Vacuum By A Vacuum Company

We were originally going to say something about how it’s weird to see this: a robot vacuum cleaner made by a brand that makes non-robot vacuum cleaners. Because, when you look around, many of the most recognizable robot vacuum cleaners are from brands that are known for that specific thing, the robot vacuum cleaner.

The only problem?

It isn’t true.

We did a little bit of research and found out the first robot vacuum was released by one of the most iconic vacuum brands there is. According to Wikipedia:

In 1996, Electrolux introduced the first “Robotic Vacuum Cleaner”, the Electrolux Trilobite. It worked well but had frequent problems with colliding with objects and stopping short of walls and other objects, as well as leaving small areas not cleaned. As a result, it failed in the market and was discontinued. In 1997, one of Electrolux’s first versions of the Trilobite vacuum was featured on the BBC’s science program, Tomorrow’s World.

Sidebar: It had to be some Electrolux intern who was tasked with adding that “It worked well” part, right? Because what follows does not exactly sound like something working well.

But anyway, reading that, it sort started to make sense for us. In the same way that it would take a computer company like Apple to reimagine the music industry, so too would it take a robotics companies to reimagine the vacuum. After all, they didn’t have to invent the suction mechanism. That was already out there, and had been out there for a long time. They just needed to think through all the robotic elements.

Now, though, robotics are no longer some fringe-y, new-fangled industry. What made the Roomba so exciting 20 years ago isn’t hard to replicate anymore. Which means the pendulum is swinging back to the actual vacuum cleaner companies.

Case in point: this Shark Ion. It can sense ledges, won’t damage furniture, will maneuver out of any situation, and can be controlled with the SharkClean app, Alexa, or Google Assistant. I.e. it’s a good robot. But it’s also a Shark, so you know you’re getting serious suction for carpets and hard floors.

Which is all to say, it makes sense that Engadget named it the best robot vacuum on the market in 2021. And that’s factoring in its price tag at the time: $250. We’re selling this refurbished model for $89, Like $161 cheaper.

So get one and enjoy a great robot vacuum cleaner that’s also just a great vacuum cleaner.