Shark PowerDetect Cordless Review

Shark really upped their game with their newest cordless stick vacuum, implementing their already tried-and-true multiflex wand and detect features, while incorporating the auto-empty station, making this vacuum a user-friendly dream.

Carpet Performance

Designed to emulate the most colossal mess made by kids, pets, and raucous parties, our tests show which vacuums can keep up and which fall short. To encompass the wide range of mess that life brings with it, we dirty our testing lane with sand, rice, and Cheerios, and a half cup of each at that. By the time we're through, the lane is thoroughly coated in dirt and mess. To up the ante, we then limit the time the vacuums are given to wade through the wreckage, 27 square feet in 24 seconds.

Low Pile

The vacuum feels as if it is pulling me across the carpet. The strong agitation motion from the brushrollers goes to work in tandem with the detect feature, hunting down the crumbs in your carpet. The PowerDetect improved in carpet cleaning performance compared to previous models, sucking up an impressive 94% of debris on low pile. I was especially pleased to see that it captured a majority of the sand during our test, as sand and other fine dirt tend to be the most stubborn when cleaning carpets, which its predecessors, the Vertex and Stratos, struggled to accomplish.

It did tend to plow debris during the backwards pull motion, despite the new veins in the design on the back of the brushroll head that Shark is touting. While a minor annoyance, in practice, it just means that when cleaning up a dense mess, you may need to go back over some spots where material accumulates. While it was just shy of perfect pick-up performance, when using this vacuum in your home, we recommend going over the carpet one extra time after it appears clean to remove any deep-lurking dirt.

High Pile

Cleaning high-pile carpets is one of the most challenging tasks we put our vacuums through. Like fishing burrs out of a golden retriever's fur, the vacuums must adequately agitate the tall rug strands and wrangle the rice, Cheerios, and sand from the tufts. We don't decrease the size of the mess we make here either, since the real-life messes don't pull their punches either.

This cordless vacuum successfully captured 54% of the debris, performing above average on shag carpet and proving itself capable among the competition. It's also more versatile, as it's capable of capturing various debris sizes you'll encounter at home. However, there was still a decent amount of Cheerios, rice, and especially sand hiding in the tall grass, so to speak. With higher pile carpet, agitation and suction tend to matter more, as intense action will continue to suck embedded material out of the rug with consecutive, slower passes. We recommend moving more slowly when cleaning on shag carpet and making extra passes to ensure your vacuum can achieve a squeaky clean.

Hardwood Performance

Following the same procedure we use for carpet testing, we apply it to the hardwood surfaces. The intense mess rivals a mudroom after a family beach day crossed with a 4th of July BBQ. We also test how well each vacuum can clean the edges, baseboards, and extended walls, so every piece of your house sparkles. The PowerDetect proved to be a good cleaning companion for hard surfaces as well as carpets.

After making my mess thick enough to swim through, I put the vacuum to work. Moving at a brisk pace, similar to many of you working through your house, I vacuum the large carpet test area for 28 seconds. This vacuum mowed through rice and Cheerios alike, leaving few, if any, crumbs behind. I wasn't as impressed as I pulled the vacuum back towards me, as the Shark had a tendency to create a pile against the brushroll head when pulling. However, by the time the buzzer beeped, the Shark had essentially polished the floors, capturing an average of 97% across our trials.

The detection feature can be especially useful on light-colored hardwood, where dirt and dust easily blend into the flooring. Detect will ramp up when you hit a patch of denser debris helping to suck up every last dust bunny. I really appreciate this feature, although it's not quite as helpful as the illuminating laser many of the Dyson vacuums feature, as I find that it better helps me to know what areas of the floor I have left to clean. Overall, though, this vacuum's soft brush rollers and LED lighting are more than sufficient to clean up messes across a range of hard flooring.

Edges and Corners

Cleaning along edges is an often-overlooked but essential aspect of everyday vacuum use, particularly for those who frequently cook and need a vacuum that can reliably pick up crumbs along baseboards and cabinet edges. In our testing, we evaluate edge cleaning by running each vacuum both head-on and parallel to the wall seams, simulating real-world use.

The PowerDetect showed some limitations in this area. Its vacuum head includes a prominent bumper that prevents the roller from making full contact with the wall. When we deposited ⅛ cup of coffee grounds directly along the wall edge, it left small piles of debris in the corners when approaching head-on. However, when run parallel to the wall, the vacuum successfully captured all of the debris.

If edge cleaning is a top priority for you, especially in tight kitchen spaces or on stairs, it's worth noting that this vacuum performs better when moved alongside the wall rather than directly at it. With the right technique, it can still get the job done effectively.

Before Edge Cleaning After Edge Cleaning

Pet Hair

Whether your furry friend has a wagging tail or bread-making paws, we can all admit that they leave their fur everywhere. Pets and carpets present a particular conundrum, as their fur seems to integrate itself into the carpet tufts worn in with naps and playtime. We measure 4 whole grams of real pet fur (collected from our own furry friends) and 1 gram of long, hot pink hair extensions. We then massage this hair into the carpet and embed it using a heavy linoleum roller. By the time we're through, the carpet surface almost looks more like our pets' coats than a rug.

This vacuum was a standout when cleaning pet hair from carpets. The dynamic brushroller agitation pulled me along the carpet, although it did take some effort to pull it back, it really felt like the vacuum was latching onto the carpet. The results were equally satisfying, leaving the carpet surface very clean. It cleaned 84% of hair from the low-pile carpet and an impressive 74%, our best overall pet hair removal performance, meaning this stick vacuum is a hair cleaning rockstar.

We still believe that this vacuum is suitable for pet owners, but be mindful to check the brushroll if you notice a drop in cleaning performance.

Filtration

The last thing you want to do when cleaning your house is dirty the air around you while doing it. This is especially important if you or a family member has allergies. Many invisible allergens and particulate matter are floating around our homes, like pollen, pet dander, and dust mites, which can be stirred up into the air and enter our lungs.

When we vacuum, we want the dust, dander, and other allergens to enter the vacuum and stay there, not re-enter the air and or lungs via the exhaust. Featuring a HEPA filter, the Shark PowerDetect proved itself to be effective in our tests, consistently falling within the excellent rank for air quality across all three trials. The docking station that auto empties, sets the Shark apart from the rest, claiming to hold up to 45 days of debris, which means you highly reduce the number of times you re-release allergens and dust back into the air.

Ease of Use

Vacuuming may never be fun, but the right features can make it feel less like a chore. We look for vacuums that are easy to steer around furniture, potted plants, and delicate decor. Versatility is also key—we value models that handle upholstery, dusting, and even car interiors with ease.

Manueverability

Maneuverability is where the PowerDetect Cordless really shines. Featuring the same Multiflex wand design that we loved in the Shark Vertex and Stratos models, the PowerDetect also makes it easy as pie to clean deep under couches and coffee tables. No more moving all the furniture to finish your cleaning project. While the motorhead weighed slightly average at 3.9 lbs, we didn't feel fatigued while pushing this vacuum around. The vacuum often felt like it was grabbing onto the carpet and pulling itself forward, although on the flip side, it could be a bit difficult to pull back on the carpet as well.

Upholstery

The right attachments can transform your cordless stick vacuum from a one-hit wonder into a car cleaner, duster, or specialized stair cleaner. While the PowerDetect Cordless came with the most basic tools to help you reach tight spaces and dust a bit, we didn't love the motor handle shape for upholstery cleaning and found it a bit bulky. Using the included Pet Duster tool, we were able to clean 90% of the coffee grounds we scattered across a pillow, although it did leave some streaks due to the thick bristles.

We were especially sad to find no motorized upholstery brush included with this model. A motorized brush attachment makes all the difference for stubborn cleaning projects like car mats and well-trodden stairs. There is an additional motorized attachment available for purchase if your wallet can stomach the extra cost. We find these additional tools particularly valuable for tackling those more demanding cleaning jobs.

Battery

Though straightforward, the battery life of a cordless vacuum will make or break whether it can be pulled out for whole cleaning jobs, or gets relegated to quick clean-ups. We test the cordless vacuum's battery life both on its highest and lowest settings, so you know what to expect. This cordless vacuum was perfectly average for battery life on both high and low settings, lasting for 12 minutes and 47 minutes, respectively.

However, since we expect most people to use the variable Detect mode, the battery life in practice will likely fall somewhere in the middle, largely dictated by how dirty the area you're cleaning is. We expect that using the PowerDetect in eco mode will be sufficient for most hard surfaces. However, expect to be using the more battery-intensive Detect or Boost modes if you have a lot of carpet in your home.

Should You Buy the Shark PowerDetect Cordless?

A versatile, all-around crowd pleaser, the Shark PowerDetect is a great cordless vacuum. This model threads the needle of excellent performance at a price that saves you a few hundred dollars off the most premium models. The extra convenience of the combination storage and additional capacity, along with the empty bin, adds even more value to this model. While the battery life may be a bit tight to clean a large house, it will excel in smaller spaces and for routine cleaning. If pet hair on furniture is a frequent battle, you may want to invest in the upgraded motorized upholstery tool for best results.

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