In line with expert guidance, each of the following vacuums features a HEPA filter that can remove up to 99.7% of fine dust and airborne particles. Shark envisions it sticking around the kitchen or the garage, where it’ll complement a larger upright unit as a more portable option. How powerful it is remains to be seen, and we’re looking forward to testing one in our lab as soon as we can get our hands on one. The 25ft power cord isn’t super long, but it does mean you can vacuum on full power without fear of the battery running out. If however you have mostly hard floors and your house doesn’t get too dirty, this vacuum might be overkill, and you could save a few dollars by opting for a different model. The bagless dust bin can be emptied as frequently as you like, which helps to keep the weight to a minimum during use.
The one we saw had an upholstery brush, a small bare floor brush and a crevice tool. One of the big disadvantages is that it doesn’t have the freedom of a cordless vacuum. We love the Dyson V15 Detect which is a cordless vacuum with great suction, but at almost double the cost of this Shark canister, being tethered to a power cord might seem like the shark canister vacuum more favorable option. The Vertex comes in a large box and as with all Shark vacuums, it comes packaged in fully recyclable paper and cardboard packaging. Once all the parts are removed from the box, the assembly is pretty intuitive and is simply a case of clicking the hose to the canister and then clicking the floorhead and the handle to the wand.
Two of our favorite brands, iRobot and Dyson, are seeing their lowest prices ever on a few of their top models, including the Roomba s9+, which is a top pick in our guide to the best robot vacuums. Other popular vacuum brands like Bissell and Shark are also offering great discounts, but hurry because these deals will be gone soon. And some have the “Lift Away” feature that turns these uprights into canister vacuums. We spoke to experts about the different types of vacuums and the benefits of each, as well as key features to look for like attachments and HEPA filtration. Below are our experts’ picks for their favorite vacuums, as well as some recommended by Consumer Reports’ engineers.
The agility of Shark’s motorized brush head makes steering with one hand no problem, but if you’ve got a large room to cover you’ll definitely want to use upright mode most of the time. We came close to recommending the Shark Navigator Swivel Pro NV150 because the dustbin is easy to empty and the handle is comfortable to hold. In our fine-debris pick-up test, however, it picked up less sand and baking soda than any of the other upright models we tested. Since the Navigator Lift-Away is predominantly plastic, some of its parts can get brittle and crack over time. The chief complaint seems to be about the accordion hose on the wand; it’s a little stiff to begin with, and the constant flexing can wear it out. Another complaint regarding the hose is that the stiffness limits its mobility, and it doesn’t extend far enough to reach places that are high up.
Fortunately Kenmore did just that with the Elite, so you don’t have to hunt in your closet for missing tools when it’s time to clean your blinds. Liam McCabe is a former senior staff writer shark canister vacuum for Wirecutter, and has covered the wild world of appliances since 2011. After testing dozens of robot vacuums, he is neither worried about AI nor holding his breath for self-driving cars.