What testers say about the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro
The Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro is a vacuum-and-mop robot that adjusts itself: its PowerDetect sensors raise the suction where there is more dirt, take extra mopping passes over stains, blow debris out of edges with air and extend the mop pad up to 1 inch towards walls. It navigates with a 360-degree lidar and 3D obstacle sensors, lifts itself over obstacles and thresholds (NeverStuck) and keeps the pad off carpet. The NeverTouch Pro base empties the robot into a 60-day bin, refills its water tank for up to 30 days and washes and dries the pad after every clean.
In Tom's Guide's lab it picked up 100 percent of the cereal on hardwood and 99.6 percent on carpet, and 95 and 90 percent of the pet hair, for an overall score of 94.6. It cleaned in neat rows starting with the edges, climbed rugs and door saddles, and its mop laid down an even film that dried quickly without streaks, even lifting an old sticky stain. TechRadar found its first map the most accurate it had seen, never saw it hit a wall or furniture, and watched it lift itself over every threshold in the house but one of about 2 inches. RTINGS rates it great on hard floors, where its edge cleaning works fairly well.
The testers disagree on obstacles: TechRadar found the avoidance excellent, if so careful that it keeps away from edges, Tom's Guide saw it avoid shoes and dog toys but run over a thin cable, and RTINGS saw it bump into furniture hard and fail to avoid shoes, socks and cables. On carpet it is weaker: 83 percent of the kitty litter at Tom's Guide, flour left in a rug at TechRadar, and mediocre carpet and poor pet-hair results at RTINGS. Suction and water flow cannot be set by hand, TechRadar found wood floors left wetter than it liked, and RTINGS notes that the base washes and dries the pad with cold water and air and that upkeep is tedious and costly. For mostly hard floors and a buyer who wants the station to do the chores, it is a strong choice, and a home with a lot of carpet and pets should look further.
