Shark - IQ Robot Self-Empty® XL

I have a Shark Detect Pro on my main floor and a Shark IQ in my basement. I also have two long haired GSDs. I run the IQ daily and the Detect Pro twice a day. The rollers do tend to get hair wrapped around them but once or twice a week but I think that’s any robot vacuum. The single side brushes that come on the robots are lame. Amazon has replacements that have 3 brushes, I recommend those. The dust bin also needs to be emptied every week, not 30 days like advertised. I only have hard floors so I can’t comment on how it handles carpet. The app is terrible and I use Google Assistant to have the robots run according to my schedules.

Not BIFL, but our Shark (get the self emptying base!) has withstood 4 cats, a long haired dog, 3 adults, a toddler, and a long haired teenager for 4 years and still doing well. I was incredibly disappointed in the original roomba I tried. If you do buy a shark buy directly from them. Their customer service is phenomenal. I bought one through a home improvement store as it was on sale. It had a charging issue within 12 months and when I called Shark I was told that since I hadn’t bought from them they couldn’t cover the full replacement even under warranty. BUT if I paid shipping they would send me a new one - $34 later I had a new one on the way. Bonus points as I was able to fix the original and had two robot vacs for the price of 1+ shipping.

I have a dog that never stops shedding. And I just got two cats. I have the Shark robot vacuum that self empties. I love it. I still vacuum every couple of days and get plenty of fur and dirt but I know it picks up its fair share because I empty the reservoir once every week or so and there is plenty in there. I can tell if it doesn’t run for a couple days because I will notice the floors not being as clean. I typically just have it run every day while I’m at work on a timer so I come home to fresh carpet lines. It’s worth spending a little more on these robot vacuums because the self emptying is huge, especially if you have square footage to cover. But it is also so much smarter than the older cheaper brand I had that would constantly get stuck and just bounce around the rooms willy-nilly. This one maps it out and covers all the floor space efficiently.

I have the Shark that empties itself. Only does one floor and mixed hard wood and rugs. Empties itself twice while cleaning and does a pretty good job.

Don't get a roomba. I got the J7+ for the pet and toy friendly avoidance options and half the time it isnt running because of a clog in the vaccuum bin or base station. The bin is usually easy to fix, but this last time it was the tube that goes to the bag (another expense i didnt have with the shark) and that required disassembly. It also burnt out its suction fan in the first month I had it, prompting a warranty replacement of the part which meant had to disassemble the unit, install the new part, and send back the defective part. Incredibly frustrating. Comparatively, my shark IQ that I sent to the basement for eating too many toys runs consistently and clogs *maybe* once every 3 months, but the shark app sucks nuts, and the model I have uses the black strips for keep-out zones so it just ran everywhere and I prayed it didnt eat any cables. Its very robust about going up and doen ledges, but it is also way more prone to tracking pet messes about, that happened once with a pile of cat vomit and I was a little traumatized.

I have the J7+ and it does get up pet hair well on hard floors, BUT it clogs constantly. It can't handle any debris larger than a quarter in diameter at most without it getting stuck in the bin due to the size of the emptying tube. I have a kid whose paper scraps freqently end up on the floor and those clog it about once every 2 weeks and prompt me to have to take apart the base. If I dodnt spend so much on it Id have thrown it away by now. My shark IQ did not have that problem, but its app sucked and it runs over a lot more stuff. It has eaten and unloaded barbie shoes into its base, wheras the roomba i always find the shoes in the unit when it throws an error.

I definitely see the utility of a robot vacuum, but I’d recommend having a good primary bagged vacuum first and then investing in a good bagged robot vacuum as a secondary. Not sure you’ll find that in your budget, so you might need to save up for it. FWIW, I have this one: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/shark-iq-robot-vacuum-review-map-out-and-clean-your-smart-home-for-under-dollar400 and it’s a piece of shit 3 years after buying it. It’s constantly trying to throw itself down the stairs and it gets lost a lot.

I have one of the Shark models where it’s a double canister vacuum. The robot is a small canister vac on wheels and the emptying doc is also a canister vacuum. It worked well for the first 2 years and has been slowly dying the last 3 years. I can’t get it to connect to my phone any more and the app is pretty terrible. Not the same model, but it looks similar to this: https://www.bestbuy.com/product/shark-navigator-robot-vacuum-self-empty-base-gray/JXJVXLJPRR/sku/6641726 I think if / when we replace it, I’m going to look at Roborock and iRobot. I also think I want to get one where at least the dock is bagged. I really wish I could find one where the robot itself is a bagged vacuum but not too sure if that exists.

I have a Shark with a base that it self empties into. Mine is scheduled to run three times a week and I empty the base once a week. I’ve got two cats, hardwood, and a lot of dust. You’d probably have to empty the base multiple times a week with two shepherds. Honestly I love my Shark. It saved me so much anxiety and time because I was constantly fighting to make my floors feel clean. Now I just have to spot clean and vacuum the corners where the robot can’t reach.

I second u/Huntit-Ownit ! Get one that has the auto empty dock. I empty mine every couple of days that way. One huge leg up for a Shark over Roomba is that the brush roller is similar to a vacuum (e.g. hard plastic), whereas the roomba is a plastic roller with a rubber cover that is DESTROYED by dog fur and you have to frequently replace. If you keep an eye on Woot they have refurbished sharks on sale pretty frequently, last one I got for $120.... Edit: Looks like Woot has one refurbished for $129!

I just want to tell you how helpful these things are. I bought a SharkIQ (should have bought a roborock) when it was on deep discount on Prime day. What makes this different is that I have a big workshop/shed which is dusty/dirty and an absolute maze. The Shark managed over a few weeks get all the dust and dirt under control despite it not really being designed to work in this way and on rough concrete. I chose the shark specifically because it had brushes, not rubber rollers, not many with brushes and almost bought a Makita DRC300Z as that is more what is technically needed. (no HA integration and it requires connecting to the AP in the vac to control it via app, no infra mode at least when I was looking at it) Robot vacs are worth their weight in gold to many with ADHD. Many of us do not see mess, dust, dog hair etc. HA in general is scaffolding to help with my (and my wife's) neurodivergent wiring, and the vac is just a great addition to all this. Unfortunately the SharkIQ integration is having [ongoing issues with re-authentication](https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/123392) which appears to be Shark changing their API.

I like my big Bissell Pet hair vacuum. It was like $250? I think I got it from target. We have a BC, a Sheppard mix, and a yorkie mix. So, with the 2 bigs we have a lot of hair lol ALSO.... if you do not have them already look at chom chom on amazon... it is a little hand held thing that gets hair off of furniture in a breeze!! I have one in the living room and the bedroom. It is like a lint roller without the sticky tape. you just run it back and fourth really quick on the surface you want to remove hair and it picks it up like a charm! I use that on my couch and bed daily! We also got a shark robot vacuum with a tank that it self empties into and we run that every day too. I have found that daily maintenance or every other day is the best way to keep the hair down