In addition, they are good at picking up larger debris, cleaning right up to the front of the cleaner head, and removing stuck-on dust from hard flooring. Since the cleaning head is relatively narrow and the body is top-heavy, this machine does fall over more easily than some other vacuum cleaners do. If you find tipping to be a constant problem, you can lift away the main assembly and set it on the floor for a sturdier base.
The foam and felt filters reside under the dust canister and are very easy to access. They can also be rinsed in water when dirty (Shark says do this every 3 months or so). It is designed to be pulled out through the bottom of the dust canister and you will sometimes have to clean it off. Accessories shouldn’t be an afterthought when shopping for a Shark vacuum, because the right tools can help you complete your cleaning tasks more quickly and easily. This vacuum’s anti-allergen seal and HEPA filter effectively trap dust—a major win for families with pets and allergies. You’ll also enjoy the clear dust bin that allows you to see what you’re capturing in real time, and it releases very easily with the help of built-in latches.
It’s a bit pricey for a compact cleaner, but we suspect lots of them will end up in kitchens or garages for spot cleaning. If you’d like to do the work of choosing yourself, here’s the list of our canister vacuum reviews. While there’s no single shark dustbuster best vacuum with a canister design, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them. There have been comments that the pre-motor filters require frequent cleaning.
That makes it easy to get into the cleaning head, the wand, or the hose to knock any obstructions loose. Note that among Shark models, only the more expensive “powered lift-away” models like the Apex can run the brushroll motor when the base is detached. We’ve tested the value-oriented shark robotic vacuums Navigator in our best upright vacuum review and best pet hair vacuum review, but we only compared the more versatile Apex against canister vacuums. It’s still excellent at cleaning carpets in an upright configuration while giving acceptable performance in lift-away mode on bare floors.
It was placed in a 5 foot long line on short pile carpet and the vacuum was run over it in about a 10 second pass. We measured the length of the suction channel underneath the cleaner head at about 8.5 inches. It helps when vacuuming in cramped areas and it can also help with maneuverability, but it requires more passes to clean a given area and can result in longer cleaning sessions, especially in large open areas.
In addition to brush and crevice tools, this handheld vacuum comes with a pet power brush tool that’s specifically designed to loosen and suck up pet hair. This attachment will work well on furniture, linens, and even your car seats and floor mats. We were also impressed by this vacuum’s ability to suck up pet hair without any becoming tangled in the pet hair brush tool. We sprinkled samples of precisely weighed debris samples on carpet, then weighed the bags or canisters of the vacuums after to see how much of the dirt was recovered. On bare floors, we put down the same dirt as well as cereal and tested for scatter and efficient pick up of the biggest pieces.
A tank for Shark cleaning solution, which is included in your purchase, is built into its body. 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. Nevertheless, once this vacuum was performing well, we found it excelled at picking up all types of debris and no hair was caught in the brush roller. The swivel head makes it easy to maneuver under lower pieces of furniture and it’s lightweight enough to easily transcend a flight of steps. Because of the small dust bin size, we think this vacuum is more suited for apartments or townhomes, but it could also serve as a quick mess-cleaning tool in busy households. Lastly, if you’re looking for an inexpensive canister vacuum with only a bare floor head, the Bissell – Zing is our budget pick.