The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?

8 best Shark vacuum cleaners, tried and tested by an expert

These cordless, upright and stick vacuum cleaners have some serious bite

Zoe Griffin
Monday 23 September 2024 06:28 EDT
We spent four weeks testing corded and cordless Shark vacuum cleaners in a household with four kids
We spent four weeks testing corded and cordless Shark vacuum cleaners in a household with four kids (The Independent)
Our Top Picks

When it comes to vacuum cleaners, Shark is one of the most recognisable names in the business. Often more affordable than Dyson models but with a similar amount of features and, in some cases, more powerful, there’s a dizzying amount of Shark vacuums to choose from.

Before you get sucked into a dark hole of vacuum cleaner indecision, the first thing to do is ask yourself if you want a corded or cordless model. Corded models will never run out of battery or lose suction halfway through a clean, however, they tend to be larger, heavier and harder to store.

Cordless design is where Shark excels, though. In fact, the Shark stratos anti-hair-wrap plus pet pro took the top spot in our round-up of the best cordless vacuum cleaners.

If you’re only interested in suction power, rather than any extra bells and whistles, entry-level Shark vacuum cleaners often come at bargain prices for a reliable clean. All of the vacuum cleaners we tested come with an impressive five-year guarantee, which, in theory, means they work out to just pennies per use.

If you really despise vacuum cleaning and just want to get the job done as soon as possible, the latest intelligent models are designed to detect dirt and choose what suction is needed to make it disappear, meaning all you have to do is push the vacuum around, and it’ll do the rest.

How we tested

Our tester in action, taking the shark vacuums for a spin
Our tester in action, taking the shark vacuums for a spin (The Independent/Zoe Griffin)

We spent four weeks testing corded and cordless Shark vacuum cleaners in a household with four kids, aged eight and under, who are constantly in and out of the garden and eating snacks on the go. That means vacuum cleaners are needed at least twice a day for a variety of messes, from dried cereal to sand, leaves and rice cakes. We noted how good the vacuum cleaners were at fitting in tight spaces, such as under furniture and around radiators, and we, of course, looked at how easily they cleared floors, checking their performance on hard and carpeted surfaces.

The best Shark vacuums for 2024 are:

  • Best overall – Shark cordless clean and empty: £300, Argos.co.uk
  • Best budget buy – Shark lift-away upright vacuum cleaner with true pet VV602UKT: £229, Johnlewis.com
  • Best for tackling pet hair – Shark stratos pet pro anti-hair-wrap plus anti-odour upright vacuum cleaner: £199.99, Sharkclean.co.uk
  • Best cordless option – Shark stratos anti-hair-wrap plus pet pro cordless vacuum: £399, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best stick vacuum – Shark stratos corded stick pet pro: £239.90, Amazon.co.uk

Shark cordless clean and empty

Clean&empty-best-shark-vacuums-indybest
  • Best: Overall
  • Weight: 2.65kg
  • Corded or cordless: Cordless
  • Colour: Platinum and royal blue
  • Filtration system: Bagless
  • Dust capacity: 0.42l
  • Power: 750W
  • HEPA filter: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Lightweight
    • Easy to read LED display
    • Strong suction
  • Take note
    • Bulky docking point

Emptying dirt from a cordless vacuum cleaner is not a fun job but the beauty of this Shark model is it automatically deposits everything you’ve sucked up into a completely sealed base that holds dirt and debris for up to 30 days. For a cordless vacuum cleaner, the suction on this is truly impressive – it easily tackled pet hair, dirt and debris on hard floors and carpets for up to 60 minutes.

It also has an LED display, showing you in real-time what its doing. From red indicating a high amount of dirt to blue indicating no more dirt detected. This display also shows battery status and a choice of three modes: eco, boost and auto.

This vacuum’s ergonomic design and lightweight build make it easy to manoeuvre, even around furniture and stairs. Plus, the washable filters help maintain optimal performance, making sure no dirt gets trapped in the machine over time, damaging performance.

Back to top

Shark lift-away upright vacuum cleaner with true pet VV602UKT

Liftaway-best-shark-vacuums-indybest
  • Best: Budget buy
  • Weight: 6kg
  • Corded or cordless: Corded
  • Colour: Black and red
  • Filtration system: Bagless
  • Dust capacity: 1.1l
  • Power: 750W
  • HEPA filter: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Large dust capacity
    • Powerful LED lights
  • Take note
    • Heavy

With an impressive 750W of power, this strong, durable vacuum cleaner makes doing housework faster and more efficient. The compact design suits quick tidy-ups, while the 8m cord length is perfect when you want to tackle the whole house without getting tied up in knots. We found it just as easy to use on stairs as on floors, as the canister detaches from the main unit at the push of a button to transform into a light handheld that reaches all the corners and edges.

Powerful LED lights were very useful when it came to seeing under furniture, and we loved that this vacuum has a dust tank of 1.1l, which meant we didn’t have to empty it for a fortnight.

Back to top

Shark anti-hair-wrap corded vacuum cleaner with flexology

anti-hair-wrap-best-shark-vacuums-indybest
  • Best: For homes with different floor types
  • Weight: 3.9kg
  • Corded or cordless: Corded
  • Colour: Purple and black
  • Filtration system: Bagless
  • Dust capacity: 0.33l
  • Power: 450W
  • HEPA filter: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Flexible hose
    • Long power cord
  • Take note
    • Small dust capacity

This nifty corded stick vacuum made cleaning (almost) a pleasure, thanks to it’s slim, lightweight design. We could easily clean under furniture, thanks to Shark’s flexology technology, which sees the flexible wand bend at the touch of a button. This was also the easiest vacuum cleaner to store, as the wand folds down, so you can squeeze it into the smallest of cupboards.

It’s designed specifically for homes with pets, so, you can expect anti-hair-wrap technology to stop hair from tangling around the brush roll, plus a special pet tool to remove embedded hair. The unique brush roll is great for homes with different floor types, as it consists of two different types of brush in one. A bristle brush-roll cleans deep into carpet pile, while a soft front brush-roll draws in large debris and small particles and lifts fine, stuck-on dust from hard floors.

More useful features include LED headlights in the floorhead, to help illuminate hidden dust and pet hair, and a 10m cord – the longest found among the vacuum cleaners we tested. We would have given it five stars if it wasn’t for the small 0.3l dust capacity, which needs emptying frequently.

Back to top

Shark stratos pet pro anti-hair-wrap plus anti-odour upright vacuum cleaner

Stratos-pet-anti-odour-best-shark-vacuums-indybest
  • Best: For tackling pet hair
  • Weight: 6.7kg
  • Corded or cordless: Corded
  • Colour: Black and rose gold
  • Filtration system: Bagless
  • Dust capacity: 1.3l
  • Power: 750W
  • HEPA filter: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Chic rose gold detail
    • Neutralises odour
    • Effective on carpet and hard floors
  • Take note
    • Heavy

While upright vacuum cleaners aren’t always easy on the eye, Shark has gone the extra mile to make this look more appealing, with rose gold detail on the dust tank and handle. At 6.7kg, it’s one of the heaviest vacuum cleaners we tested but some of the weight comes from anti-odour packs, which are well worth the extra heft. The packs effectively neutralise odours from pet hair, feet, human food or other messes from a carpet, and we found it had a huge difference on the air quality afterwards.

Another standout feature for pet owners is the anti-hair wrap technology, which actively removes hair from the brush roll as you push. We were also impressed by the vacuum’s suction on both hard floors and carpet, which is helped by a DuoClean brush. Two motorised brush-rolls work together in one floorhead, with the anti-hair-wrap brush-roll cleaning deep into carpets, drawing out embedded dirt and picking up hair, while a soft front brush-roll draws in debris and lifts stuck-on dust from hard floors.

Back to top

Shark detect pro IW1511UK cordless vacuum cleaner

Detect-best-shark-vacuums-indybest
  • Best: For speedy cleaning
  • Weight: 2.76kg
  • Corded or Cordless: Cordless
  • Colour: White and brass
  • Filtration system: Bagless
  • Dust capacity: 0.42l
  • Power: 240W
  • HEPA filter: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Good looking
    • Lightweight
  • Take note
    • Small dust bin

Weighing less than 3kg, this is one of the lightest vacuum cleaners we tested. We could easily push it with just a couple of fingers, meaning we could pick up clothes, shoes or other items left around the house with the other hand and carry them until we got to a suitable dumping place. Asthma and allergy certified, this is proven to pick up and retain 99.9 per cent of dust and allergens.

It was the detect intelligence feature of this Shark model that impressed us the most, though, with four features working together to seek and destroy dirt. DirtDetect automatically increases suction power to detect and clean hidden dirt, while edgeDetect doubles suction power when the vacuum is near edges and corners. FloorDetect automatically detects the type of floor and adjusts the brush-roll speed, for optimal performance, and LightDetect illuminates low-light areas, to help you see dust and debris. Our only criticism is the tiny 0.46l dust bin capacity requires frequent emptying.

Back to top

Shark stratos anti-hair-wrap plus pet pro cordless vacuum

Startos best shark vacuums indybest
  • Best: Cordless design
  • Weight: 4.1kg
  • Corded or Cordless: Cordless
  • Colour: Silver and charcoal grey
  • Filtration system: Bagless
  • Dust capacity: 0.42l
  • Power: 310W
  • HEPA filter: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Good size dust tank
    • Excellent battery life
    • Works on carpet and hard floors
  • Take note
    • Expensive

This is a great vacuum cleaner for anyone who likes to multitask while they clean. We could easily listen to a podcast or an audiobook while pushing this, safe in the knowledge it’s doing the thinking for us. It’s constantly working out what power levels it needs to pick up the most mess, thanks to the included clean sense IQ technology. No pet hair, clothing fluff or larger than usual objects came close to getting stuck in the brush, making it useful for busy households when there’s barely enough time to use it let alone untangle things that are clogging it up.

Three features really impressed us. Firstly, the vacuum has a dual battery pack, offering 120 minutes of runtime, which is double that of the next best model. Secondly, you can attach an anti-odour pack, to make your floors smell as good as they look. Finally, the hose folds back on itself, for compact and freestanding storage and charging.

Back to top

Shark classic upright vacuum cleaner

Shark-liftaway-floor-lamps-indybest
  • Best: For stairs
  • Weight: 5.25kg
  • Corded or cordless: Corded
  • Colour: Black and red
  • Filtration system: Bagless
  • Dust capacity: 1.1l
  • Power: 750W
  • HEPA filter: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Anti-hair-wrap brush
    • Pet tool
    • Crevice tool
  • Take note
    • Easy to convert into a portable
    • Great price

While it’s not especially pretty to look at, what this model lacks in style, it more than makes up for in functionality. With one press of a button, this upright transforms into a lightweight portable vacuum that can easily clean stairs and soft furnishings with the included crevice tool and multi-surface tool. On sofas, the multi-surface tool worked wonders on pulling up dirt, thanks to its detachable bristles that can shift even dried-on spillages. The wand easily reaches the ceiling, to help us keep cobwebs at bay and clean around the light fittings. We also loved the pet tool, which is essentially a bristle brush that dislodges embedded hair from rugs, stairs, sofas, curtains and more, so it can be more easily sucked up.

Back to top

Shark stratos corded stick pet pro

Pet-stick-best-shark-vacuums-indybest
  • Best: Stick design
  • Weight: 3.9kg
  • Corded or cordless: Corded
  • Colour: Black and chrome
  • Filtration system: Bagless
  • Dust capacity: 0.3l
  • Power: 450W
  • HEPA filter: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Tough on pet hair
    • Odour neutraliser
  • Take note
    • Small dust capacity

We were really impressed by this vacuum cleaner’s Flexology technology, which means the hose bends and folds down on itself at a 90 degree angle, so the bottom part can operate parallel to the floor, for easy cleaning under sofas and tables. It was also a bonus to discover it comes with an anti-odour cartridge to insert into the floorhead, to protect the dust bin from emitting odours and to make the home smell fresher. However, as the dust bin is only 0.3l and needs emptying once during each clean, there’s not a huge amount of need for this, as the smells get emptied into the main household bin frequently.

Back to top

The verdict: Shark vacuum cleaners

For exceptional power at an affordable price, the Shark cordless clean and empty has all the features needed to make cleaning faster and less arduous. An 8m power cable, 750W of suction and LED lights to spot pet hair and dander are just a few of its plus points. If you’ve less money to spend, the Shark detect pro has an extraordinary amount of features for the price. Meanwhile, our favourite corded model was the Shark stratos corded pet pro. Whichever model you pick, it’s sure to make housework a breeze.

For more vacuum recommendations, read our guide to the best handheld models

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in