Let’s keep this short and sweet. You are here because you need a new vacuum, but don’t know which one to get. We are here to compare Shark vacuums side by side in order to help you make the choice. You need a good, durable, powerful, and reliable vacuum that will deal with whatever you put in its way and we are determined to help find the right one for you.
The Comparison Chart
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Some Things To Consider Before You Buy Your Shark Vacuum
Let’s quickly go over some of the main things that you should consider before buying any shark vacuum.
1
POWER
How much suction power does the vacuum have? Does it have enough for sand, dirt, cheerios, and more? The suction power will go a long way in dictating how clean your house gets.
2
PET HAIR
Does the vacuum do well with pet hair? Does it get clogged when there is pet hair? Does it come with a special pet hair accessory? If you have lots of pets or lots of hair yourself, this is something you need to consider.
3
SIZE & WEIGHT
You need to be able to easily push the vacuum around and maneuver stairs without getting tired. There are many lightweight Shark vacuums out there, but some are heavier than others. The size of it will also affect the ability to store the vacuum in a small space.
4
CORDS
This is really up to you, but we definitely like battery-powered vacuums without cords. However, with a cordless vacuum, you do need to pay attention to the battery life.
5
CANISTER & FILTER
Yet another thing to keep in mind is the capacity of the dirt canister. If you have a big home, this is going to be a big deal. Moreover, is the filter in the vacuum you are looking at washable?
6
ACCESSORIES
Depending on what you want the vacuum for, you want to look out for things like a crevice tool, dust brush, powerhead, far-reach hose, car detailing kit, specialized pet brushes, and other such accessories.
Let’s Compare Shark Vacuums Side By Side
Now that we have gone over what you need to look out for before making your purchase, let’s compare 6 of the best Shark vacuums side by side to try and figure out which one is best for you. Each of the following options has their own specific features and benefits that you might really like.
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional – Great All Around Option
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional is a really neat choice to go with for several reasons. It is a great all-around vacuum that is powerful, has a few big convenience factors, and is very reliable too.
Let’s talk about the main features and accessories that you get with the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional.
Features
Without a doubt, in our opinion, the best feature of the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional is that it is a lift away version. It is a full upright vacuum when it needs to be, which is great for level floors and carpets. However, you can also detach the top canister and the hose from the main body for those times when a smaller vacuuming option is needed.
This makes it easy for us to clean our upholstery and stairs when we don’t feel like lugging a big vacuum around. This is the convenience factor we were talking about. We’re getting a little up there in age, so having a lightweight option is definitely beneficial for us. That being said, even when you have the whole thing attached, it still is not all that heavy.
Something else that stands out to us about the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional is that it comes complete with a fully functional HEPA filter. We have lots of dogs in our home, plus we have people with allergies and breathing difficulties. Well, the HEPA filter helps to clean the air that the vacuum spits out the back end. It can actually take away up to 99.9% of fine particles and allergens that would otherwise be released back into the air. It’s great for a family like ours that has some health issues to deal with.
Another thing that makes the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional useful for us is that you can seamlessly switch between hard flooring and soft flooring options. It comes with a power brush roll that you can turn on or off with the flick of a switch. Simply turn the brush roll on when you want to vacuum carpets. It really could not be any easier for us. Instead of always switching attachments, we just have to flick a switch.
Speaking of switching accessories, the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional does come with a good number of them. First off, you do actually get a dusting brush for picking up dirt and debris from your tile, ceramic, or hardwood flooring. You also get 2 different crevice tools, one smaller and one larger one. It’s great for getting into those hard to reach spots in our slightly cramped home.
However, our favorite accessories that come with the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional are the pet power brush and the wide upholstery tool. We have lots of dogs, so being able to deal with hair on upholstery is very important to us.
Finally, the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional has a fairly large dust receptacle, which is nice because we don’t have to empty it before we get to finish the whole house. Moreover, the 15-foot power cord is convenient for not having to constantly switch power outlets when the length of the cord runs out. We have to say that this is one of the best all-around vacuums on the market today.
PROS
What we like:
- Fairly good suction
- Lift-away canister for convenience
- Pretty lightweight
- Decent sized dirt canister
- HEPA filter for clean air
- Lots of accessories – great for soft areas and pet hair
- Easy on/off brush roll
- Fairly long hose and power cord
- Works well for hard floors too
CONS
What we didn’t like:
- Not too durable/heavy duty – lots of fragile plastic components
- The cleaning path is not too wide – can take a while for big spaces
Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away Upright Vacuum – The “Accessories” Vacuum
When it comes to convenience, the Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away Upright Vacuum is a really cool option to consider. This is an extremely convenient and user-friendly vacuum to consider, but it does have many other features that make it worth the investment as well. We really love how it comes with such a plethora of accessories to make any cleaning job a breeze.
Features
The biggest aspect of the Shark Rotator Lift-Away Vacuum that we like is the fact that it comes with so many accessories. It comes with so many different tools that we can clean everything in our house with ease, plus a whole lot more as well. First off, we like the dusting brush that comes with it. It’s great for our hardwood floors, tables, other hard surfaces, and even for curtains too. Also, when it comes to hard surfaces, the included micro-fiber pad works really well too.
Next, the premium pet power brush is another big bonus for us. Lots of pets mean lots of dirt and hair around the home, so the rolling pet hair specialized power brush that comes with this model is very useful for us. Moreover, the crevice tool which comes with the Shark Rotator Lift-Away Vacuum is another very useful addition. It helps us get into all of the tight spaces in our home where nothing else can fit.
Speaking of tight spaces, the under-appliance wand is ideal for getting under fridges and other hard to reach areas. Furthermore, the wide upholstery tool is fantastic for quickly cleaning debris off of sofas and other soft surfaces. Our favorite part of the Shark Rotator Lift-Away Vacuum is that it comes with a car detailing kit as well, which is great seeing as we have big cars that take on a lot of dirt and hair. Most other Shark vacuums do not come with this many accessories. Of course, it also has a power brush for carpets.
When it comes to other features, the Shark Rotator Lift-Away Vacuum is of course lift-away, which means you can detach the top from the body to make it easy to carry around. This is great for getting up and down the many stairs in our home. However, when on flat ground, we like the LED headlights and the swivel head feature, because they both make vacuuming quick and easy.
This model also has a fairly large dust canister. These features, the lights, the swivel head, and the larger dust canister all features which the Shark Navigator does not have. However, both vacuums come with an awesome HEPA filter for keeping the air quality in our home high.
PROS
What we like:
- Tons of accessories
- HEPA filter
- Lift-away capability
- LED headlights and swiveling head
- Great for hard and soft floors
- The good-sized dust canister
CONS
What we didn’t like:
- Could be a little lighter in weight (heavier than various other models)
- Lift-away feature (button) is difficult to use
Shark Navigator NV352 Lift-Away Upright Vacuum – The Lightweight Vacuum
We really love vacuums that are lightweight and user friendly, especially for our home because we often have our mothers or our kids taking on some household chores.
The Shark Navigator NV352 Lift-Away Upright Vacuum does have quite a few useful features, but the best part about it is its lightweight and compact nature.
Features
Without a doubt, one of our favorite parts about the Shark Navigator NV352 Lift-Away Upright Vacuum is that it is ideal for anyone to use, even on stairs and not so easy to maneuver terrain. The whole thing does not weigh more than 12.5 pounds, which makes this model one of the lightest ones out there right now.
Even better is the lift-away feature that allows us to disconnect the top canister and hose from the main vacuum. This is great for getting up and downstairs as well as forgetting to other hard to reach areas. The Shark Navigator NV352 Lift-Away Upright Vacuum is also one of the smaller vacuums, making it easy to store in a tight place.
Just like other models, we like how the Shark Navigator NV352 Lift-Away Upright Vacuum has a HEPA filter. This filter is more than good enough for getting rid of allergens, pollen, and other small particles which can affect people with breathing difficulties in my home.
This vacuum does have a dirt capacity of 1.2 quarts, which is a little less than most others, but this is due to its smaller size and weight. This model has a cleaning path of 9.25 inches and a 25-foot power cord, which is ok, but both being less than most other Shark models reviewed here today.
The Shark Navigator NV352 Lift-Away Upright Vacuum does come with quite a few useful accessories. It features a pet power brush and a wide pet upholstery tool, both of which work wonders at getting rid of pesky pet hairs. We also like the dusting brush for hard floors and other hard surfaces, plus we like both of the included crevice tools as well.
Moreover, changing from carpets to hard floors is simple thanks to the easy on/off the power brush roll. When it comes to cleaning any surface in our home, this model is one of the more convenient ones. It may not be quite as powerful or have as large a capacity as some other Shark vacuums, but the small size and lightweight of it do make a big difference for us.
PROS
What we like:
- Very compact
- Lightweight
- Lift-away feature
- Plenty of accessories
- Excellent for dealing with pets
- Works for hard and soft floors, plus other hard and soft surfaces
- HEPA filter for cleaner air
CONS
What we didn’t like:
- Limited capacity for dirt
- Not great for getting under furniture
- May give you a small electrical shock on occasion
Shark Navigator (NV42) Deluxe Upright Vacuum – The Heavy Duty Suction Vacuum
We really like this particular vacuum because of a few different reasons, but there is one that makes it stand out from the rest without question.
The Shark Navigator NV42 Deluxe Upright Vacuum has near unrivaled suction power and it stays that way for years to come. This is why we’re referring to it as the heavy-duty suction vacuum.
Features
Without a doubt, the very best feature of the Shark Navigator NV42 Deluxe Upright Vacuum is that it has awesome suction power. It is more than powerful enough to suck various particles and debris such as sand, cheerios, small rocks, dirt, and dust of all sorts. Even better than that is the special way in which the filter is built.
The Shark Navigator NV42 Deluxe Upright Vacuum uses special filter tech to keep the suction constant. The suction never dies off or gives out, which is why we really love this heavy-duty option. No matter how much junk you vacuum with it, it is not going to give out on you.
Another thing that we like about the Shark Navigator NV42 Deluxe Upright Vacuum is that it has a pretty decent dirt canister. What we mean is that it is a 1-quart canister, which is decent in size, but not great, and is in fact a little smaller than many other options out there. However, the easy to release bottom makes emptying it about as easy as can be.
Another thing that we can really appreciate about the Shark Navigator NV42 Deluxe Upright Vacuum is that it has a pet hair pick up system, which means that the dog hair in our home doesn’t clog the thing after just a few minutes of use.
The fact that the Shark Navigator NV42 Deluxe Upright Vacuum only weighs 15 pounds is pretty good for us as well. There is not too much to push around, but it is a little heavier than most other options we have looked at so far. This model also comes with an easy to turn on and off the brush roll. If you are vacuuming the carpet, simply turn the brush roll on for deep carpet cleaning. If you are doing hard floors, simply turn it off.
One of the downsides to this vacuum is that it does not come with as many good accessories like some other models. It does come with 1 crevice tool for tight spaces, 1 dusting brush for floors and other hard surfaces, and a pet upholstery tool. We do like the pet tool because it makes cleaning our sofa of dirt and pet hair easy, but we would like to see a few more accessories included.
PROS
What we like:
- Awesome suction
- Does not lose suction
- Decent dirt capacity
- On/off brush roll
- Comes with a pet, crevice, and dusting accessory
- Fairly lightweight
- Does well with pet hair
CONS
What we didn’t like:
- No HEPA filter
- No lift-away action
- Not too many accessories
Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Upright Vacuum – Best Stick Vacuum/Convertible Hand Vacuum
When it comes to lightweight convenience and portability, the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Upright Vacuum is definitely the number one pick.
We really like how this model is convenient for vacuuming around the home in record time, plus it actually comes with many neat accessories too.
Features
Perhaps the best feature of the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Upright Vacuum is that it can convert into a handheld version. We really like the fact that we can convert this from a full stick vacuum into a hand vacuum for those small messes.
Small spot messes and cheerio spills on the table are easily cleaned with this thing. Tables, sofas, and other small spaces all do really well when the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Upright Vacuum is converted into the handheld option.
Of course, we also like using the full-sized version with the sick and the bottom actually attached to the canister. Thanks to the different accessories that the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Upright Vacuum comes with, it is ideal for pretty much any situation and space in our home. With this package, you get a great car detailing kit, which we love for our 2 big cars.
The included dusting brush works well for all kinds of hard surfaces like floors, tables, window sills, and more. The upholstery tool is more than ideal for sofas and other such things.
With the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Upright Vacuum, you also get something called a Hardwood Hero, which is a fantastic tool to clean our hardwood floors, mainly because of the washable microfiber pad it comes with. Picking up dust is easier than ever for us. We like to use this accessory to deal with those days when we come home from the beach covered in sand.
Finally, you get fingertip controls for the motorized carpet brush. You can switch the carpet brush on or off in order to quickly change from carpet cleaning to hard floor cleaning.
In terms of storage, you do actually get a wall mount with the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Upright Vacuum, which is great for mounting it on any wall, especially in a small closet. The small size is ideal for our smaller closets that are already jam-packed with tons of our stuff.
Moreover, being so lightweight is very good for us too. It weighs slightly over 7 pounds, making it a featherweight among the shark vacuums. Arthritis sucks, something many people in our family deal with, but at least this thing is not too heavy to push around.
Finally, the fact that the foam filters are washable is very useful for us because we can use 1 filter for a very long time before having to get a new one.
PROS
What we like:
- Very lightweight and portable
- Cool wall mount
- Quite powerful for its size
- Converts into a handheld vacuum
- Easy to maneuver
- Good for hard and soft floors
- Comes with a few good accessories, especially the car detailing kit
- Washable filter
CONS
What we didn’t like:
- Limited dirt capacity – also hard to release
- Doesn’t fare well with pet hair
Shark Navigator SV1106 Freestyle Cordless Stick Vacuum – Best Cordless Shark Vacuum
The Shark Navigator SV1106 Freestyle Cordless Stick Vacuum is our favorite cordless vacuum. Dealing with power cords is always a pain, so we do really like this feature.
This model may not come with many accessories, but not having to deal with power cords is definitely a bonus that we can appreciate.
Features
One of the main reasons why the Shark Navigator SV1106 Freestyle Cordless Stick Vacuum is on our list is because it is cordless. We are just sick and tired of having to deal with power cords all of the time, so having one that has a simple to charge the battery is perfect.
Having to constantly unplug and find a different electrical outlet is just a huge pain, one that is avoided with the Shark Navigator SV1106 Freestyle Cordless Stick Vacuum.
Another reason why the Shark Navigator SV1106 Freestyle Cordless Stick Vacuum is a big hit in our home is that it only weighs 7.5 pounds. It’s a really lightweight and portable option that can be easily pushed around and lifted up or downstairs.
It is also really easy to maneuver vacuum thanks to the swiveling head. Getting around and under furniture is made easy with the Shark Navigator SV1106 Freestyle Cordless Stick Vacuum, which is ideal for our home which has tons of low to the ground furniture.
Yet another beneficial feature is that the Shark Navigator SV1106 Freestyle Cordless Stick Vacuum comes with a huge dust bin. The XL-Capacity bin means that we can get through the whole house from top to bottom without having to ever empty it in between. The canister is also as easy to empty as it gets thanks to the easy release bottom empty design. We don’t like touching dirt, so this is great for us.
The Shark Navigator SV1106 Freestyle Cordless Stick Vacuum has really nice suction power, more than enough to deal with most dirt in our home. Furthermore, the power brush roll can be turned on or off to seamlessly transition from hard floors to carpets.
Even better is that the Shark Navigator SV1106 Freestyle Cordless Stick Vacuum is more than ideal for pet hair, something that comes in handy in our home. We have lots of pets, so the fact that this model can easily pick up pet hair without getting clogged is really useful for us.
PROS
What we like:
- Good suction power
- Great for pet hair
- Works for hard and soft floors
- Easy on/off power brush roll
- Easy to maneuver
- Swiveling head for easy maneuvering
- Very lightweight and portable
- Cordless
- Large dust capacity
CONS
What we didn’t like:
- Battery life is not great
- We would like to see some accessories
Conclusion
As you can see, we have compared shark vacuums side by side, and each of them is great in their own right. Some are better for portability, some for their lack of a cord, some for their awesome suction power, and so on and so forth. The point is that each of these shark vacuums we’ve compared does a great job at its intended purpose. If you are on the market for a new vacuum, we would definitely recommend considering 1 of the above 6 options.