You will find yourself occasionally having to pick up the canister and move it about. The compact size of the canister and large handle on top make this easy to do. Here at The Spruce, we want to ensure we fully stand behind every product we recommend and that when we say something is the best, we mean it. You might have noticed The Spruce Approved badge next to the products on this list. Every product with this badge has been rigorously tested in person and carefully selected by our expert team of lab testers and editors. In most cases, we buy all these products ourselves, though occasionally, we get samples provided to us directly by companies.
The soft rollers work well on all surfaces, but the hose is short in canister mode. Shark also includes the obligatory mini-power-brush for cleaning dog hair off your sofa. It’s powered by an electric motor so it won’t just stall out the way cheaper versions of this attachment do if you try to use them on your stairs. At about 17 lbs we’d have to say the vacuum isn’t really lightweight, however the canister is pulled along on wheels so you don’t feel the full weight of the machine when vacuuming. But if you lift the entire vacuum (carrying it up stairs for example) you will feel that the unit is not particularly light.
You get all the dust control and utility of the German designs, plus a unique convertible multi-floor head. The cleaner head pulls itself forward a bit on carpet due to the spinning brushroll. This is not too pronounced but you will also notice it when pulling the cleaner head shark canister vacuum back towards you – its fights you a little. Turning on carpet is average and while the two large wheels at the back of the cleaner head help, the cleaner head still doesn’t turn that sharply. The cleaner head and canister are easier to maneuver and turn on hard flooring.
We tested the Riccar Vibrance R20D a few years ago, based on some techs’ recommendations. It is a sturdy, American-manufactured machine made to be repaired pretty easily. However, it costs more than comparable models from other brands, it didn’t clean as well in our tests, and it is much heavier and harder to steer than our favorites (even the “lightweight” model).
He emigrated from Canada to California in 2013, and now writes for Your Best Digs full-time. Daniel remains unapologetic about Canadian spelling, serial commas, and the destruction of expensive travel mugs. There are a few things we don’t like about the Shark in canister mode. Your product’s model number is listed on the front cover of your instruction booklet. Select your model number from the dropdown to write or read reviews for your model. We also have another guide to help you figure out which type of vacuum is the best fit for your home.