messes in your home.
- NO SPOTS MISSED: With Matrix Clean Navigation, the vacuum cleans in a precise matrix grid taking multiple passes over dirt and debris for whole home, deep...
- IT EMPTIES ITSELF: The bagless, self-emptying base holds up to 60 days of dirt and debris while its true HEPA filtration captures and traps 99.97%* of dust...
This particular Shark AI robot vacuum is simply designed to pick up pet hair. The combination of powerful suction and Shark’s self-cleaning brushroll picks up 50% more pet hair with no hair wrap.
Perfect for homes with pets
I purchased mine for the floors I have, which is hardwood, pet hair and cat litter. My last robot vacuum would blow the items away and not pick them up but my Shark AI robot doesn't do that, it picks them up.
Using the UltraClean mode, the Shark AI robot vacuum cleans my entire house without getting caught on stuff. And the best part is, I have no more issues with hair wrapped around the bar or pet messes everywhere.
I think this is due to the revolutionary POWERFINS. Instead of having a traditional bristle brush, the Shark AI robot vacuum has a brush roller made with flexible silicon fins. As a result, no pet hair can get tangled around the brush roller. It’s quieter and just has way less issues overall.
And the self-emptying feature? A godsend. I don’t have to worry about emptying the robot’s dustbin because the base holds up to 60 days of dirt and debris. I can sit back, relax, and let it do its thing.
I still use my Dyson vacuum for spills and messes, but if you have pets, this Shark robot is essential to keep up with pet hair. I run mine daily and everything feels cleaner and a whole lot less furry!
It navigates intelligently and works like a charm
I don’t work for Shark (although our team gets an affiliate commission if you use the links in this article), but I am just annoyed at some of the reviews on Amazon that feel like they’re bashing the product.
Maybe those claims are legit, but so far I have not had any issues. And I’ve owned enough robot vacuums to test and compare them with this particular Shark AI robot vacuum.
Some people say this Shark AI robot is difficult to empty, when in fact it's really easy to clean. It also has a washable filter and it doesn't use bags which means there is no extra waste if you're all about protecting the environment. I also think this saves some money on the wallet.
My Shark robot has no trouble finding its base.
There are also claims that this Shark robot has trouble returning to its dock. Mine has returned 100% of the time. My other robots, on the other hand, returned half the time. The other half I would have to search for it.
Lastly, there are claims that this Shark robot bumps into furniture aggressively. Compared to other robot vacuum brands (which I won’t mention), this Shark robot is way more gentle.
You should’ve seen how one of my robot vacuums ram into things. No wonder that it’s no longer working now, probably due to the brain damage from ramming things at full speed.
The point is that this Shark AI robot has worked wonderfully for me. I think this is hands down, the best Shark robot vacuum for pet hair. It picks up pet hair effortlessly and navigates intelligently.
Two things to improve on
To be fair, there are two things that need improvement.
First, I think Shark needs a better design for the base station mat. It needs to be compatible with hardwood floors. I had to place the base on a small mat as 80% of my floors were hardwood, otherwise, the base station would slide all over the place (unless you place it against a wall).
A simple idea is to add either non-skid feet or removable double-sided tape on the bottom. Just a small complaint but it’s not a big deal in my opinion, because it’s still better than most brands.
Second, I hope there is a small fix in the software. If you put in the wrong Wi-Fi password when setting it up you have to close the software and go back to the beginning and start over. Pretty annoying.
That’s all. So far, I’m really impressed with this particular Shark AI robot vacuum (AV2501AE). I think this is by far, the best Shark robot vacuum available. It’s amazing for pet hair, yet works on hardwood and carpet too.
2. Best for hardwood: Shark AV1010AE IQ Robot Vacuum
- FORGET ABOUT VACUUMING FOR UP TO 45 DAYS: A bagless, self-emptying base holds up to 45 days of dirt and debris.
- FASTER MAPPING: Faster mapping speed for a quicker total home map compared to the previous model (RV1001AE)
- BETTER CARPET CLEANING: Improved carpet cleaning performance compared to the previous model (RV1001AE)
- Excellent suction power
- Self-emptying base (30 days)
- Traditional bristle brush (tangled)
Hardwood is the easiest surface for robot vacuums to run on, but you need to make sure that it does not scratch the wood. If your house is covered with mostly hardwood floors, consider the Shark IQ AV1010AE.
Works amazingly on hardwood floors
The Shark IQ robot has no trouble picking up dust and debris from hardwood floors. Even when running in ECO mode (least strongest suction setting), I am impressed at how much stuff this robot is picking up.
I assume the 2 other suction settings would make this Shark robot a beast but it would probably be a lot noisier and drain the battery faster. If you ever need to pick up larger debris, choose the higher setting.
In the beginning, I ran this robot in ECO mode while it’s mapping my house. Not only would it map my house faster, but the battery will last longer on ECO mode. I recommend you do this when mapping your house.
This Shark robot is amazing on hardwood floors.
However, I did have to spend time going around the house taping down extension cords, moving small items out of the way, and marking where certain furniture is to make the mapping process run smoothly.
Once the Shark IQ robot has mapped your house, it will run over hardwood floors without a problem. It will also transition from hardwood to low-pile carpets seamlessly, picking up debris along the way.
The upgraded software is much better
After reading reviews on the internet about the original model, I was on the fence with this particular Shark robot because there were complaints about the 1st gen Shark robot’s mapping not working well.
However, Shark has been updating the software and app throughout the years while making new updates for its customers. Several reviews said that the 2nd generation has improved mapping so I’ve decided to try it.
This particular Shark IQ robot has had no issues returning to its base to empty its dustbin and continue cleaning where it left off. I run it on mostly hardwood floors and it would run for about 1 hour and 40 minutes including 1 or 2 trips to empty its dustbin. The charging time is about 3 hours.
The self-emptying base holds up to 30 days of dirt and debris, filtered using a true HEPA filter. After charging, this Shark IQ robot will go back and pick up where it left off, just as you would hope for. I have no complaints with this Shark robot because it works perfectly on hardwood floors.
No self-cleaning brush
This particular Shark IQ robot vacuum (AV1010AE) does not have the self-cleaning brush, which is supposed to prevent long human hair from wrapping around the brush roller.
Instead, this Shark IQ robot has what they call a “multi surface brush” which is basically a regular bristle brush where long hair can get tangled around it. I had to tear and cut it off the brush. Big bummer.
According to Shark’s customer service, you cannot buy a separate self-cleaning brush and attach it to this model. You would think that Shark make their robots with switchable brushes, but they do not.
This is bummer because I really wanted to enjoy the self-cleaning brush feature on this particular Shark IQ robot vacuum. It really saves time from having to manually snip hair from the brush.
3. Best for carpet: Shark AV2501S AI Robot Vacuum
- INCREDIBLE SUCTION: Powerful Shark suction picks up dirt and debris on all floor types—tackling even the toughest of messes in your home.
- NO SPOTS MISSED: With Matrix Clean Navigation, the vacuum cleans in a precise matrix grid taking multiple passes over dirt and debris for whole home, deep...
- IT EMPTIES ITSELF: The bagless, self-emptying base holds up to 30 days of dirt and debris while its true HEPA filtration captures and traps 99.97%* of dust...
- Excellent suction power
- Self-emptying base (30 days)
- Traditional bristle brush (tangled)
The best Shark robot vacuum for carpet is the AV2501S. It does EVERYTHING FLAWLESSLY. Thanks to this Shark robot vacuum, thick rugs are no problem, while bath mats have the same perfectly vacuumed lines my carpets and rugs have. It’s relatively quiet too, even when running on high-pile carpets.
Works on carpet without the gimmicks
While iRobot has some of the best customer services around, not all of their Roomba features are the best. I have the Roomba 980 which is equipped with a “carpet boost” feature. Basically, the feature allows the Roomba to kick into overdrive when going over carpeted areas.
This sounds good in theory but the darn thing sucked up and destroyed every small area rug in my house, and they all had rubberized backing! My love affair with Roomba was officially over (for cleaning carpets).
This Shark robot vacuum moves effortlessly across carpets.
So after hours of research, I purchased this Shark AI robot vacuum when it was on discount. What a great machine! It’s so quiet even on carpet to the point where I sometimes look for it just to check if it ran out of power because I can’t hear it running. The battery life is twice as long as the Roomba 980.
I also adore the self-emptying feature. It will return to its base, empty itself, and continue cleaning. And the best part is, all of my carpets and rugs have not been damaged by this amazing Shark robot vacuum.
This machine does a great job of cleaning but is gentle on wires, furniture, and small area rugs. Hands down, the AV2501S is the best Shark robot vacuum for carpet. I’m very happy with this purchase.
Affordable considering its value
Just like the first Shark robot vacuum on this list, this particular Shark AI robot vacuum is equipped with the POWERFINS technology. Basically, its brush roller is made of flexible silicone fins instead of the traditional bristle brushes. The flexible silicone roller digs deep into carpets effectively.
You would think that this Shark robot vacuum is expensive, considering its features and technology. However, it is actually quite affordable. It’s originally $550 but has dropped to $299 on Amazon.
This is what I love about this particular Shark robot vacuum. Not only is it affordable, but it delivers tremendous value, especially when cleaning carpeted surfaces. It’s the best Shark robot vacuum for carpet.
Final Verdict
And there you have it, the best Shark robot vacuums. One for pet hair, one for hardwood floors, and one for carpets. Hopefully, you would be able to choose one to suit your unique needs and preferences.
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Christopher White
I'm a freelance writer and editor for Cleaners Talk. I don't claim to be a cleaning expert, but I have 8 Roombas at home, including 2 robot mops. I love to tinker with them.