10 Best Shark Vacuums in 2023: Reviews & Top Picks

Shark vacuums are some of the most popular vacuums on the market. Shark is known for their high-quality products, though they aren’t necessarily the most expensive option out there. Therefore, it doesn’t take much to see how these vacuums would be quite popular.

However, there are tons of different Shark vacuums on the market. Some of these differ in obvious ways. For instance, there are some lightweight vacuums designed for portability and more powerful vacuums for homes with lots of carpets. Some of their models differ in more subtle ways, though, making it more challenging to decide between them.

Below, we’ve reviewed ten of the best Shark vacuums on the market, allowing you to choose the best option for your needs.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites

The 10 Best Shark Vacuums

1. Shark HV302 Rocket Pet Corded Stick Vacuum – Best Overall

The Shark HV302 Rocket Pet Corded Stick Vacuum is easily the best overall Shark vacuum available. It is small and extremely portable, making it great in households with stairs. It is quite powerful despite the smaller size. Therefore, it works for cleaning carpets, as well as hardwood floors. As the name suggests, this vacuum is particularly for homes with pets. However, it can work well in other homes, too.

Thanks to the swivel design, this vacuum can fit into smaller spaces and is very easy to maneuver. It features a low-profile design, which helps it reach between pieces of furniture. When you need to use it in very small areas, this vacuum converts into a handheld vacuum. Therefore, it makes it far easier to clean under furniture and very small messes.

When you’re done with the vacuum, it stores very easily thanks to a hook that attaches to the handle.

There are two cleaning modes: hard floor and carpet modes. Therefore, you can easily switch modes based on what you’re cleaning.

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2. Shark Ninja Shark Navigator Deluxe – Best Value

The Shark Ninja Shark Navigator Deluxe costs a bit less than other options. However, it is extremely high-quality despite the lower price. Therefore, it is a great option for many users out there. It features a dual-cleaning brush roll, which allows it to deep-clean floors and carpets. It works well for pets because it can easily remove fur. However, it works well for other messes, as well.

When you want to clean up a small mess, you can convert this vacuum to a handheld. It is a bit bigger than other handheld options. However, it still works well for smaller spaces.

We love that this vacuum is a bit more powerful than other options. It cleans up most messes with ease—even more so than other Shark vacuums. It has a high-capacity dust cup, too, so it can run for a while before needing to be emptied.

For this reason, we highly recommend this vacuum as the best Shark vacuum for the money.

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3. Shark AZ2002 Vertex DuoClean PowerFins Upright Vacuum – Premium Choice

Out of all other Shark vacuums, the Shark AZ2002 Vertex DuoClean PowerFins Upright Vacuum is one of the largest and most powerful. It works great on most surfaces and for homes with heavy messes, as it is simply more powerful than most vacuums out there.

This vacuum contains two types of rollers, allowing it to deep clean carpets and effectively scrub hardwood flowers. It continuously contacts the ground so that it cleans the whole floor evenly. It picks up more with every pass thanks to this unique brush technology.

The self-cleaning brush works particularly well for homes with pets, as it prevents hair from wrapping around the brush. Therefore, you won’t have to stop and untangle the hair.

With a HEPA filter, this vacuum helps remove allergens from your home by cleaning the air. It traps 99.9% of dust and allergens, making it a great choice for those with allergies.

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4. Shark NV360 Navigator Life-Away Deluxe

While the Shark NV360 Navigator Life-Away Deluxe did not make the very top of our list, it is a high-quality vacuum that will work well in many different homes. It has a powerful suction that allows it to clean deeply into carpets, though it works on hardwood floors, too. The detachable pod comes off to make cleaning under furniture easier. You can also remove the nozzle to clean furniture, stairs, and upholstery.

Like many Shark vacuums, this one includes a HEPA filter. This filter catches many of the dust and allergens in your home, which can help prevent allergen symptoms and improve your air quality.

We love that this vacuum features swivel steering. This feature makes the vacuum far more maneuverable than other options. Therefore, it is far easier to clean tight spaces and around lots of furniture.

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5. Shark NV356E S2 Navigator Lift-Away

While it is a bit older than other models, the Shark NV356E S2 Navigator Lift-Away is extremely high-quality. Therefore, it works well for most homes out there. It has a large dust cup, so you can clean bigger messes before needing to empty it out. Plus, when you do need to empty it, it is quite easy. All you do is press a button and lift the canister.

Like many similar vacuums, this option features a HEPA filter that catches a large amount of dust and allergens. It completely seals in allergens, improving your home’s air quality in the process.

This vacuum is pretty powerful and lightweight. It isn’t the lightest vacuum out there, but it isn’t particularly heavy, either.

However, the hard floor attachment is not included with this vacuum. Therefore, if you have a lot of hardwoods, we recommend purchasing this floor attachment separately.

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6. Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus Corded Stick Vacuum

The Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus Corded Stick Vacuum is extremely similar to our top pick. However, it does have some slightly different features. Therefore, it works better for certain families.

The dust cup is particularly large. The company describes the cup as XL, and we would believe it. While this allows you to clean for longer before emptying it, it also means that it is bulkier. It is still lightweight, but the dust cup does add some weight to the vacuum. Therefore, it mostly depends on what you’re looking for.

As the name suggests, this vacuum is designed specifically for picking up dog hair but it can be used for a variety of other purposes, as well. You can extend this vacuum to get into smaller places, as well.

This vacuum isn’t as powerful as other options, but it does seem to work well on both carpets and hardwood floors.

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7. Shark NV105 Navigator Light Upright Vacuum

Overall, the Shark NV105 Navigator Light Upright Vacuum is pretty similar to other Shark vacuums out there. This vacuum has many of the features that other vacuums from this brand have. It can clean both carpets and hardwood floors. Many customers reported that it effectively cleaned hardwood floors without scuffing or tarnishing the floor.

Furthermore, this vacuum is extremely lightweight, despite being a bit bigger than many vacuums on the market. It has a wand and a hose to help you access hard-to-reach places, including your ceiling and behind furniture. You can clean just about everywhere with this vacuum.

It also features a variety of different cleaning modes. You can switch it from a deep carpet cleaning to a gentler cleaning option for bare floors. It also features a variety of upholstery tools.

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8. Shark HV343AMZ Rocket Corded Stick Vacuum

The Shark HV343AMZ Rocket Corded Stick Vacuum features a self-cleaning brush roll, which helps remove long hair and pet hair. It also doesn’t let hair wrap around the brush, which makes this vacuum much easier to clean. Furthermore, this vacuum is extremely lightweight, so we recommend it for homes with stairs.

However, because it is so lightweight, it also seems a bit less powerful than other options. It works very well on hardwood floors, but it may not be quite as good on carpets.

We do love that it converts into a hand vacuum if necessary. You can easily clean into smaller areas using this feature. Plus, it also makes cleaning up smaller messes a bit easier. With advanced swivel steering, it is far easier to maneuver this vacuum around furniture and other obstacles.

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9. Shark ZU881 DuoClean

The Shark ZU881 DuoClean remains quite popular, even with other vacuums coming out. It is extremely versatile, cleaning carpets and hardwood floors equally as effectively. You can lift up and remove the canister to get into higher spaces, such as underneath the table. However, this does mean supporting the weight of the canister with your other hand, which can get heavy after a while.

This vacuum includes a two-brush system that allows you to deep clean the carpets while also shining the hardwood floors. Plus, the brush is self-cleaning, so you don’t have to worry about the hair getting wrapped around the brush.

Furthermore, this vacuum also features a HEPA filter for removing allergens. Therefore, we highly recommend it for those with allergies, as it can improve your home’s air quality. We also like that this vacuum includes many different accessories, including a dusting brush and a crevice tool.

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10. Shark LA502 Rotator Lift-Away DuoClean PowerFins

Compared to other Shark vacuums on the market, the Shark LA502 Rotator Lift-Away DuoClean PowerFins is pretty expensive. However, it is very lightweight for its size and includes some of the highest-quality features that Shark provides. That said, you are going to pay for it.

It features two different brushes. One of these is designed mostly for carpet cleaning. However, the other helps polish hard floors. These brushes directly clean the floors by staying engaged constantly. Therefore, everywhere gets an even clean. The brushes are self-cleaning, so you don’t have to worry about removing the fur quite as often.

Like many Shark vacuums, this option has the lift-away feature. This feature allows you to pick up the canister and reduce the bulkiness of the vacuum. Therefore, you can fit the vacuum under tables much easier.

We also love that this vacuum features a HEPA filter. This filter removes much of the dust and allergens from the air and flooring, improving your home’s air quality.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting The Best Shark Vacuum

Vacuums can get quite expensive. Therefore, this decision shouldn’t be taken lightly. You don’t want to spend tons of money on a vacuum that turns out to be not what your family needs. There are several features that go into the making of a great vacuum, but not all vacuums have all of these features.

In this section, we’ll review some of the most important features to consider when purchasing one of these vacuums.

Type of Vacuum

There are several different types of vacuums that Shark makes. All of these vacuums are useful for different purposes. Therefore, the type of cleaning you do will determine the type of vacuum that you need. Let’s take a quick look at all the different types of vacuums you may come into contact with it.

Upright Vacuums

These vacuums tend to be the cheapest. They have a wide cleaning swath, so you can clean more area at the same time. Furthermore, they tend to work best for carpets, as they deep clean extremely well. However, these machines also tend to weigh the most, and they usually aren’t very inexpensive, either.

Uprights are often quite noisy, too.

Canister Vacuums

Canister vacuums have a canister, just like the name would suggest. They work great on bare floors, stairs, and under furniture. However, they aren’t as powerful as other options. Therefore, they don’t work as well on carpets and similar surfaces.

The hose and wand configuration often makes them more difficult to store this vacuum, as it tends to be bulkier.

Cordless Stick Vacuum

These vacuums are best for light work. They are often less powerful than other options, but they are also more portable. They work best for stairs and smaller areas. Many love that there isn’t a cord to worry about. However, that does mean that you have to worry about keeping the battery charged.

Furthermore, these vacuums can be more expensive, largely because they are more difficult to make. The batteries themselves can be quite expensive.

Handheld Vacuum

Handheld vacuums are extremely small. Therefore, they can easily fit into smaller spaces that would be hard to clean, otherwise. However, because they are so small, they also lack significant power and don’t have the same capacity as other vacuums.

Therefore, they are only suitable for smaller messes that you need to spot-clean. Many Shark vacuums convert into handhelds.

Brushes

The brushes on a vacuum are extremely important. Often the brush on a vacuum is designed specifically for either carpet or hardwood. However, many Shark vacuums feature two brushes—one for carpet and one for hardwood. Therefore, they can clean both surfaces with efficiency.

You also have to consider the adjustability of the brushes. Often, brushes need to be adjusted to a higher setting when cleaning hardwood to prevent scraping them. After all, the brushes don’t need to dig into the hardwood like they do a rug. Not all Shark vacuums have this feature.

Therefore, if you have hardwood floors and carpeted floors, you need to take a look at the adjustability of the brushes.

Suction Power

If a vacuum doesn’t have a high amount of suction, there is a chance that it may not be able to clean effectively. Usually, Shark vacuums are pretty powerful, so you don’t have to worry about this as much. However, some vacuums are still more powerful than others.

Carpets typically require more suction to clean effectively, as there is often debris deep in the fibers. Hardwood floors are typically less of a problem. However, they can still be extremely difficult to clean if there are cracks or creases on the floor.

No matter what floor you have, more suction is almost always better. However, do keep in mind that you often trade other features for increased suction.

Noise

Shark vacuums vary a lot in their noise level. Some are surprisingly quiet, while others are far louder than you’d imagine. Some people don’t particularly care about the noise level. However, it may matter a lot in some cases.

For instance, if you have children or close neighbors, you may need a vacuum that is on the quieter side. However, if you live by yourself, then it probably doesn’t matter all that much.

If it does matter to you, be sure that you check the noise level of the vacuum before you purchase it.

Weight

Vacuums vary a lot in their weight. Some are as little as 8 pounds, while others are over 25. Therefore, it is vital to choose a vacuum that fits your needs. If you have a one-story house that won’t require carrying the vacuum all that much, you’ll want to choose a larger vacuum with more suction.

However, if you have a house with multiple stories, then you may want to choose a lighter vacuum. You may also want a lighter vacuum if you’re interested in one that converts to a handheld, as these tend to be lighter. Lightweight vacuums are typically more maneuverable, as well.

Conclusion

Shark makes high-quality vacuums. Many of these are great options, so you really can’t go wrong with this brand. However, their vacuums are different and designed for different people.

For the majority of buyers, we recommend Shark HV302 Rocket Pet Corded Stick Vacuum. This vacuum is lightweight and has enough suction for most purposes. It also works on many different surfaces and doesn’t cost as much as other vacuums.

If you’re looking for a very budget-friendly option, we recommend the Shark Ninja Shark Navigator Deluxe. This vacuum costs less. However, it still has many of the features you’d expect from this brand.

We hope that one of the Shark vacuums we mentioned fits into your home.

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Featured Image Credit: Amazon