Best Shark vacuum 2023: the top-scoring Shark vacs from our expert tests

Shark are starting to beat Dyson and Miele, so which is the best Shark vacuum?

best Shark vacuum - Shark vertex cordless
(Image credit: Shark)

Shark are relative newcomers to the vacuum market, but these upstarts are hot on the heels of the stalwarts of the industry. For years, Dyson and Miele have been the go-to brands, but the best Shark vacuums can rival their performance, often for hundreds of dollars cheaper. 

However, when it comes to buy a Shark, it can be a little confusing. Like any vacuum brand, Shark offer lots of similar-looking models with near-identical names. It can be tricky to tell them all apart and work out if you're getting the best model. 

Thankfully, we've tested plenty of Shark vacuums over the years, so we're well-placed to help you figure out which is best for your space. Our expert testers have reviewed lots of Shark vacuums, and I've brought together their three best vacuums —cordless, pet, and robot — to make it easier to choose. 

Written by
Alex David author profile photo
Written by
Alex David

Alex is Head of eCommerce at Homes & Gardens and spends his days trawling the internet for the latest product launches and deals, as well as testing homes products in our specialised test facility. Before H&G, he worked for several other consumer magazines reviewing homes goods and garden tools. 

Products tested by
Jaclyn Turner photo
Products tested by
Jaclyn Turner

Jaclyn was the former the US eCommerce editor at Homes & Gardens, where she specializes in a variety of homes topics from vacuums to mattresses. She tested various Shark products for H&G, including the Vertex Pro featured below. 

Products tested by
Camryn Rabideau
Products tested by
Camryn Rabideau

Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer who has been testing home goods like vacuums for several years. She's tested several Shark products, including the Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum and Shark Stratos. With two dogs and a cat, Camryn is the perfect reviewer for assessing if vacuums can take on pet hair. 

Best Shark cordless

Shark Vertex ProH&G gold badge

(Image credit: Shark)
Best Shark cordless

Specifications

Corded or battery powered?: Cordless
Dust bin capacity: 1 qt.
Weight: 8.82lb.
Dimensions: 10.24" L X 14.7" W X 46.5" H
Battery life: Up to 60 minutes
Warranty: 5 years
RRP: $479.99

Reasons to buy

+
Easy to fold down for storage, and compacts down to less than 3 feet for closet storage
+
Super lightweight
+
Easy to remove dust cup
+
Does not require a charging hub
+
Charges through a removable battery
+
Anti-allergen seal traps dust and allergens

Reasons to avoid

-
Cumbersome to unfurl back up from storage mode
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Top-heavy

Why we love it
This isn't just the best Shark vacuum you can buy; we think this is the best cordless vacuum in the world.  It has incredibly powerful suction, inhaling dust and debris with ease. It has anti-hair wrap, which will save you from the gross job of picking hair out of the vacuum, and a good runtime of 46 minutes on a hard floor and half an hour on carpet. If you're prone to allergies, it also has a washable HEPA filter and an Anti-Allergen Seal. We also love the digital LED interface (from the pre-existing Shark Vertex Lightweight) is a nice high-end feature that indicates battery percentage level, suction level, and floor type, selected via two buttons on either side of the power button. We think it's a clear improvement on its predecessor, the Shark Vertex Lightweight Cordless Stick (opens in new tab).

Good to know
The Multi-Flex technology (read: a hinge in the middle of the vacuum) is easy to fold down the vacuum for easy storage. It's also supposed to mean you can easily clean underneath furniture. However, we found this a little tricky to use, as this makes it harder to turn the vacuum. It's a little pointless as the vacuum is so slim that's already easy to reach small spaces, and you need two hands to fold the vacuum. 

Our Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight Cordless Vacuum review goes into more details

Best Shark for pet hair

Shark StratosH&G gold badge

(Image credit: Shark)
Best Shark vacuum for pet hair

Specifications

Type: Upright
Power: 1344W
Dust bin: 1.48 quart
Weight: 17.2lb
Max dB : Not disclosed

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful suction
+
Versatile design
+
Easy to maneuver
+
Odor-neutralizing cartridge
+
Self-cleaning brushroll

Reasons to avoid

-
Quite bulky
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Small Dust bin

Why we love it
We tested this Shark in a house with two long-haired dogs, and it easily dealt with their fur and dander. Number two on our guide to the best vacuums for pet hair (opens in new tab), it excels on carpets and hard floors alike thanks to two hard and soft rollers. Like some other Shark vacuums, it comes with Powered Lift-away, which means you can lift the bin away from the floor head, for  room to manouvre. The most exciting feature is the Odor Neutralizer Technology, a fantastic innovation which I predict could become an industry standard. This 'technology' is a simple but effective cartridge that releases a clean, light scent to cover the usual smell of hot pet fur. 

Good to know
While Powered Lift-Away makes this vacuum more nimble, the whole thing weighs in a 17lbs, so it might not work for you if you have mobility issues. You should also watch out for the two different models. The AZ3000 (opens in new tab)model only includes the vacuum, but if you can find it, the AZ3002 (opens in new tab) comes with an effective motorized pet hair brush, a combination tool, a multi-angle dust brush, an anti-allergen dust brush, a handy bag for storage as well as two extra odor cartridges.

Camryn's Shark Stratos upright vacuum review has more details. 

Best Shark robot vacuum

Shark AI Ultra 2in1 Robot Vacuum & Mop with Sonic MoppingH&G gold badge

(Image credit: Shark)
Best Shark robot vacuum

Specifications

Navigation: LIDAR
Dust bin size: 1.95qt. for the base, .26qt. on robot
Dimensions: 12.9 x 12.6 x 3.5 inches
Noise level: N/A
Compatibility: Alexa/Google/Apple-Siri

Reasons to buy

+
Bagless Self-Emptying base holds up to 60 days of dust
+
Highly customizable map
+
Multiple vacuum settings
+
Able to work around obstacles
+
Impressive mopping abilities

Reasons to avoid

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Mopping isn’t self-sufficient
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App can be confusing
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Can't track progress as it cleans

Why we love it
Number two on our rundown of the best robot vacuums (opens in new tab), the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1-Robot with Self-Cleaning Base is one of the easiest robot vacuums to use. Where other robot vacuums can have you playing around with setting and mapping, barely saving you time, this little gadget is self-sufficient. Thanks to LiDAR sensors, it maps your rooms quickly and accurately and gets on with the job. It also has a self-emptying base, saving you from emptying it every time it cleans. Just as with the Shark Stratos Upright, it has a unique innovation. CleanEdge technology blasts air at your baseboards, knocking dirt into the path of the vacuum. This makes it far better at edge cleaning than other robot vacuums, which often struggle with this. It has a good two-hour battery and a mop function to truly clean hard flooring. It's far, far superior to the previously reviewed Shark IQ (opens in new tab), which we gave a good-but-not-great 80%. 

Good to know
The mop function can be helpful, but you'll have to be nearby to remove the wet mop pads to stop them from getting mouldy, which isn't very convenient.

How did you choose these vacuums?

Our expert testers have trialled all of the featured vacuums. These are also the best-performing vacuums of the Shark vacuums we've test. For example, the Shark IQ (opens in new tab) robot vacuum scored 80%, which is 10% worse than the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 (opens in new tab), which scored 90%. In the same way, the Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight (opens in new tab) is better than the Shark Wandvac System Ultra-Lightweight Powerful Cordless Stick Vacuum (opens in new tab), because they scored 90% and 80% respectively. 

Are Shark better than Dyson?

Short answer: they can be. 

Long answer: It depends on what you're looking for. We cover this in further detail in our Dyson vs Shark (opens in new tab) head to head, but here's an example. The Dyson Outsize + (opens in new tab) beat the Shark Stratos (opens in new tab) in our guide to the best vacuums for pet hair. In terms of sheer performance, it's better; it's easier to use and has better suction. However, the Dyson costs almost a thousand dollars. The Shark is half that. While we like the Dyson, I don't think its performance justifies an extra $500. If you want the very best vacuum that money can buy, go for a Dyson. If you aren't keen on dropping a grand on a vacuum, a Shark is a better alternative that's almost as good. 

When's the best time to buy a Shark vacuum?

You'll find the biggest discounts around Black Friday, as retailers compete to drop their prices the furthest. However, I've noticed that there's been $130 off the Shark Stratos for the past three months, so it may not always pay off to wait. 

Alex David
Head of eCommerce

As Head of eCommerce, Alex makes sure our readers find the right information to help them make the best purchase. After graduating from Cambridge University, Alex got his start in reviewing at the iconic Good Housekeeping Institute, testing a wide range of household products and appliances. He then moved to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, assessing gardening tools, machinery, and wildlife products. Helping people find true quality and genuine value is a real passion.

With contributions from