Shark PowerDetect Cordless Review

Our Shark PowerDetect Cordless Experience

The Shark PowerDetect “wowed” us for plenty of reasons. The multiflex wand and detect function were among our favorite features that we have seen on any vacuum. The wand bends in the middle, which allowed us to vacuum under our furniture without needing to bend down. This feature was also easy to employ with just a click of a button. However, the PowerDetect got stuck in its 90-degree configuration a few times during testing, causing us to pause and readjust the brushroller head before we could resume cleaning.

As we moved across our space, the vacuum would automatically adjust the power needed for the floor type and mess. We found this to work well and kept the battery from draining. Cleaning appeared to be no trouble for the PowerDetect. We crossed over hardwood and carpet, with varying debris, and we were always left with the same results - clean floors.

While the PowerDetect Cordless comes 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.

This is one of the few vacuums that was able to pick up pet hair with little fuss. We were able to clean most of the thick hair from our carpets, though it tended to get wrapped around the brush roller. And, due to the bumper in front of the brush, we were unable to get a close clean along baseboards. Still, we were pleased with the overall performance of the Shark PowerDetect Cordless and enjoyed how easy it was to use.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Carpet Performance

The vacuum feels as if it propels 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 Shark models, sucking up an impressive 94% of debris on low pile. We were 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.

This cordless vacuum successfully captured a little over half, 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

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, this vacuum mowed through rice and Cheerios alike, leaving few, if any, crumbs behind.

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. We really appreciate this feature, although it's not quite as helpful as the illuminating laser many Dyson vacuums feature, as we find that it better helps us identify areas of the floor we 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.

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.

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.

Because of this, the vacuum performs better when moved alongside the wall rather than straight toward it, often leaving small piles of debris in the corners when approached head-on.

Before Edge Cleaning After Edge Cleaning

Pet Hair

This vacuum was a standout when cleaning pet hair from carpets. The dynamic brushroller agitation pulled 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.

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 release allergens and dust back into the air.

Ease of Use

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. We also appreciated that the lightweight made it easy to vacuum stairs.

Battery

Although straightforward, the battery life of a cordless vacuum will make or break whether it can be relied upon for whole cleaning jobs or gets relegated to quick clean-ups. 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.