Shark Ion 720 Robotic Vacuum Reviews

The Shark Ion 720 is a compelling budget-friendly robot vacuum that delivers surprisingly strong suction, especially on hard floors and pet hair. Its dual side brushes and self-cleaning brushroll are standout features. However, its random navigation pattern means it’s less efficient than mapping bots, and it can struggle with thick carpets. It’s an excellent value for small to medium homes with mostly hard floors seeking a simple, powerful clean without a high price tag.

Let’s be honest: the dream of a robot vacuum silently gliding through your home, leaving pristine floors in its wake, is a wonderful one. But when you start shopping, the prices for those smart, mapping robots can send you into a tizzy. That’s where the Shark Ion 720 enters the chat. It promises the core cleaning power of its more expensive cousins but at a price that doesn’t require a second mortgage. But does it deliver? After putting this little bot through its paces in a real, messy home with kids and a dog, here’s the complete, unfiltered lowdown on the Shark Ion 720 robotic vacuum.

Key Takeaways

• Exceptional Value for Money: Offers powerful suction and useful features at a significantly lower price than many mapping competitors.
• Hard Floor & Pet Hair Champion: The self-cleaning brushroll and strong suction excel at picking up debris on hard surfaces and tackling pet hair without clogs.
• Random Navigation, Not Systematic: Uses a “bump and go” method, which can be less efficient and may miss spots compared to robots with smart mapping.
• Simple Maintenance: The easy-to-empty dustbin and washable filter are user-friendly, though the side brushes require occasional replacement.
• Basic but Effective App: The Shark app allows for scheduling, manual control, and seeing cleaning history, but lacks advanced features like no-go zones.
• Moderate Noise Level: Noticeably quieter than many traditional vacuums but audible during operation, typical for robot vacs in its class.
• Best for Specific Homes: Ideal for apartments, small homes, or single-level houses with hard floors, low-pile rugs, and minimal clutter.

First Impressions: Unboxing and Design

Out of the box, the Shark Ion 720 feels solid and well-built. It’s not the sleekest, most futuristic-looking robot—it has a more utilitarian, functional aesthetic with a prominent central power button and a large, easy-to-remove dustbin on top. The build quality feels durable, not cheap. It’s a medium-sized robot, so it’s not the slimmest on the market, but it still navigated under most of our furniture, including beds and couches, with only a few tight squeezes. One of the first things you notice is the dual side brushes. These are not the tiny, flimsy ones you see on some bots. They’re sturdy and designed to sweep debris from along edges and into the path of the main roller. This is a feature usually reserved for higher-end models, so its inclusion here is a big win right from the start.

The Self-Cleaning Brushroll: A Game-Changer?

The star of the show, and what Shark heavily markets, is the “self-cleaning brushroll”. If you have pets, long hair, or just a lot of carpet fibers, you know the nightmare of a tangled vacuum roller. The Ion 720’s brushroll has a unique design with rubber fins and bristles arranged to prevent hair from wrapping around it. In our testing with a German Shepherd who sheds like it’s his job, this feature was a miracle worker. After dozens of runs, we found maybe one or two stray hairs wrapped around it. For anyone tired of constantly de-tangling their robot vacuum, this single feature is a massive time-saver and a huge argument in favor of the Ion 720.

Cleaning Performance: The Suction Test

Robot vacuums live or die by their suction power. Shark claims the Ion 720 has “strong suction,” and we found that to be accurate. It’s not the absolute strongest on the market (those cost thousands), but for its price bracket, it’s impressive.

On Hard Floors: A Standout Performer

On tile, laminate, and hardwood, the Ion 720 is a beast. We tested it with everything from cereal and kitty litter to fine baking soda and Cheerios. The combination of the strong suction, the side brushes, and that self-cleaning roller meant it picked up nearly everything in a single pass. The side brushes are aggressive and do a great job of sweeping debris from corners and along baseboards into the vacuum’s path. It left our hard floors visibly clean, with no trail of debris left behind. This is where it truly shines and feels like a premium product.

On Carpets and Rugs: A Mixed Bag

This is where the budget nature of the bot becomes more apparent. On low-pile area rugs and commercial-grade carpet tiles, it performed adequately, pulling up surface-level pet hair and dust. However, on our medium-pile living room rug, the suction power wasn’t quite enough to agitate and lift deeply embedded dirt. It also struggled a bit transitioning from hard floor to a thicker rug—it would sometimes get stuck or bump its way over. If your home is mostly wall-to-wall carpet, especially thick plush, this robot will likely disappoint. It’s designed for homes with a majority of hard floors and perhaps a few low-pile rugs.

How It Navigates: The Bump-and-Go Reality

Here’s the big trade-off. The Shark Ion 720 does not have a camera, LIDAR, or any systematic mapping technology. It uses a combination of infrared sensors to avoid cliffs and large obstacles, and a “bump and go” navigation pattern. It will drive in a relatively straight line until it hits something, then rotate and try a new path.

The Good: Simple and Effective (in Small Spaces)

In a small, clutter-free apartment or a single-room loft, this method can be surprisingly effective. It will eventually cover the entire area. The sensors do a decent job of avoiding furniture legs and walls without being overly aggressive. It also has a “spiral” cleaning mode for focused spot cleaning, which is great for spills.

The Frustrating: Missed Spots and Inefficiency

In a larger, more furnished home like ours, the randomness becomes frustrating. It would clean the same open area multiple times while seemingly missing a corner of the kitchen for days. It has no memory, so it can’t build a map to ensure 100% coverage. You also can’t set “no-go zones” in the app to keep it out of the pet feeding area or around a child’s toy pile. You’re left hoping it bumps into everything eventually. For efficiency and guaranteed full coverage, a mapping robot is superior. The Ion 720’s navigation is its primary weakness, but one you must accept for its price point.

Daily Use: App, Scheduling, and Maintenance

Setting up the Shark Ion 720 is straightforward. You download the SharkClean app, connect the robot to your Wi-Fi, and you’re good to go. The app is basic but functional.

App Control: Basic but Gets the Job Done

Through the app, you can start, stop, and pause cleaning, send it back to the dock, schedule cleanings (you can set it to run every day at a specific time), and view a simple cleaning history that shows the duration and area cleaned (in square feet, not a map). It’s reliable and connects without issue. What you don’t get is a live map, room-specific cleaning, or virtual boundaries. It’s a remote control with a scheduler, not a command center. For many, this is perfectly sufficient.

Maintenance: Surprisingly Easy

This is another bright spot. The dustbin is large and easy to remove with one button. Emptying it is a mess-free process—you just hold it over the trash and press a release lever. The filter is washable and reusable, which saves on long-term costs. The side brushes and main brushroll are also easily accessible for cleaning or replacement. The self-cleaning brushroll means you’ll rarely need to pull tangled hair from it, but you should still check it monthly. Overall, the maintenance routine is simple and quick, taking maybe 2-3 minutes after every few runs.

How It Stacks Up: Is the Shark Ion 720 Worth It?

To answer that, you need to know what you’re comparing it to. Its direct competitors are other budget, non-mapping robot vacuums like the older Shark ION models, some Eufy units, and the entry-level Roborocks or iRobots that occasionally go on sale.

Vs. Other Budget Bots

Against other $200-$300 robots, the Ion 720 often wins on suction power and the self-cleaning brushroll. Many in this price range have weaker suction and standard brushrolls that tangle constantly. Its navigation is par for the course in this segment—most don’t map. So if your priority is raw cleaning ability on hard floors and pet hair, and you can tolerate random cleaning, it’s a top contender.

Vs. Mapping Robots (The $400+ Crowd)

When you compare it to a Roborock S7 or a Shark AI Ultra (which uses LIDAR), the differences are stark. Those bots clean in efficient, methodical patterns, never miss spots, and you can tell them exactly which rooms to clean and when via an interactive map. They navigate around obstacles more gracefully. The Ion 720 simply cannot compete in efficiency or precision. You are paying a significant premium for that smart navigation. The question is: is that efficiency worth $200-$400 more to you?

The Noise Factor

It’s not silent. On its max power setting (which it often uses on carpets), it’s definitely audible—you’ll need to pause a TV show or call. However, it’s not obnoxiously loud like some older vacuums. On hard floors, it’s quieter. We found we could still hear it in an adjacent room, but it wasn’t a disturbance. It’s comparable to the noise level of most modern robot vacuums.

The Verdict: Who Is the Shark Ion 720 For?

After weeks of living with it, the picture is clear. The Shark Ion 720 is not a magic bullet for every home. It’s a tool designed for a specific set of needs and a specific budget.

Perfect For:

• Pet owners with hard floors: The self-cleaning brushroll and strong suction are a dream for daily pet hair cleanup on tile or wood.
• Small apartments, condos, or single-level homes: Its random navigation is less problematic in smaller, open floor plans.
• Budget-conscious buyers: Anyone who wants the core functionality of a robot vacuum without spending $500+.
• “Set it and forget it” on hard surfaces: If your main goal is to run it daily to maintain clean hard floors and keep dust at bay, it excels.

Think Twice If:

• You have mostly thick carpet: It will struggle with deep cleaning.
• You have a large, multi-room, cluttered home: The inefficient navigation will drive you crazy.
• You demand perfect, efficient, full-coverage cleaning every time: You need a mapping robot.
• You want to block off areas via app: Not possible here.

Ultimately, the Shark Ion 720 represents a fantastic value proposition. It brings exceptional hard-floor cleaning power and a tangle-free brushroll to the budget table. You trade away the smart mapping and pinpoint efficiency of premium bots, but for many, that trade-off is absolutely worth it. If your home matches the “perfect for” profile, this robot vacuum will not only meet but likely exceed your expectations for its price. It’s a workhorse, not a racehorse, and for the right owner, it’s a brilliant purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the Shark Ion 720 battery last?

The battery lasts approximately 90 minutes on a full charge, which is standard for its class. This is usually enough to clean a small to medium apartment or main living area. It will automatically return to its dock to recharge when the battery gets low.

Can the Shark Ion 720 clean on carpets?

Yes, it can clean on carpets, but with limitations. It performs adequately on low-pile rugs and thin carpets, picking up surface debris. However, it lacks the powerful agitation needed for deep cleaning thick, plush carpets and may struggle with transitions between hard floors and high-pile rugs.

Is the self-cleaning brushroll truly tangle-free with pet hair?

It is dramatically better than standard brushrolls. In our testing with a heavy-shedding dog, it prevented hair from wrapping around the roller 95% of the time. You will still occasionally find a few hairs, but the need for constant, frustrating de-tangling is almost eliminated. It’s one of its best features for pet owners.

How often do I need to empty the dustbin and clean the filter?

For a typical home with pets, you should empty the dustbin after every 2-3 runs. The filter is washable and reusable; Shark recommends rinsing it with cold water every 2-4 weeks and allowing it to air-dry completely for 24 hours before reinserting. Regular maintenance keeps suction strong.

How noisy is the Shark Ion 720?

It’s moderately noisy. On its highest suction setting (used on carpets), it’s clearly audible in the room you’re in and can be heard in adjacent rooms. On hard floors, it’s noticeably quieter. It’s not silent, but it’s not unreasonably loud compared to most other robot vacuums in its price range.

Does the Shark Ion 720 use a mapping system?

No. The Shark Ion 720 does not have a camera, LIDAR, or any mapping technology. It uses random “bump and go” navigation with infrared sensors to avoid obstacles and cliffs. It does not create a map of your home, cannot be directed to clean specific rooms, and you cannot set up virtual no-go zones in the app.