As one of the UK’s best-selling vacuum cleaner brands, Shark has a loyal following and offers high-quality products to help keep your home clean. Prices tend to be towards the mid to high end of the spectrum, but its vacuums offer a great range of features and attachments as well as a guarantee of up to five years for peace of mind. Things to look out for include its Anti Hair Wrap technology, which removes hair from the brush roll so you don’t have to. A unique bristle guard and comb separates and removes long, short and pet hair as you clean, sucking it straight up into the dust cup.
Tried-and-tested: Best Shark Vacuums at a glance
Best cordless vacuum: Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro cordless vacuum (2 battery) IZ420UKT | Buy now £479, Amazon
Best handheld vacuum: Shark Classic handheld pet vacuum CH950UKT | Buy now £103.99, Amazon
Best corded upright vacuum: Shark Stratos Pet Pro Anti Hair Wrap plus Anti-Odour upright vacuum NZ860UKT | Buy now £429, Amazon
How we tested Shark vacuums
We put five Shark models through their paces on both carpets and hard floors, looking at how effectively they picked up fine dirt as well as larger debris. We awarded each model up to 20 points for the following criteria:
Ease of use: (6 points) Is it comfortable to use | Is it light or heavy | Is it nimble and easy to manoeuvre | If there’s a cable, is it easy to pull out and retract | Is it easy to remove hair from the brush | Is it noisy
Features: (6 points) What attachments are included | What features does it offer | What’s the dust capacity | How long is the cord (if it has one)
Cleaning results: (6 points) Does it vacuum well | Is the suction good on both carpets and hard floors | If cordless, does it have a good run time
Value for money: (2 points) Is the quality good | Is it worth the money | Does it come with a warranty
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Which Shark vacuum is best?
Depending on your preference, Shark offers plenty of choice across cylinder, cordless and upright models. Following our testing, we felt that the Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro cordless vacuum IZ420UKT was the cream of the crop, with an extensive range of tech and features to tackle all surfaces in your home, with the added convenience of cordless.
Best Shark vacuum to buy in 2024
Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro cordless vacuum (2 battery) IZ420UKT | Score: 19/20
- Buy now £549.99
Ease of use:
Shark’s premium cordless stick vacuum is light enough to move from room to room with very little effort, and very agile, even in tight corners. It’s not too noisy, and the dust container empties at the push of a button. There’s no need to remove hair from the brush bar, more on this below.
5 points
Features:
It’s jam-packed with high tech features, such as Shark’s Anti Hair Wrap technology, which removes hair from the brush roll as you clean. CleanSense IQ automatically detects dirt and adjusts the cleaning power accordingly, while Flexology means that the wand bends to help you reach and clean underneath low furniture, and also folds down for compact storage. There are also four handy attachments to suit your every cleaning need.
6 points
Cleaning results:
With two batteries included, this gives you up to two hours of run time, so you can clean for longer without interruption. It tackled both carpets and hard floors with no hassle, thanks to its DuoClean technology.
6 points
Value for money:
This is the priciest of all the models we tested, but we feel that the range of features and clever technology make it a worthwhile investment if budget is not an issue. It also comes with a warranty of up to five years.
2 points
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Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap bagless cylinder pet vacuum CZ500UKT | Score: 18/20
- Buy now £329.99
Ease of use:
Weighing in at 4kg, it’s easy to move around your home and the cable is very smooth to pull out and retract. The head proved a little chunky to get under very low furniture, but it was otherwise very nimble. The dust container is simple to empty, and the noise level is reasonably low.
5 points
Features:
We loved the LED smart display, which makes it easy to see which of the three cleaning modes is in use. The cord measures an impressive nine metres, and it has a dust capacity of 1.1 litres. Shark’s Anti Hair Wrap technology removes hair from the brush roll as you clean, which is a great plus point. Attachments include a crevice tool and upholstery tool, and there are also LED headlights to illuminate dust and debris.
6 points
Cleaning results:
The 800W motor gives powerful suction, and DuoClean technology helps to ensure great performance on both carpets and hard floors.
5 points
Value for money:
Guaranteed for up to five years, we think this mid-range model is worth the cost. It has a feeling of good quality, and performed very well in our testing.
2 points
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Shark Stratos Pet Pro Anti Hair Wrap plus Anti-Odour upright vacuum NZ860UKT | Score: 15/20
- Buy now £429.99
Ease of use:
If you prefer an upright vacuum, then this model could be for you. It is a little heavy, however, at 6.5kg, and could prove cumbersome to move around for those with limited strength or mobility. All of the parts slot together easily so you can get started in a flash, and the dust container is straightforward to empty.
4 points
Features:
With an eight metre cord and 1.5 metre hose, it gives a great combined reach, so you won’t need to change sockets too often. One of our favourite features is that the main unit detaches, transforming it into a more portable vacuum for cleaning in tighter spaces. The attachments included are really handy too, with a crevice tool, multi surface tool and pet tool featuring Shark’s clever Anti Hair Wrap. It also boasts anti-odour tech, so it’s great for homes with pets.
5 points
Cleaning results:
The powerful 800W motor did cope with different floor surfaces, but we felt that its best performance was on carpets, lifting dirt that we didn’t even know was there!
4 points
Value for money:
With a warranty of up to five years when registered, and great quality that should stand the test of time, this vacuum is worth investing in, especially if your home has mainly carpets rather than hard floors.
2 points
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Shark Classic handheld pet vacuum CH950UKT | Score: 14/20
- Buy now £69.99
Ease of use:
We found this handheld very simple to use, getting into even the tightest of corners with ease. Emptying the dust container is a doddle, and it’s lightweight at just 1.3kg.
4 points
Features:
Although just a handheld, it comes with attachments including a crevice tool for those tight spots, and a dusting brush which made light work of cobwebs. The dust container has a capacity of 0.45 litres.
3 points
Cleaning results:
The suction proved plenty powerful enough for our needs, and the motorised pet tool did a great job of shifting stubborn pet hair from upholstery. The ten minutes run time is a little disappointing, but it still plenty for a quick whizz round the home or car.
4 points
Value for money:
Although there are cheaper handhelds on the market, powerful suction combined with a lightweight design make this a good buy for everyday use, although we would prefer a slightly longer run time. When you register with Shark you benefit from a five-year warranty.
3 points
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Shark Anti Hair Wrap upright pet vacuum NZ850UKT | Score: 14/20
- Buy now £369.99
Ease of use:
We found this vacuum a little tricky to move around, especially on thicker carpets, but this could be due in part to the super powerful suction. The handle is comfortable to hold, and it’s reasonably agile and quiet for an upright design.
4 points
Features:
There’s plenty of clever tech that makes this model a good choice for medium-sized homes. As well as Anti Hair Wrap, the DuoClean floor head for seamless cleaning on all floor surfaces, and a good selection of attachments, you can detach the main unit, to make it into a more portable vacuum that’s easy to move around stairs and under furniture. It boasts an eight-metre cord and holds 1.3 litres of dust.
5 points
Cleaning results:
This one gave a really deep clean on carpets, making them look like new! It did offer good suction on laminate floors too, and we were impressed with the power of the 800W motor.
4 points
Value for money:
If you’re after a cordless upright vacuum with powerful suction, and don’t mind it being a little heavy, don’t discount this design, even if it does cost a little more than some others we tested. You can register the product for Shark’s five-year guarantee.
1 point
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More bestselling Shark vacuums:
While we haven't had chance to test these models yet, we have done plenty of research and read their reviews, and believe they are well worth recommending.
Shark Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner
If you're looking for a lightweight vacuum cleaner that is especially easy to handle, you can't do much better than the Stick from the Shark range.
As it's run with a removable battery as opposed to your standard cable it means there's extra portability, so you can carry it upstairs with ease or even take it into the garden to remove the dust and crumbs from your car.
It has a run time of up to 40 minutes on a full charge and you can transform it using the handheld option to make it even lighter, giving you better access to your furniture and general upholstery and make sure you're cleaning every crevice.
RRP: £399.99
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Shark WandVac System Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
This WandVac system from Shark has prioritised its suction power, promising more than any other handheld device that weighs under 1kg, which means you get plenty of power considering its size.
It's powered by a battery for more flexibility when it comes to your cleaning routine so no fiddling with plugs and cables, and if you want to double up on the duration of your cleaning time you could opt for the twin battery model.
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Shark Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
The Shark handheld vacuum cleaner is made for those smaller tasks where you just want to put the finishing touches on your home or scoop up any biscuit crumbs on the sofa.
Weighing just 600g it will be easy to carry wherever you need to do a quick spot of cleaning, and has a run time of eight minutes thanks to the built in battery.
It comes with a sleekly designed charging stand so you can make sure it's ready to go whenever you need it, and should be just as simple to empty thanks to the one-touch button that releases the dust cup.
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Shark Bagless Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner
Aiming to reduce the strain on your body, this bagless cylinder vacuum cleaner from Shark has a telescopic wand that can be selected at the height that naturally works best for you as you roam around your home.
The cleaner itself also weighs just 4kg so it should be nice and easy to handle, and to make life even simpler it's fixed with wheels that move 360 degrees so it will swiftly follow you as you move between rooms.
It has three different suction settings so you can preserve its energy or increase the capacity if you come across an especially stubborn spot.
RRP: £249.99
Shark IQ Robot Vacuum
Why bother hoovering at all when you can send a smart vacuum to do the work for you?
This clever cleaning contraption from Shark can hold up to 45 days worth of debris which means you can leave it to its own devices for over a month, on a mission to keep your home dust free.
Capable of taking on multiple surfaces it's just as efficient on carpet as it is on smooth flooring, using a smart mapping method to give every corner of your home attention.
Once it has done a sweep it will take itself back to its charging port, offloading the dirt into the main hub, ready for another venture into your home when the dust starts to accumulate.
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Still undecided? Browse our ultimate guide to the best vacuum cleaners to see our picks of everything from cordless to robot vacuums!
