

Shark AV911S EZ Robot Vacuum with Self-Empty Base, Bagless, Row-by-Row Cleaning, Perfect for Pet Hair, Compatible with Alexa, Wi-Fi, Gray
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ARO
> 3 dayThe good: I really wanted to give this little guy 5 stars. Because we have a couple of very vulnerable people in our family I dismissed our former cleaning service when COVID came to town and never started them up again. I purchased this bot from Amazon on sale during the pre-Christmas sales. It replaced a cheaper robot, which failed miserably. This robot may not get every single bit of crumb and hair on its first go-around, but it works very well. The routes it creates are logical, making parallel sweeps that align to the walls. It neatly goes around the legs of furniture, returning accurately to the path it was on before it met the obstacle. It does a reasonably good job each time it is run. I found that by running it daily for a few weeks and then 2 or 3 times per week it kept my floors looking quite nice. (I have no pets or small children. If I did have either one I would probably maintain the daily use.) The good: The bot has no problem getting up close to the irregular line of our natural stone basalt fireplace. It wiggles along the edge going in and out and cleans this area of dust and such very well. In fact, the bot does better than I did with the vacuum and better than the housekeepers did. It doesnt care how long it takes. Obviously, people-based cleaning involves beings that do care how long this process takes. Same for other irregular surfaces. The bot goes in and out as long as it takes. For our finely crafted mid-century house, this is a really big deal. The Good: The built in cliff-avoidance works very well. In 4 months the bot has not gone over an edge even once. In our mid-century house there are not only stairs, but also other drop-offs that look really nice but would probably not be allowed with current codes. The good: This little bot is much quieter than expected. Naturally there is the noise created by the air going through it, but there is very little actual motor noise. Usually when it is working I am working at something else in a nearby room. It makes just enough noise that I can tell where it is, but not enough that it distracts me from what I am doing, and not enough noise to wake those sleeping in the next room. The good: I did not bother with the app because I have oriental rugs with fringes that must be picked up prior to running the robot. I also choose to put the chairs up out of the way so the dining room floor gets really clean. In bedrooms I do a quick check to be sure there are no socks on the floor, etc. Scheduling therefore makes little sense. However, the bot works very nicely without the app. For those who want no app, this will work beautifully. I find that it was best to use the bot to clean half of our main floor, let it recharge, then clean the other half. This is something that the app would not support. If you have a larger house, or multiple levels, this is a really good thing. I actually have 3 very separate areas that are cleaned by the bot and the app would only be useful for one of them, as it only stores 1 map. The app-less cleaning is done quite logically and the entire floor in each room of each area is cleaned reasonably well. As noted below, small bits may be missed, but with regular use my floors are clean to look at. A fairly significant amount of dust and debris are picked up every time the bot is run. The bad and the ugly: Corners are a real problem for the bot. Once in a while you need to get your finger into a wet paper towel to clean out the accumulating guck in the corners. However, the same is true when I vacuum with a conventional vacuum. It was also true when I had maid service clean the floors monthly (only then it was their fingers in the paper towel, rather than mine.) Also there is sometimes a bit of stuff left. For instance, after cookie making with small children, if the bot is put in the kitchen and the doors closed so it can clean up the flour on the floor, there may be a place or two where a bit of flour remains. Run the bot again and it will get that last bit, or just wipe it up. I see this as a minor issue, but a real one. The really bad and ugly: Unfortunately, Shark has dozens of models that are very similar with different model numbers. Even more unfortunately, your model number reflects the place where you purchased the bot, not the bot itself. Your model number is virtually useless in trying to find the right replacement parts. Third party parts are often ill-fitting or poorly made and the shark site is of no help in locating your actual model from the model on the bottom of the machine. However, the online chat person or the call-back support are quite helpful and very fast. More bad and ugly: The model number on the box of the one we purchased was different from the model number on the bot and also different from the model number on the enclosed documentation. The instructions in the manual did not match actual parts on the bot. Even the instructions on the bot did not match the configuration of the bot. For instance, there is a figure on the bot suggesting that a circular filter be cleaned regularly. Problem? Filter does not exist, and no place it could fit. If one were to attempt putting a filter into the area adjacent to the figure it would cover the window where you are supposed to be able to see the level of the dirt in the collector. (Not that big a deal, though, because the plastic window is so darkly tinted that nothing can be seen through it anyway.) Using the mis-matched manual requires a bit of flexibility. If, for instance, you know that you need to pinch something and pull, the fact that the tabs mentioned do not exist, you can find something else to grab and pull. This has worked fairly well, though not without a bit of annoyance on my part. It would be nice if there was a bit of labeling to indicate just where something should be grabbed to dis-assemble for cleaning or replacing filters. Putting the actual part number on the replaceable parts would also be a really great idea. More bad and ugly: This is probably a petty gripe. However, for those of us who must use the bot without the app, a key part of this process is to turn the machine off while moving it, then on again to begin cleaning or to send the bot to its port. It would be a really nice convenience if the on/off switch were put on the top where it would be visible and easily reached rather than recessed on the side. Turning off the moving bot is a bit of a chore. If it were recessed on the top it would be quite easy to use a cane or broomstick to knock the rocker switch one way or the other. The instruction manual clearly states that one should not pick up the bot until after it is turned off, but turning it off first requires a bit of a circus act, following the bot, locating the switch and pushing it without triggering the thing to take off in another direction (the camera sees you and that alters the path). Overall, I would recommend this product for a person who is willing to live with its flaws. I am happy with the cleanliness of my floors, it takes less than 4 minutes for me to ready the dining room for cleaning (12 chairs, 2 oriental carpets to move) and less than a minute to check other rooms for cords, dropped items, etc. Then it takes the bot about 30 to 45 minutes for each of the separate areas. During its cleaning time I almost never need to do anything related to the cleaning process. I do clean the dust bin every time I clean, a process that takes only seconds. About once a month I clean the dust trap on the bot itself. That process can take anywhere from 2 minutes to 5 minutes depending on what is there. If the bot picks up a straw or paper clip, more stuff gets stuck to that obstruction and the lint can pile up. At any rate, I spend considerably less time on this process than I would spend cleaning with a vacuum (which has its own quirks) and the bot is actually more thorough than I would be, spending about 2 to 3 times as long in actual cleaning than I would. Time spent cleaning is important. The bot moves slowly enough to give the suction time to be effective, also slowly enough that when it bumps into furniture legs it does no damage. Also, in 4 months it has paid for itself, compared to the amount the housekeeping service would have charged. Of course, it does not dust. Too bad. My house always looks presentable, I spend less than an hour in actual floor maintenance time but the floors always have that just cleaned look.
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Lynn Emerson
> 3 dayI wanted to wait until I had owned it for a while so that I could submit a quality review. I had a very expensive Deebot before and I replaced it with the shark. This thing is unbelievable. It cleans better than the Deebot ever did. It cleans dirt I didnt even know I had. It gets in tons of places that the Deebot couldnt or wouldnt. My floors have never been cleaner. I highly recommend. There were some bad reviews about the software. I think its great too. I bought two, and they are fan.efin.tastic!
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Badger B
> 3 dayWe have 3 dogs and there was hair in corners and along the edge of the wall constantly, and they would also track dirt in all the time. It always looked like the house was dirty unless you vacuumed everyday. The robot manages to keep the entire place looking decent. It actually improved our mood because youre not coming home to piles of hair and dirt poking out of the corners. We have 1400 sq ft on the main floor where the robot is and we empty the main cannister about once every week or two. The robot returns to empty about 3-4 times during its cleaning cycle (set to extra emptying due to dog hair). I would not like the regular robot that doesnt have the cannister, it would likely not do the job for us. It takes about 2-3 hrs to do the entire floor including returning to base to charge when needed. Now for the slight negatives: 1. It tends to get a little stuck every few days on our dog beds sometimes although its nice that it can actually climb onto them and clean them too usually (theyre the giant pillow type not mattress or walled type). 2. This version has a brush roller, I wish I had known about/seen the rubber roller as the brush does pick up the hair quite a bit, but I tend to only have to clean it out once a week or so. 3. The cleaning pattern seems a little non optimal and it sometimes tends to go over the same area multiple times. 4. Tends to close doors behind it so it can get stuck in a room, especially if the door is slightly balanced such that it closes easily, not sure what any robot could do about this. Weve tied back the doors it happens to the most. Wish list: 1. Ability to see the robots location on the map it creates on your phone. To find the robot you can use the app and it will make noise so its not imperative, and if it stops for some reason it sends a notification. 2. Ability for the robot to detect that it is stuck in a room and send a notification before it gets low on battery. 3. Replacement brush with the rubber brushes (might be able to havent really checked yet).
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s5fessler
> 3 dayI bought this vacuum 4 months ago and its been one of the best purchases Ive ever made. We now have 2 golden retrievers and sweeping/mopping/vacuuming twice a week wasnt touching our floors. There were hair bunnies in all the corners of the rooms. I run this vacuum daily, sometimes twice a day. Its the hardest working member of my household and has a place in my heart for all it does for me ;) Huge time saver. Worth every penny. This was my first robot vacuum. I loved it so much I bought an old used earlier Shark model off Facebook marketplace. Def not the same. This model is much better. Having the dock to empty to is a game changer for a big home and lots of dog hair. Otherwise, Id be babysitting it all day and might as well do the vacuuming myself. It took about 2 weeks to see a change in it becoming more efficient as it had mapped out the house more. I love it. Cant say enough good things. Ill never not have one anymore.
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Jamie Hodges
> 3 daySo my boyfriend already has this model so I knew I wanted it bc its AMAZING. I have 2 dogs that shed like crazy and its a daily battle to keep the dirt level down. I had a another cheaper robovac but it doesnt map and was quite stupid, honestly. It would get off the dock and immediately head for the one place it always got stuck. Plus the dust cup was minuscule and brushes pretty cheap...but it helped keep the dust and dander and fur to a sort of acceptable layer between my weekly moppings and eod vacuuming. Anyway... I was constantly jealous over the bfs overkill of a robovac since hes already a pretty clean guy and only has a very sedentary cat that barely sheds.... Seemed like such a waste of such fine cleaning abilities and large dust storage... After many unsuccessful attempts to get him to trade me, and then just buy me one, I broke down and looked at the available options. I was distraught. Hell no, I couldnt afford a new one. Couldnt afford one like new or even used, good. But thats when I saw the used, acceptable with large cosmetic blemishes for nearly half the price. Who cares about a pretty face, I asked myself? Certainly not me, as I threw a resentful glance at the boyfriend. I took the future of my clean floors in my own hands and ordered. It came the next day in its original packaging that had obviously once been opened but at least put back together with care... And it still had the stickers on the base and vac! There were a few scuffs on the top and bottom but hey, nothing I couldnt live with. On a whim I grabbed a microfiber cloth and started swiping... And much to my delight the scuffs came right off and I have what appears to be a nearly new shark robovac for half the price. Yes, you can tell its been run maybe once. But the brushes were still in the packaging and the dust cup has nary a spec inside. Score!! Connecting to wifi was tedious but ONLY bc it was my stupid android phone being.. Well... Android. It wouldnt give me the wifi network for reasons I still cant figure out...but after several hours of resetting wifi and multiple other interventions I had enough. Out of desperation I used my company iphone and had it connected in less than a minute, then just logged in to the app through my personal phone and havent had an issue at all. So if youre having issues, try a different phone first before you unplug every wifi device in the house, reset your router, reinstall the app, and reboot your phone.....for the 4th time. Conclusion: Buy it. Even the used acceptable one. Try another phone before giving up on the wifi connection. My little Ruby is now happily mapping my home and I look forward to clean floors and minimal dust emptying. Now, if I can just get that microfiber cloth to work on the other blemishes in my life....
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Jesse
> 3 dayOur Shark robot arrived and it was well packaged but the boundary strips were missing. A call to Shark for the strips was frustrating to say the least. I had to jump through hoops to prove my purchase, including making a video of all the parts and the box that it came in and the Amazon box as well. Seriously? They failed to include everything and then I have to go through this to get the strips? I suppose I should be grateful because initially they said they couldn’t send them to me at all, but when I made my dissatisfaction very clear, they had a change of heart. Also, the representative had very broken English, and was hard to understand. Shark, you can do better for your customers. As for the robot itself, it’s just OK. I purchased it because it doesn’t need dust bags. That was a big plus for me. It’s a bit of a problem that there has to be enough light in the rooms. Otherwise the vacuum can’t see. I have a laundry room with an automatic shut off for the light so it won’t go in there unless I put a lamp in there. It also skipped one other room and I don’t know why because it’s well lit. It does all the other rooms but in a crazy scattered way. It will do one room a third of the way, leave to work on something else and then go back and charge for 2 1/2 hours. Then it comes out, rides around over areas it’s already done, finishes the room it didn’t finish before and then goes over other areas that it already did. It gets totally confused and finally I have to manually dock it. It just doesn’t know when to quit. In the end, it does get most of what I need so I’m keeping it but I prefer my iHome Nova robot that I have on the second floor.
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Alice M. Delevati
> 3 dayI purchased the Shark during the after Thanksgiving sales. We did not set it up until New Years and what a great surprise. It works great on my wood floors and has no issues with my area rugs. Ive read that its loud, but its not as loud as a regular vacuum so not sure what one would expect. The only time I hear it is when it emptys when it goes back to its home. We do not have pets so I cannot speak on if it works well with pet hair, but I would not expect it or any other brand to pick up piles of hair. That would be something for your larger vacuum. Overall, its a great buy and would recommend.
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Alex
> 3 dayWorks fantastic on our hardwood floors and carpeted rooms. I dont think Ive had to bust out my old vacuum since getting one of these for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. We have 3 cats that would track around kitty litter and shed everywhere. This vacuum does a fantastic job of keeping our floors clean and comfortable to walk around barefoot on. (I did buy the no tangle rollers since cat hair/human hair was building up on the roller and getting wrapped around it eventually stopping the roller from turning and needing manual intervention. I havent had the no tangle rollers for long so well see if theyre any better than the stock ones) Only complaint is the mapping doesnt work the best. The robot will ignore the no go zones and you have to wipe the map and start over to try to get them to apply. Mapping software could use some work. Also youll want to run these during the day/in a well lit room. Ive tried running them late at night or early in the morning and due to the lack of light they get lost and cant find the docking station. Verdict: Despite the buggy mapping software for no go zones and low light issues I love the fact I no longer have to vaccum!
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Olena
Greater than one weekA great robot vac. Runs on schedule and cleans dog hair everywhere it goes. The only problem I faced was Wi-Fi connecting it while pairing with my phone. It took three attempts to succeed. Now I am just happy it cleans on its own.
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bbzippo
> 3 dayI got it at a large discount and I like the self-emptying feature, so 3 stars. The cleaning performance and coverage are OK, about the same as my 1st generation roomba. The smart features are designed terribly. The creepy eye with an internet connection is a privacy concern and is useless for mapping. Why do you try to map walls while its so much easier to map the working area? You could use cheap ultrasonic radars for that. That would also allow to discover obstacles without bumping into or climbing onto them. When it tries to run over my bare foot, that actually hurts a bit. The map is not utilized for route optimization: robot keeps bumping into walls and ignoring doorways even after it has mapped out the room. It wastes battery while doing that. The docking algorithm is ridiculous - docking can take up to 3 minutes. It cannot climb the raised front edge of its own docking mat.