You can store the cordless vacuum upright, and it folds away to not eat into your cupboard space. I actually own a Dyson V11, and when vacuuming the lounge and dining room have to bend my knees and back to allow the vacuum head to reach the harder to get-to areas, but the Shark had no trouble whatsoever with this. I was able to stay upright while the vacuum did all of the bending, saving my back in the process. Shark vacuums tend to be reconfigurable into a smaller, handheld mode so you can access more difficult-to-reach messes.
Before you set out to buy a vacuum, it’s helpful to understand the different types of vacuum cleaners out there and the key differences between each. Dyson takes models returned by retailers and customers, inspects them, and then disassembles them into sub-components. A representative of Dyson’s US-based Reliability & Engineering Team told us that some items are immediately disqualified if they are too old or in poor condition, while others are passed on to the refurbishment dyson robot vacuum line. Minor defects are repaired, and parts are replaced as needed, including batteries that fail Dyson’s testing. Dyson sells its refurbs through the Dyson Outlet as well as through its eBay storefront and at retailers like Walmart, and all refurbished units come with either a six-month or one-year warranty depending on the item. To see whether reconditioned vacuums are worth seeking out, we asked the manufacturers of some of our picks how they handle refurbished models.
Some might not enjoy the design but then a vacuum of this compact size will be stored away out of sight most of the time anyway. There’s something about a clean shark cordless car that just makes you feel like you’ve got your life together. A trusty car vacuum to get rid of any flyaway crumbs, mud and dust, among other things.
Keep in mind the hose is 1.25 inches in diameter, so while you can easily collect dirt and dust, it won’t work for larger items like leaves. In our controlled tests, the V8 sucked more sand and baking soda out of more kinds of rugs than other cordless vacuums at this price , including popular sticks from brands like Bissell, Shark, and Tineco. It performed better on its lower-suction, battery-preserving setting than many other vacuums did on their maximum-suction, battery-draining settings. On its Max setting, the V8 even outperformed some models that are significantly more expensive, too.
If you live in a small house or apartment, it could be the only vacuum you need. When used in its traditional upright configuration, it can only run for about 40 minutes, so it isn’t as well-suited to cleaning large areas as corded models. However, the flip side of its cordless design is that you can easily clean areas far from any electrical outlets. It also delivers exceptional performance on bare floors and clears away an impressive amount of debris on low and high-pile carpets. Unfortunately, this primary floorhead isn’t removable, making it hard to remove any tangled hair. Its ‘Lift-Away’ design lets you pick up and carry its canister body separately from its floorhead, so you can easily clean under tables and chairs.
Although they’re quite light, their trigger-style power switch can feel uncomfortable because you need to keep it squeezed constantly to make your vacuum run. Their battery lives are about average and, we think, ample for most uses , but they use built-in (or screw-in) battery packs, so it’s impractical to swap in a spare battery as some owners would like to be able to do. The shark pet cordless stick vacuum features deep-cleaning suction making it ideal for homes with pets. Nozzle technology includes a self-cleaning brush roll and powerfins engineered to pick up more hair with no hair wrap (vs. Shark bristle nozzles). Its ultra-lightweight design and removable handheld vacuum add to its cordless convenience for floor-to-ceiling cleaning. Shark is one of the best upright vacuum manufacturers out there, and, luckily, the brand is giving customers early discounts on some of its most sought-after models.
I’ve reviewed the IZ420UKT (£549.99) model, which includes the pet hair brush and two batteries. There’s also the IZ420UK, which has one battery (£479.99), and the IZ400UK (£449.99), which has one battery and no pet tool. The base units and suction power are the same between all versions. It’s worth noting that it is a bit cumbersome; it’s got a large charging station irobot vacuum cleaner that works best mounted on a wall and testers found it quite heavy as a handheld vacuum. That said, its “SelfStand” feature means it can stand upright unsupported and it has a great selection of tools, including a large soft brush that can be angled to get into tight spots too. We love the headlights on the brush head and how easy it is to empty the canister.