Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I debated whether to get the corded or the cordless version. My instinct told me to go corded because there is no limit on the run time and the rechargeable batteries cost a fortune and will probably require frequent replacements. We have a Makita cordless vacuum in the office and we have to replace the $90 battery every year. Despite my reservations I went cordless because of the convenience of not having to deal with a long cord. Shark does provide a 2 year warranty on the batteries. I will update my review when the batteries die. I bought the vacuum directly from Shark on Cyber Monday. It was marked down 50% and they threw in an extra battery and the dual charger. Shark has a lot of configurations for what is basically the same vacuum. Depending how you buy it you might not get certain accessories or the dual charger which I find very handy. Before using the vacuum, I charged both batteries overnight. The charger shuts off automatically when done. Blue lights indicated the charging state. The instructions recommend that you leave the batteries in the charger when not in use so you always start vacuuming with a full charge and that you drain the battery completely before recharging. Both batteries lasted 13 minutes each on my first cleaning (timed with a stop watch). I had the vacuum set to hardwood floors and maximum power. I’m glad I got the extra battery. It takes about a ½ hour for the batteries to cool down after use before they can be charged. The charger will give you a double blue light warning if they are too hot. You can leave the batteries in the charger and it will start charging them once they are cool enough. Charging takes a little over 3.5 hours. Actually it’s really 4 hours if you include the cooling time. After recharging both batteries I tried another round but this time I set the suction on the lower power setting. This time both batteries lasted 21 minutes. I got a red warning light on my second use of the vacuum. The rollers had locked up and required cleaning. According to the instruction, the bristle brush roll is not removable. This makes it more difficult to clean. Mine was wrapped up with long hair. I was able to remove the hair using a scissors and a tweezers but it would have been much faster and easier if I could have detached the roller. They do provide a slot in the roller which you can slide a scissor down which does expedite the process. I recommend you clean the rollers outside because I had a lot of dirt fall out during the process. Overall, the vacuum is very easy to carry and maneuver compared to my 20 year old Hoover. One small issue is that it’s not that easy to keep it rolling in a straight line. It tends to veer off. It’s not that big a deal. I prefer to vacuum in straight lines (probably OCD). By turning the handle you can steer the head of the vacuum. The multi-flex is good for getting under low furniture, but it’s even harder to navigate when in this position. I’ll probably still use the Roomba for under the bed. The grip is a little uncomfortable and I did get a blister on my thumb after an hour’s worth of cleaning. Another more annoying issue is the cleaning head tends to snap into its locked 90 degree position especially in tight spaces such as the stairs. This turns off the rollers and requires you to snap it back out with your foot. This makes it a bit tedious for cleaning the stairs and other constricted spaces. The vacuum does do an excellent job in terms of cleaning. It picks up everything in its path especially on the high power setting. Although I noticed it doesn’t clean very well on the back stroke. It only cleans well when you are pushing it forward (not pulling it backwards). The vacuum is relatively quiet compared to my old vacuum, but it does have a very high pitch whine. The instructions were not very helpful. However, Shark has a great YouTube channel with short 30-60 second videos on how to perform most of the common tasks. For example, I couldn’t figure out how to empty the dust canister. The quick video demonstrated that I needed to remove the lower section of the vacuum in order for the release button to function. I also could not figure out how to remove the bristle brush roll for cleaning and another video made it clear that it was not possible and you had to clean it in place. It’s great that there are no bags to buy. There are 3 filters that can all be easily cleaned with water. You do have to wait 24 hours after cleaning for them to dry before you can put them back in the vacuum. So far I’m happy with the purchase especially since I bought it at half price. I don’t think it is worth the regular price.