Shark RV915S Vacuum Cleaner with Self-Emptying Base: In-Depth Review and Customer Opinions

The Shark RV915S is a powerful robot vacuum cleaner with self-emptying capabilities designed for effortless whole-home cleaning. This high-end model from Shark provides complete floor-to-ceiling cleaning with minimal effort required.

Equipped with a self-emptying base, the Shark RV915S empties itself for up to 60 days so you don't have to think about vacuuming constantly. It has powerful suction and high-efficiency filters to deliver a deep clean on carpets and hard floors.

Navigation is taken care of by LiDAR laser mapping and home mapping technology. Multiple cleaning modes, row-by-row cleaning, and intelligent navigation ensure the entire home is thoroughly cleaned. With convenient app and voice controls, and integration with Alexa and Google Assistant, the Shark RV915S aims to provide an automation cleaning experience.

Design

The Shark RV915S has an attractive, modern design with a low profile that allows it to slide under most furniture like couches and beds. It has a disc shape that is 12.6 inches in diameter and 3.6 inches tall. The RV915S weighs around 15 pounds, which is relatively lightweight compared to similar robot vacuums. Despite its compact size, it still holds a large dust bin and includes several useful features like a self-empty station.

The top cover is a flat black plastic with a circular brushed metal Shark logo in the center. The front bumper is black with a shiny silver strip across it. There are two large wheels on the bottom as well as two side brushes and the main roller brush. Overall the design looks sleek and doesn't distract from home decor. While the RV915S isn't the slimmest robot vacuum, it can still easily maneuver into most areas of the home.

With its modern styling and convenient low profile shape, the Shark RV915S can fit in any home. It has a similar design to other popular Shark robot vacuums like the Shark AV2820S, which also features a flat disc body and self-emptying base. However, the RV915S has a slightly more compact shape at just 3.6 inches tall. This allows it to clean under furniture that sits even closer to the floor. While the AV2820S may have a larger dust bin and longer battery life, the RV915S offers excellent cleaning performance in a smaller package.

The minimalist aesthetic of the RV915S helps it blend in discreetly during cleaning sessions. It doesn't have any bright colors or flashy lights. The simple black and silver color scheme fits with most home decor styles. While the Shark logo adds some visual interest, the overall design remains subtle. There are no sharp angles or protruding parts on the body that would make navigation difficult.

In terms of usability, the simple body style also offers some advantages. The flat top makes it easy to pick up and carry the vacuum. The low height allows it to clean under more furniture and objects. The rounded shape enables the RV915S to bump into obstacles and slide around them smoothly. Overall, the design is optimized for convenient, hassle-free cleaning in tight home spaces.

Features

The Shark RV915S comes packed with features to deliver powerful cleaning performance. With its strong suction power, tangle-free brushroll, large dust bin capacity, long battery life, and smart features like scheduling and voice control - this vacuum has everything you need for whole home cleaning.

• Suction Power: It has a max suction power of 22 CFM, allowing it to suck up dirt, dust and debris from carpets and hard floors. The suction power can be adjusted based on floor type. This level of suction is strong enough to lift deep down dirt from carpets.

• Brush Type: It has a multi-surface brushroll which is effective at grabbing dirt from carpets, as well as soft rubber brushes for hard floors. The brushes are tangle-free for easy maintenance. You won't have to stop vacuuming to cut out hairs tangled around the brushroll.

• Bin Capacity: It has a large 0.7 quarts bin capacity so you don't have to empty it frequently. The large dust cup means fewer trips to empty it while cleaning.

• Battery Life: The RV915S has a run-time of up to 90 minutes on a full charge. This allows it to clean medium to large spaces in one go. You can clean an entire level of your home in one session without having to stop and recharge.

• Scheduling: You can schedule whole home cleanings for up to 7 days. It's also compatible with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant for hands-free control. Just set a schedule and let the vacuum do its job automatically.

With its powerful suction, tangle-free brushroll, large dust bin, long battery life and smart features - the Shark RV915S has everything you need to deep clean carpets and hard floors throughout your home. If you're looking for a self-emptying vacuum, check out the OKP L3 which takes convenience to the next level by automatically emptying the dust bin after each cleaning session.

Self-Emptying

The Shark RV915S comes with a self-emptying base station, which is a major convenience factor for any robotic vacuum. The base has a bagless design and uses a high-capacity dust collector to hold dirt and debris sucked up by the vacuum.

The dust collector bag can hold up to 30 days of debris before needing to be emptied. This means you can go weeks without having to manually empty out your vacuum. The bag is easy to remove and clean out when needed.

The base has a charging function as well. When the Shark is low on battery, it will automatically return to the base station to recharge. This allows it to resume cleaning once power is restored.

The self-emptying functionality takes a chore off your hands and allows the Shark to take care of debris removal autonomously. With a large bag capacity and self-charging, the base station makes the RV915S very convenient to own and maintain.

Cleaning Performance

The Shark RV915S excels at picking up dirt, dust, and pet hair from both carpets and hardwood floors. The vacuum utilizes a self-cleaning brushroll and high-efficiency filter to trap fine particles.

On carpets, the powerful suction lifts dirt and debris from deep within carpet fibers. Reviewers note the RV915S performs well on high pile carpets and is able to thoroughly vacuum carpets without getting tangled or stuck. The strong suction works to lift pet hair and prevent it from getting wrapped around the brush roll.

On hardwoods and tile, the vacuum easily glides and maneuvers to suck up dust bunnies and dirt from corners and edges. The soft brush roll helps polish hard floor surfaces without causing any scratches. Customers mention the vacuum leaves behind no debris, dust, or hair on any type of bare flooring.

Overall, the excellent suction power combined with the self-cleaning brushroll enables the Shark RV915S to deliver superb cleaning performance on carpets and hard floors alike. It's effective at removing embedded dirt, dust, dander and hair.

Navigation

The Shark RV915S uses advanced mapping and navigation technology to efficiently clean your home. It creates a map of the house as it cleans, enabling methodical cleaning in neat rows.

The robot utilizes laser mapping and vSLAM technology to build highly detailed maps of each room. It identifies furniture, rugs, and other objects to navigate intelligently around your home. Obstacle avoidance sensors on the front detect objects to steer clear of collisions.

When cleaning, the RV915S methodically works in rows across each room using an efficient back-and-forth cleaning pattern. This path planning ensures the robot covers every section of the floor thoroughly. It recognizes where it has and hasn't cleaned to provide complete coverage.

If the battery runs low before it finishes, the RV915S will return to the base, recharge, and then resume cleaning from where it left off. This helps ensure a full clean on a single charge.

The navigation system delivers excellent coverage across all floor types while avoiding obstacles and drop-offs. It's able to transition smoothly between different floor surfaces and clean efficiently under and around furniture.

App and Smart Features

The SharkClean app allows you to control and customize your cleaning experience. Connect your robot to the app via Wi-Fi to start cleaning, schedule cleanings, and monitor cleaning progress.

The app includes handy features like target cleaning, which lets you direct the robot to clean specific rooms or areas. You can also create no-go zones to keep the robot away from certain spots. With the app, you can customize the suction power, steering mode, and more.

For smart home integration, the Shark RV915S works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Use voice commands to start and stop cleaning sessions.

The robot maps your home during cleaning cycles. You can view the map in the app and label rooms. With room select cleaning, simply tell your robot exactly which rooms to clean. The mapping allows for more efficient cleaning routes.

Maintenance

The RV915S is designed for low maintenance. The dust bin empties itself into the base, so you don't have to empty it manually after every cleaning.

The filter is also easy to access and keep clean. Simply open the dust bin and lift out the filter to tap off dirt and debris. Replacement filters are readily available on Amazon and other retailers.

Other parts that may need replacing like brush rolls and side brushes are also easy to find. Shark sells replacement parts on their website and on Amazon.

The RV915S makes it simple to keep your robot vacuum running at peak performance with minimal effort.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Outstanding cleaning performance on both carpets and hard floors thanks to the self-emptying base and large dust bin
• Convenient self-emptying base empties itself for up to 60 days, freeing you from having to empty it manually
• Powerful suction with double brush roll design to thoroughly clean floors
• Excellent navigation and mapping capabilities allow efficient cleaning route
• Easy to use app with scheduling and custom cleaning options
• Good battery life of up to 90 minutes per charge

Cons

• Very expensive, over $600 currently
• Large dust bin takes up substantial space when docked
• Self-empty base is loud when emptying
• No virtual boundaries or room dividers

Alternatives

• iRobot Roomba j7+: Similar self-emptying base and good app features but slightly weaker suction at around $600
• Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra: Great mopping and vacuuming but no self-emptying base for around $900
• Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni: 360° camera navigation but no self-emptying base for $700

Conclusion

The Shark RV915S is an impressive robot vacuum cleaner with self-emptying capabilities that make it very convenient to use. It has excellent suction power and cleaning performance on both carpets and hard floors thanks to its triple brushroll system.

Navigation is efficient with mapping technology and home mapping, allowing you to customize cleaning schedules room by room. The self-emptying base is a standout feature that allows the vacuum to empty itself for up to a month before needing manual emptying.

Maintenance is straightforward with just periodic filter cleaning needed. The bagless self-emptying design is neat and minimizes exposure to dirt and dust.

Overall, the Shark RV915S is an excellent choice for whole home cleaning thanks to its self-emptying base, strong suction power, customizable cleaning options, mapping technology and solid navigation. If you want a robotic vacuum that requires minimal effort while providing maximum cleaning coverage, the RV915S is a great option to consider.