Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Other reviews have focused on accessories and the craziness of the Shark ION P50 packaging - and the general confusion about attachments, so I'll just focus here on the pros and cons of this versus its nearest competitor - the Dyson V8 Absolute and V10 Absolute. Pros: 1.) It just does a LOT more than a Dyson, due to the flexibility of HOW you use it. With the Dyson, you're always connected to the canister portion. Whether you're using the carpet roller or the hard-floor roller, you're always attached the same way, with a canister in the way. With the Shark ION P50, you can use it like a regular vacuum, or pull the handle out and use an attachment there, with the battery/canister/roller portion still on the floor, - or completely separate the battery/canister from the roller, and walk around with it that way. It literally is the every-vacuum. 2.) I love the easy-to-read battery indicator on the top of the battery. Compared to the Dyson V8 Absolute I have, this is much easier to see at a glance, so there will be no surprises. 3.) Battery life is considerably better than my Dyson V8, and better than a Dyson V10 Absolute, too. 4.) Replaceable battery! YAY! Dyson still doesn’t offer replaceable batteries for their V line, which is… well… not ideal. You can replace the battery in the ION P50 in less than three seconds. I also really like that you can charge the battery IN the vacuum or by itself, out of the vacuum. That’s special because it means you can charge two batteries at the same time if you purchase an extra battery and charging cord. Great stuff. With the Dyson line, when you’re out of battery, the whole unit goes on the wall mount or plugged in on the floor. 5.) It stands up! It’s a small thing, but Dyson V-line vacuums don’t stand up unless they’re leaning against a wall. The ION P50 stands right up. I really also enjoy that it locks into its vertical place for standing up without any trouble at all. No pushing the handle hard or straining it to get to stand up. It’s a great system. 6.) Headlights. I. Love. Headlights. With the vacuum on, the headlights automatically come on, and that is really nice in darker rooms or in room corners. The Dyson has... no lights. 7.) A front bumper! The front of the ION P50 is this really squishy, transparent rubber. This makes bumping into stuff much more fun than the Dyson with its plastic front on the fluffy roller/carpet roller etc. 8.) For tile and carpet floors, the double-roller is ingenious. Switching between the carpet/hard-floor mode is very clever, with just a touch of a button. For wood floors? See cons… 9.) Removing the handle from the canister portion can be done with one hand. You press the button, which releases fully the handle - and then you can pull it out. I like that you don’t need to use TWO hands to push the button and pull the handle simultaneously. Very nice. 10.) Emptying the canister is a total joy. No fuss whatsoever, and the gunk just drops right out the canister. Much less fiddly than any Dyson V-line vacuum, and you’re not attached to the battery/head while you do this, also - unlike any Dyson. 11.) Need to vacuum under a low bed? By removing the canister/battery portion, you can get the handle near perpendicular to the floor with the rollers still attached. This is much lower than any of my Dysons, and make vacuuming under my low bed really easy. I love this ability. Cons:

 1.) It’s heavy. At around 12lbs, that makes it TWICE as heavy as a Dyson V8 or V10. The difference is noticeable, - and for older folks this really might be a make/break deal. I’m in my 30s, and the difference is still really obvious to me. It’s jut not as easy to push it around, though - compared to large corded vacuums, this is super easy to move around. I’m used to my Dysons, though… Yes, there are far more options of use with this over the Dyson V-series, but it’s heavier, and that’s something that will either work for you or won’t. 2.) The Wood Floor Situation. Yes, the Wood Floor Situation is something that is something I can’t really get over, and is my biggest complaint other than the weight. You see, while this vacuum has a fluffy roller and a carpet roller, the carpet roller is ALWAYS on, even in hard-floor cleaning mode. For tile - this is fine. For wood floor? Less fine. I have a lovely oak floor on my main floor, and hairline scratches are one of my biggest irritations. This is why the fluffy roller on the Dyson V8/V10 etc is so great. It’s like it caresses your floor clean. With the ION P50, while the fluffy roller is engaged in the hard-floor mode, it also engages the rather stiff-bristled carpet roller, too. This was surprising to me, as I wish I could disable that. Now, my lower floor is a combination of tile and carpet, and for that - the ION P50 is perfect. A touch of a button switches between the hard-floor mode and the carpet mode - much more convenient than my Dyson where I’d have to switch head. My upper floor is all carpet, so again - the ION P50 is great for up there in carpet mode. Just… the middle floor I will have to keep using my Dyson’s fluffy roller. Downer. 3.) With the hard-floor mode enabled, I didn’t notice a major difference in the vacuum’s ability to be pulled back and forth. However, with the carpet mode enabled - on carpet - it’s noticeably (and I mean noticeably) harder to pull the vacuum back toward you. It moves away from you easily, but pulling back is far, far more work than with the Dyson V8/V10. This is something to bear in mind again, especially for older people. 4.) There are some accessories that don’t come with the ION P50, such as the Charge & Go Floor Dock, or the Deep-Cleaning Motorized Pet Tool (and quite a few others). For carpeted stairs where's there's less mobility, I really like the smaller motorized roller that my Dyson V8 Absolute has. There’s no such thing included with the ION P50. Boo. One other thing: The on/off button is a toggle, not something that needs to be held down like the trigger on the Dysons. This is either a pro or a con depending on how you use a vacuum, but it’s worth mentioning. Overall, there are some really, really great things about the ION P50. I really like it a lot. But I also really like my Dyson V-series vacuums, and I really like having both (that’s a lot of liking things!). That’s really not practical for most people, given the cost of both, but that’s just the way it is. If you have hard WOOD floors, I’d say your mileage may vary in terms of how well it will hold up to the stiff bristles. The bristles are pretty rough, and I would not want them scraping across my oak wood floor, that’s for sure. For tile and carpet (and laminate etc), though? The ION P50 is a very compelling proposition. Overall, 4 out of 5. Recommended with a caveat I can’t ignore…