Thanks to the long-lasting geared belt and reusable filter, performance shouldn’t decline much over time. This vacuum’s five-year warranty gives us every reason to believe it will last at least that long for most owners. For handling, we had 22 testers run each model through a slalom course, simulating a real-life apartment with a tight floor layout to clue us in on a few frustrations and flaws that might annoy owners. For example, some vacuums can bunch up area rugs, and others are too heavy or clunky to steer around tight corners. Still other vacuums have trouble transitioning from bare floor to carpeting, and some have dustbins that are relatively more difficult to empty. Our testers vacuumed parts of the ceiling and a medium-pile and high-pile carpet, and they maneuvered the machines into corners and tight spots.
If you constantly find yourself reaching for a vacuum to zap pet hair off of your couches or rugs, this is the vacuum for you. In addition to brush and crevice tools, this handheld vacuum comes with a pet power brush tool that’s specifically designed to loosen and suck up pet hair. This attachment will work well on furniture, linens, and even your car seats and floor mats. We were impressed by this vacuum’s ability shark pet hair vacuum to suck up pet hair without any becoming tangled in the pet hair brush tool. All in all, the vac turned out to be a great cleaning partner that never quits on you, since it’s not powered by a battery. It was able to easily pick up all the materials on the low-pile carpet, but we docked a bit off its effectiveness score for slightly struggling on the high-pile rug and not easily navigating the hardwood floor.
One of the big disadvantages is that it doesn’t have the freedom of a cordless vacuum. The five-year warranty is a good length and covers any non-wearable parts so long as you buy it from an authorized retailer. Shark will repair any defective parts or replace the vacuum if necessary, during this five year warranty, which is pretty lengthy in comparison to other warranties. Plus, there’s a good range of replacement parts available to purchase direct from Shark, these include replacement canister wheels, dust cup, wand, handle and hose assembly, and more. This makes it easy to extend the life of the vacuum if a replaceable part breaks. The Vertex comes in a large box and as with all Shark vacuums, it comes packaged in fully recyclable paper and cardboard packaging.
Use the hose of the vacuum and the appropriate attachment to reach elevated areas of your home and clean them thoroughly. When shopping for a vacuum, the decision between a corded and cordless model depends on your specific needs and priorities. A corded vacuum offers an unlimited runtime and is a good choice for whole-house cleaning. Pay attention to the length of the cord to minimize how often you’ll need to stop and switch outlets, though.
Pick between a traditional upright to give your carpets and hard floors a deep clean, or opt for a cordless vacuum for light jobs and quick cleanups. Check out the handheld Shark Wandvac—it’s ready to go right out of the charging dock and is put away just as fast. If you prefer to be hands off with your vacuuming experience, consider the Shark AI Ultra Robot. Not only is it controlled by an app on your phone, it’s also self-emptying, so you don’t even have to think about the vacuum while it goes to work. If you don’t necessarily want a self-emptying vacuum, the Wandvac System is also available in a standard model for a lower price.
Usually only the most expensive vacuums give you power and brushroll control switches on the handle; less expensive models require you to reach down to the base of the vacuum or tap buttons with your foot. We logged air quality readings with a Dylos particle counter before, during and after our cleaning tests to see how well the HEPA-class filters in some models actually capture shark canister vacuum dust. These tests weren’t performed in a sealed room, but the air was cleaned to a baseline level between tests with the Winix air purifier from our air purifier review running for five minutes. The agility of Shark’s motorized brush head makes steering with one hand no problem, but if you’ve got a large room to cover you’ll definitely want to use upright mode most of the time.