What you can expect from the Shark PowerDetect ThermaCharged
What testers say about the Shark PowerDetect ThermaCharged
The Shark PowerDetect ThermaCharged is the PowerDetect with a heated base: its NeverTouch Pro base washes the mop in 185 °F water and dries it with hot air, empties the robot into a 60-day bin and refills its water tank for up to 30 days. The robot leaves the mop in the base for vacuum-only runs and picks it up by itself when it has to mop, lifts itself over obstacles (NeverStuck Charged) and extends the mop up to 1 inch towards edges. Shark rates the battery at 180 minutes, and the robot's bin holds 380 milliliters.
Tom's Guide calls it one of the best robot vacuums there is and pretty much self-sufficient. Carpets came out fresh, with no debris left after a full clean even with a dog bringing in dirt and leaves from the garden, and the mopping left hard floors sparkling. It mapped the house in about 10 minutes, accurately enough to need no corrections, the self-emptying comes with an anti-odor cartridge, and the reviewer never had to touch the base or the bin.
The drawbacks: the power cord is short, which limits where the base can go, the air blasts at the edges sometimes pushed debris the wrong way, and the robot occasionally got lost, once reporting itself at the base while it sat in the dining room. The app offers no choice of the number of passes and no trace of where the robot has been, and the base is large. For a home that wants a robot to run on a schedule without being touched, it is among the most self-sufficient Sharks, at a high price.
Pros
- Leaves carpets clean, including dirt and leaves a dog tracks in Tom's Guide ↗
- Mops away muddy paw and shoe prints near the door Tom's Guide ↗
- The dock handles bin emptying and mop washing, so upkeep is minimal Tom's Guide ↗
- Cleans deep into carpet as well as the top robots tested Vacuum Wars ↗
- Picks up debris of every size, especially on hard floors Vacuum Wars ↗
- Bagless dock empties the bin and dries the mop with warm air Vacuum Wars ↗
Cons
- Sometimes gets lost and shows the wrong position on the map Tom's Guide ↗
- Air jets along the edges can blow debris the wrong way Tom's Guide ↗
- The dock’s cord is very short, which restricts where it can go Tom's Guide ↗
- Puts down so much water that floors streak, with no way to reduce it Vacuum Wars ↗
- App offers very few controls and no live map Vacuum Wars ↗
- Would not attempt even the lowest test threshold Vacuum Wars ↗
Where the testers disagree
- Mopping: Tom's Guide: Mops away muddy paw and shoe prints near the door against Vacuum Wars: Puts down so much water that floors streak, with no way to reduce it
Each point sums up, in our words, the review of the test it names, and its link leads to that review. We do not summarize RTINGS or Wirecutter: their lists are linked above.
