I’m not lazy, exactly, but if someone happened to gift me a free cleaning service for life I would gladly take them up on their offer. It’s not quite a cleaning service, but this just may be the next best thing.
I was super excited to find out that Shark had entered the world of robotic vacuums. Thanks to Shark, I got my hands on a Shark ION™ Robot Vacuum Cleaning System. This vacuum is awesome! It packs a double punch, because it also comes with an ultra slim hand vacuum.
Unboxing
This small vacuum comes in a large box, with easy instructions visible as soon as you open the flap. The first step is to assemble to dock and place the cordless hand vacuum on it. Once that was plugged in, I grabbed the Shark ION and placed it on the dock. It made a cheerful beeping sound and started charging.
So what’s in the box?
- Shark ION™ Robot Vacuum R85 with Wi-Fi
- Shark ION™ W1 Cordless Handheld Vacuum
- 2-in-1 Charging Dock
- Multi-Surface Pet Tool
- Crevice Tool
- 8 ft. of BotBoundary™ Strips
- Soft Dusting Brush
While it was charging, I immediately downloaded the Shark ION app so that I could sync my Shark with our Google home account.It was a straightforward processes of connecting to the Shark via WiFi, and giving it a name (Cleaning Bae). You can control multiple Sharks if you have a large house. You can also set up a cleaning schedule.
Cleaning
After a couple of hours of charging, Shark was ready to play. The Shark immediately went to work cleaning my carpet, and making its way around the house. The suction was really good, and it managed to suck up quite a lot from my carpet. The Shark ION has little feet that will raise it above small obstacles, but it can still get tangled and try to eat wires. To solve this problem, it comes with thick magnetic BotBoundary™ Strips to create zones where the Shark vacuum won’t go.
The good
The Shark is a powerful little vacuum. It sucks up most of the dirt and pet hair from my carpets and floors. Max mode is good if you’ve got a lot of debris, or if you’ve spilled something. The BotBoundary strips help to keep it out of rooms that might not be vacuum friendly. It’s easy to control via voice or using the app. Or, you know, pressing the buttons. It’s fairly quiet and efficient. I love that it comes with a small handheld vacuum. We use that so often, for quick fixes or to suck up crumbs. It’s been a much cleaner household since getting this duo.
The bad
The Shark navigates anew each time. It doesn’t keep a little map of your layout in its head. This means that sometimes it can miss sections, or will repeat areas that it has already cleaned. It also tends to get a bit stuck under my dining table while trying to find its dock. This may be my fault, based on where I put the dock.
The verdict
There’s nothing I love more than to be able to sit down with a glass of wine, and say, “Google, tell Shark to start cleaning.” I added googly eyes to it because that’s the kind of person I am. (I love how the vacuum always looks a bit sheepish now). If you’re thinking of entering the world of robotic vacuums, you won’t be disappointed with Shark!
Discover the Shark ION™ Robot Vacuum Cleaning System.
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