Vacuum cleaner reviews & vacuum ratings by a professional engineer
Let me help you find the best vacuum before you buy. Check out our unbiased vacuum reviews. With so many manufacturers and models to choose from, getting the right vacuum for the right job requires research. At vacuum cleaner advisor we do that work for you!
The Shark Vertex Cordless stick vacuum is chock full of technology and features. After all, the Vertex vacuums are Shark’s premier machines. The Vertex cordless has two brushrolls (one of which is self-cleaning), a HEPA filter, a sealed system, headlights, a detachable battery, and a flexible wand. We ran the unit through cleaning tests and it did a great job on both carpet and bare floors. Hair pickup was also good while limiting tangle in the brushroll. In addition, the ability to use the unit as a handheld by simply detaching the wand is very handy. However, it is a little hefty for a stick vac and it would have been nice if it came with a second battery.
Shark makes a host of stick vacuums. Some are cordless and some are corded. Some have two brushrolls while others have one. Some stick vacs have a special brushroll that limits hair tangle, others do not. First and foremost in getting the right Shark stick vacuum is knowing your requirements. Do you have only carpet? Only hard flooring? Both? Do you have pets? Are you partial to corded or cordless? Does the vacuum need to be lightweight? Etc. In this review we investigate the Shark Rocket corded vacuum and we highlight where this unit excels and where it fails – and ultimately if it is a fit for you.
The Dyson V7 Motorhead and the Shark Rocket Pro are two very popular cordless stick vacuums. They are also reasonably priced and can typically be found for under $300. But which is the right vacuum for you? Dyson and Shark are strong competitors and marketing materials would have you believe that each manufacturer’s machine is the best. In this article we compare the vacuums to one another, testing cleaning ability, run times, and much more.
SHARK APEX VS SHARK VERTEX In this face-off we pit the Shark Vertex upright vacuum (AZ2002) against the Shark APEX Zero-M (AZ1002). The Shark Vertex upright is currently the pinnacle of uprights at Shark. It has many features and a host of different technologies. However, before this newcomer there was the Shark APEX, and as the name suggests it was the king-of-the-hill when it was released. So what’s the difference between these two big boys and which one should you get?
Dyson recently released the new cordless kid on the block – the Dyson V11 Outsize. But what makes this cordless machine special and how is it different from the already popular Dyson V11 Torque Drive? In this article we walk you through the differences and discuss which vacuum is best for your cleaning needs.
Shark recently launched their “Vertex” series of vacuum cleaners. They are powerful machines with a host of features including two brushrolls, one soft and one with fins (Shark calls them fins but we think of them more as flexible, rubbery blades). We’ve always liked Shark’s willingness to try new and different ideas and they sometimes hit upon something that really works. We analyzed the Vertex AZ2002 upright vacuum, compared it to other popular Shark uprights, and ran it through a series of tests. This vacuum performed extremely well and in our opinion Shark may have found another keeper.
The Shark Vertex Cordless vacuum (model IZ462H) is a very interesting and very popular machine. Shark has thrown a host of technology at this unit and it shows. It has two brushrolls, a flexible wand, headlights, a self-cleaning brushroll, a sealed body, and more. We analyzed the different vacuum features and also ran the Vertex through a host of cleaning tests. We were impressed in many ways but there were a few areas that fell a little short.
The Eureka RapidClean Pro is a lightweight, cordless stick vacuum that doubles as a handheld. It is best for cleaning bare floors and low pile carpet. The RapidClean is generally not too expensive and it is easy to move and to empty. Overall, owner ratings for the unit are reasonably good (88/100). However there are some issues and a number of owners cite problems with charging the unit and with weak suction. In addition, there are also comments indicating that the unit’s build quality could be better.
We were excited to get our hands on the new Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away ZU632 upright vacuum. It looks and feels a lot like the Shark Rotator NV752 TruePet, the most popular vacuum cleaner on our website for several years running. At a glance the machines are very similar but Shark has added a self-cleaning brushroll to the ZU632 which should really help in households with pets. In this review we break down the ZU632, run it through a series of tests, and also determine if it is an improvement on the already excellent NV752.
The Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away ZU632 upright vacuum is fairly new to the market. But we have noticed that it is a very similar machine to the older (but very popular) Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away TruePet NV752 upright vacuum. In some ways it appears to be an evolution of the NV752 and they’ve even added a self-cleaning brushroll. However not all the changes are for the better and in some instances (but not all) you may still be better off with the older NV752.
The graphite grey Miele Blizzard CX1 Pure Suction is a bagless canister vacuum cleaner. It is powerful yet quiet, and the filters never need to be replaced. This is also a rather sleek looking machine and it is made in Germany. The Pure Suction is great on hard floors and it also very good at pet hair pickup. However, we wouldn’t recommend this for homes with carpet. The floorhead does not have a brushroll so this vacuum is best for homes with mostly hard flooring and limited areas of low pile carpet (and the occasional area rug).
The LG CordZero A9 Kompressor is a premium contender in the on-going battle of cordless stick vacuums. We say “premium” because it is pricey - but you do get a lot. It includes 2 batteries that are designed to easily swap out and can be charged simultaneously. You also get a wall mount, a robust stand, a number of tools, and a telescopic wand. This is a 2-in-1 machine so when you remove the wand you go from stick vacuum to handheld vacuum. The unit is lightweight and quiet yet it still performs well on carpet and hard floors. However some owners lament the high price tag and also wish the run time was longer at maximum power.
The Miele Classic C1 Pure Suction canister vacuum is popular and it is a good fit for homes with mostly hard flooring – hardwood, tile, linoleum, etc. However the vacuum does not have a brushroll in the cleaner head so it is not very good at cleaning carpet. Owners like that the unit is made in Germany and that it quiet and has very powerful suction. They are also pleased with the variable suction feature that allows you to adjust the strength of the suction (6 settings). On the downside, the power cord is a bit on the short side and Miele vacuum bags are not inexpensive.
The Dyson V11 Outsize is essentially a normal V11 on steroids. It has a bigger cleaner head, more cyclones, a larger dust bin, and one version of the Outsize comes with 2 batteries. This is the unit you need if you have a large area to clean but you still want cordless convenience.
Does it have a downside? Sure, it’s larger and heavier, but if you get it for the right reasons it’s a great machine.
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe (model NV360) is a very popular and affordable Shark upright vacuum cleaner. We’ve had our NV360 for about 6 months (at the time of this writing) and we’ve discovered both the good and the bad.
So you want a Dyson V11 cordless vacuum. They are great machines, but which of the 3 models is the right one for you? The Absolute, the Torque Drive, and the Animal all have differences and you don’t want to buy a more expensive model only to find you don’t need the added features. In this short article we walk through all the V11 models, and we highlight which machine is the best fit for your cleaning needs.
In this article we pit the Shark APEX Zero-M against the Shark Rotator NV752, two popular upright vacuum cleaners. They are both very good machines but they have many differences. In this article we test each vacuum on carpet, on bare floors, and on hair. We also walk through the specifications, measure the noise levels, weigh the lift-away features, and highlight much more. Understanding the pros and cons of each vacuum and how they compare to one another will help you decide which machine is the best for you.
If you pay attention to the cordless vacuum landscape you will find it littered with stick vacuums that look similar to the popular Dyson stick vacs – the V6/V7/V8/V10/V11. The overwhelming success of Dyson’s cordless machines has prompted manufacturers, both well-known and obscure, to create cordless units in an effort to capture a part of this lucrative market. However, in our experience, many of these products just don’t have the build quality or cleaning capabilities you get with a Dyson. Enter Tineco.
The Shark Rocket Pro cordless stick vacuum is a lightweight machine that is very easy to operate. Owners like the low profile, the self-cleaning brushroll, and the swivel steering. In addition, this is a two-in-one vacuum and can be used as a stick vacuum and a handheld vacuum. Our cleaning tests showed very good debris pickup on both low pile carpet and tile flooring. Run times are reasonable but not stellar and the unit does feel a little top heavy. Also, it does not come with a stand or a wall mount and it will not stand on its own.
The Shark Navigator DLX (model NV70) is a reasonably inexpensive bagless upright vacuum cleaner. It does not come with a lot of bells and whistles but it does have a HEPA filter, a sealed system, and a large dust canister. Owners also report that the NV70 has powerful suction and is quite easy and cheap to maintain. However, the power cord and wand are a bit short and the cleaner head is rather narrow. The vacuum color is gold, or what Shark refers to as “champagne”.
This is a simple Miele bagged canister vacuum without many bells and whistles, but it is also very reasonably priced and consumer ratings are top notch. Owners like the powerful suction, the auto rewind power cord, the quality fit and finish, and the quiet operation of the C1 Limited Edition. Also, the variable suction allows you to dial in the best power settings for the cleaning job. If you have mostly hard floors and some area rugs this vacuum is a very good fit. But beware - if you have mostly carpet then this is not the right machine to buy.
The APEX UpLight is an interesting vacuum. Shark created a lightweight machine that is something between an upright and a stick vacuum, but as an “APEX” model they packed it with features and technology. The Uplight has DuoClean Technology, Zero-M Technology, the Lift-Away feature, a HEPA filter, a sealed system, headlights, and more. Is this the best lightweight vacuum you can buy? In some ways YES but in other ways NO. Let’s look at the APEX Uplight’s pros and cons:
Vacuum-cleaner-advisor.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Find the best vacuum cleaners fast! Use theVacuum Cleaner Finder! It helps you quickly weed out the underperformers and shows you the top rated machines.
About Me
Hello!
I'm Nigel Russco, a 50 year old professional engineer originally from the west coast of Canada. I love to review vacuums and I’ve been doing just that since 2008.
I make every effort to write unbiased, intelligent vacuum cleaner reviews and I provide average consumer ratings for each and every vacuum cleaner I investigate. My ultimate goal is to ensure you find the best vacuum for your cleaning needs.