Previously she has written for Ideal Home, Real Homes, and Homes & Gardens as our appliances editor. From this list, she has tested the handheld cordless Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ in her home and found it to be a valuable vac for dealing with pet hair and that it has great suction power, hence the 4.5-star rating. She has tested our standout top pick, the Shark Vertex HZ2002, and was impressed by the lightweight, multi-flex design, which makes everyday vacuuming much easier. Lastly, Jaclyn tested the Shark IQ Robot Self-Empty XL RV1001AE over at Homes & Gardens, where she gave it four out of five stars. You can read our full reviews by clicking the highlighted product titles in orange. You’ll see that they have been used for a number of weeks (sometimes months) in our own homes, so they are faced with real-life challenges.
Any vacuum cleaner is fine for pet owners, but a motorized brush head can be really useful on certain types of carpets and upholstery. But they’re often more or less the same as any non-pet vacuum cleaner, just with an additional mini-brush tool for tackling pet hair that’s clinging to upholstery. Plenty of non-pet vacuums have that tool, too, including many variants of the Shark Navigator, so you don’t need to go out of your way to find a vacuum cleaner marketed to pet owners. That said, we have some thoughts on how to stop tufts of pet hair from piling up on your floors. All of the Shark Navigator Lift-Away models in the NV350, NV360, or NV370 series are essentially the same vacuum cleaner, just with minor differences in their tool sets, colors, and button placements.
Some of the experts we talked to said that if they could recommend just one vacuum, they’d recommend a Miele canister vacuum cleaner. To test for ease of maintenance, we tried to clog and tangle each machine with shredded copy paper, Cheerios, Lego pieces, and toy dinosaurs. We also took apart a few of the vacuums to see how difficult it would be to unclog them. We found that the shark canister vacuum cheaper vacuums we tested came apart in fewer places, making it harder to access clogs. We sprinkled some baking soda next to corners and baseboards to test how each vacuum tackled those. Some models got everything out of a corner with no effort, because they had air channels built for that purpose, and others left some debris behind or picked it up only after several passes.
It comes equipped with Flexology tech so the vac bends instead of you, and it glides across floor types like a dream. Many vacuums for pet hair effectively rely on rubber fin-like rows on a roller brush—like our pick for Best Budget Stick Vacuum, the Shark Wandvac Self-Empty System. It is powered by a 35-foot extension cord providing reach and reducing the need to switch to a new power outlet while cleaning. Two attachments are provided, a duster crevice tool and a pet multi-tool, both of which are equipped with optional brushes for lifting embedded dirt and dust off a variety of household surfaces. For storage, the vacuum features a front-facing clip that connects the handheld piece of the vacuum to the body while it sits on the dock, significantly reducing the overall height.
We then narrowed down our top performers and sent each vacuum to at least one real home with real pets. Each vacuum was set up and taken through several testing trials to rate and compare features and functionality. With weekly use, the main collection canister within the dock station typically requires emptying once a month. The condensed contents pop out quickly and do not produce a dust cloud.
It was especially effective at pet hair removal, and great for getting kibble off of hard floors (though slightly less so on carpet). With the vacuum ringing in under $100, we deemed it to be a good value considering its effectiveness. Plus, this pet hair vacuum is so quiet; it never got above 66 decibels, even on the highest setting. Our team thought it was especially convenient for cleaning couches at waist level, and also liked how quick and easy it was to put together. If you’re looking for a new full-sized vacuum, there’s no shortage of reasons to consider an upright.
The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ Handheld Vacuum, our choice for Best Handheld, surprised us not only with its effective performance but also with its number of accessories, including a motorized pet brush attachment. This vacuum proved to be a great tool for refreshing upholstery and clearing pet beds of extra hair. If sleek accessories are a priority for you, you’ll want to take a close look at it. When it comes to the best Shark pet hair vacuums, the price is impacted by the style, as well as any accessories and technology. You can expect to spend a few hundred dollars at least, with some options going up to at least $600. We were impressed by the crevice tool not just for corners but picking up hair on upholstery.
If you find tipping to be a constant problem, you can lift away the main assembly and set it on the floor for a sturdier base. Some of our staff testers disliked having to use the clips to take off the dust cup. The Dyson Outsize+ Cordless Vacuum is the upgraded version of our pick for Best Upgrade Stick, the Dyson15 Detect. It too illuminates particles that are often overlooked and left behind by vacuum cleaners. The suction is so strong, that even hovering it over a hard-to-reach space attracts pet hair and particles like a magnet. It has a runtime of 120 minutes, but it weighs close to 8 pounds and the head is bulkier than our other picks for stick vacuums which makes it more difficult to maneuver.