The battery-powered model has an impressive runtime of 50 minutes, and in our testing, we found that it could often last more than an hour without losing suction. Its main cleaner head has a self-cleaning brushroll that prevents pet hair from getting tangled around it, and the vacuum also comes with a crevice tool and pet multi-tool that’s ideal for cleaning upholstery. However, the cleaner head works extremely well on hard floors, and its self-cleaning brushroll won’t get tangled with pet hair.
The Crossover head is a very good carpet head, with an easy-to-adjust height control and a heavy hardwood agitator brushroll that will help you get dirt out of your carpet. This head is easier to steer on carpet than the less expensive Kenmore design, though not quite as refined as the Shark. Rather than having a separate head for carpet and bare-floor cleaning, Kenmore gives you a convertible system called the “Crossover” head. The bare-floor tool snaps into the carpet head, and it’s easy to lift out with the press of a foot lever. If we didn’t mention a particular model you’re curious about, we did actually consider it but decided not to recommend it. Repair technicians tend to love Riccar, Simplicity, and Fuller Brush uprights (all made by Tacony Corporation).
Many can return to the home base for a recharge and then go back to cleaning wherever they left off. Robot vacuums are great maintenance cleaners, but won’t replace a full-size vacuum. They fit easily under most beds and furniture to clean the spots you likely skip. Allergy sufferers will love the high filtration bag and HEPA AirClean filter that prevents dust from being released back into the air. The power cord is retractable and all of the included tools can be stored in the canister. According to some reviewers online, its small wheels often get caught when pulling the vacuum along and it clocks in at over 20 pounds making lifting it up stairs difficult for some.
The 25-foot cord gives plenty of reach and the lift-away canister is useful for accessing hard-to-reach areas. We did find the canister was best used from the ground, rather than trying to carry it while also maneuvering the extension wand. This vacuum easily collected hair on every surface we tested it on, but we did have to cut it out of the brush roll after each use. We also really enjoyed this vacuum’s brush roll shut-off feature, which made it easier to clean slick surfaces like hardwood and grouted floors. It helped minimize the amount of debris kicked out while suctioning, but you do have to move the vacuum directly over any mess when the brush roll is turned off.
We’re not sure what the cause for this initial poor performance was, we did note that we weren’t completely confident in our assembly as the directions did not offer great detail on how to ensure all parts were clicked into place. Nevertheless, once this vacuum was performing well, we found it excelled at picking up all types of debris and no hair was caught in the brush roller. The swivel head makes it easy to maneuver under lower pieces of furniture and it’s lightweight enough to easily transcend a flight of shark canister vacuum steps. Because of the small dust bin size, we think this vacuum is more suited for apartments or townhomes, but it could also serve as a quick mess-cleaning tool in busy households. Note that among Shark models, only the more expensive “powered lift-away” models like the Apex can run the brushroll motor when the base is detached. We’ve tested the value-oriented Navigator in our best upright vacuum review and best pet hair vacuum review, but we only compared the more versatile Apex against canister vacuums.
When these figures were averaged we got an overall score for the Shark Canister Pet of 87.8 out of 100. You can compare it to the score of other canister vacuums in our Canister Vacuum Ratings table or you can view all vacuum scores on our site in the Vacuum Cleaner Finder application. Other filtering vacuums had good dust-management results, but the Kenmore’s sealed system, large HEPA-class filter and high-power motor actually work together as an air purifier. When you’ve got a complete line of accessory tools, it’s important that the vacuum provides a good place to keep them all.