We have currently tested over 15 Shark vacuums. Shark is a manufacturer of homeware goods such as irons and mops in addition to vacuums. Unlike other brands such as Samsung or BISSELL that focus on a limited type of vacuum design, Shark offers a little bit of everything, including robot vacuums, secondary handheld configurations, and corded or cordless design. They also produce several lines at different price points, so there's something available for all budgets and situations.
The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is the best Shark vacuum with a cordless design that we've tested. This lightweight, cordless handheld delivers outstanding overall performance on everything from hardwood floors to high-pile carpet. It doesn't struggle at all with pet hair or bulky material like cereal, which can be an issue for some other handhelds. It has a simple design that incurs few recurring costs, and the few parts that need to be maintained regularly are easily accessible. It's light enough to be carried almost anywhere, and it comes with a self-cleaning turbo brush to clear stuck-on dirt on fabric upholstery, not to mention a hard bristle brush to dislodge stubborn debris and a crevice tool to tackle messes in tight corners.
That said, it has a very short battery life of a little over 10 minutes, so you need to work quickly to clean up big messes with it. It also doesn't have a HEPA filter to trap allergens as you clean, which could be annoying if you have a heavily-shedding pet. Otherwise, its versatile performance and compact size help make it one of the best cordless vacuums that we've tested.
The Shark Rocket Pet Pro is the best Shark vacuum for bare floors that we've tested. This cordless model does an outstanding job on bare floors like linoleum and tile since it can pick up pet hair as well as small and large debris without a problem. It also has excellent maneuverability, and you can reconfigure it into a lightweight handheld if you need to clean hard to reach areas. Since it's designed with pet hair in mind, it uses a self-cleaning brushroll so that it can detangle hair wraps as you clean. Although it has a few parts that need regular maintenance, as long as they're properly taken care of, you shouldn't have to replace them.
Unfortunately, if you have a tough or large mess to clean, its battery lasts just over ten minutes on its most powerful mode before it needs to be recharged again. However, if you're using its less powerful default mode, you can get around 40 minutes of continuous cleaning time. That said, it's well-suited for cleaning bare floors and is one of the best cordless vacuums we've tested.
The best Shark Vacuum for carpet that we've tested is the Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away Upright. If you have a lot of low or high-pile carpet at home, this upright/handheld can easily clean pet hair as well as small and large debris on these surfaces. Thanks to its three surface level settings, you can adjust the head's height to better suit your carpet pile. It also has a HEPA filter to help trap allergens as you clean. You can use it in a semi-handheld configuration if you need to get into hard-to-reach areas or crevices. It also comes with a couple of accessories like an upholstery tool to help you clean different objects like furniture around the home. As long as you maintain its parts, it doesn't have any recurring costs either, which is fantastic.
Unfortunately, it has a few parts that require regular maintenance. It has mediocre maneuverability too, and it can be hard to clean underneath tables and couches due to its bulky design. It's also fairly heavy, so it may be a bit challenging to carry it up or down stairs. That said, this reconfigurable vacuum delivers versatile overall performance and is a suitable choice for tackling messes on low or high-pile carpet.
Shark produces a variety of different vacuum types at different price points. They're smartly designed to be reconfigured 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 albeit slightly worse performance on carpet. For upright vacuums, they usually perform better on all surface types than BISSELL vacuums. It also should be noted that Shark doesn't currently make canister vacuums.
Shark is a good household manufacturer that produces items such as mops and irons alongside a variety of vacuums at different price points and styles. No matter what type of model you're looking for, Shark vacuums can usually be used as handhelds as well, which is nice if you need to clean harder-to-reach places. Should you want something easily portable, Shark also sells some cordless vacuums. However, they tend to have a few maintenance needs, and some models can be a little more tricky to clean.