We were also impressed by this vacuum’s ability to suck up pet hair without any becoming tangled in the pet hair brush tool. Speaking of rugs, it coped well with a long pile area rug, removing lots of debris left behind by a robot vacuum that had cleaned it the same day. The floorhead has headlights in the front to illuminate dark spots such as areas below furniture. There’s a powerful self-cleaning brushroll that’s designed to remove debris from deep within carpet fibers, whilst avoiding that annoying clog of hair around the brush. There’s no option to turn off the brushroll though, which can sometimes be desirable for particularly delicate floors. This Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum is a reasonably priced vacuum that won’t give you anxiety about the battery running out right before guests come over.
It did work on carpeting, but several additional passes were needed to pull up dirt and debris from the rug. The brand doesn’t list the vacuum’s runtime, but we found that it generally lasts for around 25 minutes per charge. There’s only one power setting available, but overall, we found it delivered impressive suction that’s more than shark pet hair vacuum enough for small cleaning jobs. Given how well our stick vacuum and upright vacuum review winners handle the same situations a canister excels in, we settled on a high-but-comparable $450 price maximum as a first criteria. This eliminated even the least-expensive Miele models with a power head, like the $700 Compact C2 Electro+.
Plus when you need to stop to pick up a stray dog toy or sock, it’s helpful the floorhead and wand will stand unsupported. Shark is one of the market leading vacuum cleaner brands and often features in our coveted best vacuum cleaners for home (opens in new tab) guide. The Shark Vertex Bagless Corded Canister Vacuum with DuoClean Powerfins is one of only two canister vacuums on offer from the brand. It’s the more feature-rich and expensive of the two, and we’ve put it to the test to see if it’s up to the job. The difference in power between the most expensive and least expensive groups is worth noting, but all of these vacuums have enough power to easily pick up heavy sand and debris on all floor types.
Mary H.J. Farrell is a senior editor at Consumer Reports whose real passion is for cooking and all that entails. She has expanded CR’s cookware category to include not only more pots and pans but also other essentials like stand mixer attachments, sheet pans, and vacuum sealers. Mary also covers vacuums but finds cooking way more fun shark robotic vacuums than cleaning. Since the mid-1990s, Mary has held senior positions at People.com, MSNBC, and Ladies’ Home Journal. There is a tool clip that can be attached to the wand and will hold both tools (handy to have the tools with you while vacuuming). The wand is already bulky and the tool clip, with tools attached, just makes it more so.
Older folks will appreciate how light this product is and how easy it is to move up and down a flight of stairs. This vacuum weighs just six pounds, all of which you’ll have to carry while cleaning. As long as your shoulder can handle the Lift-Around’s six pound weight, it’s quite maneuverable. There’s no wheeled canister to drag around — just a light vacuum hanging on a shoulder strap. It’s expected to go on sale in a few weeks through various channels, including Shark’s tried-and-true infomercials.
The floor head uses replaceable mop pads that include a unique chamber for collecting debris, and it features an easy-release button so you don’t have to touch the dirty pad when your cleaning session is done, too. We came close to recommending the Dirt Devil Razor Vac Plus UD70350B for anyone who wanted to take a chance on a cheap vacuum cleaner, but we decided not to. It cleaned well in our tests, it’s comfortable to use, and it comes with a good set of tools. But like with other cheap vacuum cleaners, the cost of replacement filters ($20 per year) makes it a bad deal. Even if you skip those, we read many reviews about it wearing down (or just breaking) after about a year. Though Dyson announced in 2018 that it would stop developing new plug-in vacuum cleaners in order to focus on cordless models, the company appears to have reversed course.
We noticed particularly good pick-up on carpets, but it’s equally at home on hard floors as well as cleaning upholstery or overhead. It’s a great choice for those who don’t like upright or stick style vacuums or for anyone who wants a reliable clean without having to worry about how much battery is left. In testing, this vacuum performed extremely well, having no problem picking up dog kibble or pet hair from a variety of surfaces.