- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Shark ION Robot R77 is a well-built robot vacuum. It delivers an unremarkable cleaning performance overall, since it can pick up debris like rice and cereal quite well on bare floors but struggles to pick up all types of debris on carpeted surfaces. Pet hair can also get caught in its brushroll or wheels. This vacuum doesn't follow an efficient cleaning path, which may result in it missing some areas. However, it has an outstandingly long battery life and its dirt compartment isn't too small, so you can use it for quite a long time in each cleaning session. Its companion app, SharkClean, has a few useful automation features, letting you adjust the vacuum's power setting or schedule cleaning times. Unfortunately, like many robot vacuums, it's difficult to maintain and has quite a few recurring costs.
Our Verdict
The Shark ION Robot R77 is acceptable on bare floors. It picks up debris like rice and cereal quite easily, but it struggles to clean pet hair. Some pet hair can get caught in the brushroll, forcing you to turn off the vacuum and detangle the hair manually. Although it doesn't follow a very efficient cleaning route, it's quite maneuverable thanks to its slim design, easily fitting under most furniture. Unfortunately, it gets caught on electrical cords fairly easily.
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Outstanding battery life.
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Good build quality.
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Picks up large and fine debris on bare floors easily.
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Difficult to maintain.
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Many recurring costs.
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Can get caught on electrical cords.
The Shark ION Robot R77 does a poor job at cleaning low-pile carpet. It really struggles to clear fine debris like baking soda, though it picks up larger debris like sand decently well. Pet hair can easily get stuck in the brushroll, brush guard, or wheels, which can be annoying to remove. This vacuum may also move around or crumple some lighter rugs on its first pass, making it harder to clean a second time. It has a lot of recurring costs, since many parts may need to be replaced when they're worn or damaged.
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Outstanding battery life.
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Good build quality.
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Difficult to maintain.
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Many recurring costs.
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Poor performance on carpeted surfaces.
The Shark ION Robot R77 has a poor performance on high-pile carpet. It really struggles to pick up fine debris like baking soda, and pet hair can get caught in its wheels and brushroll. Although it cleans larger debris like sand a bit more easily, it still might need to take a few passes. It's difficult to maintain since there are lots of parts that need regular cleaning. Fortunately, it doesn't get caught on rug tassels too often, although it may move some rugs while cleaning them.
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Outstanding battery life.
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Good build quality.
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Difficult to maintain.
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Many recurring costs.
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Poor performance on carpeted surfaces.
The Shark ION Robot R77 has a poor performance for pets. It doesn't have an allergen-trapping HEPA filter, which may be annoying if you have a pet that sheds. Pet hair can get caught in the vacuum's brushroll, brush guard, or wheels, forcing you to interrupt the vacuum's cleaning to detangle the hair manually. Also, it doesn't pick up pet hair too easily on bare floors or carpet, even in its 'Max' power setting.
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Outstanding battery life.
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Difficult to maintain.
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Pet hair can get tangled in the brushroll.
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No HEPA filter.
The Shark ION Robot Vacuum R77 isn't designed for use on stairs.
The Shark ION Robot Vacuum R77 isn't designed for cleaning cars.
- 5.9 Bare Floor
- 4.5 Low-Pile Carpet
- 5.1 High-Pile Carpet
- 4.4 Pets
- 5.8 Stairs
- 5.4 Cars
- Updated Mar 11, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Mar 09, 2021: Early access published.
Test Results
The Shark ION Robot Vacuum R77 has a good build quality. It's primarily made of hard plastic that has a matte finish, though its front bumper, drive wheel treads, and small swiveling wheel are made of rubber. It feels sturdy and has a sleek design, although the dustbin feels like it could break if you drop it. The vacuum is very easy to assemble since you just need to snap the two side brushes into place and plug in its docking station. Its three controls, 'Dock', 'Clean', and 'Max', are located on top of the vacuum, along with indicator lights for the battery level and Wi-Fi connection. The on/off power switch is located on the side.
The Shark ION Robot Vacuum R77 is difficult to maintain due to the high number of parts that require regular servicing. Fortunately, they're all easy to access.
- Brushroll: You can remove the brushroll by removing the brushroll compartment door and then pulling the component out. Although the manufacturer doesn't specify a maintenance interval, it should be cleaned regularly by hand.
- Dustbin: The dustbin can be accessed by pressing the release button. It should be emptied after every use. The anti-tangle comb attached to the dustbin can collect hair, which you can pull off easily.
- Pre-motor filter: You can find the pre-motor filter inside the dustbin lid, and it can be pulled out using its release tabs. The manufacturer suggests that you clean it weekly by tapping it against the side of a garbage can to dislodge any dust or debris.
- Side brushes: The side brushes can easily be pulled out of their socket by hand. You should check them weekly and if needed, remove any tangled hair by hand and wipe them with a damp cloth before leaving them to air-dry completely.
- Drive wheels: The drive wheels and their housing should be cleaned fairly regularly to ensure that there isn't any significant buildup of dust or debris. You should rotate the wheels while cleaning them to ensure the whole surface is dust-free.
- Front wheel: The front wheel can be removed from its socket by hand, though it may be difficult, so you may find it easier to use a tool. The manufacturer suggests that you clean it weekly.
- Sensors: The sensors on the vacuum should be cleaned regularly with a dry cloth or cleaning brush.
- Charging pads: You can find the charging pads under the vacuum and on top of the dock station. They should be cleaned regularly using a dry cloth or cleaning brush to remove any dust or debris that accumulates.
The Shark ION Robot Vacuum R77 has a lot of recurring costs. Fortunately, all the parts that need to be replaced can be purchased on Shark's website.
- Pre-motor filter: The pre-motor filter should be replaced every two months.
- Brushroll: The brushroll should be replaced every six to 12 months or whenever it's visibly worn or damaged.
- Side brushes: The side brushes should be replaced whenever you notice significant wear or damage.
- Front wheel: The front wheel should be replaced every 12 months. This component's model number couldn't be found on the manufacturer's website, but there are similar products available for purchase.
The Shark ION Robot R77 is incredibly easy to store. It has a small and compact design along with a low-profile charging dock. You can even wrap the charging cable behind the dock for easy storage.
The Shark ION R77 has an acceptably-sized dirt compartment, so it doesn't fill up too quickly. Unfortunately, there's no sensor to let you know when it's full.
- Shark ION R77 vacuum
- Dustbin
- Boundary strip
- 2x side brushes
- Brushroll
- Brushroll guard
- Recharging dock
- 2x filters
- User guide
The Shark ION R77 has a virtually unlimited range as long as there's space in its dirt compartment and it still has battery life left. However, it can't go up or down stairs.
The Shark ION R77 is impressively portable. It's small and lightweight, though it lacks a carrying handle.
The Shark ION R77 has an outstanding battery performance. It lasts a bit over three hours on its high-efficiency 'Eco' setting, and still lasts over 2.5 hours when used in its 'Max' setting. There are also three battery indicator lights on top of the vacuum that gradually turn off as the battery level lowers. The battery takes close to 3.5 hours to charge from an empty battery, and the vacuum has to be turned on for it to charge.
The Shark ION R77 has a few quality of life features. Using the companion app, you can adjust the power setting between its energy-efficient 'Eco' mode, the default 'Normal' mode, and the high-power 'Max' mode. There are physical buttons on top of the vacuum, but they only let you select the 'Max' or 'Normal' modes.
The Shark ION Robot R77 comes with two side brushes, which help push debris from the side of the vacuum into its main path. It also comes with a removable brushroll.
The Shark ION Robot R77 has a passable performance on bare floors. On its 'Max' setting, it clears debris like rice and cereal quite easily, although its performance drops a bit as the dirt compartment fills up. Unfortunately, it really struggles to pick up pet hair, which may even get stuck on the brushroll.
The Shark ION Robot Vacuum R77 has a poor performance on low-pile carpet, even when used in its 'Max' setting. Pet hair can get stuck in its brushroll, brush guard, and wheels, while it also struggles to pick up fine debris like baking soda. Thankfully, it does a better job of picking up larger debris like sand.
The Shark ION Robot Vacuum R77 has a poor performance on high-pile carpet. When used in its 'Max' setting, it struggles to pick up pet hair and small debris like baking soda. Also, pet hair can get caught in the brushroll, brush guard, and wheels. Fortunately, it picks up larger debris like sand more easily, though it still may need an extra pass to properly clean it.
The Shark ION R77 has unremarkable maneuverability. It doesn't follow an efficient cleaning route since it follows a straight path, only changing direction after it runs into something. Because of this, it might miss some areas while repeatedly cleaning others. Thanks to its small size, it can clean under low-lying furniture like couches and tables. While it doesn't get stuck on rug tassels, it may be unable to go over lighter rugs more than once, since it tends to move them around on the first pass. Unfortunately, it can get caught on electrical cords.
The Shark ION R77 has good automation features. The SharkClean companion app lets you turn the vacuum on and off remotely, or switch between its power settings. You can also make the vacuum return to its dock, schedule cleaning times, or make a noise so you can find it. It's compatible with Alexa and Google Home, letting you enable voice control functions. Although the vacuum comes with boundary marker strips, you can't set boundaries in the app or create a map of your home. Also, the app isn't very intuitive to use.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Shark ION Robot R77 is available in one color, 'Black'. It may be listed as the Shark ION Robot RV671 on some platforms. You can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across another variant, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Shark ION Robot Vacuum R77 is a well-built robot vacuum. Like the Shark ION Robot 2020, it has remarkably long battery life. The SharkClean app has quite a few automation features, letting you adjust the power setting and schedule regular cleaning times. However, this vacuum is harder to maintain than most robot vacuums, since a lot of parts need regular cleaning. Its cleaning performance isn't great overall, since it struggles to pick up debris on some surfaces, and pet hair can easily get caught in the brushroll and wheels. It also doesn't follow an efficient cleaning route like the Roborock E4, so it may miss some areas while going over others repeatedly.
If you want to see more options, check out our recommendations for the best robot vacuums, the best robot vacuums for carpets, and the best robot vacuums for pet hair.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO is a better vacuum than the Shark ION Robot R77. The iRobot has a better cleaning performance on all surface types, especially on bare floors, where it has no problem picking up debris like rice and cereal. It also follows a more efficient cleaning path and even returns to the dock automatically to empty its dirt compartment. That said, the Shark's battery lasts quite a bit longer.
The Shark IQ Robot RV1001 is a better vacuum than the Shark ION Robot R77. The IQ has a better cleaning performance on all surface types, especially for picking up pet hair. However, the ION has a longer battery life, which some users may prefer.
The iRobot Roomba E5 is a better vacuum than the Shark ION Robot R77. The iRobot is a sturdier vacuum that has a better performance on all surface types, and it picks up pet hair especially well on carpeted surfaces. While neither vacuum uses smart pathing, the iRobot is better at cleaning an entire space. It also has fewer parts that need regular maintenance. However, the Shark has much longer battery life.
The Roborock S5 is a better vacuum than the Shark ION Robot R77. The Roborock has a better cleaning performance than the Shark on all surface types, especially when picking up pet hair. It also uses smart pathing technology to follow an efficient cleaning route, while the Shark ION Robot R77 follows a straight path, only changing direction when it runs into something. That said, when using the vacuums on their highest power settings, the Shark's battery lasts longer.
The Roborock S4 is a better vacuum than the Shark ION Robot R77. The Roborock has a much better performance on bare floors and low-pile carpet, especially for picking up pet hair, which can get stuck in the Shark's brushroll. The Roborock is also easier to maintain and has fewer recurring costs. Although the Shark struggles to clean high-pile carpet, it performs better than the Roborock, which can't clean high-pile carpet at all.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is better than the Shark ION Robot R77. The iRobot feels better-built, has fewer maintenance requirements, charges much faster, incurs lower recurring costs, gets stuck around obstacles less often, and performs better across all surfaces. Conversely, the Shark comes with physical boundary strips to keep it out of certain areas and has longer maximum battery life.
The Shark ION Robot R77 and Shark ION Robot R76 are very similar overall, though one may suit you better than the other, depending on your needs. The R76 performs better on all surface types, while the R77 has a slightly sturdier-feeling dustbin and charges faster while offering similar overall battery performance.
The iRobot Roomba 675 is a better vacuum than the Shark ION Robot R77. The iRobot is better built, slightly easier to maintain, and has fewer recurring costs. Although neither vacuum has an impressive cleaning performance, the iRobot picks up pet hair more easily on bare floors and carpet. It also does a better job of cleaning an entire room and has an automatic surface type adjustment. However, the Shark's battery lasts longer.