Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Shark ION Robot isn't perfect yet but it bested my Roomba in pure cleaning ability. I have the similarly priced Roomba 805, and while I found it to have friendlier beeps and gentler double rollers (both in sound and tangles) it doesn't clean nearly as well as the Shark and I'm often picking up hairballs that the Roomba rolled up and left behind. The Shark has more of a retro video game rather than R2D2 style beeping, and its roller makes a gentle chugging sound (even in quiet mode). It's also missing a built in handle... so you have to carry it like a turtle from the edges of its shell. However the Shark Ion collects and holds so much more dirt, and it opens from the larger side of the dust bin, so it's easier to review/dump out the debris. It has 2 side brushes (rather than one) to usher debris into it's suction roller and has a perfectly flat low profile to help it get under chairs and tables. I especially liked that the Shark also connects to the phone and Alexa (e.g. "Alexa Shark Robot Start") so I don't have to bend over, or even be home, to Start, Stop or Dock it. It's also very easy to maintain with all snap in parts and easy to remove rollers. In the video I set up a buffet for my two robot friends, you can see the Roomba starts off gently in little circles and the Shark goes straight ahead and eats up both it's and the Roomba's debris. The debris consisted of large cereal, straw and cat nip (which may have been a mistake since it attracted the cats in the video). You should be able to hear the sound differences, although neither robot was loud enough to concern the cats which are afraid of traditional vacuums. You can also see the algorithms for the Shark are much more like a pool ball...going straight and ricocheting off of an edge vs the circular minesweeper roots of the Roomba. I'm not sure which is better overall, but I do like the predictable nature of the Shark. It makes it a lot easier to point it at a mess and let it go to town. Finally, it ended up cleaning the dirt on the welcome rug and a hair ball left behind by the Roomba after the recording ended, very impressive. PROS: + CLEANING POWER - with 3 power levels + Remote access via APP/ALEXA + Double side brushes + Huge capacity and easy to dump + Goes straight rather than circles, making it easier to predict CONS: - Noisier than Roomba... although not enough to frighten cats - Can't control it like a remote control car from the app - No handle to carry it by MIXED: > It uses a physical strip rather than a lighthouse style barrier. The strip is a durable, thin, heavy, flat and a neutral dark brown. You can cut it and use the included angle connectors to make shapes out of it too. However, you will have to put it in place if you want to block an area from your robot... This means setting it up each time or leaving it in place (especially if you want to start it remotely). On the plus side, you don't have to worry about knowing where an invisible beam is actually pointing or if the batteries will die. I personally don't use it at all and just close any doors or put a heavy object in the way of any area I want the robot to stay out of. OVERALL: If you want great cleaning and good remote functionality than the Shark R85 is hard to beat at this price point. I'm sure they'll improve with later revisions (more manual control, quieter roller, and maybe a better barrier system), but this one cleans better way more than the simple maintenance cleanings of my Roomba, so I'm going to highly recommend it.