Product Features and Description
- Powerful Cleaning: The Shark vacuum delivers intense suction power, effectively lifting dirt and debris from all types of floors, ensuring even the most stubborn messes are addressed.
- Thorough Coverage: Utilizing Matrix Clean Navigation, the vacuum systematically covers your home in a grid pattern, ensuring no spot is missed and performing multiple passes for a comprehensive clean.
- Self-Emptying Convenience: The vacuum features a bagless, self-emptying base that can contain up to 30 days of dirt and utilizes true HEPA filtration to capture 99.97% of dust and allergens as small as 0.3 microns.
- Advanced Home Mapping: Equipped with 360° LiDAR vision, the vacuum accurately maps your home for efficient cleaning, skillfully avoiding obstacles and adapting to changes in the environment.
- Pet-Friendly Design: The vacuum is ideal for pet owners, with strong suction, a self-cleaning brushroll, and a HEPA filtration system that easily handles pet hair, dust, and allergens.
- Voice-Activated Operation: Users can effortlessly control their vacuum using voice commands through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, setting schedules or initiating on-demand cleaning.
- Long Battery Life: With up to 120 minutes of runtime, the vacuum can clean the whole home on a single charge, and will recharge and resume cleaning if necessary to finish the job.
- Brand: Shark
- Model Name: AI Ultra
- Special Feature: Self-Cleaning Brushroll, Pet Hair Pick Up, Bagless, Self-Emptying
- Color: Dark Grey
- Product Dimensions: 13.7
- Included Components: (2) Side Brushes, Filter, Shark AI Robot, HEPA Self-Empty Base
- Filter Type: Foam
- Battery Life: 120 minutes
- Power Source: Battery Powered
- Are Batteries Included: Yes
- Control Method: Voice
- Compatible Devices: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
- Form Factor: Robotic
- Item Weight: 14.42 pounds
- Manufacturer: SharkNinja
- ASIN: B09H8CWFNK
- Item model number: AV2501S
- Batteries: 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included)
- Best Sellers Rank: #49,321 in Home & Kitchen (See Top 100 in Home & Kitchen) #64 in Robotic Vacuums
- Number of pieces: 5
- Warranty Description: 1 year limited warranty.
- Batteries required: Yes
Discover the latest in home cleaning technology with our comprehensive roundup of advanced robot vacuums, including the Shark AV2501S AI Ultra. This innovative device boasts Matrix Clean, home mapping, and a 30-day capacity HEPA bagless self-empty base—ideal for pet owners. Dive deeper into its features and compare with similar products by exploring our detailed reviews here.
The Good, the Bad, and the Product: An In-Depth Review
The vacuum in question has garnered some positive feedback from users who appreciate its functionality and the convenience it offers. Notably, a user named J Jones found the mapping feature of the vacuum to be incredibly efficient, allowing for the labeling and selective cleaning of rooms via an app. This level of automation, combined with the ability to schedule cleaning sessions, provides a significant convenience factor. Users like Kevin Toomey have observed an impressive amount of pet hair collection, attributing this to the device’s advanced navigation capabilities, such as LiDAR mapping. This technology is praised for its precision in navigating around furniture and other obstacles.
The product seems to be relatively quiet, as noted by Taylor Carthas, and is effective on a variety of surfaces including hardwood, tile, and low-profile area rugs, according to Chester H. Leckner. The absence of tangled hair in the brushes is a unique selling point mentioned by deweyduo, which can be particularly beneficial for homes with pets. The device’s self-emptying feature, despite being noisy, is a highlight for some customers, eliminating the need for frequent manual intervention.
Furthermore, for individuals with mobility issues or those who simply detest vacuuming, like Chris D., the robot vacuum offers a hands-off approach to maintaining clean floors. The ease of removing and cleaning the dust bin, as mentioned by Susan H., and the aesthetic of neat carpet lines left behind add to the appeal of the vacuum.
However, the product also has its fair share of criticism, with a number of users reporting significant drawbacks. A common complaint, highlighted by Amanda Lipesky, is the vacuum’s inefficiency on carpet and its inability to effectively handle pet hair. This suggests that the product may not be suitable for homes with pets or those with carpeted floors.
The longevity and durability of the vacuum have been questioned by users like rich, who experienced a breakdown of the unit shortly after the warranty expired and faced challenges with the lack of available replacement parts or repair services. Similarly, patioelf’s experience with a unit that failed to charge and self-empty, despite its high cost, points to reliability issues. Additionally, issues with the device’s software and Wi-Fi connectivity, as described by Sumit@AWS and other users, seem to hinder the full utilization of the product’s smart features, which is a significant downside for a technology-oriented device.
Furthermore, customers like David C. have raised concerns about the product’s lifespan, indicating that the vacuum may not last as long as expected. Others, such as Stephani Perriman and Shelby Loftin, have encountered quality control issues, including receiving units that were previously used or malfunctioned after a brief period of satisfactory performance. User deweyduo’s frustration with the product’s multiple filters, the app’s lack of error notifications, frequent errors, and the high maintenance demands echo the sentiment of unreliability and inconvenience.
In summary, while the vacuum has features that are praised by some, such as its mapping and cleaning abilities, the overall sentiment from users indicates that the product may struggle with pet hair, carpets, and reliability over time, which could be potential deal-breakers for prospective buyers.
What do the stars speak of?
Opinions about this product were divided in such a proportion among the buyers.
The most helpful positive feedback Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2023 by RJMALLAK, and is titled “How did I live without it?”
We have a long haired cat and need daily cleaning. We have had great service from this vacuum. Transitions easily from hardwood to low profile area rugs.
Customer Rating: 5
Helpful Rate: 2
Variation purchased: B09H8CWFNK
People find the following negative one quite helpful. Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2023 by Amanda Lipesky, titled “Idea for non pet owners with no carpet”
Not good for pet hair or Carpet
Customer Rating: 2
Variation purchased: B09H8CWFNK
Anthony –
Convenient, doesn’t need much assistance.
I’d like to say that this thing has been awesome because I’m a very busy person and I have a dog with long hair that sheds and it gets annoying having to sweep nearly everyday. So when I leave the house everyday I set it up to clean the whole house and when I come home it’s nice to see a clean floor throughout the house and I can relax without stressing about having to sweep myself. Also my parents have a iRobot which I almost got and I’m glad that I didn’t because my mother complains a lot about it getting stuck and needing assistance, my experience with this shark has been amazing, it has not gotten stuck one time it always figures it’s way around everything. Great purchase I’d highly recommend.
OK –
It is setup and forget for me, but everything else is lackluster
It can find its way around my entire floor without getting stuck or missing parts, which is very important and good. It’s also easy to setup no-go zones in the app. Everything else is a miss however: – In general features available in other vacuums two years ago are missing. – You can’t put it in a specific spot and initiate spot cleaning – the area has to be selected from the app. – You can’t schedule on a room by room basis – it has to do the whole house at once. – Resume and recharge functionality is inconsistent and takes WAY too long to charge. My previous vacuum charged less than an hour to resume, this one takes 6 hours. – Battery barely makes it through 500sqft (net, gross would be ~750sqft) at max power. – Does not show robot position on the map. – 30 day dock storage is a joke, esp if you have a pet. Mine doesn’t even shed that much, and the bin was full (I’m guessing because it errored out) in 5 days. – The dust bin on the vacuum is poorly designed as half the pre-filter is covered with a plastic lip, which ALWAYS gets clogged by hair. It also makes vacuuming the pre-filter impossible. I’m leaning towards keeping it at this price, because it navigates well, but a Q5+ is probably a better buy overall.
Fnu Lnu –
Works on Pet Hair
Does a great job of cleaning up pet hair. We have LVP with area rugs and it does a great job of keeping all the dirt and dog hair cleaned up on both surfaces. We didn’t have great expectations, but it far surpasses what we had hoped for. I’m always shocked by how much it picks up. So much better than the daily sweeping.
Madeline LaRochelle –
Jimmy
I got this for my mom last year. He has been named Jimmy and he may have a girly voice, but this man gets his job done perfectly, so we don’t judge.
Jasmine Soto. –
Mapping doesn’t work
I’m curious if anybody else has a problem where they mapped out the rooms to be cleaned with doors closed to the bedrooms and when the doors are open to the bedrooms and it goes to do it’s cleaning, why does it still go into the bedrooms?
BentProp –
New item is fabulous. But…..
This arrived repackaged and missing parts. The electronics are damaged and it isn’t able to be charged. Yes, amazon sold me a returned product as new. I have now purchased elsewhere and this is a great item. Disappointing that Amazon can no longer be trusted to provide what they advertise as described. Buy; but buy elsewhere.
livkot –
Broken out of box
Would not connect to wifi despite repeated attempts. I have two iRobots that connect just fine. Gave up on that, decided to ignore the app for now and put it to work, spun in a circle for about 3 seconds, stated there was a problem with a wheel, error code 18, contact customer support. No thanks, you can have it back.
Jose Enrique Baez –
A headache
The app does nothing. Any form of spot cleaning is a lie. No go zones, also a lie. Will leave a bigger mess than it had if you don’t basically baby proof your house. And cannot reconnect to wifi if it disconnects. Go with a different brand, save yourself the headache. And if it ever disconnects from wifi, it will not reconnect and you no longer have any use of the app
Terry –
Doesn’t stay connected to Wi-Fi
Have had it for 1 week. It disconnects from the wifi within 12 hours of connecting it and you have to delete it and go through the setup process again. Have now done this 3 times of the 7 days I have owned it. It cleans we when it works. Will be contacting support for the resolution of this known problem. If not resolved, will be returning for another brand.
Stone –
Game changer!
Mapped my two fairly intricate large rooms on first attempt—This is in a walkout basement area where my two 6month old doodles “live” until old enough to access the rest of the house. It has been such a pain, trying to keep the area clear of dust, dirt, etc. I always wanted a robot vac and decided to take the plunge, and I could not be happier. My floors were already clean, and it picked up a large pile of unseen debris on the first pass. We also like the subtle lines left in the carpet after cleaning. It is almost hidden behind a chair in one of the rooms, and it navigates easily in and out of a fairly tight spot. I’m ordering another one for my main first floor, which is all hardwood. I was surprised by how quiet it was, was actually watching TV in one of the rooms it was vacuuming. It’s a little noisy when emptying into its dust bin at the dock, but only lasts a short time-not a big deal at all. One less chore to keep up with!
Shelly LaVallee –
Cleans great!
I have 5 dogs and this thing picks up hair like nobody’s business. It even goes about vacuuming a shag rug I have without getting stuck. You can map rooms or just set it free in a room that isn’t mapped and it’ll vacuum the living daylights out of it.
Audra –
Product died after 5 months
Worked great for about 5 months, then started giving an error message about debris around the sensor that allows it to “see” where it’s going. Called customer support 4 times so far. They agreed to send a replacement product as it’s under warranty but they want the old product returned first. The catch is that they won’t send me the promised email with a return label. It’s bizarre and I’m starting to think it’s intentional. Massive waste of my time trying to get this resolved.
LnrB –
Well worth the money!
One of the other reviewers mentioned she was skeptical of this machine, but after using it she changed her mind. That got my attention as it seemed a lot of money for JUST a cute toy. However, IT WORKS VERY WELL!! The app works well on my Android phone, After I followed the download and installations directions Completely and enabled LOCATION (which I Never do) after which the machine found the phone and they had a little chat. Neither Wi-Fi nor the app is strictly necessary for this to clean your house, but only to program cleaning areas and schedules. For example, before I got it to pair with my phone, after charging completely of course, I simply turned it on to see what it would do. First it got its bearings, spinning a couple times, located the dock, kissed it just to make sure, and then started cleaning my wood floors; All of them! It found its way around the dining table/chairs, didn’t get stuck under the wood rocking chair, cleaned the area rug in the living room Just Fine, wandered into every room and did a Very Good Job of cleaning, even the back hall by the back door! It even found a little pile of course sand in husband’s room and got it all (I wouldn’t recommend feeding it sand deliberately. I don’t think it was happy with that!) I was quite astonished how much hair and lint it picked up! There are things it can’t do; toe-kicks for example as it’s too tall to get into most of them. And being Round, it has a bit of trouble with some tight corners., and some edges at interface of floor and wall. Some of these places might need Human Intervention, such as in a broom or small hand brush. It can’t really do a good job plush pile carpet if it’s very dirty. It simply lacks the power and heavy beater bar of a monstrous upright. (But it doesn’t claim to compete with those.) There is a setting in the App to allow it to return to the dock to recharge after 30 minutes and resume cleaning. What a Good Idea! I recommend that one for sure. I would Highly recommend this machine for Anyone, not merely for an elderly person. The Entertainment Value alone is worth what it cost me, not to mention the time saving issue. This Robot is nothing sort of Brilliant! Just Brilliant! **
Tena Gallup –
LOUD!
I had high hopes but was very disappointed. This vacuum is extremely LOUD. It stated when it self emptied it was loud but this was a startling loud. Love Shark but not this vaccum. Sending back today.
Chris –
Would not buy again
Very disappointed
Paige –
Great Vacuum – handles messy farmhouse
I’ve had a roomba and an off brand robot vacuum in the past and this one is my favorite so far. It cleans well and I like that it has different strength modes and is clear about how to fix any errors. I have a farm and we accumulate a lot of mud and dust in the floors. Even with this as long as I let it run everyday it keeps up great. With our amount of dirt I have to empty it once a week or so. It’s also been able to get into weird spots the best of the vacuums I’ve had.
Tu eulis –
Feliz si trabaja
The media could not be loaded. Estoy contenta con mi shark vacuum limpia muy bien solo q no objects en el piso muy bueno sells recomiendo 100 por cien…love it…
Amazon Customer –
Works Wonderfully – House has never been cleaner!
We purchased 2 of these units and they each run every other day. Very pleased with the cleaning capabilities. These vacuums manage to keep the floors pretty clean and we have 2 dogs and 4 cats!
demercules –
Complete garbage!!
Lasted about 5 months and to their defense Shark replaced it with a new slightly different version which also just broke after 3 months. I’m all set with the robo vacs. Great while they last but def not worth $400 to clean one floor of my house for 8 months.
Jennifer Shenk –
Works great
We have a Shetland sheepdog and he has a LOT of hair. He sheds so much. I’ve never been able to keep up with it.
Gigi/ Jim –
Works good but different
It first maps your house. Then if you can figure out the map in the app you can clean certain areas.
Peyton Eileen Brzozowski –
DO NOT BUY!!!!
I have had this robot for only a few months and it broke. It will not even leave the charging station and will not empty itself. I spent a ridiculous amount of money on this thing for it to literally not work at all. I would like to add that we live in a house of 2, with one dog that doesn’t shed. Once a week we deep clean the house(vacuum, mop). So it’s not like the house is dirty or it sucked up too much debris and now it won’t work or something(things I’ve read online trying to fix it). Do NOT buy this robot. It is an absolute WASTE of your money.
Elvira Bauer –
Best purchase for me in 2023
With the exception of the poop incidents (yes, it is real and not the vacuums fault) it is awesome. For poop incidents though, it is easy to take apart, clean, and put back together. The main thing this has done for me, and I run it every day on my floor every day for around 8 rooms, is established the habit of not leaving things on the floor to get caught up in the brushes. As a result, it had trained me to be a tidier person unconsciously! It amazes me how much pet hair is in the trash receptacle weekly and is the single best purchase I made all this year. Simply love the set it and forget it (mostly) aspect of the scheduling and great mapping ability. It runs quiet “enough” my cats are not afraid of it and if I am cooking and it bumps into my bare feet, asking I moved, it is gentle. It will avoid me so any bumps are my goof. Good product and would highly recommend.
Montanagal –
This Vaccum is awful
It won’t hold the program you can reprogram it it’s worthless spent alot of money for nothing
Al –
Works well
I’ve been using this for about a year now and I’m really happy with it
RUDI F SCHULT –
We love it
When was it purchased date
Amazon Customer –
poor quality
had this product for only 2 days the first and second time l used it when it empty the trash smell some burning then after will not empty with an error 26 found the vacuum motor burned out amazon will not replace or refund i would not buy another.
Amazon Customer –
shark doesn’t work
my product worked great for like 6 months then it just stop working like it supposed to, now i can only get it to keep a charge maybe 1 day every couple weeks then it only will remember to do part of the house, then it goes back to the charger, and doesn’t charge
Laura VanVleet –
Whew.
Worked for a year then died. Thankful I bought the insurance.
Waylon –
Ok
Ok sweeper for tile floors. picks up light items and leaves nice “just vacuumed lines” on carpet. You might have to go hunt it down if it finds a sock under the bed. I paid around $350 IMO Overpriced.
Amanda Lipesky –
Idea for non pet owners with no carpet
Not good for pet hair or Carpet
patioelf –
Used 3 times – won’t charge NEVER self emptied
Unit won’t charge and it’s never self emptied- I’ve had to empty it the few times I’ve used it in 1 room only. This cost SO much money and it now requires a phone call to customer service. Bought it in September ( still paying for it) here it is November and I’m going through Manuel’s and DIY videos ready to throw this piece of crap out the window. I had the real ROOMBA for 2 decades before it just wore out. What an inferior product this is. I see that the return window has closed / so is customer service today / Sunday my cleaning day. I now have to call customer service during my work week and downs who knows how much time on this piece of plastic .
rich –
No parts available or repair centers
I really like this vacuum. I bought two and they both did a great job, until one broke 3 months after the warranty. Shark does not offer any replacement parts or service options. No one locally would touch either. The best they could do was offer a subpar discount for a new one. Considering other brands for my next purchase.
Matt Fitz –
What junk
Does not work well at all loses position and gets stuck
jasper –
hard to figure out how to name rooms and even come up with a room.
I have a different brand robotand it was much easier to make and name rooms. the map was much better quality in old one. orterwice took 3 attempts to connect. seems to vaccunm adequately.
J Jones –
Buy it, you won’t regret it!
I am a lover of technology so I am not sure why it took me so long to come around to the idea of getting a robot vacuum but this thing is awesome! It mapped my entire house in a very short period of time, then I assigned labels for each room in the app. Now I can vacuum my entire house or just certain rooms. It has 3 levels of suction and can spot clean. I have 2 fur babies and they shed like crazy. My one dog dives under the bed whenever she can and it’s almost impossible to vacuum under there. Since getting this robot vac I’ve been closing my bedroom door at night, then I start the vac using my phone and I set it to vacuum the entire house but not the bedroom. When I get up the next morning I send it to vacuum the bedroom only and I will also spot clean under the bed, to get up all that hair and dander. The vacuum knows when to head back to its base station, either to empty its dirt cup or recharge, then it returns to the exact place that it left off and continues to clean. It charges very quickly and I am amazed at how much it picks up. I am so happy with this purchase and I am still wondering why I waited so long!
David C. –
Issues after a year
Robot giving errors that it’s wheels are having issues. Shark is sending a replacement unit, but don’t expect this thing to last 5-10 years.
Kaitlyn Hogan –
Lasted less than 1 year.
I am so disappointed. Purchased 11/2022. At first, I was raving about this vacuum. It was working so well and my floors looked fantastic! We have 2 dogs and it kept up with the day to day between my regular deep cleaning with my Dyson. Well, by June 2023 I noticed it wasn’t picking up as well as it once was. I took it apart and gave it a good cleaning, but all parts seemed to be working as it should. Since then, it’s never worked right again. It gets stuck on nothing, fails to dock itself, gets clogged and can’t empty itself, and loses Wi-Fi which requires the entire machine to be disconnected and remapped. This has been nothing but a headache and customer service has been TERRIBLE. The convenience of a robot vacuum is lovely but I would purchase a less expensive version if it’s only expected to last a few months.
Kevin Toomey –
I finally bought one and I’m obsessed with it!
We have 2 dogs and the amount of dog hair this has picked up in the week since I got it is amazing! The Lidar mapping is incredible as it knows exactly where to go on floors and carpets and around furniture and in between barstools. It is an amazing device to watch. Extremely pleased with the purchase and I grabbed it for 299 which is a great price for a self emptying, bagless with lidar mapping. I’ve never recommended a product this highly before.
Amazon Customer –
Great vacuum but does not connect to internet
The suction and cleaning abilities of this vacuum is great but, after many, many hours I was unable to use the app and connect it to my wifi. This leaves us without the use of the many features that make this vacuum pricey. We are a tech saavy household so this was extremely disappointing.
Shelby Loftin –
Clearly used
Item was clearly used prior and repackaged
Stephani Perriman –
Was great, until it wasnt
Vacuum worked great for about a year, then started having issues with “no bin” then stopped working and have an error code 18, which is drive wheel. This is my second Shark robot vacuum that shortly after a year had issues with drive wheels.. I have 3 Shark regulate vacuums and 3 Shark robot vacuum, however will probably make the move to another brand.
Paul M. –
Excellent product – Bye bye Vacuuming!
I was skeptical to purchase this at first since I owned a different brand a few years back that did not very clean well. I have a high traffic household that is hardwood, tile, and throw rugs. This thing really won me over, my floors are spotless everytime i come home. I highly recommend it. No more vacuuming!!!!
Chester H. Leckner –
Works great!
I bought this to replace a Roomba that had been giving me trouble and it works very good so far. We have a mix of carpet, terrazzo and tile and it works great on all of them.
Julia –
Stopped working after a few months and haven’t been able to fix it
Worked great for a few months then refuses to clean telling me to clean sensors. No amount of cleaning has worked and shark help files are no help. Attempted to reset and start over with no results so now only have a floor decoration Gave 2 star’s because for the few months it worked it did a good job
Taylor Carthas –
5 Stars because of the price and quality
For $240 it was worth every single penny. I was constantly vacuuming crumbs/dog hair on a daily basis. I have 2 kids and a dog and I pulled my cordless vacuum out 15 times a day. Finally I said F it let’s see what the robot is all about. I previously tried a Roomba and it was terrible always getting stuck in weird places. This Shark mapped perfectly to my layout of my first floor. The way it cuts corners perfectly to get all the dust, hair and crumbs that build up along the sides and corners is amazing. For noise level I can only compare it to the Roomba I had which this is a little quieter. Quieter than my cordless shark vaccum and when it gets to my living room rug it’s even more quiet. The Auto emptying waste feature is great however that’s super loud and it empties everytime it goes back to the dock which is nice however, if you have kids and they’re sleeping it’s so loud it might wake them. The App is really nice to control your schedule. Run a clean anytime you need and if one room is really a mess you can run a Matrix clean which does about 45 mins ln one room to ensure everything is spotless Cleaning: it does pick up anything that a normal broom would sweep up however if there’s something even mildly stuck to your floor it is not getting it up. So overall cleaning is a 4.5 out of 5 for me. Gets the job done could have better brushes that loosen up something a little stuck. Overall a 5 star product for me for $240! Saves me 15 vacuums a day and runs on its on
Eric –
It greatly exceeded expectations
We have tile and hardwood flooring with slight elevation variance between the two. The Shark was able to recognize and account for the difference while doing a thorough cleaning of both. In addition it recharged itself and finished areas it hadn’t touched before returning to the docking station. It was easy to program and entertaining to watch our cat follow it through the process!
Chris D. –
Does the job
I really like this product. It does a great job. It goes where you tell her to go. It will clean several times in one spot. I would buy this product again. There are some cons. When it empties the dirt it stinks pretty bad. The no zones are hard to define, You have to keep readjusting them to get them where you want. You can’t get them to adjust smaller then a 5 x 5. You can’t adjust the spot clean. And if you don’t map out your whole house, but later want to change it to a couple of more rooms you missed, you will have to delete everything and start all over again. It doesn’t allow you to map other rooms, unless you delete the whole thing and start all over again. it is a little loud. The positive is that I will never have to use a vacuum cleaner again. With my limited physical abilities this is hard to do. My husband doesn’t like her because she’s always under foot in his room, but I tell him if he doesn’t like it then he can get out the vacuum cleaner himself. If you have a few hundred dollars, it will be money well spent. By the way, I named her boog, short for boogie.
Mgman –
Works great
Susan H. –
Makes Great Carpet Lines
Love this product. Easy to remove and clean dust bin. Everyone comments on my great carpet lines. It takes quite a while to map your house so don’t worry it will finish.