- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Updates
- Comparison
- Best Vacuums
- Conclusion
- Discussions
We've currently tested over 20 Shark vacuums. Shark is a manufacturer of homeware goods like irons and mops in addition to vacuums. Unlike other brands like Samsung or BISSELL that focus on a limited range of vacuum designs, Shark offers a little bit of everything, including robot vacuums, secondary handheld configurations, as well as corded and cordless designs. Their vacuums come at a variety of price points, so you can find something available that fits your budget.
For more recommendations, check our articles for the best vacuums for stairs, the best vacuum cleaner brands, and the best car vacuums.
Updates
- 04/13/2022 Shark Cordless Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away reviewed
- 01/14/2022 Shark APEX Upright Vacuum updated
- 01/10/2022 Shark ION Robot 2020 updated
- 01/07/2022 Shark ION Robot R76 reviewed
- 12/16/2021 Shark AI Robot updated
Best Shark Vacuums
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Best Cordless Shark Vacuum
Bare Floor8.1Low-Pile Carpet8.1High-Pile Carpet7.5Pets7.3Stairs8.2Cars7.3Workshop6.5Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldBaglessYesCordlessYesAnti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)YesWet CompatibleNoThe Shark Rocket Pet Pro with MultiFlex IZ163H is the best Shark vacuum with a cordless design that we've tested. While this stick/handheld vacuum is less advanced than most newer, pricier Shark models, it still delivers superb performance on bare floors and performs very well on low and high-pile carpets. Its bagless design and washable allergen-trapping HEPA filter keep recurring costs to a minimum. It can also be easily reconfigured into a handheld vacuum to deal with messes in tight spots and comes with a crevice tool, an upholstery tool, and a clip-on hard-bristle brush for dislodging stuck-on dirt. You can drain its battery in as little as 10 minutes when running it continuously in its high-power 'Boost' mode. Thankfully, its runtime does increase dramatically when used in a more energy-efficient setting.
Unfortunately, this vacuum doesn't have a brushroll on/off switch, so it can sometimes get stuck on rug tassels. You also can't remove its primary brushroll from its floorhead, which would make it much easier to clear away any tangled hair. Also, unlike the handheld Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+, it doesn't come with a turbo brush in the box, which would make it easier to clean upholstered surfaces when using it in its handheld configuration. However, the UltraCyclone has a very short battery life and lacks a HEPA filter. Overall, the Rocket Pet Pro is the best cordless Shark vacuum we've tested.
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Best Bare Floors Shark Vacuum
Bare Floor8.0Low-Pile Carpet7.7High-Pile Carpet7.5Pets7.8Stairs7.9Cars7.5Workshop6.3BaglessYesCordlessNoAnti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)YesVacuum TypeUpright/HandheldWet CompatibleNoThe Shark APEX Upright Vacuum is a great choice if you live in a home with mostly bare floors. This bagless upright delivers exceptional overall performance on surfaces like hardwood or tile, easily clearing away pet hair as well as small and bulky debris. It exerts a fairly strong suction force at its floorhead and does an excellent job of sucking up debris in cracks and crevices. Like most other Shark upright models, its 'Lift-Away' design allows you to pick up and carry its canister body separately from its floorhead, so you can easily clean on top of furniture or any other tight spots. It feels decently well-built for the most part, and its allergen-sealed construction and onboard HEPA filter help limit the spread of fine allergens as you clean.
Unfortunately, this vacuum does have quite a few parts that need regular cleaning, though they're easy to access. In addition, while it's decently maneuverable, you might want to consider a cordless model like the Shark Vertex Lightweight Cordless if you're looking for something easier to handle in tighter areas. You can't turn off its brushrolls either, so it can sometimes get stuck on loose obstructions like rug tassels.
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Best Shark Vacuum For Carpet
Bare Floor8.0Low-Pile Carpet7.7High-Pile Carpet8.2Pets7.8Stairs8.5Cars7.8Workshop7.0Vacuum TypeUpright/HandheldBaglessYesCordlessYesAnti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)YesWet CompatibleNoIf you have a lot of carpeting in your home, the Shark Cordless Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away is a good choice. This upright vacuum delivers impressive overall performance on low and high-pile carpets. Its 'DuoClean' floorhead has two brushrolls, one being a removable fluffy roller for improved debris pickup in cracks and crevices, the other being a fixed unit with bristles for better surface agitation on carpets. Unfortunately, this primary floorhead isn't removable, making it hard to remove any tangled hair. Its 'Lift-Away' design lets you pick up and carry its canister body separately from its floorhead, so you can easily clean under tables and chairs. Battery performance is decent overall, as you can expect roughly half an hour of runtime on a single charge when used in its default power mode as an upright, though this drops dramatically when used in its most powerful 'BOOST' mode.
There's no height adjustment for this vacuum's floorhead, only dedicated surface modes for bare floors and high-pile carpet that change how fast the brushroll spins. You need to be careful when cleaning shag-pile carpets and rug tassels, which can get caught in its floorhead. If you're looking for an upright vacuum and don't want to worry about battery life, the Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV isn't a bad option, though it is notably bulkier.
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Best Shark Vacuum For Pet Hair
Bare Floor8.0Low-Pile Carpet7.4High-Pile Carpet7.9Pets7.6Stairs8.5Cars7.8Workshop6.9Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldBaglessYesCordlessYesAnti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)YesWet CompatibleNoThe best Shark Vacuum for pet hair we've tested is the Shark Vertex Pro. This cordless stick vacuum is remarkably effective when dealing with pet hair on a wide variety of surface types, ranging from bare floors to low and high-pile carpet. You can detach its wand and floorhead and use its dedicated upholstery tool to tackle pet hair on furniture. The vacuum comes with a crevice tool for tackling pet hair in hard-to-reach areas, a soft-bristle dusting brush for clearing away fine particles, and a clip-on hard-bristle brush for dislodging stubborn debris, for instance, dirt that your pet might track in from outdoors. Its onboard HEPA filter does a great job of sealing in fine particles, which is great if you suffer from allergies and have a pet that sheds heavily.
Unfortunately, this vacuum does have quite a few parts that need regular cleaning, most notably its primary brushroll, which isn't designed for removal from the floorhead. It makes it harder to cut away any tangled hair. There's also no way of turning off the brushroll or changing its height, so you should be careful when cleaning around rug tassels, which can get caught in its floorhead.
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Best Robot Shark Vacuum
Bare Floor7.0Low-Pile Carpet6.1High-Pile Carpet6.2Pets4.8Stairs5.8Cars4.6Workshop5.7Vacuum TypeRobotBaglessYesCordlessYesAnti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)NoWet CompatibleNoThe best robotic Shark vacuum we've tested is the Shark EZ Robot Self-Empty AV911S. Unlike many other robot vacuums at this price point, it has a self-emptying feature that lets it automatically transfer debris from its internal dirt compartment into an external dirt compartment mounted to its charging dock, reducing hands-on maintenance requirements. You can use its companion app to schedule cleaning sessions in advance, though there isn't any support for virtual boundary markers to keep the vacuum from entering certain areas. Unlike the Shark IQ Robot RV1001, it doesn't come with a set of physical boundary markers. Still, it cleans in an organized pattern and does a good job maneuvering itself around obstacles.
However, it's worth noting that this robot vacuum doesn't have a surface detection system that would allow it to automatically change its suction power mode depending on the floor type that it's cleaning. If you want to adjust its cleaning mode, you need to manually select it through its companion app for every cleaning job. There's no onboard HEPA filter either, meaning that it isn't the best option if you're sensitive to fine allergens.
Compared to other brands
- Virtually no recurring costs. Most Shark vacuums have parts that you can wash or clean, so you may never have to replace them as long as you properly maintain them. Even though some models have a small dirt compartment, they're typically bagless, which further helps cut down recurring costs.
- Tools and brushes included. While they may not have specialized tools like a pet grooming brush or a ceiling fan tool, they come with a solid selection of tools and brushes to help get the job done.
- Can be configured into a handheld vacuum. Shark vacuums tend to be reconfigurable into a smaller, handheld mode so you can access more difficult-to-reach messes.
- Okay build quality. Shark vacuums tend to have a plasticky build and certain parts, like their dirt compartments, seem especially prone to cracking if dropped.
- Quite a few maintenance needs. Most Shark vacuums have several parts that need ongoing maintenance, depending on your usage.
- Manual cord storage. Corded Shark vacuums usually require manually winding the electrical cord for storage instead of automatically storing it away.
Shark produces a variety of different vacuum types at different price points. They're smartly designed to reconfigure into a handheld design should you need a closer clean, and there are cordless options available. When comparing their stick vacuums to Dyson's offerings, Shark vacuums feel better built and sturdier. However, they also tend to have a similar but slightly worse performance on carpet. Their upright vacuums usually perform better on all surface types than BISSELL vacuums.
Recent Updates
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Jun 01, 2022: Ensured all main picks are still in stock and represent the best option for user needs and expectations.
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May 05, 2022: Replaced Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV with Shark Cordless Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away as 'Best Shark Vacuum For Carpet' pick.
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Apr 07, 2022: Article rework to align with new test bench update. Removed Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away Upright from recommendations. Recategorized Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV as new 'Best Shark Vacuum For Carpet' pick. Added Shark APEX Upright Vacuum as new 'Best Shark Vacuum For Bare Floors' pick.
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Mar 08, 2022: Ensured all main picks are still available and represent the best option for user needs and expectations.
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Feb 03, 2022: Verified that all main picks are still available and represent the best option for user needs and expectations.
Conclusion
Shark is a good household manufacturer that produces items like mops and irons alongside a selection of vacuums at different price points and styles. You can also use many Shark vacuums as handhelds, which is nice if you need to clean hard-to-reach places. If you want an easily portable model, Shark also sells some cordless vacuums. However, they tend to have quite a few maintenance needs, and some models can be a little more tricky to clean.