The vacuum can be purchased with a single brushroll cleaner head (the model we have) or with a dual brushroll cleaner head. The Vertex cleaner head is similar to the cleaner head provided with the Canister Pet but it also has a soft brushroll at the very front of the cleaner head. We’ve worked with Vertex models before (Shark Vertex Upright revew, Shark Vertex Cordless review) and they tend to perform well on both carpet and hard floors.
If you need the vacuum for dusting work then you will have to ante up and buy a dusting tool. Fortunately the Canister Pet has been manufactured with a sealed system (Shark calls this an “anti-allergen complete seal”) which is an important feature for quality air filtration. This ensures that the vacuum does not leak unfiltered air back into the room.
That makes it easy to get into the cleaning head, the wand, or the hose to knock any obstructions loose. Note that among Shark models, only the more expensive “powered lift-away” models like the Apex can run the brushroll motor when the base is detached. We’ve tested the value-oriented Navigator in our best upright vacuum review and best pet hair vacuum review, but we only compared the more versatile Apex against canister vacuums. It’s still excellent at cleaning carpets in an upright configuration while giving acceptable performance in lift-away mode on bare floors.
In our testing, the VACMOP earned a perfect score across every category. We found it to be very lightweight, and a great option for small spaces or those with limited mobility. While it offers an easier way to mop floors, keep in mind that you’ll need to hold the power button down to trigger the vacuum function of this wet-dry vac. It’s shark robotic vacuums also easy to spray cleaning solution onto your floor, thanks to a well-placed button on the handle, but you may also need to refill the solution often if you’re cleaning a larger space frequently. However, the light on the floor head allows you to see into the nooks and crannies of your home and catch debris hiding under furniture.
When it is time to empty the dust bin, keep in mind that it’s a little tricky to pull apart. We found that if we didn’t properly place the two pieces shark dustbuster together, the vacuum lost suction power once restarted. We also had to pull some hair out of the dust cup from crevices that did not initially empty.
Suction allows the vacuum to lift debris off the ground, and airflow helps push the debris to the vacuum’s dustbin. In general, more suction and airflow translate to better cleaning performance, but brush-roll action is also important, especially on carpeting, because you need agitation to get at the debris embedded in carpet fibers. Most recently, we tested 13 vacuum cleaners that met or exceeded our specs requirements, or that at least are so popular we knew some readers would want information on how they perform. You can read about some of these, as well as other models we’ve tested in the past, in The competition.
For busy families and homes with lots of hard flooring, it can be a time saver and offer peace of mind by removing one chore from your weekly routine. The cleaning performance is impressive, and the vacuums feel great to use. The filtration is excellent, which is good for everyone, but especially great for people with asthma or allergies. Buying a plug-in vacuum is like saving for retirement or sorting your laundry—a boring but sensible endeavor that should pay off in the long run. Cordless sticks and robot vacuums are convenient, but the best plug-in uprights and canisters clean better and last longer. We’ve tested dozens of plug-in vacuums over the years, and the Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 has been our favorite since 2014.
It cleaned well in our tests, it’s comfortable to use, and it comes with a good set of tools. But like with other cheap vacuum cleaners, the cost of replacement filters ($20 per year) makes it a bad deal. Even if you skip those, we read many reviews about it wearing down (or just breaking) after about a year. Though shark robotic vacuums Dyson announced in 2018 that it would stop developing new plug-in vacuum cleaners in order to focus on cordless models, the company appears to have reversed course. We plan to test it, but since it is almost identical in weight and appearance, we suspect we’ll run into similar problems as with the Ball 2.