We found that the greatest strength of the Shark Navigator DLX is also its weakness. While the powerful suction made it faster and easier to remove debris, it also increased the effort we had to put forth to use the vacuum on the medium and high-pile carpets. Even still, our tester gives this Navigator model a 4.5-star rating for maneuverability and comments positively on the swivel steering.
Others are distinctive new riffs on the cordless vacuum, with innovative dust-busting features all their own. Vacuuming isn’t easy, and lugging a traditional corded vacuum between outlets makes it even harder than it has to be. Cordless stick vacuums, on the other hand, are lightweight and maneuverable — without sacrificing the cleaning power of a corded model.
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.
It removed the most sand, rice and pet hair out of all the stick vac cleaners we’ve evaluated so far. In addition, we gathered insights on how well each pick transitioned from smooth floors to a carpet, while testing its maneuverability in our living room-inspired obstacle course. Our testers tested the ease of emptying the dust bins, noting if the process was messy, as expected, or thrillingly simple. At home, additional vacuums were rated on the same attributes in real-world environments and situations. Lastly, when determining the overall value of each product, we considered our entire experience with the product in comparison to the price. Our editors took all of the consistently applied testing data that was gathered at The Lab and at home, and boiled it down to the Shark vacuums we believe are the very best.
And as I side note, both Sharks have lights on the vacuum heads that help illuminate dirt and dust which is a feature I really like that the Dyson v10 and v11 don’t have. The Dyson v15 have a similar feature to the Sharks but it’s a bit more advanced with a laser that illuminates unseen dust and debris. I also like that the Dyson v15 and Dyson v10 Absolute have a fluffy roller head that gives them a leg-up for cleaning on hardwood floors and is gentler on them too. The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ Handheld Vacuum excelled in all of our lab tests, but it really stood out when it came to sucking up pet hair.
Like other Shark vacuums, this one is designed with powerful suction to handle the toughest messes in your home. This cordless 25.2V Li-ion Shark stick vacuum has a replaceable battery. It converts to hand mode and comes with a crevice tool, pet hair multi-tool and multi-angle dusting brush.
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 dyson robot vacuum 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.
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 shark cordless 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.
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.
I think the extra features of the v15 are worth the $50 difference so recommend the v15 over the v11 if it’s within your price range. The Dyson Outsize Absolute that you can find is an amazing vacuum too if money is truly no object. Based on all of the features I discussed, if I had to choose between a Shark or Dyson and the cost for all of them was exactly the bissell crosswave cordless same, I’d go with a Dyson. But that’s not the case – when looking at cost, the Dysons are priced significantly higher than Sharks. While the Dysons may have more features than the Sharks, the Sharks are great vacuums for the price and their multiflex feature is awesome. All four vacuums weigh less than 10 pounds but the Dysons are a bit lighter than the Sharks.