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Shark Genius Steam Pocket Review

A high quality but bare-bones mop that has a few nice user friendly features
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Shark Genius Steam Pocket Review
Credit: Shark
Price:  $140 List
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Manufacturer:   Shark
By Michelle Powell and Maggie Nichols  ⋅  Oct 28, 2021
70
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#11 of 13
  • Cleaning Performance - 40% 6.3
  • Ease of Use - 25% 8.2
  • Maneuverability - 20% 8.2
  • Features - 15% 5.2

Our Verdict

The Shark Genius Steam Pocket is a pared-down version of more complicated — and more expensive — steam mops. Leaving behind all the accessories, this mop keeps things simple and focuses on floors only. It has a double-sided mop head with a hands-free way to remove the pad when it's fully soiled. A fully pivoting neck allows you to easily mop around furniture and into tight spaces. However, it's a little too mobile for our taste and difficult to control on textured flooring. We also would like to see a few more features — even just a scrub brush — to make this okay mop a truly good cleaner.
REASONS TO BUY
Double-sided mop head
Hands-free pad changing
Straightforward
REASONS TO AVOID
Loose head is hard to steer
No scrubbing brush

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
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Bottom Line A good quality but overly simplistic mop with a handful of easy to use featuresA well-designed, simple, effective, and competitively priced steam-cleaning deviceThe best choice for when the floor is the priority and you don't need a bunch of extra attachments or fussA host of attachments makes it easy and effective to clean nearly anything in your homeHelpful accessories and average cleaning performance make this a decent budget option but not our top recommendation
Rating Categories Shark Genius Steam... Bissell PowerFresh Bissell PowerFresh... Bissell PowerFresh... Hoover Steam Comple...
Cleaning Performance (40%)
6.3
9.0
9.0
8.1
7.2
Ease of Use (25%)
8.2
8.1
8.4
8.1
7.3
Maneuverability (20%)
8.2
7.8
8.2
8.2
7.6
Features (15%)
5.2
6.8
5.9
7.6
8.0
Specs Shark Genius Steam... Bissell PowerFresh Bissell PowerFresh... Bissell PowerFresh... Hoover Steam Comple...
Steam Adjustability Low, med, high Low, med, high Low, high Low, high Dial
Water Tank Capacity 350 ml 455 ml 474 ml 399 ml 379 ml
Water Fill Opening Diameter 1.25" 1" 1" 0.75" .5" and 1"
Pad Attachment Hands-free Elastic Elastic Elastic Velcro
Additional Mop Head? No Yes No No Yes
Included Pads 1 2 2 2 2
Cleaning Brush? No No Yes Yes Yes
Hose Attachment? No No No Yes Yes
Cord Length 22' 23' 25' 25' 26'
Additional Accessories Included None Microfiber soft pad, microfiber scrubby pad, spring breeze fragrance discs and a carpet glider Built-in scrubber Built-in scrubber, squeegee, hose, medium cleaning head, small cleaning head, grout tool, small scraper, precision power nozzle, 3 small scrubbing brushes, microfiber cloth Steam connector and hose, XS & XL plastic brush, steel wire brush, grout brush, hard surface squeegee, upholstery cloth, angled, crevice tool, steam and scraper tool, carpet glider, 2 mop pads, tool storage bag

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Shark Genius Steam Pocket is a simple steam mop with a 350ml capacity accessed by a 1.25-inch flip-top opening and accompanied by a 22-foot cord. It comes with just a single mop pad that attaches and detaches hands-free. No additional attachments come with this model.

Performance Comparison


shark genius steam pocket - a simple mop, but one that does what it does well.
A simple mop, but one that does what it does well.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Cleaning Performance


The Genius Steam Pocket produces an even amount of steam to help adequately lift messes and clean the floor. However, the mop pad catches a fair bit on deeper grout and particularly textured flooring surfaces. Because of the reversible head, this mop lacks the ability to apply the kind of pressure needed for deep cleaning. It also has no scrubbing mechanism of any kind. You can add an extra blast of steam to remove caked-on gunk, though it's a bit challenging to aim. Though we're not always the biggest fan of the overly mobile mop neck, it does allow the mop head to be completely vertical, sliding in very narrow spaces or even cleaning the fronts of stairs.

shark genius steam pocket - an extra burst of steam and a reversible pad keep you cleaning for...
An extra burst of steam and a reversible pad keep you cleaning for longer.
Credit: Laura Casner

Ease of Use


The tank of the Genius Steam Pocket may not be removable or particularly large, but it's very easy to use. It holds 350ml of water (on the low end of average capacity among models we tested) and has a 1.25-inch diameter opening on top. The transparent tank walls let you easily see how much water is left, and the water heats up in under a minute, controlled by clearly labeled buttons. However, the multi-pivoting mop head feels rather squirrely and floppy during handling, making it difficult to mop in a straight line — particularly over more textured flooring. It also cannot stand up on its own when you fill the tank or try to store it in the closet. Those issues aside, the double-sided mop pad can easily be removed by activating a button with your foot when you're done cleaning, which is a nice attribute.

shark genius steam pocket - the genius is exceptionally easy to fill.
The Genius is exceptionally easy to fill.
Credit: Laura Casner

Maneuverability


The rectangular cleaning head of the Genius swivels deftly and provides even enough steam that we had no trouble getting into tight corners and under cabinets. The cord is also a fairly generous 22 feet, so you won't have to switch outlets too much. We also found the cleaning head to glide very smoothly on minimally textured floors like high gloss tile. The double-sided mop head can reach into corners and clean right up to edges. Taking full advantage of that reversible mop head, you can actually squeeze it vertically into very narrow spots for some bonus cleaning most steam mops can't offer.

shark genius steam pocket - the genius slides under cabinets quite easily.
The Genius slides under cabinets quite easily.
Credit: Laura Casner

Features


When it comes to special features, the extra burst of steam and hands-free pad changing are about all the Genius Steam Pocket offers. It doesn't come with any additional cleaning accessories like an extra mop pad, scrubbing brush, or any attachments that would allow you to use it on more than just the floors. It does, however, have one of the most adjustable steam outputs of any model we tested, offering a Medium setting where most have just High and Low.

shark genius steam pocket - hands free mop pad changing is a nice little bonus feature.
Hands free mop pad changing is a nice little bonus feature.
Credit: Laura Casner

Value


Despite being a rather bare-bones, floor-only steam mop, the Genius Steam Pocket isn't particularly cheap. But, if you really want a mop that can squeeze into the tightest of spaces and don't mind that it lacks the ability to handle any attachments, perhaps it's worth it to you.

Conclusion


The Shark Genius Steam Pocket is a high-quality mop that keeps it simple by only cleaning your floors without any extra attachments. Its overly mobile head allows for unique angles of cleaning but can also be a bit difficult to control on more textured floors. It's not the most versatile or the best cleaner, but its mobility is notable.

shark genius steam pocket - it might not be fancy, but it still does a solid job of cleaning...
It might not be fancy, but it still does a solid job of cleaning everyday floor messes.
Credit: Laura Casner

Michelle Powell and Maggie Nichols