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
Deanna S. –
Worst purchase ever
Purchased this shark robot on a deal thinking it was a great brand. Literally worst purchase ever and first time posting a review ever. The 1st robot I got seemingly worked great for a month until the battery stopped charging. Followed the troubleshooting steps and it indicated it was probably a bad battery. Since it was brand new, I contacted support who walked me through some troubleshooting (including turning on video so they could see) and they decided to send me out a new “base”. But I would have to take the existing battery, rollers and brushes and move them to the new base when it arrived. Sure enough the new one arrived and it still didn’t charge. So I called support again. They decided instead of just sending me a new battery, they would replace the whole unit. I would have to package and send back all of the parts and pay for shipping. What? No. After some pushback on that, they agreed to send me a label. I was assured I’d be sent a brand new until once they received my return. Right after I returned it, I received an email stating my order was cancelled. What order is that? My replacement unit. So I called support a 3rd time to let them know and I was told it was out of stock. But then miraculously they were able to fulfill the order after I called. When I received the new one, the packaging appeared to be used, but the unit itself was seemingly clean and covered in plastic. I attached everything, plugged it in, and when it began suction from the robot into the base, it gave off a horrible rattling noise. I opened every bin possible and searched for something that could be making a noise and found nothing. Im going to have to call again to return and just ask for my money back. Absolutely horrible product. Would not recommend.
Carlos –
Works As Advertised
Our vacuum has been running non-stop every day at noon since we bought it in March 2023. Great for picking up dog hair and dirt on a daily basis. I still use a big boy vacuum once ever two weeks as a deep clean. But otherwise this product works as advertised!
David D –
Is ok when it works
Constantly getting stuck, then it sits and runs the battery down. App loses the robot about once a month and have to start over like it’s had a factory reset. Does ok when it actually works.
GeorgeP –
Bought used, Big Mistake
Bought this as a used item in “Very Good” condition. Wrong…it has a defective battery and won’t turn on. Beware used items from Amazon. They were returned for a reason and obviously are not checked out or tested properly before being put up for resale.
Amanda Carpenter –
Love it
This machine has been a game changer. We have two 110lb fluffy dogs and a cat. This robot helps us keep up on all the dirt and hair. Only wish it could map more than 1 floor but otherwise amazing. The long hair does accumulate in the roller but the robot will alert and the roller is super easy to clean! No scissors needed!
Ashley C –
Doesn’t last
I have had mine for less than a year and already won’t run because of a cliff sensor error. I’ve cleaned it and still won’t work. Waste of money
Nicole –
Convenient & Effective – Great for Dog Hair & Mopping!”
The media could not be loaded. I purchased my Shark robot during Prime Week, and I couldn’t be happier! It’s incredibly convenient and does wonders picking up dog hair around the house. The mopping feature is a great bonus – it leaves my floors looking spotless. Setting up the map for the house was easy, and it navigates around furniture with ease. This has made cleaning so much easier and more efficient. Highly recommend this for anyone with pets or busy schedules!
Bobby M Talbert –
Works good but: noise level
I had to replace my previous Shark vacuum because a wheel went out and could not locate another one for it. This shark vacuum is very similar to the one I had but with twice the noise level. I do not like this. The only way I can stand this is not be in the house while it is cleaning. Other than that it works well.
John B –
App/Scheduler terrible but cleans good
Very frustrated with their app as you can only schedule cleanings for the whole house, not specific rooms. How hard is that to program??? And then if you apply no-go zones to the less frequently used part of the house to get around that, you can’t do a whole house clean when needed. All this tech that is supposed make life easier but it just ends up being more complicated and a waste of time.
colorider –
So good, we now have 2 more.
Got this for my wife for Christmas. Yep, I did the ultimate no no. However, it’s what she wanted. Simply put, the thing works. It’s been a year and it’s still prowling the 1st floor of the house 3x a week. In a year it has not broken, lost connection, or had any issues. Only occasional issue is that the roller gets stuck with dog hair. Not the units problem, it’s the 90# fur beast the lives here. We bought 2 more after seeing how well they work and now the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor have vacuum a Shark robot. They don’t really deep clean, but really do great for dog hair and surface crap.
LC –
These Robots!
Seems like they have a mind of their own sometimes. Got this on prime day sale or I wouldn’t have paid full price. But it’s way better than a previous cheaper shark model I had. The self empty feature is great and it doesn’t get clogged up. I have to pick up all my small rugs and put away any cords. It’s consistent with the mapped route. You still need to occasionally use a manual vacuum to get the hard to reach places. It’s a big convenience for anyone with pets.
Tamara Chase –
Still waiting for warranty service parts weeks after calls to Shark and told parts were authorized
Poor warranty service and no customer service accountability
Michael L. Utchell –
Shipped w/o docking mat
God forbid you need support because I’ve had to call three times. And Shark shipped the wrong parts twice. Shark’s product support sucks.
Jason –
Life changer
Works fantastic. You’d almost not be able to tell we have dogs and kids. Only improvement would be if it had two brushes up front. We’ve used pine cleaner in with the water once the shark brand stuff ran out. Leaves the house looking and smelling great. The app is super handy for cleaning specific areas and tracking progress. Does our whole first floor without needing to recharge. Highly recommend
Duffy Brady –
Save your money
Terrible…Came with little instruction. “Made for pets” is a joke. The pet hair clogs the intake……it does a terrible job of vacuuming, leaves dog hair tumbleweeds everywhere…..
cw –
Shark Robot Mop & Vac
Love that this maps the entire house, don’t love that it will not go under my sofa now with the Lidar tool on the top of the robot which makes it taller. Love the mop feature, very easy to use.
Trunk Monkey –
Don’t Buy This Item
I’ve had this Shark vacuum for a few months and it has yet to successfully clean my house. My floors are a mixture of hardwood and area rugs and this robot always get stuck somewhere. Which it’s under a bed or on an area rug, i get notifications on my phone that it’s stuck. Again. Don’t waste you money on this item. It’s literally a $400 brick in my spare room.
Vickie Reid –
Great Product
I like the Vaccum it kicked my but setting it up but finally I won. Came with no instructions but I did prevail I love it
Opal –
Just Don’t
Boy, what a disappointment this thing is. This is my first self cleaning vacuum and it will be my last. After a pain in the a** set up, it took it nearly 3 hours to map the house. I have now run it twice and it keeps doing the same room over and over again. You would think the floor would at least be clean. Nope. Even on high mode it does a crummy job. I’ve had it running for 12 minutes on high and the battery is drained already to 70 percent. It sounds like a jet plain driving around your house. It’s such a disappointment. I even tried to map the carpets so I wouldn’t mop them, forget it, it’s to stupid to map the carpets. All in all complete waste of money. You can do it yourself for 1/10th the cost in supplies, quieter and faster..never ever again will I order a robo vacuum it’s just trash.
Jill –
DO NOT BUY!
We have replaced now our 4th roller brush we get about a month of use and have to replace it again. They aren’t cheap either. We have tried every which way to fix this error and there isn’t one.
Jim F –
Brush roll gets stuck 100% of the time and impossible to take the cap off to clean
Brush roll gets stuck 100% of the time and impossible to take the cap off to clean. I know what you’re thinking, “100% of the time? That can’t be true.” It absolutely is. PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS!
Chris –
cool
works great
LOLA –
Kicks up the dust in the air after using some but works brilliantly
It works and does a great job !!! It does have a HEPA filter, but Unfortunately I have severe allergies to dust and it stirred up too much dust in the air and caused me to get congested, terrible headache, cough and asthma attack…. wheezing so I cannot use it and had to return. Maybe once I am on allergy shots….for awhile –it might be nice but not even sure then if I want that… It picked up dirt, hair, all kinds of stuff… empties on own when full… really great.
Placeholder –
I love this combo vac
I bought a refurbished Shark IQ back in Oct 2020, and it has been faithfully vacuuming my house every day, twice a day, ever since. I’ve replaced the battery, reglued in charging contacts, basically kept it going for four years without issue. When I decided to upgrade to a dual purpose combo vac/mop, I knew I wanted another Shark given my great experience with the first one. I got this one on sale and boy it is amazing! It vacuums every day as my previous vac did, but now I have the option to swap the bin for a mop unit and have it keep my kitchen floor clean without having to get down and scrub it by hand every time (I do have multiple other mopping tools including a spin brush, steam cleaner, and hand mop for the deep clean days!). I absolutely love the self emptying option, it will empty and resume if needed and although I have emptied the base a couple times so far, they aren’t kidding when they say you can do that once a month or even less often. I have three cats and tempted my IQ bin daily or at least every other day, but the self emptying base does not fill up quickly at all. Once I got everything programmed in the app (took a couple tries to get it right) it’s been smooth sailing! Excellent value for the $350 I paid, extremely happy with it.
H. Hauff –
Absolutely love our Shark….BUT
One of the side brushes stopped working. Bought replacement parts (pretty inexpensive to have on hand…recommend swapping them out quarterly or so) watched a few videos about fixes and hacks, but nothing worked. Absolutely love how it worked during the year (11 mos actually). So handy and convenient! Am going to buy one more time while swapping out parts more frequently and see how it goes. I learned as I went with the first one. Hopefully I’ve gained enough knowledge to keep it going longer this time.
Marina –
Freakin awesome
The media could not be loaded. This lil robot is the best. All I have to do is pick up some and fill it with soapy water, and it sweeps and mops EVERY DAY. I am an animal foster mom, so I have A LOT of fuzzy critters. My old roomba would fill very fast and get so clogged with fur and my wife’s hair. It was gross! This little puppy empties very well and keeps on chuggin, and the brushes hardly clog at all. I haven’t even had to clean them yet (five days in). The dust chamber opens easily without me having to touch gunk too. The map it makes is super detailed! My only problem is that it very occasionally gets stuck on one item, but all I have to do is make that area a no-go zone on the app. It’s really the future, y’all.
Michael Runyan III –
Returned after 1 day of use…
My wife has really been wanting a robot vacuum that had a mop feature. After looking through a lot of the brands, we decided on this Shark. We have always heard and thought Shark was a really good brand. This Shark robot wouldn’t connect to the app… we tried EVERYTHING!! Unplugging the WiFi router, we rebooted our phones, we tried “unloading” our Shark apps, and we even called customer service and they couldn’t get it to connect after everything else… Without the app you can’t do any mapping, you can’t mark no vacuum zones or mop zones… it mops the carpet… this robot vacuum does do an EXCELLENT job on vacuuming tho. We returned it due to not being able to use ANY of its features due to a lack of connectivity to the app.
carrieirene2 –
Love it!
Read a lot of reviews and wasn’t sure which to go with but pleased with this one. It’s only loud when it empties itself, but just plan to run it when that won’t bother you and it’s not a problem. Leaves beautiful vacuum lines and does a great job with routine or spot cleaning. We have two dogs and I’m amazed at how much it picks up.
Amazon Customer –
Lack of Support
The vacuum mapped my house and worked for a few months. Afterwards, it would only run for 5 minutes at a time before returning to its dock. Support will just continuously tell you that it’s working as intended when it is not. I will never buy another Shark product.
Angel Ramirez Ramos –
Amazing tool
Great product. Helps to get rid of almost everything and minimize our work. Good battery and quick charge. Size and material are pretty good.
Laura Hauge –
Would not recommend
Amazon replaced the first one because it would not map the room. Replacement came timely. However the 2nd one was no better. Now sending it back too.
Michael C. –
Works great!
I bought this for my mother that lives on a lake. It has worked great so far in keeping the house clean of pet fur and sand. It is set up to run in the morning (to allow the floor to dry incase there are wet spots from people not drying off). The vacuum does an amazing job traversing the terrain, navigating obstacles and picking up dirt. The bag-free base is a must have!
Avid book junkie, well Kindle junkie! –
so far, so good
The Shark has been good so far. Mapping went well when vacuuming even noted when something was gone that had been there when mapping. I even had it vacuum a room that needed an extra clean when dirt was tracked in. No issues yet unless it gets freaky on Halloween;-)
Jill Sears Steele –
Does a great job. Saves time cleaning!!
We have 4 dogs and 2 cats. I was vacuuming daily. This was a breeze to set up. It sweeps and mops…. Saves me time and does a great job!!
Julia Pearson –
Just an OK robot vacuum
I have a Roborock robot vacuum that I would argue is 2x better than this Shark robot vacuum. While it maps well, you cannot schedule by room and unlike the Roborock, it gets stuck under things regularly. I normally love all products that are Shark, but I’d pass on this one…at least for now.
Hunterman –
Great for 9 months … then needs to be cleaned after every trip
I really like this for the first five months of owning it. I have a dog and I sent this around quite often. It did a pretty good job when I used Max cleaning, and it emptied it into the reservoir. But I saw less performance after five months and then now we are to the point for the last few months that I’ve had to clean out the actual vacuum every time it goes out to clean something. And then I send it back to clean again just in case. It doesn’t get rid of all the hair and it gets stuck in the reservoir. Would like to find another one similar to this, but with better long-term performance.
Houston Bailey –
Cleans good, always gets stuck
Cleaning alone I would give it 5 stars. It’s quiet and efficient in the way it cleans & does it well. On the other hand, 75% of the time it gets stuck somewhere and cannot find its way back to the base. When I come home from work on the days it was scheduled to clean, I usually have to retrieve it and place it back on the base myself. Pretty annoying for a $500 vacuum if you ask me. I would think the lidar could see the ridge it gets hung up on and avoid it all together with some AI learning. Oh well.
Diana S –
Don’t expect to get a new brushroll
Worked great for 10 months. Replacement parts for this specific model are impossible to find. Need a brushroll? Good luck! It’s worthless now.
Max Reichbart –
Does not work after 3 months
This product suddenly stopped working. Won’t turn on and won’t charge. Too much money for that kind of malfunction
Udntneed2knwmyname –
So disappointed
I was so excited to have this help me The robot is soooo dumb, it can’t find its own dock, the mopping sucks, it doesn’t do the grid pattern it says it only goes around randomly Don’t waist your money
Nathaniel H. –
Terrible
On like the 4th time it automatically cleaned, it mixed the dry debris with the mopping fluid and ruined the floors in my house covering everything in mud while I was gone. Came home to a completely trashed house and returned it. I honestly should sue Shark. Amazing Amazon customer service as always, but Shark should be ashamed for making such a trash product at this price point. Highly advise against buying this.
Pam Schrock –
LOVE
I Love my shark & bought that as a gift for one of my kids & their family. I recommend this unit!
AValdez –
Works great
This vacuum mapped our entire house perfectly. Cleaned about 1000 square feet in 84 minutes with 40 percent battery remaining after it was finished. No regrets.
Elsa –
Is as described
The media could not be loaded. Loved 🥰 is perfect I am writing reviews when she is cleaning for me lol 😂
Robert J Kenney –
Was not in original box and did not come with all parts.
We received this in a plain cardboard box. It did not have any Shark packaging, which made it seem like a used purchase. We ordered the vacuum and mop combo but did not receive the mop parts. There was also no owners manual or any paperwork about the unit. Sending it back right away.
Raj –
Worst robot vacuum, not worth spending 300.
I purchased this unit back in Dec 2022 and it worked great initially for almost a year. After a year of usage, we noticed it stopped picking up even lighest and smallest dust particles after few rounds on same area. We were out of warranty at that time so couldn’t do much but 300 dollars for just a one year of product usage is too much. Shark usually has good products but this one definitely dent their image. We would look at other manufacturer in future.
Alex D. –
Not cleaning well
I usually don’t write review but this time I’m very disappointed with the product. It doesn’t clean well , leaves small particles. The self cleaning function is awful. If you don’t clean the filter every time it finishes the job, next time the suction function is simply blocked by the dust. I previously had a rumba and was happy with results. The box of this vacuum was discarded so I can’t return. Don’t waste your money.
lilcoupon –
problems with mapping
So if you have hardwood or tile and have an area rug don’t buy this product. The app is junk. It will NOT map correctly to keep the unit off of your carpet/area rugs when mopping. No matter what you do it doesn’t work. It will CONSTANTLY run over your rugs and get them sopping wet. I will not be purchasing the floor mop cleaner. It used almost 5 oz mopping the postage stamp kitchen, 10 X14 dining room and first floor bathroom which is also tiny. I have decided I will send the robot to those rooms to sweep and mop. I will let it sweep my 8′ X 10′ area rug and hardwood on my entryway and the 9′ X 24′ hardwood ajasesnt to my living room. I will use my shark steamer for the areas of hardwood this thing refuses to mop. So I would spend more money on a better product. One that will lift the mopping device when going over carpet and lowering it back down once it clears it and resumes to mop. I would have done that but NONE of them support 5G. This is the reason I got the Shark. It supports 5G. Now in it’s defense it does an EXCELLENT job at doing each task except the mapping issues where it is supposed to not go on to mop.
C. Bruce –
First robot cache. Works better than I thought.
Setup was not near as difficult as other reviewers described. App is simple to use. I have one dog that roams the house while I am at work during the day. He also has many toys and small blankets that he plays with. So of course I do have to pick all of that up prior to using the robot vac. Also means I cannot run while at work. Not the vacs fault. Picks up a lot eccerytime it runs. Mopping is better on the best setting. Only con is sometimes it drops some dirt when it docks. Kind of strange.
Jose Angel Trejo Rodriguez –
Comenzando a conocer
He comenzado a usarlo y hasta ahora vamos conociendo el equipo. Más adelante indicaré cómo va funcionando. Detalle. El equipo llegó con muestras de rayones pequeños. Tipo cosmético lo cual me extraño por ser un equipo nuevo