The Best Budget Robot Vacuum Shark Robot Vacuum

Shark's robo vac checks off all the boxes you would expect from a machine in this price range. It has reliable cleaning performance, an easy-to-use mobile app and produces accurate home maps.

It also has Matrix Clean Navigation, a system that performs two passes back and forth, before moving to the side for complete coverage. Its base is not bagless like the majority of robot vacuums.

1. Roborock S4

This is an excellent robot vacuum for bare floors that can take up debris and has a large dirt storage compartment. The app lets you control cleaning and docking. Its smart pathing feature is extremely efficient. The app gives you an overview of the cleaning process, with a map showing where the S4 was cleaned, cleaning time and battery life.

The S4's maximum suction is 2,000Pa which is similar to full-sized vacuums. The side brush and combo brush are closer to the front of the machine than the other Roborock models. This could be to reduce clogging.

The S4's advanced navigation technology can digitally map your home up to four levels. It will remember the areas it has already cleaned, making it simple to establish cleaning schedules without the need to manually move the robot from room to room. You can also mark zones that are not allowed to enter, which will stop the S4 from entering these areas during a cleaning session.

It was able to clean an entire level of our home with ease and was very effective on bare flooring. However, it was not successful in collecting hair from dogs which is a typical problem for a lot of robotic vacuums. The only 8.5 percent of the dog hair it picked up was actually collected in the dustbin and much of the rest was clumped up around the brushes and suction inlet.

Compared to other Shark vacuums in the market, The S4 is significantly smaller and lighter, which increases maneuverability. It is able to make more precise turns and avoid obstacles that slow down other robots. Additionally, its low-profile design makes it easier to get under furniture. It also has improved climbing capabilities to navigate flooring transitions and different heights of flooring. It can even reach the bottom of the stairs and is a great option for homes with multiple levels. The app lets you set a schedule, and includes the ability to control your vacuum manually. It is also able to return to its charging station to charge automatically between cleaning cycles. It has the largest battery, 5200 mAh. It can last for up to 150 minutes in standard mode, or 2691 square feet between charges.

2. Shark EZ Robot Self-Empty

This Shark robot vacuum is a fantastic option for pet owners looking for a machine that is easy to use and smart. The self-emptying bagless base is a major plus particularly when compared to competitors that use disposable dirt bags on their bases. You can empty the bin on top of a trashcan by simply removing it. It's messy, but you save money on the replacement bags.

The bin itself is quite large, which means that the EZ Robot is capable of handling a good amount of debris. It's also a good performer on bare floors, though it has some issues with embedded dirt on carpets with a low pile. It also has decent navigation capabilities and a small robot vacuum dock footprint.

Although the EZ Robot isn't as good as the Roborock S4, it's still an excellent option for those who want a good-performing affordable robot. It is well-built and offers various automation features. It also has outstanding cleaning capabilities on floors that are bare and carpets with high pile. Its maintenance requirements are high and the recurring expenses are very high.

Another great feature of this Shark robot is its capacity to recharge and then resume where it was when it returns to its docking station after an entire cleaning session. This is a great feature, especially when your home is big.

The IQ XL is also equipped with a variety of useful features, including the capability to remotely schedule entire-home cleans and review cleaning reports via the SharkClean app. You can also initiate clean, stop and restart cleaning sessions using voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The row-by-row feature is a major plus. It will clean your home in neat rows, not an in-between snake pattern like other robots do.

The biggest drawback of the IQ XL is its inability to climb over obstacles like power cords, which it may identify as solid barriers to avoid climbing over. It's also less effective or quick in navigating a space when it's full of pet hair. This can tangle the brushes and slow it down.

3. Shark AI Robot

This is a great robotic vacuum from Shark, offering a good combination of features. It has a self-emptying bottom that holds up to 30 days of debris. It it combines the power of a robot vacuum and a mop. It has a grid cleaning mode, and features advanced smart home integration that supports Alexa and Google Assistant. You can program it to clean, activate it at any time or create virtual boundaries to stop the robot from entering rooms with delicate items or rugs.

The Shark AI Robot carries out an impressive job of cleaning bare floors, picking up dirt like rice effortlessly. However it has a difficult cleaning larger bulky debris off carpets in low pile and is not capable of maneuvering around furniture. It comes with a do not disturb feature so you can use it at home without it interrupting your routine.

Another benefit is that it utilizes LiDAR technology to map out your home which allows it to detect and navigate around obstacles with greater precision than units that rely solely on gyroscopes and sensors. This lets it avoid hitting delicate objects, and also optimize dirt collection on various surfaces. The LiDAR system is also faster than gyroscopes that could cause robots to slow down or lose control when they encounter uneven surfaces.

Other features include a remote control, automatic mopping, and various vacuum modes. It can even recharge and charge while working. Its biggest flaw is that it only maps only one floor vacuum robot. If you have two floors it will need to be manually transported to those areas, and then programmed to repeat.

Another negative is that it can be a bit loud, especially during mopping mode. It also has a lot of parts that must be cleaned or replaced regularly, which increases its cost per year. Fortunately, the base self-empty feature reduces certain expenses, and it's compatible with bagless filters, which further lowers its annual costs.

4. Shark ION Robot RV700 series

The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is a complete package that you'd expect from a mid-range robotic vacuum. It offers dependable cleaning performance, a great mobile application that creates accurate maps of your home, as well as a outstanding cleaning performance. The bagless base makes it unnecessary to purchase new dust bags each year. In our cleaning test it was able to remove 97.8% of debris from carpeting with low pile and hardwood floors however it was not as effective with high-pile carpeting. Its ability to maneuver makes it easy to navigate through furniture and even climb onto flooring with high pile. It can also go over objects such as electrical cords and rug fringes without getting stuck.

Its high-tensile bristles in a helix pattern are sturdy enough to manage and best budget Robot vacuum untangle long hair strings, as well as other fibers The brushroll also has an adjustable edge that can be used when it comes across obstacles. Its slim design permits it to glide under furniture and proximity sensors enable it to adjust and evaluate the presence of obstacles. It can be set to begin cleaning with a click of a button or scheduled for a daily schedule using the app. It has a moderate noise level, but can be reduced by using the do-not-disturb mode or custom scheduling.

The RV700 is more manual than the Roborock S4 and iRobot Roomba j7+ that is to be expected from a self-emptying model. It's nonetheless more durable and easy to maintain. It charges faster and eliminates more dirt from high pile and unfinished floors. Its navigation system can create virtual boundaries, identify and avoid obstacles and can also create virtual borders. This makes it the ideal choice for robotic cleaners you can "set and forget".

The RV700 Series doesn't have a safety cliff sensor to prevent it from falling down stairs, which may be a problem for those living in homes that are taller. It also can't mop and vacuum at the same time and requires you to switch between two modes available in the app. The RV700 Series offers a cheaper alternative to more sophisticated Roborock and iRobot robots with self-emptying capabilities as well as cliff detection. Its most appealing feature is the ability to be recharged and emptied while docked at its base. This makes it an excellent alternative for those who don't wish to empty the onboard dust bin every time they use it.