You’ve seen it on Amazon. Maybe you saw it at a Target end-cap. The Shark ION Robot AV752 is one of those gadgets that sits in a weird spot in the vacuum world—it’s not the flashy, $1,000 AI-powered beast that maps your house with lasers, but it’s also not a cheap knockoff that dies after three weeks. It’s a workhorse. Honestly, it’s basically the Honda Civic of robot vacuums.
I’ve spent a lot of time looking at how these things actually perform in real-world messy houses, not just pristine labs. If you're tired of seeing dog hair tumbleweeds under your couch, the Shark ION Robot AV752 is usually the first "serious" robot people look at. But is it actually good? Or are you just paying for the Shark name? Let's get into the weeds of what this thing actually does when it hits your floor.
The Tri-Brush System: Marketing Hype or Real Cleaning?
Shark talks a lot about their "Tri-Brush" system. Most robots have one side brush. This one has two. Plus a multi-surface brushroll. Does it matter? Sorta.
The two spinning side brushes act like little crab claws. They flick debris from the edges of your baseboards into the path of the main suction. It’s effective for getting crumbs out of corners, which is where circular robots usually fail miserably. However, because this model uses a traditional bristle brushroll rather than the rubber ones found on the high-end "Self-Cleaning" models, hair wrap is a real thing. If you have a Golden Retriever or someone in the house with long hair, you will be flipping this thing over once a week to cut hair off the roller. That’s just the reality of the AV752. It cleans well, but it requires a bit of "parenting."
The suction itself is surprisingly punchy. On hard floors, it’s a champ. On thick carpets? It struggles a bit more. It’ll get the surface dust, but don’t expect it to pull out deep-seated sand from the bottom of a plush rug.
Why the Shark ION Robot AV752 Navigation is "Dumb" (And Why That’s Okay)
We need to talk about "bump and grind" navigation.
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High-end robots use LiDAR (lasers) or VSLAM (cameras) to "see" your room. They move in perfect, satisfying straight lines. The Shark ION Robot AV752 doesn't do that. It uses infrared sensors to detect obstacles and then bumps into things to figure out where it is. It moves in a random pattern. To a human watching it, this is infuriating. It looks like a drunk beetle. It’ll miss a spot, turn around, hit a chair leg, and go somewhere else.
But here is the secret: because it runs for about 120 minutes, it eventually hits almost everything. It’s a game of probability. If it bounces around your living room for two hours, the odds of it covering every square inch are actually pretty high.
The Durability Factor
Because it doesn't have a sensitive laser turret on top, there's less to break. I've seen these things take absolute beatings. They fall down small ledges, they get tangled in charging cables, and they just keep chugging. If you have a complicated floor plan with lots of "traps" like low-clearance furniture, the AV752's simple approach might actually be less prone to software errors than a more expensive "smart" bot that gets confused by a shiny mirror or a dark rug.
Dealing With the App and Smart Features
You can control this thing with your phone. The SharkClean app is... fine. It's not a masterpiece of software engineering. You can start a clean, stop a clean, and set a schedule.
- Scheduling: This is the only way to use a robot vacuum. Set it to run at 10:00 AM when you're at work.
- Voice Control: It works with Alexa and Google Assistant. "Alexa, tell Shark to start cleaning" actually works pretty reliably.
- No "No-Go Zones": Since this doesn't have a map, you can't draw a line on your phone to tell it to stay away from the dog's water bowl. You have to use physical barriers or just accept that it might push the bowl around a bit.
The Shark ION Robot AV752 is a Wi-Fi connected device, but it’s a "thin" connection. It isn't sending a 3D map of your house to the cloud, which some privacy-conscious folks actually prefer. It’s just a remote control on your phone.
The Maintenance Reality Nobody Mentions
If you buy this, buy a pair of small scissors. You'll need them. The AV752 has a decent-sized dustbin, but it isn't massive. If you have pets, you’ll be emptying it every single day. If you forget to empty it, the suction drops, and the robot just starts pushing dirt around.
The filters also need a tap-out every few days. Shark recommends replacing them every few months, but honestly, if you have a handheld vacuum, just suck the dust out of the robot's filter once a week and you can stretch their life significantly.
Battery Life and Charging
The 120-minute runtime is legit, but that's in "ideal" conditions. If you have a lot of carpet, the motor works harder and the battery dies faster. When it gets low, it’ll try to find its dock. Key word: try. Because it doesn't have a map, it has to "see" the infrared signal from the dock. If it's in a bedroom on the other side of the house, it might wander around aimlessly until it dies in the middle of the floor. It’s like a tired toddler trying to find their bed in the dark.
Is the AV752 Better Than the Competition?
In the sub-$200 or sub-$250 price bracket, the main competition is Eufy and iRobot's entry-level Roombas.
The Eufy 11S is quieter. Much quieter. If you work from home and want the vacuum running while you're on Zoom calls, the Eufy wins. But the Shark feels more rugged. The brushes on the Shark ION Robot AV752 seem to hold up better on transition strips (that little metal or wood bit between your kitchen tile and your living room carpet).
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Entry-level Roombas often have better "dirt detection" (they can tell if a spot is extra dirty and will circle over it), but they tend to be louder and the replacement parts are often more expensive. Shark parts are everywhere. You can get a "refresh kit" with new brushes and filters for twenty bucks on Amazon or at a big-box store.
Real-World Expectations: What It Can’t Do
Don't buy this if you expect a spotless house without lifting a finger. You still have to "robot-proof" your home.
- Cords are the enemy: It will eat your iPhone cable.
- Loose rugs: If you have thin, lightweight rugs, the Shark will probably fold the corners over and get stuck.
- Dog poop: Do not, under any circumstances, run this if your dog isn't house-trained. Without AI obstacle avoidance, it will create a "poop-pocalypse" across your entire floor.
Actionable Steps for New Owners
If you've just picked up a Shark ION Robot AV752, or you're about to hit "buy," here is how to make it actually work for you.
First, clear the floor. Do a sweep of the house for socks, charging cables, and stray toy parts. The AV752 is a vacuum, not a sorter. If it sucks up a sock, it stops working.
Second, place the dock correctly. Put it against a wall with about three feet of clearance on either side and five feet in front. If you tuck it in a tight corner, the robot will never find its way home and you’ll constantly be carrying it back to the charger like a heavy, dusty baby.
Third, set the schedule for "off-peak" times. Don't run it while you're trying to watch TV. It’s not deafening, but it’s a constant mechanical whir. Set it for when you're out of the house or in a different room.
Lastly, check the front caster wheel. Everyone forgets this. That little swivel wheel on the front pops out. Hair gets wrapped around the axle and can eventually stop the wheel from turning, which wears down your floors. Pop it out once a month and clean it.
The Shark ION Robot AV752 isn't the smartest kid in class, but it's the one that shows up every day and does the work. For a simple apartment or a single-story home with mostly hard floors and a few low-pile rugs, it's more than enough. Just keep your expectations grounded in reality—it’s a tool, not a magic wand.