This robot vacuum does a great job cleaning, even if the side brush has a habit of flicking some debris across the floor, extending the needed cleaning time. In our tests we were very impressed with the suction capabilities, especially the vacuum’s ability to remove hair from our couch when used in handheld and Boost mode. As the name suggests, this is flexible, rather than merely extendable, which makes vacuuming under furniture a cinch. The rotating head also proved effective at picking up dirt in awkward places; this is a seriously smart bit of kit.
You can often find the Dyson v7 and v8 for a bargain price but honestly their suction is crappy. I made the mistake of buying a v8 several years back for a second home and totally regretted my decision. If you chose not to buy a Dyson v10, v11, or v15 because of the price, in my shark stick vacuum opinion it’s better to go with one of the newer Sharks than the older Dysons that are a similar price. Sense IQ automatically adjusts suction to tackle bigger messes, and a lit control panel indicates power level and simplifies switching between hard surface and carpet modes.
The stand also recharges the vacuum on contact, like an electric toothbrush. The Lupe Pure is at the higher end of cleaning performance, clearing whatever I placed in its path; flour, breadcrumbs from the bottom of my toaster and fluff with just one swipe. There are three suction power options (note that the max function is very loud) and you can also manually turn off shark stick vacuum the rotating brush bar, which is recommended for rugs. Concealed within the head, which can be removed via a foot pedal, is a small, stout nozzle with a flexible hinge so that it can reach any corner possible – I tested it behind toilets, underneath beds and beneath cupboards. All those places for which you’re a bit embarrassed to admit when you last cleaned them.
The tighter a vacuum is against the floor, the greater the suction — but if it’s too tight against the floor, larger bits of debris won’t be able to make it underneath the cleaning head, at all. The type of flooring you’re trying to clean makes a big difference, too. Apart from being a strong performer in our pet hair tests, the A11 was excellent on hardwood floors, vacuuming up 97% of sand and 98% of black rice. It finished just outside the top 5 on low-pile carpet, removing a respectable 83% of sand and a near-perfect 99% of black rice — and every vacuum that did better in that test costs hundreds more. With all of those extra fibers for dirt to cling to, midpile carpet was more of a struggle, as the A11 sand score fell to 73%, but it still nailed the black rice test, sucking up 98% of the stuff.
If you have a bigger house, look for models with larger dust cups – small capacity cleaners will soon get on your nerves. The Shark WandVac is pretty loud and its battery life is around a quarter of that offered by some of its rival cordless cleaners in our guide. So, while it’s the best cordless vacuum for quick clean ups, it’s not one for a deep whole house clean. If your pet sheds often, the best Shark vacuum for pet hair is the Pet Pro Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner. The effective cleaner makes it easy to clean up messes and has a long battery life as well. Though it won’t have the same power as a bigger upright vacuum, the size and strength of the suction make it a great handheld to keep around for quick pickups.
For those with stairs, consider models with extra-long hoses so you can clean the stairs without moving the vacuum. The vacuum cleaner performed better at sucking up fine dust, but when we tried to pick up large debris it did take a few sweeps back and forth to scoop up all of the mess. The Shark WandVac is loud in use and the runtime is around a quarter of that offered by rival cordless cleaners. When testing, we also didn’t like its weight or floor-drying mode that didn’t seem to actually do what it’s supposed to. However, we found the Dyad Pro easy to use and easy to clean, leaving our floors spotless even if we have to wait a little bit for them to dry.
Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). Weighing less than 6 pounds—about as much as the Dyson V12 Detect Slim and considerably less than the Ryobi 18V One+ HP vacuum—the DS4095 feels almost buoyant to use. In our testing, we found that the Fluffy head picked up larger debris that the Motorbar head tended to snowplow.
It also charges faster while offering a similar overall battery life. However, the Dyson is lighter, easier to maneuver, and has a broader assortment of tools. The Shark Stratos Cordless is a complete upgrade over the Shark Cordless Pro. The Stratos has a more powerful motor, yielding improved carpet performance and a higher-capacity battery.