Recently, I was offered the opportunity to try out three innovative cleaning solutions from the Shark cordless vacuum range at Harvey Norman. These included:

1. Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ Hand-held Vacuum Cleaner

2. Shark ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ Stick Vacuum PLUS with Clean Sense IQ

3. The all-new Shark ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ with Auto-Empty System

Designed to meet the needs of busy households, these three Shark cordless vacuums promise versatility, convenience, and a whole new level of Shark suction power. I was keen to put these claims to the test.

Read on to see how they performed in my Shark vacuum cleaner review!

A fan of Shark’s corded upright vacuums, I was very excited to test not one but three of their cordless varieties.

My hand-held vacuum bit the dust years ago and having persevered without one in a house with three kids and two cats – plus the fact I’d never used a stick vacuum before – only compounded this excitement.

I was keen to test their features by giving the house a much-needed deep clean – and through on-the-spot cleaning.

As we’re told by cleaning pros, on-the-spot cleaning – or clearing mess as it happens – is vital for maintaining a clean home. But if you’re relying on a traditional vacuum cleaner or spray-and-wipe solution, it can be hard to make the effort for a few crumbs. Especially if you’re in the middle of serving dinner or getting the kids ready for school.

What excited me most about the Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’, Shark ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ and the Shark ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ is that they’re designed to tackle mess quickly and efficiently on the spot.

With each Shark stick vacuum cleaner, you just grab and go. Even emptying them is conveniently simple. I thought if using these Shark cordless vacuums throughout the week helped lessen the burden of the weekend clean, then I’d consider this test a success.

Spoiler alert – it was!

But what came as a surprise was how the convenience and versatility of these Shark cordless vacuums also helped make deep cleaning a much quicker and easier job.

How? Let’s start with the Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ Hand-held Vacuum Cleaner.

Weighing just 725 grams, the Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ Hand-held Vacuum Cleaner is an ultra-lightweight wand vacuum ergonomically designed for heightened balance and control. It’s equipped with:

• A high-efficiency motor for powerful suction

• Up to 35 minutes runtime per charge in Eco Mode.

• 40% more suction power than the Shark ’ION’ Hand-held Vacuum.

• An ION Charging Dock for quick access, fast charging, and accessory storage.

• A duster crevice tool, motorised pet tool, upholstery tool, and floor nozzle.

Shark says the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ “redefines on-the-spot cleaning” – a claim I was eager to test. I set up the charging dock on a corner table where the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ could be accessed for use in the kitchen, dining and living areas.

This was a smart move.

Having the Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ on-hand and always charged really did help my household stay on top of day-to-day mess.

I say “household” as the streamline design of the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ made it especially popular with the kids. To quote my 12-year-old, “this thing is actually fun to use!”

We started off using the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ to take care of crumbs, Milo, and other stray dry debris on the kitchen benches and dining table.

It was as simple as grabbing the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’, affixing the desired attachment and eliminating the mess. Even better, all it took was the touch of a button to empty it into the bin.

Once its sheer ease-of-use became apparent, I was inspired. I knew the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ was perfect for conquering those fiddly jobs that are usually too difficult or feel like too much effort.

Like cleaning this spice rack.

The rails of this spice rack make it virtually impossible to clean the inner edges with a cleaning cloth or any of my corded vacuum’s attachments. Now, thanks to the Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’, this spice rack was thoroughly cleaned for perhaps the first time in its life.

It probably doesn’t need saying that the Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ gets into places other vacuums won’t dare to go. However, it’s worth mentioning some of the places where mine did go, leaving a much fresher home in its wake.

The top of kitchen cupboards, windowsills, shelves, toy boxes… anywhere high, confined, or otherwise difficult to reach became much easier to clean with the super light ‘WANDVAC Power Max.’

I particularly loved how it handled soft items like curtains, stuffed toys, place mats and bags.

The Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ has the suction to clean these items, but – unlike my regular vacuum – doesn’t adhere mercilessly to them while you’re trying to move it around. In the case of the kids’ school and footy bags, the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ got right into the seams to make the insides look like new.

Overall, the Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ Hand-held Vacuum Cleaner certainly redefined on-the-spot cleaning in my house. Our benches and tabletops were much cleaner come the weekend – not to mention how little effort it took maintaining them.

At the same time, the manoeuvrability of the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ was invaluable for getting into neglected pesky places for a thorough clean. It was exciting to knock off so many spring-cleaning jobs at once!

But with plenty more to be done, how would the Shark ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ Stick Vacuum PLUS with Clean Sense IQ perform?

Catering to the needs of pet owners, Shark offer a range of vacuums specially designed for eradicating hair and dander. The ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ Stick Vacuum PLUS with Clean Sense IQ is an extra mighty member of this range, boasting the most powerful suction and hair pickup of any Shark cordless stick vacuum (based on ASTM F558, measured using the hand vacuum in Boost mode). It features:

• Clean Sense IQ to detect dirt and automatically increase suction.

• Up to 120 minutes runtime with two included batteries (measured using the hand-held vacuum in Eco Mode).

• Multiflex Wand for cleaning under low-lying furniture and compact storage.

• HEPA filtration and Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens (based on ASTM F1977 of particles 0.3 microns and larger).

• A crevice tool, motorised pet tool, multi-surface tool, anti-allergen brush, and car detail kit.

Before I could test the Shark ‘Stratos Pet Pro’, the batteries needed charging. As someone who doesn’t enjoy negotiating the practicalities of electronics, believe me when I say how easy it was to pop the batteries in and out of the dual charging dock. The compact, unobtrusive design of the dock itself was a bonus – it found a home on the kitchen bench without getting in anyone’s way.

The ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ uses two unique Shark technologies: a Self-Cleaning Brushroll and DuoClean Powerfins. These work to actively pick up hair, particles, and dust from all floor types.

Luckily, there was ample pet-related fluff to put these technologies through their paces. Our two cats are short-haired but still shed a respectable amount. It tends to gather under furniture, along skirtings, and clings to power cords. Unfortunately, due to the size of its floorhead, my regular vacuum doesn’t fit under most furniture, so I usually just vacuum around it.

Not with the Shark ‘Stratos Pet Pro’!

To my delight, the floorhead of this Shark stick vacuum cleaner slid straight under our small side table, something my regular vacuum could never hope to do. Being able to vacuum up the accumulated cat hair with this table in situ was a revelation.

Even more revelatory was how it didn’t take much vacuuming before the Clean Sense IQ announced it was clean.

Clean Sense IQ uses an infrared sensor to detect dirt and automatically increase power when it’s found. Once it’s gone, an indicator on the floorhead lets you know, and the power reduces again.

I wasn’t fully aware of this when I started. I couldn’t understand why the Shark ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ sounded like it was preparing for take-off under the side table. In fact, it was detecting a lot of muck and upping the juice to eliminate it – with no extra effort required from me.

Clean Sense IQ also operates when using the ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ as a hand-held vacuum. It again took me by surprise when I switched to this mode, successfully obliterating cat hair stuck to the power cords in our living area.

Amazingly, the Shark ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ had more surprises in store! Meet the Multiflex Wand.

I discovered this during a “what does this button do?” moment. At the press of said button, the Shark stick vacuum cleaner bends to clean under furniture so you don’t have to. If you’ve never experienced a Shark Multiflex Wand, let me tell you, it quickly becomes your best friend.

It was so inspiring, it returned my attention from cat hair to on-the-spot cleaning.  This time, on-the-spot floor cleaning to be specific.

Being able to vacuum under the dining table without moving anything meant I could clean up the detritus that always appears after dinner. It didn’t get a chance to mount up into a major chore for the weekend.

And with the cat hair successfully eradicated from the tricky spots, my deep cleaning of the living area was significantly less onerous.

So, both the Shark ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ Stick Vacuum PLUS with Clean Sense IQ and the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ had set my expectations of Shark cordless vacuums quite high. Could the Shark ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ with Auto-Empty System compare?

The Shark ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ with Auto-Empty System is an exciting new addition to the Shark stick vacuum cleaner range. This lightweight, deep cleaning stick vacuum features:

• Auto-Empty System that automatically empties and charges while docked.

• Up to 60 minutes runtime using the hand-held vacuum in Eco mode.

• Four deep-cleaning technologies to detect and react to hidden dirt for 50% better pickup (based on ASTMF608, Evo vs Boost mode).

• Multiflex Wand for cleaning under low-lying furniture without bending.

• HEPA filtration and Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens (based on ASTM F1977, down to 0.3 microns).

• A duster crevice tool, pet multi-tool, wide upholstery tool.

Unboxing the Shark ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ was a treat – this is one very sleek and stylish unit. Its charging and auto-empty dock doesn’t need much space and is very simple to set up, something I gratefully appreciated given how high-tech it all looks.

When the Shark ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ was ready, my son was especially keen to have a go in hand-held mode, probably because the aesthetic reminded him of a certain movie franchise about interstellar conflict (there were some “pew pews”!). We decided to start with the wide upholstery tool on the couch, the one surface left in the living area that still needed some Shark attention.

Talk about next-level suction! With only the lightest touch from us, the ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ stripped all the dust, food particles, and cat hair from the couch and left the fabric silky smooth. Our couch hadn’t felt that clean since we bought it!

With the kitchen, dining, and living rooms done and dusted, there was one place left on the list for my Shark cordless vacuum road test – my sons’ bedroom. The hard-to-reach spots were in desperate need of a vacuum, and I was keen to see what that next-level suction of the ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ could do for floors.

The first thing I noticed after changing the Shark ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ to stick vacuum mode was its incredible manoeuvrability. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to change a vacuum’s direction so fast or so effortlessly.

Like the ‘Statos Pet Pro’, the ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ has a Multiflex Wand and lets you know when an area is clean. It also has four deep-cleaning technologies:

• Dirt Detect, to boost power for hidden dirt.

• Edge Detect, to double suction power on edges

• Floor Detect, to sense floor type and optimise performance

• Light Detect, to auto-illuminate hidden mess.

These features seemed purpose-built for my sons’ bedroom. Without moving the bed, we vacuumed all the way to the wall until given an all-clear on the LED display – saving both time and my back!

In particular, the Light Detect feature was certainly illuminating. We tried it in the dark for fun and were shocked by how much dirt it revealed in areas that didn’t look that dirty.

Once the ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ reported the bedroom floor was clean, it was time to test out the feature that had me most intrigued – Auto-Empty.

When you return to the ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ to its station, all the dirt you’ve collected is automatically emptied into the base where it’s trapped by HEPA filtration.

It happens very fast.

Auto-Empty is fantastic for allergy sufferers like me because you aren’t exposed to any dust when emptying the vacuum. According to Shark, Auto-Empty offers 1000x less dust exposure than traditional emptying!

Like the ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ and ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ before it, the ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ ticked all my cleaning boxes. After its performance on the couch, I could see hand-held mode was ideal for quick on-the-spot clean-ups, while its power, manoeuvrability, and detection technologies as a stick vacuum were perfect for deep cleaning.

With the spring cleaning done and dusted – and just when I thought it was safe to go back to relaxing – I was alerted to a sudden surprise mess. A whole heap of dirt had “appeared” on the floor of my kids’ bathroom, suspect unknown.

Usually, sudden surprise messes in bathrooms are very unwelcome, but this one provided an opportunity to test a unique feature of both the ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ and ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ – Odour Neutraliser Technology.

By inserting the included Odour Neutraliser Puk into the ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ floorhead, the neutraliser technology captures “bad smell” molecules, guarding against unpleasant odours from the vacuum. At the same time, you’re treated to a fresh “Ocean Breeze” fragrance – with 5 intensity levels to choose from.

Odour Neutraliser Technology also features on the Auto Empty Dock of the ‘Cordless Detect Pro’, releasing fragrance and trapping bad smells when the vacuum is emptied.

This technology is ideal for cleaning up after pets and, as I found, children in bathrooms. Vacuuming the kids’ bathroom often amplifies some very undesirable smells, but with the Odour Neutraliser puk in the ‘Stratos Pet Pro’, there was only a pleasant scent that left the room rejuvenated.

While the ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ and ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ work without the puk, Odour Neutralising Technology certainly elevates your cleaning experience. As it doesn’t just mask but traps odour-causing molecules, the result is a much fresher atmosphere than you usually get from vacuuming alone. I know what I’ll be using to clean the kids’ bathroom floor in future!

As to what Shark vacuum is the best, that depends on you and the needs of your household! The three Shark cordless vacuums I tested were lightweight, versatile, easy to use and able to get into the most inconvenient of spaces. Like with kids, it would be impossible to pick a favourite – all three smashed the tests I put them through with spectacular results.

So, if anyone ever asks me, “Are Shark vacuum cleaners good?” I’ll tell them the real question is: “which Shark vacuum is right for me?”

In my case, I know three that most definitely are!

The Shark ‘WANDVAC Power Max’ Hand-held Vacuum Cleaner, Shark ‘Stratos Pet Pro’ Stick Vacuum PLUS with Clean Sense IQ and the all-new Shark ‘Cordless Detect Pro’ with Auto Empty System are available now at Harvey Norman. If you’d like to experience these or more of the Shark cordless vacuum range, shop online or visit us in store. Our friendly staff will be happy to help you on your journey to a cleaner, fresher home!