Shark Ion Robot 750

SharkNinja has been a leader in the vacuum market for twenty years, and it is kind of hard to believe that they haven’t entered the robot vacuum arena until now. But Shark loyalists can finally take a look at their initial entry, the Shark Ion Robot RV 750 (hereafter called the Shark Ion 750).

What’s Good About It

The Shark Ion 750 has a lot of features that recommend it as a good robot vacuum. Let us take a look at some of them.

Robot

The design is sleek, if not original. Circular in shape, the Shark Ion 750 has a black and gray color theme. It is in the standard range of size for many robot vacuums, with the diameter at roughly 12.5 inches and a height of 3.5 inches.

Note: There is a discrepancy in the height of the Shark Ion 750. The SharkNinja page states that the height of the unit is 3.5 inches. However, several users report that it is around 2.6, making it a full inch shorter. This is a fairly big difference, as it could determine where you can use the robot. We have to say that it is probably best to go with the company specs in this case.

There are only three buttons on the top of the unit, and it would be very hard to find this confusing. One button tells the unit to spot clean, another starts a general clean, and the third sends the unit back to its dock. Really, it does not get much simpler than that.

The dustbin is easily removable, which allows for quick emptying. And because of the size of the bin, you will be emptying it a lot! (See the “What Needs Work” section for more on the dustbin). The Shark Ion 750 comes with a special cleaning tool that will keep the HEPA filter clean. When you remove the dustbin to empty it, use the tool to give the filter an extra brush to ensure more quality cleaning from your unit.

Maneuverability and Cleaning

The round shape of the Shark Ion 750 does allow for maneuverability. The wheels are on the sides and have a strong rubber grip. This combo of placement and material gives the robot the ability to go from vinyl or hardwood floors to carpet without much effort.

Brush System

The Shark Ion 750 has a dual-side brush system that has bristles positioned in a double-helix pattern. This enables a more thorough cleaning of the floor. The super spin movement of the side brushes removes the debris and crumbs from your floor, pushing them closer the vent, where there is a large, self-maintaining brush roll that finishes pushing the debris into the suction area.

The dual brush system also has what SharkNinja calls “detangling technology,” which essentially means that it can loosen, untangle and release long thin pieces of debris like string or long hair

Note: Even the larger brush is called “self-maintaining,” this doesn’t mean that you get to skip any required maintenance. You should always make sure that maintenance is performed at the proper intervals. This is the best way to ensure the longevity of your machine.

Sensors

Like pretty much all robot vacuums, the Shark Ion 750 uses multiple sensors to detect dirt. Additional sensors tell the robot when it is close to stairs, or a threshold that has a marked difference in height. Theoretically, these will keep your robot from tumbling over a markedly raised edge.

There are even more sensors that allow detection of obstacles (pets, toys, children). The sensors communicate the object to the unit, and the unit turns to (hopefully) avoid the obstacles. As with any piece of electronic machinery, the sensors are not completely infallible, but it is an improvement over the older “bump into anything and just keep running” methods of initial models.

BotBoundaries

SharkNinja also has a unique way of giving you the opportunity to further control your robot. The Shark Ion 750 comes with a 9-foot long boundary strip and two connectors. You can cut the boundary strip to size with a pair of scissors, and place it where you do not want the unit to enter, like a child’s play room (who wants to fight the robot for Legos?)

You can use the connectors (called BotBoundary connectors) to form angles as well. This can be useful when protecting a playpen, around pet food dishes, or anywhere else you want to keep “off limits” to your vacuum.

Cleaning Tests

Some users have run their own cleaning tests in addition to allowing the Shark Ion 750 to vacuum their rooms. Looking at their results allows us to see the strengths and weaknesses of the suction power of the unit.

First, it must be said that the Shark Ion 750 has great reviews when it comes to avoiding cords, shoes and other such obstacles. This makes it stand out a little from the pack. It also did well with bigger debris, like oat cereal, on all types of flooring. Unfortunately, it did not do as well on finer materials like sugar or sawdust.

It also performed better on vinyl and hardwood than it did on carpeting, but this seems to be the norm for many robot vacuums. It appears that the brushes that sweep well on harder surfaces do not always have the flexibility to dig deeper into carpets. (More on its vacuum capabilities in the “What Needs Work” section).

SharkClean

As mentioned, the Shark Ion 750can be controlled via voice activation through your smartphone. Search for the term “SharkClean” in the App Store or on Google Play, and it should take you to the Shark ION ROBOT app. Download the app, and then take a look at the features. As long as you are connected to Wi-Fi, you should be able to complete all of the following.

From the app, you can stop or start a cleaning session, tell the robot to return to its dock, or (if it’s lost) locate it using the find button. There is also a spot mode function on the app. This causes the robot to move in a circular motion in small area to vacuum up dirt. This can come in handy if you have a smaller spill that needs to be cleaned quickly.

There are many other convenient features of the app. You can set it up so that you receive alerts for events like when the robot begins and ends a scheduled cleaning, or when it needs maintenance. You can also view the charge level of the battery from the app, as well as setting up a cleaning schedule by time and day.

In addition to scheduling your Shark Ion 750 through the app, you can also pair it to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. It is a simple set up that will enable you to instruct your robot using voice controls. Some of the commands you can give are to ask for a status update, start or stop a clean, or tell the worker bot to go back to its dock.

What Needs Work

As you can see, there is quite a bit to like about the Shark Ion 750. However, there are some issues that should be mentioned

Navigation

One complaint about the Shark Ion 750 is that it does not have the mapping features that other makes and models have. This may be true, but it must be pointed out is that across the market, most models at this level do not have the mapping. You would have to go up a few models to find that feature with any robot vacuum.

Because there is no mapping feature, the cleaning pattern of the Shark Ion 750 could probably described as erratic. When many people use a regular vacuum, they have a tendency to do small patches of carpet at a time, moving on section by section. The Shark Ion 750 will go in a straight line until something gets in its way, whether it is a wall or a chair – then it will switch directions.

Some users report that this seemingly haphazard pattern does not thoroughly clean floors, because the robot may pass over the same area a few times, while missing other areas. This could very well be due to obstacles that are not allowing the Shark Ion 750 to reach every section that needs cleaned.

Wi-Fi Connection

This model is very new on the market. With any new product, there are going to be bugs, especially when it comes to wireless technology. The Shark Ion 750 relies almost exclusively on Wi-Fi for operation, so if this isn’t working properly and consistently, it could be a major issue.

There have been several reports of Wi-Fi connectivity problems both with initial connection and staying connected. This makes it extremely inconvenient, as you will not be able to do any scheduling of your Shark Ion 750; all cleaning sessions will have to be manually initiated.

The other bad thing about this is that you may not actually notice this unless you check the app or realize that it missed a cleaning session. On the surface, it may not seem like a big deal to have to schedule sessions manually.

But if you were having guests over for dinner, and had previously scheduled sessions through the app to be completed while you were at work, only to find that the Wi-Fi had disconnected and nothing was cleaned…that could be very frustrating.

It cannot be stressed enough: the connection between the app and the unit itself is through Wi-Fi, and not through a cellular network. The features on the app will only work if both are connected to Wi-Fi. However, it does not need to be the same Wi-Fi.

Theoretically, you could give your Shark Ion 750 instructions if you were out running errands and connected to public Wi-Fi. But if you do not want to connect another device to your Wi-Fi at home, then the app will be useless to you, and you will be starting all cleaning sessions manually.

 Bin and Base

The Shark Ion 750 has an extremely small dustbin. According to the specs on the SharkNinja page, it is 0.45 quarts. This means that you will be constantly emptying the dustbin, probably even often in the middle of a cycle.

The base unit is something else that must be taken into consideration when purchasing a robot vacuum. You need to make sure that you have the recommended amount of space so that the unit itself can both leave and enter the dock properly.

According to the specifications on the SharkNinja website, the dock needs a clearance of 3 feet on either side of the unit and 5 feet in front of the unit. This is a lot of clearance space for a relatively small base. The base unit also needs to remain plugged in at all times. Finding an unobtrusive area near an electrical outlet with that much clearance could prove to be challenging.

Suction Power

This is probably the most disappointing area. Since SharkNinja is a leader in the traditional vacuum market, one would expect the actual vacuum performance of the Shark Ion 750 to be stellar. Unfortunately, from many accounts, it falls short.

Keeping up and eliminating pet hair is probably one of the leading reasons that people choose a robot vacuum, and if it can’t adequately clean pet hair, then adjustments need to be made. This seems to be the case with the Shark Ion 750.

Several users report that the robot often misses picking up pet hair, as well as other small bits of paper and debris both on hard floors and carpet. The irony is that the brush could remain tangle-free solely because it cannot pick up debris that would tangle it.

It should be noted that the Shark Ion 750 seemed to have difficulty extracting out dirt and debris from both high pile and low pile carpets. This could be because of the fixed brushes not having the flexibility to really dig deep enough to give a thorough cleaning.

In addition, there were several reports of smaller particle debris (such as kitty litter) remaining stuck in various places of the robot itself. In these cases, using the additional brush accessory to clean the debris might be a quick remedy, but one would hope that the debris would remain contained in the dustbin itself.

Customer Service

Surprisingly, this is the number one complaint from customers who have already purchased the Shark Ion 750. SharkNinja works on a tiered system – the more detailed or on-going the complaint, the more the complainant moves up the tier levels.

Details of customer service issues range from customer service agents at a top tier level saying that the problem was beyond their understanding, to not returning calls after a complaint is left. This seems inexcusable from a company that has been in the vacuum business for a good amount of time.

To Sum Up

This is a decent unit, and not bad for a first entry, but it does have some growing pains to go through to truly compete in the robot vacuum market.

Pros

• Voice control options for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
• Does well avoiding obstacles like power cords
• Self-cleaning brushroll
• Detangling technology
• Multiple accessories

Cons

• Does not map the rooms.
• Wi-Fi connectivity issues
• Vacuum suction not up to par with SharkNinja standards
• Poor customer service

FAQ

• Q: How much does the unit weigh?
• A: The Shark Ion 750 weighs 6.6 pounds.

• Q: What are the dimensions?
• A: The Shark Ion 750 is 12.4” in length x 12.6” wide x 3.5” high.

• Q: What is the battery type?
• A: Lithium Ion

• Q: Will I need to charge it before its first use, or can I use it right out of the box?
• A: Shark recommends that the battery be charged for up to 3 hours before its initial run.

• Q: How long will the battery last?
• A: Battery life is roughly 60 minutes, depending on what type of floors it is working on and how much debris it is picking up. Longer battery life occurs when it is on hard floors.

• Q: How long does it take to recharge?
• A: It takes three hours for the Shark Ion 750 to fully charge.

• Q: How long will it take for the Shark Ion 750 to clean a room?
• A: Each cleaning session is about an hour. The amount of time it takes also depends on the size of the room and the amount of dirt in the room.

• Q: Is the bin in the robot dishwasher safe?
• A: No, it needs to be hand rinsed, using warm water. The filter cannot be rinsed, so before cleaning the bin, the filter must be removed. Allow the bin to dry completely before reinstalling the filter and returning the bin to the robot unit.

• Q: Does the Shark Ion 750 come with a warranty?
• A: It comes with a one year limited warranty.

• What is covered under the warranty?
• The original unit and/or non-wearable components deemed defective at SharkNinja’s discretion.

• Q: How long will the Shark Ion 750 last?
• A: This is impossible to predict, as degree of usage is different for everyone. If you follow the company’s guidelines for care, especially when it comes to maintaining and replacing filters and other parts, you should be able to enjoy your Shark Ion 750 for at least a few years.