Shark ION Robot 720

Shark ION Robot 720 by Shark Ninja is one of the best and cheapest robot vacuum models for domestic use. With ideal navigation, cleaning power and reliability this vacuum cleaner will keep your house spotless even if you are not around thanks to the scheduling feature it comes with. It does not come with features like Wi-Fi and smart assistant compatibility but for basic domestic use, I doubt you will find a better robot cleaner. In this Shark ION Robot 720 review, we will explain every feature and specification in detail so that you can choose whether the products work for you or not.

Shark ION Robot 720 review

Overall impression

Before we get into the specifics, an overall impression of the product is a must. You don’t necessarily need a robot vacuum that features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, recharge and resume, app control, Google Home or Alexa connectivity, etc. All these features are a plus but also considerably increase the price of your robot vacuum.

This Shark ION Robot 720 comes with dual-edge cleaning technology which ensures none of the dust and debris is left. The robot can also efficiently clean pet hair with its self-cleaning brush rolls. The best part is, the company claims that the vacuum filters all the allergens from the atmosphere. You might have heard many robot vacuum manufacturers say all this but thanks to powerful suction, high-performance brushes, and smart navigational skills this Shark ION 720 delivers everything it claims.

The robot vacuum cleaner is also very straightforward when it comes to operation. Although it lacks advanced features such as Wi-Fi connectivity and smart assistant, the Shark ION Robot 720 vacuum comes with a remote control that makes it easy to set a schedule.

The hand remote it comes with makes things a lot easier since turning the robot on and scheduling it becomes more convenient.

This was all about the overview, let move on to the detailed Shark ION Robot 720 reviews.

Cleaning ability

This Shark RV720 robotic vacuum cleaner can be easily termed as the best robot vacuum cleaner when it comes to keeping your house spotless at all times. For the sake of comparison, it works the same as Roomba in most cases and might I say, better than Roomba in some. Yes! You heard me right. Shark Ninja has outdone itself with the Shark 720.

Even though it does not feature advanced specifications like scanning a room and creating a detailed map, it does have a good enough system to plan a cleaning path. As far as the navigation is concerned, the robot sometimes seems a little confused. It might clean the same spot twice, leave some areas dirty and move on but come back later to clean it up. This semi-random method of cleaning might bothersome but if you look at other amazing features and specifications, this is something that can be ignored easily.

Anyhow, despite the robot’ semi-random movements, it can clean a large area in less than an hour without missing any spots. As long as you are getting the task done, who cares how was it done right?

The Shark ION Robot 720 comes with a set of three brushes for rigorous cleaning. The main brush roll is the largest one that is responsible for capturing pet hair, dust, debris, and most importantly allergens. Since the brush is self-cleaning, you don’t have to worry about it leaving the collected dust and debris at other places. The pet hair will not clog the vacuum cleaner either thanks to the main brush roll’s hexagonal self-cleaning bristles.

Apart from the main brush roll, we have two other side brushes that move in an anti-clockwise and clockwise direction to collect the debris, dust, pet hair and everything else and throw it in the main brush roll’s path. Since the robot is in a circular shape, reaching the edges of furniture and walls can get pretty difficult. However, with the help of these side brushes everything on the floor whether it is on the edges of walls, furniture, under the fridge or on the carpet, will be collected and sucked out. Both the side brushes have a variable-length which ensures nothing is left behind.

Related: Shark ION 750 review

As compared to other robotic vacuum cleaners the Shark ION 720 has a larger bin that does not need cleaning in between the cleaning operation unless the place is extremely dirty. On the downside, we don’t have a full bin indicator which can be slightly inconvenient as the user will have to check manually whether the dustbin has filled or not.

The best part about this robotic vacuum cleaner’s cleaning is that it is very quiet as compared to other vacuum cleaners. The cleaning ability is pretty impressive for the price tag this vacuum offers.

Apart from the impressive cleaning ability, this vacuum cleaner comes with two different cleaning modes that can be selected using the remote control. If you turn on the vacuum cleaner without selecting a mode, the auto mode will be selected which means the robot itself will decide what kind of cleaning the area needs. It might increase the suction for cleaning a certain spot or while going over a soft surface like a carpet.

The second mode you can opt for is the spot mode which is especially useful in case you spill something or if somebody comes in with dirty feet. Once the spot mode is activated the robot moves in the same spot spiraling until the area with concentrated dirt is not properly cleaned.

Navigation

Continuing our Shark ION Robot 720 review, let’s take a closer look at one of the important criteria for evaluating robot vacuum cleaners – a navigation system.

The navigation for this robotic vacuum, as already discussed, is not as good as the other expensive robot vacuums. It tends to weave around the room moving around in random paths rather than a calculated path since the mapping and scanning system of the Shark ION Robot 720 is not as advanced. However, while moving around furniture and other obstacles it keeps itself safe.

The Shark 720 comes with proximity sensors which means it can detect obstacles and dirt around it. But it should be said that, unlike the iRobot Roomba 890, which has high-level Dirt Detect Technology, Shark robot vacuum did not always manage to find the most polluted spots. Another benefit of the proximity sensor is that you don’t have to move around your furniture while the robot is doing its job. It can sense the furniture and will clean around it if it cannot go underneath it. However, if you want to clean under a piece of furniture that is lower than the robot’s height, you will have to move it, because that is the only workaround.

The vacuum comes with a set of magnetic strips that can be used to notify the robots regarding the no go zones. Hence, if you have a piece of furniture where you think the robot will get stuck in your absence you can use one of the magnetic strips to create a boundary.

These magnetic strips for navigation come in 9 feet roll that can be cut out in any length you want, the maximum length for cutting a magnetic strip piece 18 inches. These strips are ideal for using around low lying furniture, kid’s area, work desk where there are cables, etc.

Moving on to the stairs, Shark Ninja was thoughtful enough to equip the vacuum with cliff sensors which prevent the robot from tumbling down the stairs. The cliff sensors incorporated in the vacuum help in detecting high areas or potential areas from which the robot can fall and damage itself. Thank these sensors all such areas and places are avoided.

Last but not least is finding the robot’s own docking station. In many cases, while going to recharge itself, robot vacuums get lost while finding their docking station and lose charge on their way. Not the case when it comes to Shark RV720. The robot almost never loses its way to the docking station. As soon as the robot detects a low battery it starts moving towards the docking station. It can also be manually set to the docking station by pressing a button on the remote.

All the sensors combined help the robot to turn around in case it bumps into something or detects a cliff. The navigation system is called Smart Sensor Navigation by the manufacturing company.

Scheduling

One of the features that most robot vacuum cleaners of the same range especially Roomba vacuums don’t have is scheduling. If you are someone who stays out of the house a lot or goes on vacations often, you will benefit most from this feature especially if you don’t like coming back to a dirty home.

The robot does not connect to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or smart home assistants; hence the scheduling is pretty basic and easy. All you have to do is select the date and time via the remote control and leave the rest on the Shark 720. Different cleaning times for one day can be selected as well. Moreover, if you want to view your scheduling you can do that via the remote as well.

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Since the vacuum does not come with charge and resume feature, in case the battery time runs out in between a cleaning session, unfortunately, the cleaning will be left in between, which is a bummer… But to be on the safe side, you can schedule two cleaning sessions of 3 hours each, making sure the vacuum is fully charged for the second session.

It comes with a mediocre 2550 mAh Li-Ion battery which works unsurprisingly well with this vacuum cleaner since it does not have any advanced features. Once fully charged the vacuum can keep cleaning for a little more than an hour and takes 3 hours to charge because it lacks support for fast charging.

Filter and accessories

One of the most important features of any vacuum cleaner whether manual or robot is the filter since it decides how much dirt, dust, and allergens will be filtered out. This vacuum cleaner comes with a replaceable HEPA filter. Unfortunately, the package does not contain an extra filter which means you have to purchase it every now and then. The manufacturer recommends changing your HEPA filter every 2 months but if you decide to properly clean and wash your filter every week, you will be able to stretch the filter’s life to six months.

Moving on to the accessories we get in Shark ION 720’s package. The accessories are:

• Two side brushes
• The charging dock
• 9’ of Bot Boundary strips
• One HEPA filter
• RC with batteries
• The quick starting guide and the product manual

The product comes dismantled i.e. the side brushes are not connected to the vacuum’s body and need to be done by the user.

Maintenance

Maintaining the Shark ION Robot 720 is fairly easy as compared to other vacuum cleaners. To ensure the bin does not get full during the cleaning session and to prevent premature loss of suction, you need to clean the bin after every cleaning session. It is not a compulsion but makes your task easier. Cleaning the bin in between a cleaning session is nothing short of inconvenience. You can easily clean the bin with a cloth or wash it with cold water and leave it to dry out.

Also, the filter will need cleaning every now and then. If you want your filter to last and if you want all kinds of dust and allergens to be filtered out, you need to ensure that the filter is clean at all times.

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Moreover, even though the brushes are self-cleaning due to the bristle construction and arrangement, it is a good idea to clean the brushes with a toothbrush or something similar to get out any stuck hair or dust.

Another thing that needs regular cleaning is the front wheel of the robot. It comes in contact with a lot of dust and debris hence, there is a huge chance that it has bundles of hair and debris accumulated. The manual has instructions for removing the wheel and cleaning it. Follow the instructions and you are good to go.

Final thoughts

Shark ION 720 is one of the best and most efficient robot vacuums in the market. Its exceptional cleaning abilities makes it a favorite for many consumers. It might lack a few advanced features but for the given price, the manufacturer has outdone itself. In this Shark ION Robot 720 review, we have done our best to explain each and every feature of this top-notch vacuum cleaner. If you are a newbie to the world of robot vacuum cleaners, be rest assured, this vacuum cleaner will not disappoint you.