In comparison to one of our favorite upright vacuums, the Shark Navigator Lift Away NV352 (opens in new tab) this Shark canister is double the price. But for the extra money you get a lighter vacuum with extra features like the self-cleaning brushroll. Compared to the other sub-$300 vacuums we tested, you still get a motorized height-adjustable carpet head and a powerful suction motor. The small bare-floor head and difficult steering on carpet really handicap this model in most households where a mid-range canister vacuum makes sense, though. The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ Handheld Vacuum excelled in all of our lab tests, but it really stood out when it came to sucking up pet hair.
Power, along with retailer customer reviews and YouTube reviews, to pick three more competing designs that could fit into tighter budgets along with the mid-range Kenmore and Shark vacuums. For those looking at budget vacuums but are still in need of dust filtration, the Eureka – Mighty Mite Pet Lover takes a shark canister vacuum popular utility vacuum design and literally clips an extra filter to the back. There is also one post-motor HEPA filter that sits underneath a panel on the back of the canister, and is also easy to access. The HEPA filter can be rinsed in water and, according to Shark, should be cleaned about every 12 months.
We stay up to date on Shark’s inventory and test new vacuum models as often as possible. We’ve tested over 20 Shark vacuum models in The Lab and at home, evaluating them on the same attributes as the rest of the vacuums we test. Each model went through rigorous testing for setup, maneuverability, noise level, effectiveness, and ease of emptying. We then compared all of the Shark vacuums to provide a list of models with a variety of styles—including handheld, stick, upright, and robot—that will perform well in any home. Some of the experts we talked to said that if they could recommend just one vacuum, they’d recommend a Miele canister vacuum cleaner.
◊Pricing, selection, and availability of store clearance items are determined by each store. Items may be display models or not exactly as shown and may not be available in all stores. This Limited Warranty covers any defects in material or workmanship under normal use during the Warranty Period. Helen is a freelance writer who specializes in kitchen appliances and has written for some of the biggest home-related titles around. She has been reviewing small appliances, including blenders, juicers, and multi-cookers, for more than 8 years, and also upholsters furniture when she’s not testing the latest food tech gadgets. Lift-Away technology lets you lift the canister away to clean anywhere.
A loud vacuum can be difficult to deal with for long cleaning sessions. In addition, the unit has intuitive controls and it is easy to maintain. If you need the vacuum for dusting work then you will have to ante up and buy a dusting tool. Fortunately the Canister Pet has been manufactured shark dustbuster with a sealed system (Shark calls this an “anti-allergen complete seal”) which is an important feature for quality air filtration. This ensures that the vacuum does not leak unfiltered air back into the room. Pickup was so good there was nothing remaining on the carpet after the test.
It was able to easily pick up all of the debris on a low-pile carpet, but we docked a bit off its effectiveness score for slightly struggling on a high-pile rug and not easily navigating the hardwood floor. Because it doesn’t stand up on its own, either, you’ll have to shark canister vacuum lean it against your furniture or gently rest it on the floor if you need to pause your vacuuming session. However, like many other stick vacs, you can use the Shark Rocket in handheld mode, with or without an extension, to clean furniture, ceilings, stairs, and more.
Any other models in the Shark NV350, NV360, or NV370 series are essentially the same vacuums as the NV352. Performance is nearly identical, and the only differences are minor—their tool sets, bin sizes, colors, and button placements. We’ve found that the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe V360 is currently the easiest to nab for a good deal, so start there.
To test for ease of maintenance, we tried to clog and tangle each machine with shredded copy paper, Cheerios, Lego pieces, and toy dinosaurs. We also took apart a few of the vacuums to see how difficult it would be to unclog them. We found that the cheaper vacuums we tested came apart in fewer places, making it harder to access clogs. We ran this test at least two times for each vacuum to ensure that our results were consistent, on medium-pile and high-pile carpeting. Buying a plug-in vacuum is like saving for retirement or sorting your laundry—a boring but sensible endeavor that should pay off in the long run.
The cleaning wand bends in half to reach under furniture and can be used for overhead cleaning too. There’s a crevice and an upholstery tool included in the box, plus UK customers benefit from a powered pet tool too. If you’re tired of dragging out a full-size vacuum to suck up pet hair every few days, the Shark Pet Pro Cordless Vacuum is a great option for your home. The battery-powered model has an impressive runtime of 50 minutes, and in our testing, we found that it could often last more than an hour without losing suction. Its main cleaner head has a self-cleaning brushroll that prevents pet hair from getting tangled around it, and the vacuum also comes with a crevice tool and pet multi-tool that’s ideal for cleaning upholstery. Most upright vacuums are fairly heavy and cumbersome, but not the Shark Navigator Freestyle.