This metric looked at the ease of organizing and storing all the different tools and attachments, each vacuum’s sound and noise level, and the ease of emptying the collection bin. The Wandvac earned a mediocre score, even though it earned some points for being lightweight, weighing about half as much as most other products. The Shark® WANDVAC® Cord-Free Handheld Vacuum is the extraordinary answer to your everyday mess! This sleek handvac combines lightweight portability with the incredible suction power of a high-speed brushless motor. While some vacuums have filters that need regular replacement, a washable filter is both easy to maintain and minimizes the recurring expense of buying new filters. By regularly cleaning a Shark vacuum’s filter, you can keep your vacuum operating at peak levels of suction and particle capture.
Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys. If possible, opt for a model that has a running time of at least 20 minutes, as this shark dustbuster should give you enough charge to clean a car. Its removable battery makes charging unobtrusive, but it’s fairly bulky and the dust container is tricky to remove and refit. The exhaust blows out a lot of air, too, which can dislodge some lighter debris.
When it comes to swapping out the cleaning tools, all you have to do is slide the appropriate end of the tool into the nozzle’s hole at the nose of the vacuum. Accessories play a large role in making this style of vacuum a more convenient choice. In my opinion, Shark does a fine job of including some extra accessories with its handheld vacuum.
Just don’t expect it to be as light or nimble as a stick vacuum, but know you’ll be pleased with its maneuverability and effectiveness. This model impressed us during testing with how easy it was to push across hardwood floors and carpets of all pile heights. We only docked it for its bulkier design, which made it difficult to reach under lower furniture. In terms of effectiveness, it captured all the hair and debris in our testing area in fewer than five passes.
The soft bristles on this brush struggled to clean dirt or dried mud, with this vacuum doing one of the worst jobs at cleaning mud from linoleum in our test. However, the soft bristles allow you to easily clean corners or on small ledges. Hannah is our senior homes writer, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment.
Every product with this badge has been rigorously tested in person and carefully selected by our expert team of lab testers and editors. In most cases, we buy all these products ourselves, though occasionally, we get samples provided to us directly by companies. No matter how we procure products, they all go through the same tests and must meet the same strict criteria to make the best-of cut. On top of this, we run an interior car cleaning test to gauge how effective each vacuum is, with a particular focus on how it tackles crevices and removes dirt from awkward spaces. Firstly, we assess general pick-up using our special formulation of dust. We lay down a designated volume, before weighing exactly how much each vac has collected after a set number of sweeps.
You can also tweak the map to get it exactly how you want and establish no-go zones and carpeted zones and name different rooms. This part was the most tedious of using this vacuum as you can go into as much or as little detail as you want. We then shark dustbuster judge how well each handheld vacuum deals with pet hair by grinding fur from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home into the carpet. Designed with pet owners in mind, this well-priced Shark gobbled up pet hair in one swift sweep thanks to its dedicated tool.
All vacuum cleaner reviews on Modern Castle are put through our standard noise test. For this test, we use a sound meter to measure noise in terms of decibel level approximately 3′ away from the vacuum. Each tool will grab tightly to the interior of the vacuum, ensuring it is properly secured for cleaning. This process consists of unboxing the vacuum and accessories, charging the vacuum, and choosing which tool, if any, that you would like to use. There is only one power switch and one button to release the dust bin. The crevice tool is best used in smaller corners and crevices and the dusting brush contains soft bristles, which can be used on upholstery as well as for dusting.
While this pick still has fewer vacuum features than others from Shark, the lift-away pod is a favorite among our testers and powerful suction will make it a go-to in any home. We gave it the highest possible marks for its simple setup—assembled and ready for use in less than five minutes. We shark robotic vacuums found it difficult to move around on high-pile carpets and slightly docked its maneuverability rating for this reason, but we did note that the vacuum is not too heavy overall. Both affordable and an all-rounder, this compact handheld is a savvy buy if you don’t want to splash out on a vac.