Carrie specializes in smart home devices such as smart plugs and smart lights, as well as large and small appliances including vacuum cleaners, air fryers, stand mixers, and coffee machines. Because of their low ratings for brand reliability, no cordless model earns a recommendation from CR despite scoring well in our performance tests. The width of the test dyson robot vacuum bed is proportional to the vacuum’s nozzle width, which we measure ourselves. We also use nozzle width, plus the flooring type, to calculate the soil density for each test, per International Electrotechnical Commission guidelines. The IEC is a global standards body responsible for managing testing procedures, among other things, for vacuum manufacturers.
The Shark app leads you through a series of programming settings and the robot maps out your home. You can also tweak the map to get it exactly how you want and establish no-go zones and carpeted zones and name different rooms. This part was the most tedious of using this vacuum as you can go into as much or as little detail as you want. This vacuum’s anti-allergen seal and HEPA filter effectively trap dust—a major win for families with pets and allergies. You’ll also enjoy the clear dust bin that allows you to see what you’re capturing in real time, and it releases very easily with the help of built-in latches.
We found that if we didn’t properly place the two pieces together, the vacuum lost suction power once restarted. We also had to pull some hair out of the dust cup from crevices that did not initially empty. This Shark model is a little bulky for a handheld vacuum, but we think the extra-large dust bin makes it worth it. The attachments are what make this vacuum really shine, but there’s no included storage for them, so you’ll need to repurpose a box or bin to make sure you don’t lose them.
In addition to brush and crevice tools, this handheld vacuum comes with a pet power brush tool that’s specifically designed to loosen and suck up pet hair. This attachment will work well on furniture, linens, and even your car seats and floor mats. We were also impressed by this vacuum’s bissell crosswave cordless ability to suck up pet hair without any becoming tangled in the pet hair brush tool. What we weren’t so enamored by was the noise – it’s one of the loudest vacuums we’ve tested, with our decibel meter registering 88db when using the vacuum on its most powerful setting on carpet.
Designed for hard flooring, it shines a green laser out onto the floor as you clean, making it easy to see dust and other small bits of debris otherwise hard to spot with the naked eye. It isn’t much help under strong indoor lighting or sunlight, but it’s still a nice, unique feature that we found helpful as we cleaned. Also interesting is the readout on the back of the vacuum, which lists the ratio of dirt collected by particle size. The 15 cordless vacuums we’ve tested in recent years range in price from $105 to $899. The Tineco Pure One S11 sits right in the middle of that pack with a retail price of $ but it performs as if it costs a lot more, with outstanding results in each of our main cleaning tests.
Often compared to Dyson for cleaning power, Shark offers an array of vacuum cleaners that are more affordable than Dyson models yet just as capable. Interestingly, that shortlist of perfect-rated cleaners includes two of our value picks, the Shark Rocket Pet Pro and the Moosoo XL-618. Neither one was a standout with sand (in fact, the Moosoo model was among the worst in those tests), but with larger crumbs at least, both are perfectly capable.
Simple to use, it’s handy accessories ensure it can reach under furniture, and also be used as a handheld cleaner. What makes this vacuum so versatile is that it uses Shark’s Lift-Away feature, which unlocks three cleaning modes. First, the ION P50 can work as an upright vacuum for deep cleaning on low pile carpets and hardwood floors. You can also detach parts of the vacuum to make it either a handheld vacuum for cleaning smaller areas in your home or car, or a stick vacuum that’ll fit under furniture and in other small areas on the ground.
Many reviewers have also complimented the IONFlex’s ability to tackle pet hair. However, the small dustbin means you’ll have to do a lot of dumping if your pets shed a lot. And if you are an allergy sufferer, it’s important to keep in mind that this model does not come with a HEPA filter. Despite its inexpensive price tag, it also picks up pet hair very well. However, the Navigator’s lower price point does mean that it might not last as long as other options from Shark and will likely have to be replaced over time. Even our most economical option, the Navigator, receives rave reviews for its ability to pick up pet hair.