Heard of iRobot®? What about Shark®? Both have been around for a while and they are developing incredible home appliances to make our lives easier. Here we are comparing the Shark ION ROBOT® RV750 with the very popular iRobot® Roomba® 690.
Shark® has been around since 1995, so they are no strangers to the market. Appearing on your favourite TV channels and offering some incredible products at an affordable price that everyone has access to. iRobot® started out in 1990 and apart from developing some amazing robots for space and industry, they also developed some of the first technologies that appeared in automatic vacuums with a keen eye on making your home a Smart home.
Both have excellent pedigrees then, so does the new player to the automatic vacuuming market match the high standard of the Roomba®? Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
What’s in the Box?
Let’s look at what you get in the box with your purchase of these models.
Shark® seems to be offering a little more for your money here with the BotBoundary® strip and connectors at 9ft as the Roomba® only has 1 Dual Mode Virtual Wall® Barrier.
Side By Side Comparison of the Shark ION ROBOT® RV750 vs iRobot® Roomba® 690
To see their specs side by side gives a little more of what the differences are between these two automatic vacuums.
Height 2.6 inch
Height 3.6 inch
Coverage Map
Coverage Map
Height 2.6 inch
Coverage Map
Height 3.6 inch
Coverage Map
I think the twin side brushes and HEPA filter really make the Shark® ION 750 stand out, but it is the height of that is most impressive.
What are the major Differences?
Let’s get the whole Brand name thing out the way first of all. iRobot® has been a huge market player in the robotics industry, and that must not be taken for granted here. Shark® have been innovators of change in the home appliance market for a long time too. So if you are considering your choice based on name, there is little to choose between them.
The biggest difference lies in height, motor and filter quality for us here at Vacuum Fanatics. The height of a vacuum will determine whether your new best cleaning friend will manage to make it under the sofa or bed. (Unless you consider furniture risers that is). The motor will ensure great pick up and of course, the filter is key to how your air is after the vacuum has been around the home.
The massive difference in height is really quite ingenious by the Shark® ION ROBOT 750. At almost an Inch lower than the Roomba® 690 that is going to make some difference in where it can clean.
Of course, there are more places it might get stuck so take that into consideration too!
The issue of price is sure to sway you too, but currently, both models are nearly as much as each other so price shouldn’t be an issue if you shop around.
The other interesting difference is the way Shark® and iRobot® address boundaries. Shark® uses its’ BotBoundary® strip which is laid on the floor and stops your ION 750 from going past into your office or under the TV stand and eating cables. Also great for cordoning off pet water bowls or your favourite antique furniture.
iRobot® uses a different approach by using it’s Dual Mode Virtual Wall® Barrier which emits a signal to stop your Roomba® for entering rooms or getting close to bowls. It is a little neater in design but you only get one unit and will have to purchase more if you are thinking there are other places you need to keep your Roomba® from reaching.
Finally, another difference we noted was the filter type. iRobot® is producing some great filters for their more expensive vacuums but the Roomba® 690 only receives the AeroVac® Filter. Shark®, on the other hand, manages to include a HEPA filter which should reduce the amount of dust and dander blown through the vacuum and back into the air.
Considerations
I think the motor needs to be our first consideration between these two automatic vacuums. iRobot® has been brilliant at producing excellent motors that suck deep down into your carpets and extract a lot of the dust and debris. According to a majority of reviews, the ION ROBOT® 750 just doesn’t have that suction power.
This will leave you with a clean house but not a spotless home. The Roomba®, on the other hand, has been brilliant in maintaining suction and reducing dirt from your home.
The Shark Ion Robot® 750 has a bin with integrated filters, so cleaning is done in a swift easy one move motion. The Roomba® 690, on the other hand, has the bin and filter separate.
A note on the brushes should be pointed out too. Shark® uses special helix-pattern, high-tensile bristles to clean your floors and it is designed with an anti-tangle feature too.
The Roomba® 690 uses dual multi-surface brushes to clean your floors. Two brushes are used, one to loosen dirt and the other to brush that dirt into your vacuum. This seems to be a great cleaning Innovation, though you may need to pay more attention to keeping the bristles free of hair.
The Shark ION ROBOT® 750 does have one added extra to the Roomba® 690 – The Twin Side Brushes. Roomba® have opted to keep the Single Side Brush, but the Twin Side Brush seems to suggest more cleaning is going on as both sweep the dirt and debris into the mouth of the vacuum.
The other notable feature of the ION ROBOT® 750 side brush is the extraordinary shape. The brushes have two short and one long brushes to catch all types of debris.
The boundaries are a big difference too. Sharks’® BotBoundary® Strip is a magnetic strip which is 9 ft in length, which you can cut to size and place in different parts of your home. It requires no batteries and they lay flat on the floor, out the way. Some reviewers even managed to place them under thin rugs and they still were detected by the ION ROBOT® 750.
iRobot® use their Dual-Mode Virtual Wall® Barriers which are great and can be discreet if kept out the way, but they use batteries and may be knocked over which would render them useless.
The Roomba® technology does have a Dirt Detect® function though, which is capable of detecting areas requiring a deeper clean and focussing on that area for a little longer. This is a clever feature aimed at picking up the most amount of dirt from your floors.
How do I choose between the Shark® Ion 750 and iRobot® Roomba® 690?
This is not about budget or super amazing differences in features. This time it really does come down to preference and particularly cleaning ability.
Both vacuums have WIFI as standard, both have a fully interactive App which you are able to schedule your vacuum from and monitor current progress. (iRobot® does allow re-ordering of replacement filters and accessories directly through their App too).
They are both Voice-activated if you have Amazon Alexa or Google Home already. There is nothing much between those features certainly.
I would be inclined to suggest going with the Roomba® 690 however, due to the cleaning technology of the dual brush system, the increased suction and cleaning program and the smart Dual Mode Virtual Wall® Barrier.
The Shark® ION ROBOT® 750 has made a great attempt at competing against the iRobot® Roomba® 690, and have created an automatic vacuum which has a low profile and an almost hidden barrier system, but I cannot help but think that I want as much cleaning power as possible and here the Roomba® is a better contender for that prize.
Teething Troubles
If this is your first automatic vacuum be aware that the bin will be filled quicker during the first couple of weeks of use as more dirt and debris is cleaned more frequently from your home.
You should also be prepared to untangle cables and various toys from your vacuum as you adjust to your new friend trying to clean and suck everything from the floor. If you have tassles on your rugs or carpets, they will become particularly irritating to your new friend!
Watch out for pet water bowls. None of these models appreciate vacuuming water into their delicate parts and you will be heartbroken to see a failed vacuum sitting limp in the kitchen because of it. Either pick them up or use the barriers to stop them from damaging them.
Conclusion
These machines are both good, but the iRobot® Roomba® 690 wins this comparison by being that bit more careful to use clever technology to clean deeper and focus on areas requiring that bit extra cleaning. The Shark® ION ROBOT® 750 has the twin brush, the low profile and magnetic BotBoundary® Strip, but when it comes to suction, it is a little underwelming and for us, that suction power is one the most important features of any robotic vacuum.
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