Robot vacuums are very convenient because they are able to clean automatically. There are also plenty of options out there based on your typical application and the budget to spend, such as Shark IQ Robot Vs Roomba i7 which are offering more features than typical robot vacuums. They are easy to use and the suction power is very reliable but not exactly the same to each other. For those who are considering these vacuums, let’s see below about what they can offer.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- Why Choosing Robot Vacuum
- What are Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7
- How are the Design of Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7
- What are the Cleaning Modes in Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7
- How are the Performance of Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7
- What else Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7 can offer
- Shark IQ Robot Vs Roomba i7
Contents
Robot Vacuums for Convenience
Being an adult we have so many responsibilities and one of them is maintaining the space of our home. None of us want to live in a dirty place because it is just plain uncomfortable but, worry not since nowadays we have plenty of cleaning tools to take advantage of, such as stick vacuum, floor sanitizer, and robot vacuums. Among those, robot vacuums will be one of the most versatile appliances you have around because we don’t have to vacuum the floor manually.
Some people may be hesitant to try a robot vacuum because they tend to be less reliable but they are not meant to be the main vacuum in the house as well and from time to time we will still have to perform deep cleaning or washing the carpet if needed. But, for a daily application, the vacuum is just convenient especially if you have mostly hard flooring in the house. For typical daily use, they can handle both hard and thin carpet very well.
The price we pay for a robot vacuum is their convenience and while not being more powerful than your regular stick or canister vacuums, at least we have something to handle the daily cleaning without having to manually vacuuming it. Another advantage of getting a robot vacuum is the automatic features not only just the navigation but also scheduling function which is usually available in most robots even those in the entry-level range. Scheduling is great because we can let the appliance run almost fully automatically.
What you need to cover is when emptying the canister itself because they are pretty small and can fill up quickly so usually we clean it once a week and when the brush roll gets tangled of something such as strings of hairs. If you have chosen a vacuum with a rolling brush featured with brittles, do expect to see some tangled hair in this part. But, there are options without any motorized brush and even vacuums with self-emptying systems.
Self-emptying system doesn’t mean the vacuum will walk and dump its canister into your waste bin but they have designated charging bases which also hold a special larger canister to keep the dust from the bin attached to the vacuum’s body itself. This way, we don’t have to empty it as often and can only leave it for weeks or as needed before dumping all of the dust and or replacing the dust bag inside. Depending on the system, they can offer some other useful features like wet mop as well.
| Shark IQ Robot | Roomba i7 | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 38.9 x 26.3 x 49.6 inches | 13.34 x 13.26 x 3.63 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 5.87 pounds | 7.44 pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7
If you are already firm in getting a robot vacuum, it is time to see what the market has to offer because we have so many of them. Most robot vacuums have similar performance but it is not always the case and you can find some with higher suction rate or more cleaning mode to choose from. Overall, we do recommend shopping based on what you will need from the vacuums since not all of us will have the same type of flooring.
If this is your first vacuum, it is wise to see what the other similar users are opting for because they will have a high chance to fit in your house too. Among those many companies making robot vacuums in the market, Shark and iRobot are two good brands to consider. They are very different however because we are familiar with Shark as an affordable alternative of many other high-end brands while iRobot often carry some of the most capable robot vacuums ever made as well as costly.
Price can’t tell everything we get from the unit because for example the Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7 are separated by quite a price gap, the former is actually more capable in offering both versatility and convenience for your daily cleaning. Do note that IQ Robot is available in various options, just like the i7 and i7+ so make sure to check what’s included to tell which model you have. For example we are talking about the popular RV1001AE which comes with a self-emptying dock.
You can find the RV1000S as well that uses a smaller self-emptying dock and the RV1001 which doesn’t have the advanced feature and only comes with the regular charging base. What’s so similar about Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7 is they can be used with this feature to help elevate the user-experience and to minimize the amount of time we have to empty the dustbin. The original i7 can use this function too but purchasing the base separately means adding another $249 into the budget. Read also: Shark IQ Robot Vs Roomba i3.
Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7 Design
Before checking what these vacuums can offer, let’s see the unit first and as you can expect, the two are using the same round-design with rotating brush on each side of the half front area; two for Shark and one for Roomba. The brush will spin to make sure it can reach further and allow the dust to get into the cleaning path of the vacuum. In terms of design they are about 3-inch tall so not very thick nor short either; most vacuums are about the same height.
The dust bin is located behind the vacuum and we can remove it easily for cleaning while in the middle is where the cleaning channel is. You can see the vacuums have rolling brush here but have different types of brittles. Roomba has no traditional brittles but a solid rubber brush that is easy to clean. We assume it will prevent tangled hair as well due to lack of narrow space in between the brittles. The top of these vacuums house some buttons for automatic cleaning as well.
Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7 Cleaning Mode
Now for the most important part, let’s see the cleaning mode in Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7. Usually you can choose cleaning mode or suction level in many robot vacuums but between the two only Shark offers the several cleaning modes to clean at Eco, Normal, and Max mode while the latter is automatically adjusting the strength to suit the need. Located in the rolling brush, Roomba has a dirt detection sensor so they probably use this to determine whether the area or spot needs a higher suction power than the rest of the room.
Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7 Performance
As for the performance in cleaning, we do think both vacuums are working really well in making sure your flooring is always clean. But, they are not the same and starting from the hard floor, the Shark seems to struggle in reaching the middle of the floor, probably due to navigation in which Roomba can clean almost completely from the surface. Moving to the larger debris, Shark can’t seem to pick up many of the remains or missing it when on carpet.
On the thicker carpet, Shark is effective here which is surprising since it has been struggling on the low pile but compared to Roomba i7, the latter is much better or overall more effective in cleaning across different surfaces and different debris sizes. But, if your floorings rarely have larger debris or only small dust and not cereal or the kids candies, we do think the two are almost on par with each other. We also want to mention the Shark small dustbin can often get clogged if you have lots of large debris.
Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7 Features
Lastly on the features, both Shark IQ Robot and Roomba i7 are coming with a barrier and self-emptying base. The barrier is more convenient in Roomba as it is electronic and looks nice even if you have to place it on a visible area. The Shark strip barrier however, is like duct tape which can be somehow strange to have around the flooring. As for the self-emptying base, they can do it automatically but do note Roomba use a bag system which means we have to change the bag when emptying it, instead just canister like what Shark uses.
Shark IQ Robot vs Roomba i7
Both of these vacuums are smart and performing really well with some interesting features too. What’s prominently different is suction power because we do think Roomba is more effective across the different flooring especially with larger debris as well as with a better navigation system. While the i7 doesn’t have a suction level mode, it will choose the strength automatically based on the flooring condition which is also very convenient. The drawback besides it being expensive is you need to purchase the self-emptying dock separately which makes the cost even higher, in addition to non-reusable dust bags.
Conclusion
You can choose any of them based on which seems to fit in your preference better but personally we recommend Shark IQ Robot because its price is more affordable for many of us yet, if budget is not a concern, Roomba can offer a more effective cleaning performance.