I have been using it for a few months now, and here are the pros and cons.
Pros: Picks up all the fur from 2 dogs, 2 cats and dirt and debris from the animals plus 3 people. It works great on the carpet, tile, and hardwood floors. It's easy to use and switch to any tools if needed, and it is easy to clean. I really like that the rotator brush will stop when it has too much debris, saving the motor, and that the canister can detach giving you a little more reach. And, it has a really long cord, which means I don't have to switch outlets often.
Cons: It is a little top heavy, causing it to sometimes fall over. Secondly, the canister is small and tends to fill up pretty quickly, so I usually have to dump it twice if I am vacuuming the whole house. Thirdly, even though it does work on tile and hardwood floors, it doesn't suck everything up in one pass, especially when it comes to cat littler. Lastly, all the tools that come with this vacuum do not fit on it, so they sit on a shelf.
All in all, it is a great product, and my next vacuum will definitely be a shark.
This Shark is a very powerful, compact, and maneuverable vacuum! It pulls more crud out of my carpets than any other vacuum I've ever used. The rotating beater bar pulls the unit through even very plush carpets with ease - very similar to the feel of a self-propelled mower. It's a terrific value, but does have a couple of minor flaws:
Power cord - Whoever determined that the power cord should terminate at the base of the unit needs a swift kick in the groin - daily! I'm constantly catching the power cord with my own feet and/or having to try to wrangle it up away from my feet. I understand that the modular design makes the cord placement challenging, but more effort needed to be put into managing the cord so it wouldn't be a perpetual tripping hazard. I'm convinced the fellow who designed this hasn't spent more than 5 minutes actually using the product.
Also, the cord really needs to be another 6-9' longer since most "older" homes - y'know, those that pre-date the invention of the compact disc - aren't peppered nearly so liberally with power outlets as newer, more tech-aware homes.
Vacuum hose - It's a small gripe, but that vacuum hose could sure stand to be just another 12" longer or allow a bit more stretch.
We just vacuumed our bedroom about a week ago. I’m astonished by how much our old (useless!) vacuum missed! I was originally upset that my son broke our old one and we were forced to buy another but I’m glad now!!! One sweep through of ONE ROOM, just our bedroom and walk in closet produced enough filth to go well over the fill line. My carpet feels truly clean under my feet. We just purchased a new shampooer, too, so I’m anxious to really get our house looking new again!
I bought this vacuum as an open box item for $110. Having said that, it was a very good deal. I replaced my 10 year old Dyson Animal that finally broke. Fixing it was too expensive. This vacuum has suction equivalent to my Dyson when it was new. The lift off canister is a huge help when you’re vacuuming stairs. It also did a great job cleaning up broken glass and soot around our fireplace. The collection tank was easier to empty - pet hair didn’t get stuck as much as in the Dyson. The bad: the machine is top heavy and falls over easily, which is big inconvenience. I also found that the attachments fall off easily despite using my full strength to push them on. Having said this, it’s still a good buy for the money.
I bought this in 2010 and it really is what I've been looking for in an upright for years! I come from a Hoover Windtunnel that weighs ~ 23lbs and was killing me. I have carpeted stairs, so wanted a lift-off type upright but the Hoover model is too heavy. Then I saw the Shark infomercial. They always have such clever designs but their cordless vac reviews are so bad, I had to check reviews online before I bought this. They clearly are much better at making plug-in vacs over cordless re-chargeables because this one is a keeper! It makes vacuuming kinda fun :)
Pros:
- light and easy to push, pull and lift!
- all nozzles (except crevice tools) swivel- really easy to maneuver!
- so quiet, no high-pitched hiss at all, just a soft hum
- this thing is only 10 amps and the suction is better than the Hoover's 12 amp motor- unbelievable!
- converts to a light canister- hand held or still on the rolling nozzle base
- comes with lots of attachments (I got the extended reach model NV350E which came with the two on-board tools- 6" crevice and duster, the 24" extended crevice tool, the air-powered pet turbo nozzle, the funky looking non-motorized bare floor nozzle and the electric motorized standard nozzle. Mine did not come with an accessory bag or the full width bare floor brush.)
- can turn the beater bar off on the motorized nozzle with the 2-notch power switch so can use the primary nozzle for bare floors too
- the base rolling nozzles can be attached to the hose/wand-end in canister mode too (note the beater bars are not powered in this config.)
- can use the hose in canister mode with or w/out the built-in extension wand attached to it
- the cord hook holds the cord securely
- the beater-bars actually help self-propel the vacuum on rugs
- this might be a con for some, but I like the smaller width nozzle head that it has. I can get between all dining chair legs and other tight spots now.
- can adjust the suction for vacuuming around spot rugs and long drapes. There's a release you turn on the wand.
- the beater bars auto-shut-off when you vacuum up something that jams them and saves the motor and belt
- washable lifetime filters I know I'll never replace
- sealed system- I'll update on whether I notice the advantages of this long-term. With two cats and allergies, time will tell.
Cons:
- wish the extension wand was simply part of the handle and telescoped to any length/height i/o detachable. That would provide more ease of use and flexibility, especially in canister mode.
- it easily topples over when using the hose because it is so light and the hose is too short or not stretchy enough, and it's attached to the canister with an L-shaped pivoting elbow located too high on the canister.
- the power cord covers one room only. I think my Hoover Windtunner has a 50' cord where this is 25'. (Can easily add an extension cord though)
- the one-way direction of the beater bars does tend to groom rugs much more on the pull but that's what helps self-propel the vacuum, so I'll take the tradeoff. My Windtunner had two-bi-directional beater bars that groomed in both directions but didn't do as good a job as this does in just the pull, and it's so hard to push compared to this Shark!
- the canister is bulky/tall when trying to get under furniture so can't get past the nozzle head
- only storage for two tools on-board. How 'bout an attachment sash to wear?
- the cord hook should be higher- on the handle botttom
- The Hoover Windtunnel duster attachment fits right on the crevice tool tip in addition to the wand, so I could easily just throw on the duster while doing baseboards etc., w/out having to remove the crevice tool. Shark should take a look at that clever design. Unfortunately Hoover's attachments are not interchangeable with the Sharks' or I'd use them.
- The bristles on the duster are too short and too few/flimsy/bendy. The plastic edge can easily scratch surfaces because it can touch them.
Other comments:
The canister dust cup does fill up in one vacuuming but that's because it works so well. It's easy to empty though, from top and bottom.
It doesn't have height adjustments for the beater bar but I haven't missed it on the varied height rugs I have, and it's not beating up my taller piles. I turn off the beater bar on the shag.
It's a very cool little vacuum that I highly recommend, and the price is not prohibitive like the feature-comparable Dyson and Electolux models (and they are heavier).
Update Oct 2011
Still going strong! I learned a few other cool things about this vacuum:
1) The hose elbows on both the canister and handle pivot. So you can pivot the elbow angles to get better hose extension.
2) It has a safety for when you clog up the hose/tubes, with large debris. I was using it to vacuum up demolition debris- slips of wallpaper, chips of sheetrock and all kinds of little junk (yes!), and all of a sudden it started making a very loud air noise from somewhere down low... Sounded like a hose connection was leaking.
So I bent over and saw that the little rectangular hole located in the one side of the canister(in the purple part)was sucking air in- big suction. I looked all through the vacuum and found I had a huge clog of junk stuck in the long handheld tube. When I removed the junk, it was all quiet again. So if your's make a loud noise, check this out.
Jan 2013
After I abused the thing with gypsum dust from drywall work, I dismantled it completely and cleaned it throughout. It's pretty easy to service. It's like new again and still going strong.
June 2014- Still awesome!
Feature Product
- Lift-Away Press a button to lift the canister away and easily clean hard-to-reach areas
- Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology + a HEPA filter Traps 999% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum
- Powerful and lightweight Portable and versatile at only 125 lbs
- Brushroll Shutoff Deep carpet and gentle bare floor cleaning
- Swivel Steering Excellent control for maneuvering around furniture
- The product comes with Wide Pet Upholstery tool , does not have pet power brush
Description
Shark Navigator Upright Vacuum for Carpet and Hard Floor with Lift-Away Hand Vacuum, Pet Tool, HEPA Filter, and Anti-Allergy Seal (NV352), Lavender. Due to the tremendous suction of the Shark Navigator Lift-Away vacuum, the suction release feature has been added. This allows you to adjust the amount of suction to optimize push and pull on high-pile carpets and area rugs. For instance, if you’re cleaning a small area rug and it is being pulled up by the floor nozzle, simply turn the suction release collar located at the base of the handle to the right to release excess air from the unit. This will lower the amount of suction at the floor nozzle, making it easier to push and pull the vacuum while still getting your carpets clean. When you need maximum suction or when using the turbo brush, ensure the suction release collar is turned all the way to the left. We recommend you use the suction release feature on small area rugs and delicate fabrics.
We've had our Shark since December 2014, or over two-and-a-half years. When we first got it I thought, wow, this is light and plastic. Wondered how it would hold up. Also, it was so different from old-school vacs. Taking it apart and putting it back together is not intuitive.
The answer is, it is holding up great. Nothing shows ANY signs of wear. (This is for normal household cleaning.) All the plastic connections are still solid as can be. No worn connections at all. It is easy to take apart and put back together. And with the HEPA filter it smells good when you vacuum.
Just clean the two prefilters once every three months. Simple. Clean the HEPA filter once every two years. (Whoops. I just noticed this in the owner's manual. But I took off the filter and it shows very little wear. However I know it works because the air still smells clean when I vacuum. Absolutely, positively no smell of dust like, you know, "old-school vacs.")
This is the lightest vacuum I have ever used. You would not think something so light would hold up, but it does. This is after two years, eight months of use. It is actually FUN to vacuum with this thing.
Holy Moly! This vacuum made me remember why I chose that carpet! My old vacuum was doing a good job, or at least I thought so, but it and I were showing our ages. I especially wanted a lift-away capability, since it was getting harder and harder for me to drag the old vacuum up and down the stairs. I truly believed I'd been getting good results with the old Hoover EmPower until the first time I used this. Amazing! I could not believe how much dust and "schmutz" was being lifted out of my supposedly well maintained carpet.
Assembly was no easier or harder than other small appliances that I've purchased. There are a couple tiny drawbacks, none enough to cut my score down from 5/5. They fall into the "minor inconvenience" category rather than being considered real problems: The cord is rather short, but I knew what I was buying. The real cord issue for me is that I had to hold it up while in use. There is a hook/holder, but it doesn't really keep the cord from being run over. Since this cord design is necessary for the lift-away function, I won't complain. The dust receptacle is rather small, but as all the old, accumulated dust is removed, I probably won't need a bigger one. It is a bit hard to see where the dust level is in the receptacle. And it isn't all that great on my tile floors, but I don't really intend to use it there anyway.
Do I love it? Absolutely. Any regrets on the purchase? None. Would I recommend it? Already did - called my sister and raved about it within an hour of receiving and using it for the first time. Is it a good value? It was a bit pricey, but the performance justifies it. Definitely worth every dollar!
Wow. I never knew what a good vacuum could do until I bought a Shark. Dyson? Forget it. Kirby? Eat your heart out. This thing is a dream. Lightweight, versatile, powerful. After 3 months of use, no loss of suction, even though the filters are probably pretty clogged by now. Goes from carpet to bare floor with the tap of a switch. Picks up pet hair, cat litter, dust, crumbs, coins, cat toys, small bits of hardware, sawdust, cobwebs. . .if it is big enough to fit in the tube, it ends up in the canister. The filters can be cleaned with soap and water. My experience with bagless vacuums up to this point were less than exemplary, up to and including Dysons that cost 3x as much. Really the only thing that I have used that is similar to this thing is a shop vac, and those you have to replace the filters pretty regularly to maintain properly.
Did I mention it was light? Easy to carry around one handed when you need to use the attachments to get the cobwebs out of the corners of your ceilings, or the dust off your fans. The canister and motor detach from the base so that you can use it in confined spaces easily, like a car. The attachment selection is a little light, but what you do get, combined with the portability, weight, and size of the unit more than make up for it. Hands down the best upright vacuum I have ever used, much less owned.
One caveat, the suction on this thing is so strong that when you are pushing it across carpet, it feels like a much heavier vacuum. Not a bad thing in my book though.
I went over the low-pile rug that I'd cleaned with a crappier vacuumed two days ago. The amount of dirt it pulled out from that rug was unbelievable (picture below).
I hesitate to leave an "I love it" review for an appliance, because housework.
However, I purchased this model after reading hundreds of reviews for dozens of vacuums over the course of 2 months. More than one review of this vacuum could be summarized as: "I vacuumed with my old vacuum, then I vacuumed with the new Shark. It picked up so much dust and pet hair!" I particularly wanted a lightweight vacuum with a beater bar and the option to turn off the beater bar for floors.
I put the vacuum together this afternoon. Incredibly easy. A few clicks and done. I vacuumed the entire house, including the floors. When I was done, I looked at the dust cup.
OMG WHERE DID ALL THIS DUST AND CAT HAIR COME FROM?!
Truth in advertising. Wow.
UPDATE 7/2/17:
We gave our 3-year-old Shark to our son for his new apartment and purchased a new one for ourselves. Our original Shark works great. It still fluffed up the nap on our 28-year-old carpets and found way too much cat hair that was invisible to our eyes.
I put together the new one today and vacuumed the entire house. While I completely agree that the suction on our first Shark seemed just as powerful as when we first bought it, the suction on the new one is AMAZING. The vacuum tries to pull itself out of my hand. It grabs the stiff-backed throw rug and wrestles with it. The canister filled halfway, and I had vacuumed within the last 10 days. (Maybe we need to give our cats a "summer cut.")
I restate my original conclusion: I recommend this Shark without reservations.
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