by Do you have cute pets in your home? But everyone will be confused by the pet hair on the ground. This guide will introduce you to some practical shark pet vacuums. Only after we used these shark pet vacuums – spotless hardwood floors and neat Carpets – did we enjoy their work, and these shark pet vacuums were once again hidden in the closet in the hall.
The trouble with choosing shark pet vacuum is that they all promise great things (no company will tell you that the filter will fall out every time you try to empty the container.) That’s why the strategist team composed of writers and editors took the initiative to test shark pet vacuum for you. We have selected new and existing top-level options, which are usually well reviewed, so although there is no serious waste, some options are better than others for different reasons – therefore, if you need a shark pet vacuum, which is very useful for high pile carpets or depilated dogs, please continue to read this shark pet vacuum.
We will update this article with more types of shark pet vacuum, including carbon canister, robot and budget model, so if you want to buy one of them, please come back and have a look as soon as possible. If you don’t want to scroll through all the options, you can click any link below to jump directly to the vacuum cleaner that sounds right for you.
Table of Contents
How to select shark pet vacuum?
Shark pet vacuum filter
Experts overwhelmingly suggest that people consider the vacuum of HEPA filter if priority is given to reducing allergens in the environment. Most people perform well when using shark pet vacuum with HEPA filter. This can filter at least some allergens from the exhaust of the vacuum cleaner.
HEPA is the acronym for high efficiency particulate air. This means that the filter can capture a large number of very small particles, while the vacuum of other filters may only be recycled into the air rather than captured. Hepashark pet vacuum is able to minimize dust and other allergens in the environment through its filters.
Suction function of shark pet vacuum
When purchasing shark pet vacuum, high-power vacuum cleaner is another important consideration because it determines the ability of the machine to actually remove particles from the environment. The greater the suction of shark pet vacuum, the more dust, debris and allergens the equipment can remove, resulting in higher performance machines. Product reviews help determine the magnitude of equipment suction.
Dr. McGrath also recommends cleaning the vacuum between uses because a filled container or bag may reduce the suction efficiency of the equipment. ” The filter bag in a vacuum loses efficiency and suction when it begins to fill, “he said.
Reaction of shark pet vacuum
If allergens and other particles are released back into the environment when using shark pet vacuum, the purpose of dust collection fails completely. This is why it is important that the vacuum tank is sealed and there is no leakage that will cause particles to be discharged back into the environment. We should clean the carbon canister or plastic bag of shark pet vacuum outdoors rather than indoors to prevent the release of any particles. This will help prevent allergens from affecting the allergic person or relocating to the area just vacuumed. Other options are to open the doors and windows and let the air in the room circulate to alleviate some allergens in the air after dust collection.
If you encounter blowback, make sure to clean the machine according to the manufacturer’s manual and clean the filters in the equipment. This helps prevent reaction in future vacuuming sessions.
Smart capability of shark pet vacuum
Several shark pet vacuums on the market now include smart functions, such as connecting to smart phone devices and moving at home while removing dust and debris. These devices not only bring some benefits to users, but also bring some design defects. For people who go out, it is very useful to have a shark pet vacuum that can be operated by themselves at the click of a button, especially when they can’t vacuum at least once a week. But these devices, such as Roomba (Amazon view), usually have smaller containers to hold dirt and other particles, which means they need to be cleaned more frequently for best use. Carver said that from the perspective of AAFA, when selecting shark pet vacuum, the most important feature is “whether the product meets all our certification and testing standards”. This includes vacuum capable of “removing surface allergens” and integrity “maintained throughout the air filtration system”. All other new features are just additional features that can provide some convenience to users.
Five Best Shark Pet Vacuums
| Weight: | Bin Volume: | Warranty： | Price: | |
| Shark Cordless Handheld Vacuum | 2.87 pounds | 0.26 quarts | 5 years | $129.99 |
| Shark Ion Robot RV720 | 5.5 pounds | 0.45 quarts | 5 years | $99.99 |
| Shark Rotator NV752 Powered Lift-Away Vacuum | 15.6 pounds | 0.88 quarts | 7 years | $399 |
| Shark APEX AX951 DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Vacuum | 16.0 pounds | 0.5 quarts | 7 years | $399 |
| Shark Navigator ZU561 Zero-M Lift-Away Speed Upright Vacuum | 13.4 pounds | 2.2 quarts | 5 years | $239.99 |
1. Shark Cordless Handheld Vacuum
Price: $129.99
Pros:
Powerful suction for size
Excellent build quality
Copes with pet hair
Easy to use on stairs
Dock tool store
Sleek design with small footprint
Powerful suction
One-touch emptying
Cons:
Micro-sized bin
Fairly noisy
Not cheap
Short battery life
Long charging time
Small dustbin
Use:
This shark pet vacuum is a detergent with a unique mission. This shark pet vacuum is designed as a site cleaner for quick and easy handling of small spills or for small area cleaning, such as sofas or stairs. This shark pet vacuum is also portable, so it can easily clean inaccessible areas, such as car footwells.
For these tasks, this shark pet vacuum promises to run on its single power supply setting for 8 minutes, which doesn’t sound bad. But eight minutes can’t clean the living room carpet from one skirt to another, but that’s not the point.
Wv200uk provides ultra-high suction for these eight minutes, which is suitable for such a small and lightweight device. Compared with those old dust removal battery cleaners, sharks can suck in one of them and spit this shark pet vacuum into pieces. Not literally, but you know what we mean. This thing sucks!
The rod-shaped design and inclined charging stand ensure that this shark pet vacuum is ready to start at any time. Charging takes about 2.5 hours. The wharf only needs to fill up the wv200uk until you grab this shark pet vacuum and leave. It could be a spill, climbing stairs, cleaning your pet’s bed, or going out to clean the car.
The weight of this shark pet vacuum is only 1.3KG. It is ridiculously light on the hand. The battery is placed on the handle to provide comfortable balance. Hold this shark pet vacuum to get the cobweb or brush your blinds. This shark pet vacuum will put little pressure on your wrists.
The installation process is very simple. Just put it on the smooth appearance charging table, and the two provided tools are neatly placed on the charging table. A wire mesh with a washable HEPA grade filter ensures that the possibility of dust discharge into the room is minimized. The small baggless dustbin was empty in a few seconds.
For more thorough cleaning, it can be completely removed from the cleaner. But be careful: the power button is close to the dustbin emptying button. Sometimes we accidentally empty the dustbin when cleaning the dustbin.
The shark’s main device has a wide nozzle at the end, which can be used naked for daily dust collection tasks. From spilled oats to Tumbleweed soiling pet hair, this shark pet vacuum has a good shape angle and is wide enough to provide sufficient airflow.
Multi surface pet tool is a small interior decoration device, which can slide into the main nozzle. This shark pet vacuum is fixed in place with a small plastic clip and can be removed by pulling it out. The floor contact surface of the tool is curved to allow a certain air flow in front or behind, depending on the way you tilt the cleaner, and there are some very small pores to reduce adhesion to the fabric surface. Short, hard velvet textured strips at the front and back help grab pet hair, stir the surface, and protect the harder surface from potential scratches.
The dust collector gap tool is a block nozzle with a small turnover dust removal brush. The horizontal slotted crack tool is not our favorite tool, and the business end of this special unit is very bulky, almost square. Although it may be good to concentrate the air flow to a small point, this shark pet vacuum is not a crack tool. On the contrary, the inverted dust removal brush is located on the small side, and only three sides have a row of narrow bristles.
The charging dock with smooth appearance is clean and practical. Considering that this shark pet vacuum should be placed on your workbench or in a convenient and fast place, this shark pet vacuum looks like a charging station. The rear of this shark pet vacuum has two slots for tools and a 1.2m long fixed wire connecting the wall wart charger.
If you’ve ever skipped a vacuum cleaner because a heavy, bulky plug-in vacuum cleaner feels like a huge burden (maybe a few weeks at a time), this shark pet vacuum may change your life.
2. Shark Ion Robot RV720
Price: $99.99
Pros:
- Includes tape for “no-go” zones
Shark includes 9 feet of botboundary tape with the vacuum. This is flexible tape that can also be cut. The robotic vacuum will not pass over this tape. When it detects the tape in front of it, it simply turns away and moves in another direction. Shark also provides “botboundary connectors”. Pieces of botboundary tape can be placed into either side of these connectors which can be rotated to create angles (see video below). - Simple controls on vacuum
The top of the vacuum has three buttons. Clean, Dock and Spot. Pressing Clean starts the vacuum cleaning. Pressing Dock sends the vacuum back to the charging dock. Pressing Spot starts the vacuum cleaning for several minutes in a spiral pattern. - Easy-to-use App
The App has lots of features and they are well organized and easy to use. We have tested the scheduling and it works great, allowing you to control your vacuum anywhere you have an internet connection. You can also setup voice control using Amazon Alexa and Google Home through the App. - Gets about 1 hour cleaning on a full battery
The Lithium-Ion battery provides approximately 1 hour of run time on a full charge. When a recharge is needed the vacuum will head back to the dock to recharge. To recharge a fully depleted battery takes about 3 hours. - Dust canister is easy to empty
The dust canister is very easy to remove and to empty. You simply pull it out, open it, empty it into a waste basket, and reattach it to the vacuum (it just slides back into place).
Filter is easy to access and to clean
To access the filter you first remove the dust canister. The filter can be found in an insert on the backside of the dust canister. The filter can be removed, tapped over a waste basket (to remove loose debris), and cleaned using a brush provided by Shark (comes with the vacuum). Note that this filter cannot be rinsed in water. - Good pickup of large debris on carpet and bare floors
We put down several fruit loops on our low pile carpet and our tile floor and ran the RV750 over them. The vacuum picked up everything in each test. - Moves well on bare floors, low and deep pile carpet
We were not too surprised that the robotic vacuum moved well on tile or low pile carpet. But we were pleasantly surprised that it didn’t really get bogged down on our very deep pile carpet. It moved rather well on all surfaces. It also transitions from one surface to another without any issues. - Cliff sensors work well
We tested the cliff sensors by placing the vacuum on a tabletop. They performed perfectly, stopping the vacuum from tumbling over the edge. The vacuum will most certainly stop itself from going off any edge or from tumbling down a set of stairs. You do not need to use any botboundary tape to block off edges. - Bumper is soft enough not to scratch furniture legs or walls
The front of the robotic vacuum has a rubber bumper which ensures no scratching of marring of table/chair legs or walls. The bumper also compresses which helps minimize impact.
Cons:
- Pickup of small to medium sized debris is average at best
While the unit performed fairly well on larger debris, it struggled some with small-to-medium sized debris. In our tests it left debris behind on each pass. While repeated passes over the same area helped to increase overall percentage of pickup, you cannot rely on the vacuum to pass over the same area repeatedly – especially in large cleaning areas with multiple rooms. - Have to carefully prepare cleaning area
All robotic vacuums require you to prepare the cleaning area carefully before running the machine. You have to remove wires, block certain areas, pickup things off the floor, etc. We were a little disappointed that we had to make an effort in this regard every time we ran the vacuum. This is, to some extent, because we are a little disorganized and the cleaning area does get cluttered in-between cleaning sessions. Some people may have this issue while others may not. - Navigation is random-like and inefficient
The machine moves towards an obstacle and it either:
– bumps into it and moves away in a seemingly random direction
– detects it (before an impact) and moves away in a seemingly random direction
This results in random-like area coverage with no discernible cleaning pattern. When dealing with large areas you may find that some areas are untouched while others get cleaned repeatedly. - Does not leave carpet with a well-groomed look
The approach to navigation leaves a very helter-skelter pattern on carpets (see video below). - Can struggle to find the dock
When the vacuum is heading back to the dock it can sometimes have a hard time finding it. It seems that it will only recognize the dock when it gets within a certain proximity, then it will go ahead and dock itself. But, given its random-like navigation, we found that it sometimes never gets close enough to the dock to recognize it. This can cause the vacuum to wander about the house until the battery runs out. - Pickup on deep pile carpet is poor
We placed several fruit loops on our deep pile carpet and ran the vacuum over them. Pickup was not great and the unit left a number of fruit loops behind. Many of the vacuums we have tested – including some full size units – struggle on this test, so the shortcomings here were not unexpected (especially for a robotic vacuum). - Spinning brushes can scatter debris
The two spinning brushes on the front of the ION 750 are helpful in getting debris out of corners and away from walls, but they also have a tendency to scatter debris – especially on hard surfaces. - Not good for homes with lots of hair
In the course of a cleaning session, we ran the vacuum over both short pet hair and long human hair. The spinning brushes on the front of the vacuum are like magnets for hair and frequently get tangled, requiring some effort to pull the hair off. The main part of the brushroll does a reasonably good job of staying hair-free but unfortunately the hair gathers at the two ends of the brushroll (where it attaches to the vacuum). This will require constant cleaning if you have a significant amount of hair in your home.
Use:
The shark ion 720 uses a lithium ion battery pack. This is the progress of nickel metal hydride battery. This shark pet vacuum lithium ion battery has faster charging speed and longer charging time. Generally speaking, the charging cycle is longer.
This shark pet vacuum takes about three hours from full charge to full charge. In this industry, this is about the average. Some are faster; Others are slower. What ion 720 will do is recharge.
This shark pet vacuum docking station shall be easily accessible and located on a flat, horizontal and hard surface, such as kitchen floor. When the battery is discharged to about 15% of the remaining life, this shark pet vacuum will stop the cleaning cycle and return to the wharf. This shark pet vacuum will automatically charge the battery until it is fully charged.
The total operating time of this shark pet vacuum will largely depend on the size and type of floor being cleaned. The fewer carpets you have, the longer the life of this shark pet vacuum. Shark said that under the best conditions, the battery will last 70 minutes.
What you need to know is that you may never see a full 70 minute run. Charging at the remaining 15% will shorten the charging time of the top by about 10 minutes. The more carpets, the harder the machine will work and the faster the battery will consume.
The complexity of floor space layout, the number of filter blockage and the degree of pollution in the area are all factors affecting the total operation time of the battery. In a normal application, the maximum running time should be 45 to 50 minutes under normal circumstances.
This means that the running time is sufficient to completely clean about 1000 square feet. One disadvantage is that the vacuum does not continue to clean after the battery is charged. You must manually resume the cycle using the buttons on the top of the device or remote control.
The function of the dirt detection sensor is just as the name suggests: this shark pet vacuum detects dirt. This shark pet vacuum is not a future beam that looks for the dust hidden in the house like a homing beacon, but infrared under vacuum to detect the movement and quantity of dust and debris in the current area. When the area is cleaned, this shark pet vacuum will remind the vacuum, which may require multiple trips.
Collision sensor is another self-evident sensor, but I still want to explain: this shark pet vacuum can detect when the machine hits something. This is a mixture of touch sensor and acoustic sensor. When touching, the touch sensor will give an alarm and the robot will stop, slow down or change direction.
When a collision may occur, the acoustic sensor will alert the robot. These are usually walls, furniture, table legs, etc. The robot will slow down and there will be no wear or damage even if there is contact.
Drop sensors are interesting. You may not guess what this shark pet vacuum detected, but I won’t keep you in suspense. This shark pet vacuum can detect ledges, water droplets and stairs to prevent ion 720 from falling. Any protrusion or drop of more than an inch will stop the robot on the track and change direction.
The cleaning method of robot 720 is the same as that of vacuum cleaner in the range of $200-300 we expect: this shark pet vacuum is very comfortable on hardwood floor, laminate floor, ceramic tile and concrete floor, and this shark pet vacuum also does well on area carpet and low pile carpet. The key point to remember when using carpet is that this shark pet vacuum will slightly reduce the battery life from 70 minutes, which is an accurate runtime description of bare floor.
When you try higher pile carpets, such as medium pile or high pile, you will encounter the problem of 720, because this shark pet vacuum is not designed according to such fiber length or density at all. This is not 720’s fault; In the price range of less than $500, few robotic vacuum cleaners can do anything worth mentioning on carpets higher than low pile. If this is a priority, we recommend purchasing 720 low pile carpets and carpets, as well as higher pile carpets similar to Miele compact C2 electro +, Miele classic C1 Titan or Miele classic C1 Delphi; The cost of this combination is lower than that of your high-end vacuum cleaner. For example, Miele complete C3 Cat & dog, this shark pet vacuum can clean anything you throw on this shark pet vacuum, but if you don’t promote this shark pet vacuum, this shark pet vacuum can’t clean.
The tape system is a good way to keep 720 away from the clean area (for example, you decide to start 1000 pieces of puzzle from the ground for some strange reason).
720 can also clean pet fur and dander on cats and dogs. Although this shark pet vacuum won’t get everything, this shark pet vacuum is enough to keep up with multiple golden retrievers, German shepherds, or a nest of laboratories like a full-time job. You can also use the attached tape to avoid areas in your home and prevent them from entering clean areas (for example, your child’s toys or pet food bowls). In general, we are very satisfied with the performance of this shark pet vacuum.
Most cordless vacuum cleaners are light rod vacuum cleaners, which are easy to operate even on stairs or narrow spaces. Because this shark pet vacuum is compact and usually equipped with a wall mounted charging stand, this shark pet vacuum is usually stored in a conspicuous place rather than stuffed into the wardrobe. In addition, you don’t need to untie the wires, find the socket, and deal with tangles and obstacles. All this reduces the obstacles to the actual use of vacuum cleaners, so you may find yourself cleaning more often, and therefore live in an environment with cleaner air, cleaner floors and cleaner feet.
Wireless vacuum cleaners have been around for decades. But until a few years ago, this shark pet vacuum was a weak cleaner for simple tasks, mainly cleaning bare floors with a vacuum cleaner. If this shark pet vacuum is the role you still want your cordless vacuum to fill, one of our budget options will be a good choice.
But now, some cordless sticks are good enough to be the main cleaner for almost all families, dig out dust and gravel from the thick carpet, keep up with furry pets, and have enough battery life to deal with the expanding area.
As a reward, most modern cordless stick vacuum cleaners can also be converted to handheld vacuum cleaners for super convenient above floor (such as interior decoration or ceiling spider web) and car cleaning.
In addition, this shark pet vacuum is often easy to maintain. This shark pet vacuum is almost bag free and is usually equipped with filters and brush strips to maintain the service life of the vacuum. This shark pet vacuum is also separated in several key places, so the clogs are easy to remove. Two year warranty is a common practice in the industry, but there are some exceptions.
Once you get used to cordless vacuum cleaners, it’s hard to use plug-ins. Part of me hopes I’ve never tried Dyson dc59. This shark pet vacuum is widely regarded as the first cordless vacuum cleaner that can replace plug-ins (at least in apartments). I don’t know how convenient a stick can be, so I’m destined to find plug-ins troublesome. Realistically, in the next few decades, I will spend $1000 more on vacuum cleaners, which may cost $1000 more than I insist on using smart plug-ins such as shark navigator.
3. Shark Rotator NV752 Powered Lift-Away Vacuum
Price: $399
Pros:
- Has powerful suction
- LED headlights for spotting smaller particles
- 99.9% efficiency with HEPA filters
- Plenty of cleaning tools
- Attachments can be stored in the central unit
- Intuitive buttons and switches system
- Sealed HEPA filtration system
- Easy to empty dust canister
- All filters are washable
- Easy maintenance
- Affordable (considering it can morph from an upright to a lift-away vacuum)
Cons:
- Pretty expensive
- Several design flaws
- Heavy weight on the wrist when in upright mode
- Need to clean up the brush roll after cleaning long pet hairs
- Not so mobile as a canister vacuum, a little bit top-heavy
Use:
As a vacuum cleaner, shark navigator nv586 is not as popular as shark rotator nv752. The price range of the two vacuum cleaners is the same (between $290 and $300), but the nv586 seems to be a little higher.
According to the performance test, the performance of this shark pet vacuum on the carpet is obviously better than nv752. This shark pet vacuum is usually good at removing stubborn dirt stuck on dense carpet piles, and its powerful brush roller. This shark pet vacuum can also untie the pet hair on the carpet, which makes this shark pet vacuum the best choice for pet owners.
On the other hand, the performance of bare floor is roughly the same as that of nv752. The shark navigator nv586 will be able to remove dust, dirt, debris and pet hair from hardwood and similar floors.
Therefore, in terms of performance, if you don’t like nv752 purely because of its dim carpet scrubbing ability, you will find shark nv586 more attractive.
In terms of design, although the shark navigator nv586 has the same bulky fuselage as the shark rotator nv752, this shark pet vacuum is a little lighter. This shark pet vacuum weighs 16 pounds.
Of course, this shark pet vacuum is not the lightest shark pet vacuum. Nevertheless, most of our customer surveys show that users are satisfied with the handling and mobility of this shark pet vacuum. This shark pet vacuum can maneuver around sharp corners and can well enter a narrow space.
Like all other shark navigation this shark pet vacuum, the nv586 is equipped with shark precious lifting technology. The main body of the vacuum (called the “lifting cylinder”) can be separated and used alone.
This container is lighter and more flexible, allowing you to perform a wider range of work. From cleaning ceilings and stairs to vacuuming cars, it’s much easier to use carbon cans than full vacuum.
When it comes to design, the only problem is that the power cord is too short. The nv586 has only one 25 foot power cord. At the same time, the power cord of nv752 is 30 feet long. This greatly limits the range of vacuum.
The shark navigator nv586 has a fairly large dust cup with a maximum capacity of approximately 2.5 dry quarts. In contrast, the shark rotator nv752 is 0.3 quarts larger. If you use two this shark pet vacuums at the same time, you won’t notice the difference.
Shark provides a powerful filtration system for shark nv586, which is composed of HEPA filter and the company’s anti allergen full sealing technology. If you have allergies or are sensitive to dust, this shark pet vacuum can completely protect you from those annoying coughs and sneezes.
It is disappointing that there are not many attachments. You can only take two tools out of the box: a pet hair tool and a crack tool. In terms of price, we thought there would be more choices.
In short, nv586 is a good choice. If you want a more balanced this shark pet vacuum, you can clean the carpet and bare floor equally well.
This is one of the few upright this shark pet vacuum on the market. You can easily convert it into a container and still use power tools. The unit gives you unparalleled flexibility when cleaning places such as under furniture without moving them.
The shark rotator nv752 electric lifting vertical this shark pet vacuum has very good suction and can easily lift the dust rabbit. In addition, the caddy of the device provides a storage system for your accessories.
4. Shark APEX AX951 DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Vacuum
Price: $399
Pros:
- Capable Yet Handy: The Powered Lift-Away technology works in making the cleaner handy.
- Superior Dust Pick-up Capability: The combination of powerful motor and DuoClean technology grants the unit amazing dust-sucking capability.
- Noise Reduction: Shark manages to dull pitch of the output noise, which allows for hours of cleaning without straining those eardrums.
- Easy Navigation: The intuitive swiveling action combined with the Active Glide technology makes it extremely easy to work the machine around tight corners and spaces.
Cons:
- Expensive: It’s the most expensive Shark vacuum.
Use:
Duoclean technology allows you to handle clutter based on particle size. This includes a double brush roll system. This shark pet vacuum has a hard brush and an additional soft brush roll, as shown in the figure below.
Thanks to this new and improved shark model, this shark pet vacuum can clean various surfaces. This shark pet vacuum is equipped with different tools to manage multiple floor types.
The brush head of this shark pet vacuum is used to deal with thick and difficult carpet areas for true deep cleaning. The extra soft brush roll of this shark pet vacuum can manage a smoother surface by directly contacting the floor, so as to obtain a polished appearance.
This shark pet vacuum has two characteristics that are absolutely worth emphasizing: lower appliance and dust collector gap tool. When was the last time you put a vacuum cleaner under the stove or between the sofa cushions?
This shark pet vacuum is easy to reach the embarrassing and narrow space that is usually ignored. They are designed for areas in your home that are high, low or difficult to locate accurately.
This shark pet vacuum is equipped with self-cleaning brush to take up vertical vacuum, gap and interior decoration tools, and pet electric brush. 88 dry quarts, black
Vertex duoclean provides you with active glide mobility of sharks. In order to enhance your ability to move and rotate this shark pet vacuum, the nozzle head of this shark pet vacuum can be rotated, allowing you to push it around objects such as chair legs and potted plants. Because the brush roller can adjust its height, it will not lose suction when the full-scale vacuum enters the hard floor from the carpet.
Due to the LED lights on the nozzle and handle, you can also get excellent visibility when using this shark pet vacuum. This shark pet vacuum is even equipped with a 30 foot long ultra long wire, so when you move from one area to another, you don’t have to waste time inserting the wire into another socket.
In order to ensure that dirt and dust are not released into the air, this shark pet vacuum has a sealed anti allergen system, which is isolated from the rest of this shark pet vacuum. When this shark pet vacuum inhales dust, dirt and debris, the larger particles fall into a 1.5 Quart dust cup, while the smaller particles must pass through two motor front filters and one motor rear filter.
The configuration of the HEPA filter means that 99.9% of the particles captured by the vacuum remain in the vacuum, including pollen, hair and dust. In addition to these washable filters, the dust cup has a bottom release door to prevent dust and dirt from being blown out when emptying the container.
5. Shark Navigator ZU561 Zero-M Lift-Away Speed Upright Vacuum
Price: 239.99
Pros:
- Zero-M Technology
We like the Zero-M Technology because it actually works. We’ve tested it on pet hair and human hair and it removed about 90+ percent of the hair that initially gathered on the brushroll. The hair slowly works its way off the brushroll as you vacuum. We’ve also tested this against vacuums without the technology and it definitely results in much less tangling on the brushroll. - Lift Away Feature
You can find this feature on a host of upright vacuums from Shark – most likely because it is popular and it works. It allows you to carry the dust-canister/motor assembly with one hand while using the hand/wand/tools with the other hand. It’s kind of like having a handheld vacuum and it’s good for getting at areas you cannot access with the upright, such as a set of stairs or above-the-floor cleaning. The Lift-Away feature makes the Navigator a much more versatile machine. You can see how this works in the video at the end of this PROS section. - Light Weight & Maneuverability
The Navigator Zero-M is a fairly lightweight upright vacuum and it weighs in at 13.4 lbs. By comparison, the Shark NV752 weighs 15.6 lbs and the Shark APEX AX952 weighs 16 lbs (both full size uprights). The light weight helps the Navigator Zero-M with maneuverability as does the swivel steering. You will find that the cleaner head will easily turn with a twist of the wrist at the vacuum handle. This makes it easy to steer. - Good pickup on carpet
When compared to one of our favorite uprights, the Shark NV752, the Navigator Zero-M did a respectable job of cleaning low pile carpet (not as good as the NV752 but still quite good). In addition, we’ve been using it around the house for a while and it has been doing a decent job on our low pile carpet. Also, consider that the Zero-M is less expensive than the NV752
Reasonable pickup on bare floors for an upright
We compared the pickup on bare floors with that of the NV752. The Navigator Zero-M pickup was not bad – again not quite as good as the NV752 – but acceptable. Many uprights don’t do a great job on bare floors unless they have something like DuoClean Technology (see the Shark APEX or the Shark ION P50 – links). We did find that the Navigator Zero-M had a tendency to drag a small amount of material behind it during the back stroke, but we’ve seen this on other machines as well and it isn’t a huge deal. - Suction release slider
The suction release slider is a handy feature should it become get difficult to move the vacuum on carpet or if it starts to stick to an area rug. Also, if you are using a tool and the suction is too strong this slider will allow you to decrease the suction. This seems like something of a no-brainer feature for an upright vacuum as it is an inexpensive way to allow you to vary the suction. But it is surprising how many vacuums do not have one.
Dust canister is easy to use and fairly large
The dust canister is easy to detach, easy to empty, and easy to reattach. It is also fairly large at 2.2 quarts to the fill line. You will not have to empty it frequently while you are vacuuming.
Cons:
- Short power cord
The power cord on the vacuum is only 25 feet in length. We prefer to see power cords of 30 feet or more. In our experience anything less than 30 feet has a tendency to cause grumbling among owners. Other Shark upright machines like the NV752, the AX952, the NV682 and the NV801 all have 30 foot power cords. - Short hose
The hose on the Navigator Zero-M is rather short. We have noticed that most vacuums with the Lift-Away feature also have short hoses. This is likely because you don’t really need a long hose as long as you are using the Lift Away feature. But should you want to simply grab a tool and use it on the end of the handle or wand to do some quick cleaning, you will find that you have a very limited cleaning reach. - A bit louder than some other Shark machines
We found the vacuum to be a bit on the loud side. We also did some noise level tests to see where it stood with respect to some other popular uprights. We placed a digital noise meter 3 feet in front of the cleaner head and recorded peak decibels.
Use:
We sometimes see that the vacuum in advertising has “variable suction”. A simple suction release slider near the vacuum handle provides the ability to change the suction (figure below). Vacuum has no control over the speed of the motor – this usually refers to variable suction. Nevertheless, the suction release slider of this shark pet vacuum still works. If you find that the device is stuck on the carpet or difficult to push on the carpet, or even the force is too strong when using one of the tools, you can open the valve and reduce the suction. We hope all shark pet vacuums have this function because it is very convenient. Many shark pet vacuums don’t.
- Navigator suction release
For this shark pet vacuum, there is a height adjustment knob on the carpet cleaning head, which can lift the cleaning head to provide better movement in the deeper part of the carpet. In the case of navigator zero-m, there is no height adjustment. The suction slider of this shark pet vacuum helps to move better on the deep pile carpet to some extent.
This shark pet vacuum has a switch near the top of the elevator pod to turn on and off the vacuum and has two cleaning settings (below). For bare floor and fine area carpets, shark recommends setting I (slow brush roll rotation), and for carpets and other area carpets, setting II (fast brush roll rotation). We note that there is no ability to completely close the brush roll.
- Cleaning – carpet
We compared the carpet cleaning of this shark pet vacuum with one of our favorite vacuum cleaners, shark truepet nv752. We put 20g small / medium / large pieces on the low pile carpet and run the machine at the same time (see the video below). The fragments consist of ground cherios (powder), pepper slices, flaxseed, cracked green peas and full-size Froot rings. This is not a particularly scientific test, but more like a visual inspection. The performance of the two machines seems to be very close.
- Cleaning – bare floor
We compare this shark pet vacuum with truepet nv752 again. The results are similar, although we note that zero-m does drag a small amount of material when pulled back – nv752 does not. This is not a big problem. We have seen it on many machines.
- Cleaning – hair
We put our long black hair on the medium plush carpet, and then suck it up with this shark pet vacuum. Then, we continue to move the vacuum cleaner back and forth, because this action should help the brush roll to actively remove the hair and send it to the dust can. Does this shark pet vacuum work? Yes – see the video below. We haven’t seen this capability in any vacuum we’ve tested before.
- Cleaning – edges
We put red pepper slices on the skirting board and put the vacuum cleaner firmly against the skirting board. This shark pet vacuum completed the task, but also passed several times. We have run a considerable number of machines and passed the same test. Although some performed poorly (this shark pet vacuum did not pick up all pepper flakes), others picked up all debris in one pass (one forward stroke and one backward stroke).
You can see this lifting function on many shark vacuum cleaners for a reason. This shark pet vacuum works well and people like this shark pet vacuum. This method provides a cleaning capability that a vertical vacuum cleaner does not have.
The lifting mode allows you to separate the motor/dust tank assembly (called “pod”) from the vacuum and carry it with one hand while using the hose/rod / tool with the other hand. Using the pod, you can enter areas you cannot enter – behind furniture or narrow areas. It is also great to do a set of stairs and cleaning above the ground.
It is quite easy to separate the pod and wand or handle. This shark pet vacuum can also easily bounce back into the vacuum. We really like this function. This shark pet vacuum undoubtedly increases the versatility and cleaning ability of the vacuum cleaner.
