It doesn’t have the filter or carpet-cleaning prowess of other vacuums, but it has plenty of power for the price. The biggest advantage of a canister vacuum is the long reach offered by the hose, but compared to the best upright vacuums or stick vacuums, that’s also a downside when you need to put it in the closet. As a consolation, most of these canister vacuums offer collapsing wands and retracting power cords to keep the storage as simple as possible. Against the tougher competition of bagged canister vacuums, the Apex let more fine dust into the air than Kenmore’s top-of-the-line sealed bag system did. The difference is only about 20%, and the Shark captured more large dust particles, so we’re happy with this performance considering the other advantages of the system.
There are three power levels (low, med, max) and two floor type settings (hard floor, carpet). When the vacuum is turned on the power defaults to low and the floor type to bare floor. While we recognize that an over $500 price tag definitely places this robot vacuum in a splurge category, we think it’s well worth the investment.
Easily customize suction levels, switch between floor types, and more with the LED Smart Display. Smooth Glide wheels rotate 360 degrees, so the canister can glide behind you wherever you clean. We didn’t get to hear the Lift-Around powered on, but we’ll measure noise output as soon as we can get one in our lab. While the flexibility of the wand may be an asset, we did find the overall weight and bulk of the wand to be a little off-putting. We were hoping for a more lightweight and perhaps even telescopic device. But the wand is rather heavy and bulky, and it cannot be expanded or collapsed.
While cleaning the stairs was a bit time-consuming, since we opted to use the extension hose, rather than the motor head, the vacuum’s suction was still plenty powerful through this alternative mode. We also appreciated using the lift-away pod to carry around while cleaning curtains or reaching light fixtures. However, this pod was a bit sticky to release and required more force than we expected. All in all, we don’t think you can go wrong investing shark pet hair vacuum in this upright vacuum with a powerful motor and adjustable cleaning modes to tackle all of the floorings in your home. The Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum, our Best Upright pick, is a great choice, too. This more basic Shark vacuum lacks features like a self-cleaning brush roll, but still qualifies as a quality upright vacuum, thanks to its fully-sealed system with HEPA filtration and a lift-away canister option.
The wand can be essentially folded in half reducing the height of the vacuum. At about 17 lbs we’d have to say the vacuum isn’t really lightweight, however the canister is pulled along on wheels so you don’t feel the full weight of the machine when vacuuming. But if you lift the entire vacuum (carrying it up stairs for example) you will feel that the unit is not particularly light. It would have been nice if there was also some kind of dusting brush (something with soft bristles). Several Wirecutter staffers who own or have used Miele canister vacuums note that they can be unwieldy in small apartments, and their bulbous shape can make them difficult to store. Writers Sarah Bogdan and Liam McCabe conducted research and testing for this guide.