The Consumer Post earns commissions from purchases made using the links provided. You’ll also enjoy the clear dust bin that allows you to see what you’re capturing in real-time and releases very easily with the bissell crosswave cordless help of built-in latches. Easily clean up any messes or debris with this lightweight vac. The Shark IZ361H’s range is limited only by the remaining battery life and the room left in its dirt compartment.
In truth, it’s a rare occasion that one would need more than 40 minutes of runtime for a single vacuuming session. Because of this, battery life was not weighted as heavily as other features. Another difference between the cordless vacuums I tested is in dustbin size – both Dysons I tested have double the size dustbins as the Sharks. The dustbins for the Dyson v10, v11, and v15 hold 0.8 quarts while the dustbins for the Rockets hold 0.34 quarts.
Make sure wires are inserted into the battery all the way repair or replace damaged wires. Rounded to the nearest pound, it includes the battery or cord. Due to the short exposure time, hearing protection is not required. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Vacuums do not need a cord to win the fight against dirt and grime.
In fact, it cleaned up every material in just a pass or two, regardless of flooring type. We found that the 1.4-quart dust bin empties easily, but given the vacuum’s powerful suction and long-lasting battery, we do wish it had more capacity. The Shark Navigator DLX Upright Professional Vacuum offered powerful suction and performed great on low, medium, and high-pile carpets in The Lab. For that reason, it’s the right choice if you’re looking for a vacuum cleaner that’ll effectively clean your area rugs and carpeted floors. It was given an overall rating of 4 stars for its cleaning effectiveness—meaning, on average, it cleaned up the cereal, popcorn kernels, and strands of hair in just three to five passes. At 3.5 quarts, the dust bin of this upright vacuum is larger than most, too.
She has firsthand knowledge of how our vacuum tests were both developed and performed, as well as where each product excelled or fell short. Before conducting lab testing, she scoured brand and retailer websites, and considered price, verified customer reviews, features, and design when selecting the vacuums to test. She also considered the latest technology, practicality, and real-life cleaning situations. Emma Phelps, an updates writer for The Spruce, also assisted in updating this roundup to note the latest Shark vacuums we tested that didn’t quite make our final list. When shopping for a vacuum, the decision between a corded and cordless model depends on your specific needs and priorities. A corded vacuum offers an unlimited runtime and is a good choice for whole-house cleaning.
To simulate small particle size, we use a mix of play sand and landscaping sand. To emulate larger dirt particles, we use uncooked black rice. To see how vacuums deal with pet hair, we use our mixture of clippings sourced to us through our local pet groomer. We run each vacuum in a straight line across three different surfaces (hardwood, low-pile carpet and midpile carpet). On all three test beds, the test area is 30.25 inches long. On a hard floor, the vacuum managed to pick up an average of 98% of the sand we dropped.
The battery is built-in, so there’s no swapping in another if you run out of juice. There’s just the slow, plug-in charger and a few hours wait time. It doesn’t have Shark’s excellent no hair clogging head, and it just doesn’t have the power and suction of a corded upright. A strange omission in my mind is that there is no way or provision to hang it up for storage and charging. It cannot stand upright on its own, but it can be leaned against a wall.
Don’t buy one of the “bargain priced” older Dyson vacuums such as the v7 or v8 (the lower the “v” number, the older the Dyson model). You can often find the Dyson v7 and v8 for under $400 but honestly their suction is crappy. I made the mistake of buying a v8 several years back for a second home and totally regretted my decision. If you chose not to buy a Dyson v10, v11, or v15 because of the price, in my opinion it’s better to go with one of the newer Sharks than the older Dysons that are a similar price. So when used as full stick vacuums, Dysons are lighter than Sharks. However, this is not the case when they’re used as handhelds.
If you need a basic yet beloved vacuum that won’t break the bank, consider the Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum. This model has fewer vacuum features than others, but it costs less, too. Our testing team gave it a 5-star rating for its simple irobot vacuum cleaner setup—it was assembled and ready for use in less than five minutes—and a 4.5-star rating for maneuverability. They found it difficult to move around on carpet surfaces, and docked its rating for this reason, but did add that the vacuum is not too heavy overall.