Another plus is that stationing this vacuum doesn’t require any drilling. The base plugs directly into the wall and keeps the vacuum charged when it’s not in use. That means I never have to worry about whether or not I’ll be able to pick up sudden floor messes ranging from pet hair to spilled food. Plus, the Shark Cordless Detect Pro’s base is equipped with a customizable odor-neutralizing puck that always ensures my home smells fresh. Since first publishing this article, we’ve tested three additional Shark vacuums, including the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe, Shark VACMOP Pro, and Shark UltraCyclone Pro. These vacuums all earned spots among our top picks — the Navigator is our new recommendation for an upright model, while the UltraCyclone Pro unseated our previous pick for a handheld vacuum.
If you have carpet with varying pile heights, you’ll especially want to look for a vacuum with adjustable suction. To find the best Shark vacuums for pet hair, we 38 models in our Des Moines, Iowa testing lab, as well as right at home with our pets for six months. We were most impressed shark handheld vacuum by the variable suction power of the Shark ZU62 Navigator Zero-M Self-Cleaning Brushroll Pet Pro Upright Vacuum. Plus it’s got a self-cleaning brushroll, a HEPA filter, and a super-large dust canister. However, keep in mind that it took many passes on the carpet to finally pick it up.
On tile, this pick offered solid performance—it doesn’t push around larger debris like cornflakes as do other brands we tested. It’s also passable on carpet, though we recommend springing for the Stratos or the Pet Plus if you have more carpet than tile or hardwood in your house. Apart from the impressive suction, the Testing Team notes that the wheels help it readily glides over higher-pile carpet, making it easier to navigate than many of the other brands we’ve tried. Intuitive cleaning instructions and a robust battery that lasts over 40 minutes bolster this winner’s performance. No need to rush to clean in less than an hour, either—the removable battery means opting for a second one doubles the cleaning time. I did find the brush head a little too flexible, verging on the wobbly.
A small amount of debris can get stuck to the base of its floorhead due to static buildup from cleaning carpets. Battery performance is on the shorter end of the scale when compared to pricier cordless stick vacuums, so you’ll need to work quickly if you’re cleaning carpets in its more potent suction mode. As far as suction is concerned, this vac has dual cyclonic air streams designed to effortlessly shark stick vacuum suck up crumbs, dirt, pet hair and more from hard surfaces and low-pile carpets. Plus, it has a removable, washable filter and even comes with a freestanding holder to keep it propped upright when not in use. Attachments include a pet hair scrubbing brush for removing matted-down fur, as well as a crevice tool that’ll get into those harder-to-reach areas, like in between your couch cushions.
The battery charges in two hours (one of the fastest charge times we saw in our tests) and is compatible with a variety of Ryobi tools. The Ryobi 18V One+ HP kit (which includes the battery and charger) is sold only through Home Depot and has gone out of stock at times, sometimes for several days or weeks. The Dyson V12 Detect Slim comes closer to an ideal stick vac than any model we’ve tested.
In that time, we’ve refined our testing methods and assessments in a controlled environment to measure the proficiency of robot vacuums, full-size models and cordless stick vacuums alike. For more details, check out this in-depth article on how we test vacuums at CNET. The versatile BLACK+DECKER™ 20-volt MAX dustbuster® AdvancedClean+™ Cordless Pet Hand Vacuum cleans hard to reach areas with less effort. 4X more powerful suction(vs BLACK+DECKER HNV115 4V MAX based on ASTM F558) and Powerboost with the touch of a button to tackle any mess.
Unplug your vacuum once it’s fully charged—or better yet, charge it only when you need it. Keeping the battery in the charging dock can shorten its lifespan, said Matthew Childe, director of energy storage at Dyson. Make sure that the charging contacts are clean and that the power adapter is in working order. The pricey Samsung Bespoke Jet comes with a freestanding (and bulky) charging and auto-emptying station. But when we tested this model, it wasn’t any better than the Dyson V12 Detect Slim or the Ryobi 18V One+ HP vacuum. The DS4095 has a real-life run time of 38 minutes—shorter than that of the Dyson V12 Detect Slim (45 minutes), but a bit longer than that of the Ryobi 18V One+ HP vac (35 minutes).
To recharge Shark’s Vertex, you have to plug a cord into the base of the vacuum and find a cardboard box to store the vacuum heads. Dyson reviews—including my own—mostly pay attention to the vacuum’s appearance and power. It took switching to a different stick vac for me to realize some of Dyson’s perks. Shark has a diverse lineup of vacuums, and their naming convention can sometimes be confusing. Overall, both Shark and Dyson vacuums perform well in our tests and we have recommended them both often. Read on to see the differences between them that we’ve found through testing and brand research and that you should know before choosing.
A dusting and crevice tool is built into the handheld vacuum, which is very handy. It also uses an on and off switch like the Dyson V12, rather than the trigger favoured by every other Dyson vacuum. Weighing in at less than 4.5 pounds, its low-profile head (just over 3.5 inches tall when laid flat) goes where others can’t, such as beneath low couches to grab difficult-to-reach dust bunnies. I love that it transforms easily into a slim handheld vacuum with just one click and is simple to operate with just two thumb-operated buttons. The omnidirectional head cleans quickly in any direction — even sideways.