Shark Corded Stick Vacuum Cleaner [HZ400UKT] Anti-Hair Wrap Technology, Electric Blue & Shark Grey

Product Information

As you can see from our chart above, this isn’t as powerful as Dyson’s latest Gen5detect, and it falls behind the power of the cordless upright ICZ300UKT, though it is more powerful than the Hoover HF9. The Shark HZ500UK is an average carpet cleaner. While it isn’t terrible on carpets, we don’t think it can match the cleaning performance of more powerful upright vacuums. The Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro IZ400UKT comes heartily recommended. It’s a terrific cleaner at a good price. Its performance in our tests rivals that of vastly more expensive models, and I love the fact that you don’t need to switch the floor head over when moving from one surface to another. As we mentioned, there’s no motorised pet tool included with the Shark though. This makes it difficult to get rid of hair from furniture, stairs, or car interiors. For this reason, we don’t recommend it for pet owners, particularly if your dog or cat sheds a lot.

If money is no object then the Dyson Gen5detect remains a superior option, but not to the extent that it’s worth paying almost twice the price. Its battery lasts a bit longer and it comes with a few more bells and whistles, but you’re definitely not getting twice the vacuum. With a handheld mode and the high-quality DuoClean floorhead, the HZ500UK is a versatile vacuum that’s great for cleaning almost any area of the home.

The Shark Stratos IZ400UKT is a brilliant performer at a very attractive price

With that said, its average carpet performance means you can probably get greater value from other vacuums if your home is mainly carpeted.

So, if you’re looking for the best carpet vacuum cleaner, the HZ500UK isn’t the one to choose. But if you’re happy to accept average cleaning performance in return for great hard floor cleaning (see next section) and advanced features, then it’s an option to consider. Hard Floors We think the HZ500UK is a solid choice if you need a lightweight and easy-to-use vacuum cleaner, but don’t want the limitations of a cordless vac. It’s effective at cleaning hard floors, comes with Shark’s excellent DuoClean floorhead, and is more convenient than a full-size upright. We think it’s let down a bit by average carpet cleaning performance and the tiny dust capacity though. The only accessory you’ll need to find a home for is the power tool. Unlike the main powered floor brush, the power tool’s bristles are spun purely by airflow.This wand has an articulating elbow that allows the vacuum to be folded up and stored upright, and it also allows you to more easily vacuum under low furniture. There’s a large display on top of the handle that shows the battery level and the power mode you’re using. In practice, we’ve found this isn’t 100% effective, as some hair still gets caught. The technology certainly reduces tangled hair by a lot, however, making it a useful bonus if you have pets or family members with long hair.