The 4 Best Upright and Canister Vacuums for 2024 Reviews by Wirecutter

It was simple and straightforward to use and did an excellent job in our bare floor and pet hair pick-up tests. The hand vac and stick vac share the same dust cup with a multi-layer filter system. This design makes it easy to pop off the hand vac quickly when you need it without having to disassemble the entire vacuum.

A spherical wheel on the cleaner head makes maneuvering the Outsize a breeze. Also, the trigger power button design requires you to keep your finger on the power button to keep it running, limiting how you can hold the vacuum. The Stratos incorporates Shark’s odor-neutralizing technology, which adds a scent to mask odors and leave floors smelling fresher. Two testers of Shark products with the feature did not particularly love this extra or expressed a plan to purchase the replacement filters once the filter lost its scent.

Smaller vacuums are easier to maneuver but they often give up power and bin capacity. Roidmi started in 2015 in China and is still little-known in the UK, although its models have been sold by big names like Harrods. It markets itself on innovation, and this combined vacuum and steam mop is a perfect example.

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. shark pet vacuum While Dyson vacuums offer scientifically-backed machines with an excellent reputation for quality, their products often tip towards four figure price points. Shark, on the other hand, tops out at around $499 for even their luxe models—which is closer to the price of Dyson’s budget line. Both perform well and have pluses and minuses, so which to choose hinges on what type of vacuum you’re looking to buy and how much you want to spend.

All in all, if you need a handheld vacuum with suction that rivals a larger machine, it’s a great choice with the reliability and consistency that Shark’s known for. Few things are as satisfying as aiming a handheld vacuum at a mess of crumbs and zapping it all up in seconds, and the Shark UltraCyclone Pro Handheld Vacuum is as easy as it gets. Since we started testing vacuums here at The Spruce years ago, the Shark brand has regularly risen to the top of the pack. The brand consistently shows up with powerful suction, sturdy yet maneuverable designs, and convenient additions that make it easier to clean quickly and most importantly, thoroughly. So far, we’ve tested over 30 Shark vacuums in The Lab and at home, evaluating them on their setup, maneuverability, noise level, effectiveness, and emptying process. Using kibble and hair as the testing debris on carpets, floors, and upholstery (the latter was excluded from the robotic vacuum testing), we evaluated how well each vacuum was able to pick everything up.

Runtimes vary between minutes to an hour, with an average charge time of four hours (although many are a lot quicker). If the machine has a turbo button, the battery will run lower quicker, but the best machines work so hard on this mode that you may find this seemingly short runtime is actually enough to clean your home. Our favourite feature, however, is the antimicrobial treatment on the brush bar, which helps protect your bristles from bacteria and fungi, by preventing their growth. If you’ve ever had to vacuum up something unsavoury left behind by kids or pets, it’s a relief to know the bacteria is cleaned up and you’re not accidentally spreading it to other areas of your house.

It’s a powerful vacuum with more suction power than a Dyson, but you are paying extra for the dynamic suction so if that’s not a big deal for you it’s worth looking at its predecessor too, which has every other key feature. But this is a superb device that doesn’t take up tons of space and punches way above its size and price tag. Though on the expensive side, Dyson’s most powerful vacuum to date does a superb job of sucking up dust and debris, and its laser light makes it easy to ensure you don’t miss any important bits. When we test shark pet vacuum cordless cleaners we don’t do it in a lab; we do it in real homes, with real messes and all the other challenges you’ll encounter in your living space. And because we’ve used them for long stretches of real-world cleaning we can tell you whether they need too-frequent trips to the trash or whether the manufacturer’s battery life claims are overly optimistic. The Shark Wandvac Self-Empty System comes bundled with an auto-emptying station, which in our testing failed to extract all of the debris from the vacuum’s teeny dustbin.

When the bag’s full, you can lift it all into the bin, keeping dust particles out of the air, which would be a welcome relief for allergy sufferers. Our team of CNET experts, editors and lab technicians has been testing vacuums in a smart home and testing warehouse located in Louisville for over 10 years. 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.

Henry, Hoover, Shark and Dyson are the leading brands, with the latter even making high-tech robot vacuums. Increasingly, wet-and-dry carpet cleaners and hard floor cleaners are attracting attention. At a full $150 less than the price of the Shark Stratos, the Shark Pet Plus makes up for its more modest performance with its fleet of pet-centric features. An upholstery tool de-furs furniture, while an anti-allergen dust brush and crevice tool pull up dander with ease. Like the other best Shark cordless vacuum cleaners on this list, it also boasts two handy LED headlights that highlight errant hair. Shark’s HV302 Rocket Pet combines the lightweight feel of a cordless vacuum—it’s just 8.2 pounds—with a similar level of power you’d expect with a more traditional machine.

shark pet vacuum

According to professional cleaner Katerina Petrova of the Happy House Cleaning Company, that largely depends on the area you have to clean, as well as your budget. Our rice-based, medium-size particle test didn’t show enough differentiation between each cleaner, which says they can shark handheld vacuum all handle larger particles without trouble. If you have a dog or cat, choose a vacuum designed to handle tangles. Robot, stick and full-sized upright vacs all have marked benefits and drawbacks. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks.