I swapped my regular vacuum cleaner for Shark’s robot vacuum and mop for the week – this is why I’m converted

Shark is known for being a major player in the floorcare game. And while I'm a big fan of the brand's full-size vacuums, I know that their robot vacuums - and robot vacuums in general - are a little more divisive. That's why I wanted to test the auto-emptying, auto-refilling Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop out for myself.

And as it's my job to compile a list of the best robot vacuum cleaners out there, I have pretty high standards. But after testing this model in my home for the past week, I'm confident that it's also one of the best Shark vacuums you can buy (especially if you love hands-free, hassle-free cleaning). I did have a few niggles with it, though, so this is everything you need to know.

In a nutshell

The Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop RV2800YEUK (which I’m going to call the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch from now on for the sake of my poor fingers) is one of Shark’s many robot vacuums on offer. And after testing it in my home, I can safely say that it’s become a valuable addition to my cleaning routine.

Is it the most powerful robot vacuum cleaner and mop out there? No, definitely not. However, often too much extra power is unnecessary, and I do believe that the oompf this model offers is more than enough for everyday, hands-free cleaning. Plus, this robot vacuum cleaner and mop also has DirtDetect technology, which auto-adjusts the suction power depending on the dirt levels it faces.

It can also impressively avoid obstacles, and the auto-emptying and auto-refilling functionality (coupled with a pre-set cleaning schedule) means that you can leave your robot vacuum and mop alone to do its thing for 30 whole days before you’d even need to get involved. The major drawback, however, is the fact that it doesn’t allow for multi-room mapping and only offers the chance to save one map at a time.

So, for context, I could create a map of the entire downstairs of my house - and you could do too, providing there are no giant steps in between rooms. But as this particular model only allows for one saved map at a time, I couldn’t then create a map of the upstairs. This didn’t stop me from using it upstairs, but it does seem like an oversight that’ll put some customers off. If it doesn’t, though, I think it’s well worth the investment.

Specifications

• Max. run time: 110 mins
• Suction power: Not provided
• Bin volume: 1.7L of water tank, 30-day debris chamber
• Mop function: Yes
• Charge time: 4 hours
• Noise levels: 65dB - 75dB (tested by us)
• Dimensions: W:48.8 x L34 x H36.8cm
• Weight: 9.13kg (including docking station)
• Compatible with: Alexa and Hey Google

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

The gross weight of the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch - so, the robot vacuum itself, the base, and all of the packaging - came in at 13.1kg. And while the delivery box wasn’t overly big, it was hefty. So, this is something to consider if you have mobility issues, as you might want to have a friend or family member to help you move it on delivery day.

Like most Shark products, the PowerDetect NeverTouch arrived in the box-within-a-box format, which is where a normal brown box encases the actual, branded box within. As they’re both recyclable, I didn’t mind the extra packaging in this case.

And the eco-friendly credentials only continued as I removed all of the components from the box, which were all encased in a cardboard shell and then wrapped in a paper-like material that could then go straight into the recycling bin.

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After I’d unwrapped everything, setting up the robot vacuum and mop was also incredibly easy - largely thanks to the very handy instructions printed on the box itself. All I had to do was remove all of the protective film from the various components and attach the side brush. Then, I found a home for my base (it has to be at least 0.3m away from any objects and 0.6m or more away from the nearest carpet or rug), and plugged it in. The light on the base then turned green.

I then attached the ramp to the base, removed the clean water tank and filled it with room-temperature water up to the fill line. When that was done, I simply had to wait for it to charge for four hours. Just be warned, it’ll make some (temporary) funky noises at this point to confirm that it’s charging. I didn’t know this, and it scared the life out of me!

While I was waiting, I decided to download the app and get the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch connected to the Wi-Fi. This took a matter of seconds, and one thing I will always give credit to Shark for is how they make it so easy to do anything, as the on-screen prompts allow you to follow each step-by-step process without any confusion.

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Then, when the Shark robot vacuum cleaner and mop was fully charged and ready to go, I followed the on-screen prompts once more to turn it on and start the first 'explore' mapping process of my downstairs dining room, living room and kitchen. This allowed the 360° LiDAR lasers to map out every inch of the space, detecting walls and obstructions to successfully route itself during cleaning.

When that was done, I then moved on to the second 'rug and carpet detect' mapping process, which does exactly what it says on the tin. It went around the downstairs of my house, automatically detecting the change in floor type to ensure it didn’t accidentally mop my carpets while it was cleaning.

All in all, both mapping sessions took about 25 minutes, but this didn’t affect or interrupt my day in the slightest. In fact, the app actually tells you to stay away from the robot vacuum and mop during this mapping process, so you don't distract the lasers. So, I just let it get on with it and admired it from afar.

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And my first impressions? Everything about the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch robot vacuum cleaner and mop felt very high-quality, and although robot vacuums and mops with docking stations have always been off-putting for me, as I live in a small house, it was nowhere near as big as I thought it would be.

Sure, it’s still bigger than a robot vacuum without a base, but it’s clear to see that Shark has put a lot of effort into designing something as compact as possible. So, I was eager to try it out properly.

Ease of use

One of the (many) things I love about the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch robot vacuum cleaner and mop is that it’s incredibly easy to use. Although there are a few buttons on the robot vacuum itself to help you control its whereabouts and its cleaning session, the app is incredibly easy to navigate. So, I opted to control everything from my phone.

It’s on this app that you can customise the cleaning, choosing between the vacuum-only mode, the mop-only mode, or the vacuum + mop mode. When doing this, you don’t need to set any suction or water flow levels as the robot vacuum and mop will automatically do that for you. It’s also easy enough to set ‘no-go' zones if you have areas you’d like to avoid to keep the robot and your household items (like charging cables or small kids’ toys) safe.

You can also set schedules for your cleaning sessions, so you can choose to have your robot vacuum and mop clean overnight, while you’re at work, or just halfway through the day, so you don’t forget. It’s worth noting that you can only set up to two schedules a day, though.

My biggest gripe with this robot vacuum and mop, however, is the fact that you can only save one map. For me, this meant that I could only set a map for the downstairs of my house. And while I’m lucky that they’re all connected, it wouldn’t suit those who regularly shut doors between rooms or have steps or levels between these rooms.

In fact, the only way for me to use the Shark robot vacuum upstairs in my home was to physically carry it upstairs - and with no set map saved, it cleaned in a very random pattern. And the only way to change this would be to delete the map of my downstairs in favour of the upstairs. Then, I’d have to re-map when I went back downstairs again.

This seemed like too much of a faff for me, so I kept the saved map downstairs and kept things upstairs a little less structured. I was still happy with the results, but I do think a £700 robot vacuum should offer this multi-room mapping, as many other models on the market do.

Performance

Overall, I was incredibly impressed with the performance of the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch robot vacuum and mop. Although I have tested robot vacuum cleaners with better suction power (Shark hasn’t provided the Pa rating for this model, so I’m unsure exactly how powerful it is), it was still more than enough for everyday cleaning - and I found it particularly impressive as I live in a home where there’s dog hair everywhere.

In fact, it tackled the pet hair embedded in my carpets and rugs with ease, and it was nice to know that the anti-allergen base captures and traps up to 99.9% of dust and allergens, so it doesn’t escape during emptying.

I also really appreciated the DirtDetect technology, which senses hidden dirt on your floors and then boosts the power accordingly. As well as getting louder when it sensed the extra debris, it also changed its course - choosing to vacuum in a figure of eight pattern to take multiple passes over the mess until it was all gone. Plus, I felt like the edge technology also worked well when both vacuuming and mopping.

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Another perk is the NeverStuck Technology, which lifts itself over rugs and small thresholds but also lifts itself over carpets and rugs in vacuuming + mopping mode to ensure your soft flooring never gets damp.

Alright, the mopping isn’t ever going to give a deep mopping session a run for its money as it doesn’t use too much water, and you can’t use any kind of cleaning solution with it, but it’s still better than nothing at all, and I was generally 95% pleased with the mopping ability for daily whip-arounds.

The one thing you should consider if you have low-level furniture, however, is that the sensor on top of this Shark robot vacuum and mop does limit what it can go under. And while it managed to fit under my sofa with ease, it was too tall for my TV unit and a shelving unit in my bedroom.

But aside from my everyday cleaning sessions - and sometimes twice daily cleaning sessions - I also wanted to put the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch robot vacuum and mop through some carefully controlled tests to assess its pickup power and its ability to move around obstacles.

And while this robot vacuum had already impressed me with its ability to make its way through the maze amidst my dining room table and chair legs with ease (and successfully navigating through some very tight spaces without any issues), I popped a dumbbell on the floor to see how it would cope with obstacles that weren’t on my map.

As expected, it tackled the obstacle with ease. It stopped just before it touched the dumbbell (so preventing any head-on collisions that could damage the robot vacuum and skirting boards), and it completed a whole circle around it to make sure that the areas around the dumbbell were still clean. Overall, you couldn’t ask for more.

Then, I sprinkled different types of debris on my hard flooring and carpet samples to test its pickup power. I threw down large chunks of crushed cereal, rice, flour and some of my dog’s hair.

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If I’m honest, the clean-up wasn’t as perfect as I’d hoped. Although the Shark robot vacuum cleaner and mop successfully sucked up the pet hair, the larger cereal pieces and the flour with ease, it struggled with the smaller rice grains and simply pushed half of them around - especially on hard flooring.

This isn’t the end of the world, of course, as they were eventually cleaned when it came back around for a second sweep, but I just think this model needs that extra little oompf of suction if it wants to be able to pick up every speck of debris on the first try.

This particular robot vacuum and mop model also comes with a neat feature - the spot cleaning function that can be used with either the mopping or the vacuuming function. To use this, you ask the Shark robot vacuum to clean that specific spot by selecting it on the map. I imagine this would be handy if you have kids who regularly like to throw things on the floor, or a pet that sleeps in one particular spot.

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However, if you’re sensitive to sound, the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch can be loud. The auto-adjusting power means that the noise levels are constantly changing - and I measured between 65dB and 75dB on my decibel meter app - and the self-emptying process actually made me jump the first time it happened, as it was so loud.

I did get used to it and was able to block it out after a few cleaning sessions, personally, but this is something to consider if you plan on running it overnight.

Cleaning and maintenance

The beauty of a robot vacuum cleaner and mop that comes with an auto-emptying dock is that it allows you an even more hands-free approach to cleaning. And as soon as the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch made its way back to the dock after vacuuming, it automatically emptied the dust canister into the NeverTouch Base.

According to Shark, the base should hold this debris for up to 30 days (I haven’t reached that point yet), but when you’re ready to empty it, simply pull the dust chamber out of the side of the unit and empty it into the bin.

After a mopping session, the base will also automatically refill the water tank of the robot vacuum and mop with clean water. It should hold enough for up to 30 days’ worth of water if you fill it up to the ‘Max’ line - which means you only really need to think of that side of maintenance once a month.

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Another nice perk in terms of cleaning and maintenance is the fact that the base also automatically dries the mop pad after a mopping session. I found that it took a couple of hours to dry it fully, but you can still use the vacuum-only function during this time - and it comes with two spare mop pads if you want to swap it out.

Shark also suggests that you clean the pre-motor filter every month to prevent a loss of suction, too. This is also easily found in a compartment on the dock, and all you need to do is tap off any loose dirt and then rinse under a tap before letting it dry fully and re-inserting.

How does it rate online?

At the time of writing, the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch vacuum cleaner and mop has 40 reviews on the Shark website, with an average star rating of 4.4 out of 5. Happy customers praise how easy it is to set up and how user-friendly the app is - allowing them to set schedules and even clean their homes when they’re not in.

Many pet owners also praise it for helping them keep on top of the pet hair in their home, and how efficient it is at mapping the house and successfully avoiding obstacles without bumping into anything.

However, other customers have criticised the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch for only allowing one saved map, and a couple of unhappy customers have also noticed problems with the Wi-Fi connectivity cutting out. It’s worth mentioning that only 2 out of the 40 customers have noticed this, though.

How does it compare to similar models?

In the Shark vs Dyson debate, there definitely needs to be a conversation about robot vacuum cleaners, as both of the big brands have entered this realm. When we tested Dyson’s one-and-only robot vacuum, the Dyson 360 Vis-Nav, our tester loved the impressive suction power and its dust-detection ability. It is significantly more expensive at £1,199.99, though.

Comparatively, the Shark has a much longer run time and also comes with the ability to mop, so you could say that the Shark is the better option. But if you’re looking for cleaning and suction power, the Dyson trumps it.

However, if you’re looking for something a bit cheaper, it may be worth considering the Hoover HG2 Robot Vacuum and Mop. Although the Hoover robot vacuum is nowhere near as technologically advanced as the Shark robot vacuum (and will undoubtedly bump into any obstacle), it’s a lot more affordable at just £269 and comes with the ability to save multiple maps of your home, instead of just the one.

Verdict: Verdict: Should you buy the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch RV2800YEUK?

If you love Shark products and are looking for a solid robot vacuum cleaner and mop, I really do think the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch is a great piece of kit. It’s incredibly simple to use, and I do believe the cleaning power to be just worthy of its £700 price tag (if I’m being cheeky, I’d like a little more suction power for that price). On sale, however, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat.

The auto-emptying and self-refill base is perfect for hands-free cleaning, as you could literally leave this robot vacuum and mop to its own devices for a whole month without needing to intervene. The ability to avoid obstacles is also very impressive, so it’s great for family homes.

The fact that it doesn’t allow for multi-room mapping could be an issue for some, though - especially if you have a larger, disjointed home. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed testing it and can understand why Shark continues to have a cult following when it offers products like this one.