© Lemon squeezer
Dubious, that's the right word. For a long time, robot vacuum cleaners were imposing objects to me, not very graceful and a bit stupid. Imagining them walking around bumping into walls, doors or anything that might have been lying around on the floor made me, at best, gently laugh, at worst feel sorry for them…
Except that in 2024, opportunity made the thief. By moving in with my dear and tender into a larger apartment, the Sunday cleaning chore no longer had the same flavor. Finished the maintenance of my small studio, now I had 70 m2 of floor, nooks, tiles, carpets and hair (!) to clean weekly.
So when Romain, my editor-in-chief, suggested I test one of these machines, I finally accepted. As he pointed out to me with a smile: “Who better than a skeptic like you to talk honestly to our readers about it?”.
Before having a little tête-à-tête with the Shark PowerDetect Pro, I wanted, as a good layman, to learn a little more about these machines.
Sometimes getting out of your comfort zone a little helps you fall asleep feeling less stupid. That's what I told myself after studying the robot vacuum cleaner market. So I learned three things that I had never known.
The first is that it is a sector that is already almost 20 years old… Indeed, the first models were marketed in France at the beginning of the 2000s. Well before the release of the first iPhone, it was already possible to find tests of old robot vacuum cleaners on old robotics enthusiast sites. Including that of the famous Roomba by iRobot, considered the first consumer product.
© cuk.ch
The second is that the technological curve of these products has not been exponential. At least not at the beginning. For example, it was not until 2010 that the first product, the Neato Robotics XV-11, used a laser rangefinder to map rooms. Later, around 2014-2015, the first models finally began to benefit from a dedicated application to control them. At first, this essentially allowed the vacuum to be activated and programmed remotely.
Similarly, the stations have long been reduced to the bare minimum. In other words, dedicated to the load. It was only around 2018-2019 that they began to evolve by offering, for example, automatic emptying functions for dirty water or dust tanks.
Then, in 2020, the technological acceleration took place. Since then, models have been equipped with AI, it is possible to control them by voice, they can often clean and wash at the same time or even raise themselves to overcome obstacles.
© Neato Robotics
Finally, last useful information: Covid has, as in many sectors tech, redistributed many cards. In terms of competition first of all. Previously a few pioneering brands shared this niche market. We think of iRobot, Samsung, Dyson or Rowenta.
< p>Recently, Chinese players like Roborock, Dreame and Ecovacs have been flocking to the French market. Thanks to strong sales in their domestic market, these brands can invest massively in R&D and reduce their production costs. This allows them to offer innovative products at an unbeatable price-quality ratio. And in the middle of this beautiful world is Shark. An American brand that has decided to come and clean up in France from 2021.
Samsung made a big splash this year by introducing the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo. The first robot vacuum cleaner with a floor-mopping function “steam”. ©Samsung
Above all, Covid has helped boost sales. Since 2020, they have doubled, reaching around 450,000 units in France by 2023. And while this may still seem a bit paltry compared to other products that equip our homes, all brands are rather confident. They are counting on a penetration rate of 30% in French homes by 2030. While it is “only” 10% at the time of writing.
Let's get back to our thief of the day. As is often the case in the household appliance sector, he has an incomprehensible name. I named the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1 self-emptying, self-filling and self-cleaning robot vacuum and mop RV2800ZEEU. Which we will simply call Shark PowerDetect Pro from now on.
A smart station to be forgotten
Not used to the size of these machines, I found the charging station a little imposing when unpacking. Finally, after a few comparisons, it is in line with what Roborock does with its S8 Max V Ultra or Dreame with its X40 Ultra. During the first installation, which turned out to be quite simple, I was able to discover one of the big assets of the Shark PowerDetect Pro. Its station was designed to make our lives easier.
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Indeed , the latter combines three automatic functions: emptying, filling and drying. In other words, after each cleaning, the robot returns to its base to deposit the vacuumed dirt and dirty water. Then, the base cleans the mop, dries it and refills the vacuum cleaner so it is ready for the next time.
© Lemon squeezer
In total, thanks to the tank of about 2 liters, I was able to use it for almost a month and a half, at a rate of two passes per week. And to avoid any incongruous smells, the user must integrate an anti-odor capsule into the station. If like me you are sometimes a little mysophobic, this station will be ideal.
A tightrope walker who avoids obstacles
This has always been my biggest apprehension about robot vacuum cleaners. What's the point of using one if it's only to find it stuck under a piece of furniture ? I also always told myself that the time spent removing all the obstacles before washing was like doing the washing yourself. But that was before.
With its ingenious automatic lifting function, the Shark PowerDetect Pro is able to lift itself 20 mm. This means it can easily straddle cables and small obstacles. That's not all, this tightrope walking ability also has an advantage on carpets and rugs. During the wash cycle, it protects them better because it doesn't get them wet.
In fact, during the first mapping, it asks us to indicate the rooms where the carpets are located in order to better adapt its cycles. Of course, sometimes we have to help him a little by putting away a few chairs… However, apart from that, we have never seen him get confused for too long. At least, not when we were there to watch him.
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Mapping, by the way, let's talk about it! It is done quite quickly during the first use thanks to a laser rangefinder that scans your interior at 360°. And on the 71 m2 of our “6 rooms”, the Shark PowerDetect Pro produced a plan of approximately 62 m2. Which is quite logical when you remove spaces such as the toilet, the bathtub, the wardrobe or even the Christmas tree. On this subject, it is of course possible to carry out this mapping as many times as possible if the arrangement of your furniture changes.
Top suction even in corners
That’s all well and good, but the most important thing with a robot vacuum cleaner is its cleaning capacity. On this point, the suction of the Shark PowerDetect Pro rather convinced me. With a power of 650 Watts, it always did its job well. No more hair on the bathroom floor, no more crumbs near the sofa or under the dining table.
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J' I was particularly surprised by its “Edge Detect” technology, which dislodges tiny debris from corners using small jets of air. Likewise, it is able to recognize the type of floor and thus adjust its suction power.
Another interesting fact: when it detects a particularly dusty area, it increases the number of times it passes. A feature that the American manufacturer soberly calls “Dirt Detect”. Which shows that the on-board technologies, touted with great marketing ploys by manufacturers, are not always just a bluff.
A cleaning that sometimes lacks elbow grease
For cleaning, the Shark PowerDetect Pro is equipped with a vibrating mop. Thus, it leaves a tiny layer of water in its path to better polish the floors. On parquet flooring, which makes up the vast majority of my apartment, it is very effective. On tile, however, it had more difficulty tackling the toughest stains, especially in the kitchen.
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I grant you, I cook like a slut, but still… On the big marks on the floor, which normally require a good wipe with a sponge or mop, it didn't work miracles.
Will it exist there will one day be robots to clean the dust on robot vacuum cleaners ? © Presse-citron
Another thing had also somewhat disconcerted me during its first three cleanings. While I followed him like the eye of Moscow, he sometimes tended to forget small areas in the rooms. Nothing serious, nor very big, but he did not return to them afterwards. In his defense, I I noticed that after a month, he was gradually improving on this point. I then understood that you had to be a little patient for a robot vacuum cleaner to fully appropriate its execution zones.
A perfectible application…
To control my new roommate, I used the Shark Clean app. Quite simple to use, it offers the essentials: the choice of rooms to clean, the programming of cleanings via scenarios and the possibility of targeting a specific area. At the end of each cycle, a small report of the cleaned surface is sent to us.
It is possible to give a little name to your product, for me it was Swiffer…© Presse-citron
Despite this, in my opinion this application lacks a few little coquetries. By going to dig into the tests of my colleagues, I realized that some models offered a 3D view. On others, I could have adjusted the water flow for cleaning or the suction power via a gauge.
Last complaint: I was never able to remotely restart it in its cleaning cycle. Let me explain. One Sunday, I went for a walk and started the Shark PowerDetect Pro. After a good hour of cleaning, it had finished its suction and almost its washing cycle. However, it had to regain some strength before finishing one last room. It then goes to its station and the application tells me that it will only resume its work after three hours of charging.
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Or a little hour near a socket would have been enough. And at the moment , I was unable to restart it remotely, even though it had recovered nearly 60% of its battery at one point in the afternoon. As a result, I had to activate it manually by coming home in the evening via his buttons so that he can finish his work. While having to avoid it…
A too much autonomy just…
This was something I hadn’t really looked into beforehand, but I should have. Shark robot vacuums don’t shine when it comes to battery life. In my case, it was never able to complete a full vacuuming and cleaning cycle on the 62 m2 mapped out of my home.
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Generally at After 1h30, it reaches 15% battery and then returns to its base to regain strength. And as said before, it takes about 3 hours to fully charge. Which is not extremely long for me, but the fact that it is impossible to Relaunching it remotely before this term is again quite problematic…
< p>Has Shark's most premium robot vacuum managed to change my mind about these devices?? In a good Norman answer, yes and no.
Let’s start with the positive. I was quite surprised to see what the most advanced robot vacuum cleaners were capable of in 2024. They are intelligent and reliable products that clearly help us to relieve ourselves of certain household chores. The Shark PowerDetect Pro is agile, its automatic docking station makes life easier and its suction is devilishly efficient. I only had to look at the clumps of hair and dust that it collected to quickly convince myself.
However, it is important to understand that a robot vacuum cleaner is not yet able to completely relieve you of the responsibility of cleaning your floors. It is a good addition, but not a replacement. And I do not seem to be the only one of this opinion. According to GIFAM (interprofessional group of manufacturers of household appliances and equipment), “currently, 90% of buyers still use another completely corded or sled vacuum cleaner”.
To conclude, let's obviously talk about the price. Today, the price of these robots varies between 300 and 1500 euros. The Shark PowerDetect Pro is on the middle line with an introductory price of 799 euros. A significant investment that will be profitable in my opinion in two scenarios. For a city apartment of less than 80m2 or for the ground floor of a house. Especially if you have a dog or cat.
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