Excellent Machine and Just What We Needed!
Our house is roughly 2/3 carpet and 1/3 hardwood floors. We also have two cats (certainly not nearly enough to be considered overrun, even less a feline rescue home), and those two little darlings track litter. Lots of litter. Between times hauling out our heavy vacuum, I’ve been using a cordless car vac to collect all the little white grains of litter off of the hardwood. Well, our daughter-in-law recently visited, saw me with the car vac (immediately took over), and enthusiastically recommended this cordless Shark upright. She extolled how great it is in cleaning floors, how I’d love the cordless feature, and how much better it would be for me to not be using the car vac. She was absolutely correct. I love this vacuum! It’s quiet, holds its charge for roughly 40-45 minutes, is easy to maneuver, and most important, takes care of all the kitty litter along with dust and cat hairs. The rotating blades are very efficient and seemingly act to leave the floors looking like they’ve been polished. It’s not exactly what I’d call lightweight , but it’s not too burdensome. It took me awhile to study the manual (which was easy to print off the internet), but the various attachments, filters, and modes of operation are pretty much intuitive. I’ve found I can do the entire hardwood floors 3X on one charge, and I’ve easily taken apart and cleaned the bin and filters each time the vacuum has needed recharging. Based on the manual, that frequency is unnecessary, but I like to keep the vacuum as clean as possible. I have only two minor complaints which do not detract from the 5 star rating: 1) I wish the battery charge indicator light were placed on top rather than on the side so that it’d be easy to glance at while the vacuum is in use. As it is, I know generally when I’m close to running out of power, but the end has also come as a surprise (and it always comes without warning). A visible, low power warning light would be helpful in timing more closely what specific areas to clean first; and 2) the HEPA filter doesn’t lift out on ours. The instructions I read and the Shark Company video I watched—along with other videos—show it just lifting out easily. Ours is clearly not moving. It doesn’t appear by any stretch as if it’s put in crooked, but it’s not budging. I figure when the time comes for cleaning it, I’ll have to take it to a vacuum repair shop, as I’m not about to force it loose. BTW, I’ve not used this vacuum on carpets. I know it’s supposed to work well on any flooring, but our carpets have a deep pile and I figure the Shark would lose power quickly in that environment plus the standard upright vacuum we have does an excellent job. The Shark has its established niche in my cleaning routine and it’s a very welcome addition! Read more
