This is not too pronounced but you will also notice it when pulling the cleaner head back towards you – its fights you a little. Turning on carpet is average and while the two large wheels at the back of the cleaner head help, the cleaner head still doesn’t shark canister vacuum turn that sharply. The cleaner head and canister are easier to maneuver and turn on hard flooring. Most of the full size vacuums we test these days range from about 13 to 17 lbs. Of course the cordless units are much lighter (see Cordless Vacuum Reviews).
For about a $200 savings compared to the Elite, you’ve given up handle-mounted controls, the bigger bare-floor tool, two feet of hose length, noise reduction, dust capture performance and more agile steering. This isn’t a vacuum we’d choose above other designs unless budget were the primary consideration. If you want the flexibility of a canister vacuum for maneuvering in tight places, the Shark – Apex is a contender than also works as an upright vacuum for covering lots of floor area quickly. The soft rollers work well on all surfaces, but the hose is short in canister mode. The Shark is also more agile than other fully-powered brushroll systems, and it has handle-switched lower-power settings that will keep it from eating up area rugs. For mixed flooring types, this vacuum is just as good as the Kenmore Elite, but you can’t shed the weight of the brushroll for quicker coverage of large bare-floor surfaces.
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. shark canister vacuum 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.
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 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.
The Shark Vertex PowerFins Vacuum features powerful suction on all surfaces, a storage-friendly handle, and generally quiet operation. As we discovered in The Lab, it has the power you need to leave your carpets deeply clean and your hardwood floors sparkling. This model earned a perfect rating for its effectiveness and didn’t cause any debris to scatter in the process. In fact, it cleaned up every material shark canister vacuum in just a pass or two, regardless of flooring type. We found that the 1.4-quart dust bin empties easily, but given the vacuum’s powerful suction and long-lasting battery, we do wish it had more capacity. All of the Shark Navigator Lift-Away models in the NV350, NV360, or NV370 series are essentially the same vacuum cleaner, just with minor differences in their tool sets, colors, and button placements.