The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is a basic robot vacuum. It feels decently well-built, has a fantastically long battery life, and performs impressively well on bare floors. However, it struggles with clearing pet hair on most surfaces and struggles with fine debris on carpeted floors. Its random pathing navigation system makes it somewhat inefficient when covering an area.
It's worth noting that there are multiple variants, though they only really differ in color and included accessories. Further details on the differences between models are outlined in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is okay for bare floors. It clears small and bulky debris without difficulty, but pet hair can get caught in its brushroll, brush guard, and wheels rather than being sucked into its dust bin. It also isn't the best at maneuvering itself over obstructions like electrical cords, and like many robot vacuums, it incurs high recurring costs and has many parts that need regular cleaning.
- Fantastic battery life.
- Comes with physical boundary strips.
- Mediocre maneuverability.
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is inadequate for vacuuming low-pile carpet. It struggles with cleaning pet hair, which can get caught in its brush roll, brush guard, and wheels instead of being sucked into its dustbin, and it has a very hard time dealing with fine and large debris. It also tends to drag around or get stuck on obstacles like rugs or power cables. Otherwise, it has a very long battery life and feels decently well-built.
- Fantastic battery life.
- Comes with physical boundary strips.
- Mediocre maneuverability.
- Has a hard time clearing fine debris.
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is mediocre for cleaning high-pile carpet. It does a great job of dealing with larger debris, but some amount of this material can get stuck at the back of its brush guard rather than being sucked into its dustbin. This vacuum also struggles with very fine debris and pet hair on this surface type. Unfortunately, it can drag around some high-pile carpets too.
- Fantastic battery life.
- Comes with physical boundary strips.
- Clears most larger debris.
- Mediocre maneuverability.
- Has a hard time clearing fine debris.
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is a poor option for dealing with pet hair. Pet hair usually gets caught in its brush roll, brush guard, and wheels rather than sucked into its dust bin. While it feels well-built, many parts need regular cleaning or replacing. Thankfully, you can remove its brushroll for easier cleaning of tangled hair. It's also worth noting that this vacuum has a built-in anti-tangle comb advertised to reduce the risk of hair getting tangled within the machine.
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is a robot vacuum and isn't designed to clean stairs.
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is a robot vacuum and isn't designed to clean cars.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 14, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.7.
- Updated Mar 14, 2023: We've changed the product name to 'Shark ION Robot RV700 Series [RV750, RV761]' in order for the review to encompass all model variants. We've also added the RV750 and RV771 models to the 'Differences Between Variants' section.
- Updated Sep 07, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.6.
- Updated Sep 06, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.5.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is available in three variants, though they differ only in color and included accessories. We tested the RV761/R76 variant, and you can see the label for our test unit here.
| Model Code | Included Accessories | Color | Notes |
| RV771 | 4x side brushes, 2x filters, 1x BotBoundary strip | Black | Also referred to as the R77 |
| RV761 | 4x side brushes, 2x filters, 1x BotBoundary strip | Blue | Also referred to as the R76 |
| RV750 | 2x side brushes, 1x filter, 1x BotBoundary strip | Grey |
If you come across another variant of this vacuum, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Robot Vacuum Comparisons
The Shark RV700 Series is a simple robot vacuum. Unlike the Shark IQ Robot, it doesn't have a smart-pathing navigation system, so you can't direct the vacuum to certain places within your home or set up virtual boundary markers. It's also incapable of resuming a cleaning session from where it left off after returning to its charging dock.
If you're looking for an alternative, take a look at our list of recommendations of the best robot vacuums for hardwood floors, the best robot vacuums for carpet, and the best budget robot vacuums.
The Shark AI Robot is better than the Shark ION Robot RV700 Series. The AI feels better built, incurs lower recurring costs, and maneuvers itself far more effectively. Its more sophisticated mapping system lets you set up virtual boundary markers to keep it out of certain areas. Meanwhile, the RV700 Series clears more debris on bare floors and high-pile carpets, though the AI does do a better job on low-pile carpets.
The Shark IQ Robot is better than the Shark ION Robot RV700 Series. The IQ is better built, does a better job of cleaning pet hair from all surfaces, is more effective on carpeted floors, and uses a smart-pathing navigational system that results in superior maneuverability and a more advanced suite of automation features. You can use the IQ's companion app to send it to a specific room, and it's capable of resuming a cleaning session from where it left off if it needs to charge partway through.
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series and the iRobot Roomba j7 each have their advantages, meaning one might suit you better than the other, depending on your needs. The Shark incurs lower recurring costs, is easier to store, and clears more debris on bare floors. Conversely, the far more expensive j7 has an advanced mapping system that yields much better maneuverability and allows you to set up virtual boundary lines or schedule cleaning sessions for specific rooms in your home. If you go for the more expensive j7+ model, it comes with a self-emptying base station, reducing hands-on maintenance requirements too. It's also advertised as capable of recognizing your schedule and organizing its cleaning session around it. The iRobot also feels much better built.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is better than the Shark ION Robot RV700 Series. The iRobot feels better built, has fewer parts needing regular cleaning, and incurs lower recurring costs. It also does a better job of maneuvering itself and charges faster, though the Shark does have a longer battery life. The Shark also has a slightly larger dustbin and comes with a set of physical boundary strips in the box. Unlike the iRobot, where you'll need to purchase the boundary strips separately, you can also opt for the older Roomba 690 variant that comes with a virtual barrier device.
Test Results
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series feels decently well-built. It has a body made of matte-finish hard plastic that feels quite solid. However, the front bumper scratches easily, and the paint on the side of the vacuum, unprotected by any bumper, can flake off if you scrub it. There are a trio of buttons on top of the vacuum: 'Dock', 'Clean', and 'Max'. You can see those buttons here. Meanwhile, the power on/off switch is located on the side of the vacuum, seen here.
Out-of-the-box assembly is rather simple, requiring only that you snap the two included side brushes into place and plug in its docking station.
The Shark RV700 Series is hard to maintain due to the high number of parts that require regular servicing. Fortunately, they're all easy to access.
- Brushroll: You can access the brushroll by removing the brushroll compartment door under the vacuum and then pulling it out. Although the manufacturer doesn't specify a maintenance interval, you should make sure to remove any tangled hair or stuck-on debris regularly.
- Dustbin: You can take out the dustbin by pressing the release button near the back of the vacuum. You should empty it 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, and it can be removed by pulling on its release tabs. You should 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. You should check them once a week and remove any tangled hair or stuck-on debris. You can also wipe them with a damp cloth before leaving them to air-dry completely if necessary.
- Drive wheels: You should clean the drive wheels and their housing weekly to make sure that there isn't any significant buildup of dust or debris. You should rotate the wheels while cleaning them to ensure that no debris gets left behind.
- Front wheel: The front wheel can be removed from its socket. That can be somewhat hard, so you may need to use a tool for sufficient leverage. The manufacturer suggests that you clean it weekly.
- Sensors: You should clean the sensors on the vacuum 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. You should clean them regularly using a dry cloth or cleaning brush to remove any dust or debris that accumulates.
The Shark RV700 Series has a lot of recurring costs. Fortunately, all the parts that need replacing can be purchased on Shark's website.
- Pre-motor filter: You should replace the pre-motor filter every two months.
- Brushroll: You should replace the brushroll every six to 12 months or whenever it's visibly worn or damaged.
- Side brushes: You should replace the side brushes whenever you notice significant wear or damage.
- Front wheel: You should replace the front wheel 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 RV700 Series is fantastically easy to store. It's the same size as other Shark robot vacuums like the Shark IQ Robot and has a low-profile charging dock.
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series has unremarkable dustbin capacity. It isn't very big, so you'll probably need to empty it after every cleaning session. There also isn't any sensor to let you know how close it is to being filled.
- Shark ION RV700 Series vacuum body
- Dustbin
- 2x filters (1x filter included with RV750 variant)
- 4x side brushes (2x side brushes included with RV750 variant)
- Brushroll
- Brushroll guard
- Boundary strip
- Recharging dock
- User guide
The Shark ION RV700 Series' range is limited only by the space in its dirt compartment and its remaining battery life. However, it can't go up or down stairs.
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series is very portable. It doesn't weigh very much, making it easy to carry around, but it doesn't have a built-in carrying handle to give you a more secure grip.
The Shark RV700 Series has superb battery performance. Running it in its 'Max' suction power mode yields over two hours of runtime, while using it in its more energy-efficient 'Eco' mode extends its runtime to roughly three hours, which should be more than enough for cleaning most areas. The three battery indicator lights on top of the vacuum give you an estimate of how much charge is remaining, as they gradually turn off as its battery runs out. Unfortunately, the battery takes over four hours to completely recharge, notably longer than most other robot vacuums.
The Shark ION RV700 Series has a few quality of life features. You can toggle between the following suction power modes through its companion app: the 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 RV700 Series comes with two side brushes, which help push debris from the side of the vacuum into the path of its main brushroll.
The Shark RV700 Series delivers impressive performance on bare floors. In its high-suction 'Max' power mode, it easily clears small and bulky debris like rice and cereal. However, it may need to make another pass to fully clear pet hair. You may want to consider the eufy RoboVac 25C if you're looking for a budget-friendly model that does an even better job on this surface type.
The Shark ION Robot RV700 Series performs poorly on low-pile carpet. It struggles quite a bit with cleaning pet hair, which gets caught in the brushroll, brush guard, as well as the drive and directional wheels rather than being sucked into the dustbin. Larger debris like sand, meanwhile, tends to get stuck at the brush guard's back brush. You can see the leftover sand here.
The Shark RV700 Series' performance on high-pile carpet isn't bad. It does a great job of clearing larger debris like sand, but similar to the results of our low-pile carpet test, some amount of the material can get caught in the brush guard's back brush, as seen here. Pet hair also tends to get stuck in the brushroll, brush guard, as well as the drive and directional wheels rather than being sucked into the dustbin. Lastly, it struggles with finer debris like baking soda.
The Shark ION RV700 Series has mediocre maneuverability. Unlike the smart-pathing Shark IQ Robot, it uses random pathing to cover an area, meaning that it doesn't follow an efficient cleaning route and only moves in a straight path, changing directions after it runs into something. It tends to miss some areas while vacuuming others multiple times. While it can climb over rug tassels without getting stuck, it may struggle to climb over lighter rugs more than once since it tends to move them around on the first pass. It can get caught on electrical cords too. The manufacturer recommends moving obstacles like cables and rugs that can get in its way while cleaning. Thankfully, it's compact, meaning it can clean under low-lying furniture like couches and tables.
The Shark ION RV700 Series has good automation features. You can use the SharkClean companion app to turn the vacuum on and off remotely, switch between its power settings, make the vacuum return to its dock, schedule cleaning times, or make a noise so you can find it. This vacuum is also compatible with Alexa and Google Home devices, so you can use voice commands to enable some core functions. Although the vacuum comes with boundary marker strips, you can't set up virtual boundary lines in the app.
