Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop With NeverTouch Base Clean up has never been such a pain since the advent of the robot vacuums. All vacuuming and mopping is taken care of by these devices, leaving us much time for anything else. Among the strongest of brands under the vacuum category is Shark, which now introduces us to this thing called Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop, a promise in itself for taking the cleaning experience with a robot to the next level. With its unique features, which include an automatic mopping plate that automatically disengages when vacuuming and a quirky ability to climb over obstacles, PowerDetect is well equipped to combat some of the nagging issues that have come to be associated with robot vacs.
But does this robot really deliver on such promises? That is what we will find out in this detailed review of Shark PowerDetect’s features, performance, as well as weak points, trying to confirm if it’s worth the $1,000 price point.
Introduction
Manufacturers struggle to stand out in the market of robot vacuums. They’ve done everything from smart IOT integration to asking Alexa and Google Assistant to turn them on to trying to change the game. The Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop wants to do just that – to fill two major pain points for users: cleaning carpets without dragging a dirty mop across them and with small obstacles that can trap a vacuum.
The Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 robot has the docking station which makes for a hassle-free cleaning experience as when you are changing from mopping to vacuuming, it automatically empties the bin and detaches the mop plate. Do these innovative features make it an easy, hands-off automatic cleaner for the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1?
In this review, we would talk about the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1’s performance with such common dirty spots in the house, how good it works on regular cleaning and what might they be in the future.
Design and Setup
A Sleek, User-Friendly Design
The Shark PowerDetect is a slim design that lets it blend well with your home’s aesthetic. It’s compact in size, with the main unit being 18 inches tall by 14.7 inches wide. It docks to a base station that houses clean water and dirty water tanks, a small 0.33-litre dustbin, as well as an odor-neutralizer capsule.
Refreshingly simple setup process. Really slimming the floor area around the docking station, and Shark’s app steps you through the process of connecting the vacuum to your Wi-Fi network. The app even offers a list of funny names to give your vacuum; mine’s named “Steve McClean.”
Quick Pre-Clean Mapping
Once you connect the vacuum, it starts pre-cleaning mapping to know your home. The map it creates is not perfectly accurate but fine enough to make it know the path of your rooms. Though the accuracy of the map isn’t correct, yet its flaw does not impact the efficiency of cleaning.
Smart Features: Mop & Vacuum Combo
A Dual-Function Cleaning Machine
What is most striking about the Shark PowerDetect is that it both vacuums and mops. Many robot vacuums with wet mopping features do not transition well from hard floors to carpets as they tend to drag the wet mop across the rugs and carpets. The Shark PowerDetect solution to this problem is the auto-detaching mop plate; it rises out of the way for cleaning mode.
This means that you do not need to switch between various modes or change your cleaning path depending on the flooring type, and the vacuum will essentially switch from hardwood to carpet without leaving behind any moisture, providing a better clean for multisurface floors.
Vacuum and Mop Modes
The Shark PowerDetect is equipped with various modes-between vacuuming and mopping. There are two types of vacuuming modes: standard cleaning and deep cleaning, suited for regular maintenance or in areas with more dirt and debris.
Its water tank is mounted on the mop plate, which mops by releasing water from its onboard tank onto the mop pad. Then it lets you scrub the floor. The mop plate is good, but not so much for heavy scrubbing; it is really meant for light spills and easy maintenance mopping.
Handling Obstacles: Booty Hitch Feature
Dealing with Ledges and Rugs
Probably the biggest nuisance about robot vacuums is their tendancy to get stuck over seemingly trivial items: the rugs, door thresholds, or uneven flooring. Shark addresses this issue with what I call the “booty hitch” feature, where the vacuum lifts its body and hitched itself over small obastacles.
The first time you see it in action, it’s almost comical, but it works. It really does make sense for area rugs or small ledges in homes because it doesn’t let the vacuum hang itself out to dry mid-clean. That ability to navigate the household without human intervention is one of the biggest highlights of Shark PowerDetect.
Cleaning Performance
A Solid Performer for Everyday Messes
On the cleaning front, the Shark PowerDetect really shines. It picks up pet hair, crumbs from meals, or even sand that accompanies someone coming into the house very well. Two kids and two dogs in my home made it a test environment, I’d say, for cleaning devices, and the Shark passed the test.
Handling Different Types of Dirt
The vacuum is fantastic with fine particles such as dust, sand, or pet hair. As for larger pieces of debris, it can still pick them up, but anything over half an inch—like wood chips or big food crumbs—sometimes misses out. This is typical for a robot, and so you’ll need to adjust your expectations beforehand if the floors tend to get cluttered with these larger items.
The mop function is handy to keep floors clean but unfortunately, it can not take care of dried spills or stickier messes for cleaning. It performs well in a light mop operation after vacuuming to complete the process by giving your floors a good finish.
DirtDetect Technology: Does it Work?
A Good Concept with Flaws
The Shark DirtDetect technology is supposed to help detect the dirtiest areas and concentrate cleaning attention in these places, making the vacuum even more efficient with its focus on the dirtest spots in your house.
Unfortunately, it did not work as good as I had expected. Every time I started to use the vacuum, I got an error message that the DirtDetect sensors are dirty. Although all visible sensors at the vacuum were cleaned, the issue did not disappear, and thus I wasn’t able to test this feature fully in advance, and its general effectiveness is still unclear.
Auto-Empty Function: Does It Deliver?
The NeverTouch Docking Station Disappoints
One of the big pluses for the Shark PowerDetect is its NeverTouch docking station. This is supposed to empty the vacuum’s bin automatically after each cleaning session, although I found it rather unreliable in my testing.
The vacuum’s bin was so clean after months of use, while it has to be emptied on each run for the base. This makes this particular feature on the base pretty much pointless, and it’s one of the biggest disappointments of the Shark PowerDetect.
Mapping and Navigation
Inaccurate Maps but Solid Cleaning
Where the mapping feature before cleaning your house may give you a rough sketch of your home, it is surely not a very accurate representation of the layout of your house. Thus, it seems that the vacuum performs far more on its sensors and algorithms than it does on the actual map; though the map’s placement may leave much to be desired, it cleans pretty effectively in most cases.
However, you do not see how the vacuum trace is live on the map as where the path of vacuum is. This aspect makes you track whether the vacuum actually covers each area or not. There’s an unrealized potential here because of the fact that there’s no real-time feedback happening, which would give the consumers confidence that their home was thoroughly being clean.
No Multi-Level Support
Another is that it does not have multi-floor mapping. You need to map each floor on every occasion you want to move the vacuum around the house. It can be very inconvenient if you want to make your robot vacuum operate at more than just a single level of your home.
Cleanliness Efficiency
Slow but sure
This place can be cleaned using spot cleaning mode for a small, targeted mess. For instance, if your pet knocks over a plant or spills food in the kitchen, you can send the vacuum to clean that specific area.
But this Shark PowerDetect is really slow in the mode for spot cleaning. In my tests, it took anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes to clean a small area. Now, although it manages the task, it takes so long that you may be better off cleaning the spot yourself.
Battery Life and Charging
Impressive Battery Performance
The Shark PowerDetect has a good battery life, with the ability to vacuum for around 90 minutes on one charge over a 750 square foot area. The used battery power during that time approximates 60%, which will definitely still allow enough charge for a mopping session afterward, just in case you need it.
Charging could be done in a timeframe that takes around 3 hours with a charging dock that is very compact and well-designed, so it does not take much space in your room and you could store it very easily when not being used .
Maintenance and Filters
Cleaning It
Service: As with every vacuum cleaner, the Shark PowerDetect must be serviced to maintain it. It has several filters that could really clean the air in houses with pets and allergies. Some of the main filters placed inside of the Shark PowerDetect are the HEPA filter and the washable foam filter.
You’d have to empty the dustbin of a vacuum cleaner often and wash the mopping plate, too, while filters should be cleaned or replaced when they get clogged for proper functionality. It is not something you can just forget, but it is easy enough to clean and maintain the Shark product.
Price and Value for Money
A Pricey Option
It’s pricey at $1,000. Typically, Shark offers highly-value products at competitive prices, but this model feels a little overpriced, considering the issues with the auto-empty function and DirtDetect sensors.
Other robot vacuums are available, offering the same features at a lower price. Still, for a buyer who can pay a premium, the Shark PowerDetect’s unique features-its climbing over obstacles and the propensity of its mop to auto-detach-could make it a great choice.
What Rooms for Improvement
The Shark PowerDetect is full of some very exciting innovations, but there are some key areas in which it misses the mark:
•Auto-empty function: The feature is just too unreliable to ever live up to its slogan “NeverTouch.”
•DirtDetect sensors: The sensors always break, so the feature isn’t really functional for most applications.
•Mapping and navigation: Much more precise mapping and live progress tracking would be nice.
•Spot cleaning: The vacuum takes too much time to clean small areas, so it’s rather inefficient.
• Multi-storey mapping: The addition of multi-level mapping would make this vacuum incredibly versatile in a home with more than one floor.
Conclusion
It’s an excellent choice for those houses that are looking for a multi-functional cleaning device, and the auto-detaching mop plate together with obstacle-handling capabilities stand out amongst most robots. Its frustratingly spotty auto-emptying function shows on the rest of its technical bugs to include.
At $1,000, it’s an extremely expensive product, and other products would probably offer greater value for the money spent. If Shark can address some of the potential flaws with future upgrades or models, PowerDetect may well be a great option. For now, though, there might be reason to wait for some improvements or for the price to drop.
