The 6 Best Shark Vacuums for Pet Hair of 2023, According to Testing

Writers Sarah Bogdan and Liam McCabe conducted research and testing for this guide. Praised by nearly everyone as excellent, this nimble canister vacuum works on any kind of flooring, runs quiet, and should last for decades. This model is great for those with asthma and allergies, but it requires bags. When you open the box, six cleaning attachments and an accessories bag will greet you. With this many attachments, the Rocket can deal with just about anything.

It’s definitely not the most powerful Shark vacuum on this list, but it proves itself to be a winner in smaller homes. For sucking up small messes, tackling dirt in your car, or cleaning your couch, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is the ultimate handheld vacuum cleaner. It’s Shark’s most affordable handheld model, and it’s designed for households with pets.

We held the phone up to our ears (with the vacuum cleaners and brush rolls on at their maximum power mode) while vacuuming medium-pile carpeting and then a concrete floor. Shark’s IQ Robot is here to help you reclaim your time, so instead of vacuuming your home every day, you can do it just three times a week and program your robot vacuum to do the job on the other four days. With powerful suction and the same anti-hair wrap feature involved with shark robotic vacuums full-size vacuums, this robot is a winner for pet-friendly homes, too. If you’ve had a Shark vacuum cleaner on your to-buy list for a while now, then let me assure you that this is a purchase you won’t regret. I am a little bit obsessed with my Shark vacuum, and I’m not sure I would ever buy a different brand now. It’s reliable, it offers super strong suction and its feature range is impressive — unlike any other vacuum brand I’ve tested.

The returned item must be in its original packaging and in new, unused condition, with all original accessories and manuals included. Shark offers a five-year limited warranty, so we’d expect it to last at least that amount of time, but if you care for it right, it could last for up to a decade or more. We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life.

When testing this pet hair vacuum, our team determined that the Samsung Jet 75 is the ultimate rival to pet hair. We found it easy to unpack and assemble, and appreciated the three power modes — “min, mid, and max” (a.k.a. low, medium, high). The vacuum worked effectively on hardwood floors, carpets, and even stairs, getting up most of the test shark canister vacuum debris (cheerios, coffee grounds, and, of course, pet hair). If you’re looking for an advanced Shark vacuum that makes pet hair cleanup a breeze, then the Shark APEX Upright Vacuum Cleaner with Zero-M Technology will be a great choice. With Zero-M technology, the brush proactively removes and self-cleans hair wrap from the brush roll.

We think it’s pretty cool that, even though we keep refining our tests, the same vacuums keep coming out on top year after year. We also measured each vacuum’s raw suction with a specialized gauge and each one’s airflow with an anemometer. Suction allows the vacuum to lift debris off the ground, and airflow helps push the debris to the vacuum’s dustbin. In general, more suction and airflow translate to better cleaning performance, but brush-roll action is also important, especially on carpeting, because you need agitation to get at the debris embedded in carpet fibers. Most recently, we tested 13 vacuum cleaners that met or exceeded our specs requirements, or that at least are so popular we knew some readers would want information on how they perform.

We’ve considered all the important factors, such as maneuverability, run-time, emptying of the canister (or bag), and general controls. “Whatever vacuum you choose, one of the things that you want to be careful of is to not overfill it because it can become clogged, and shark canister vacuum it will work less efficiently,” Ek told The Spruce Pets. But depending on your needs, the type of surfaces you need to clean, and your budget, you may prefer another one of our other favorites. Any prices or free gifts may be altered at any time without prior notice.

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. For context, our Best Upright pick, the Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum, has a 25-foot cord.