Shark Cordless Upright Vacuum Cleaner with Anti Hair Wrap, 60 Minute Run Time Battery, DuoClean Floorhead, Powered Lift-Away, LED Headlights, Dusting Brush, Crevice & Upholstery Tools, Red, ICZ300UK

Product Information

The Shark makes a lot of noise, so it's not a good choice if you tend to vacuum while others are asleep or working from home - even if they're on the other side of the house. It weighs 6.2kg / 12.4 pounds which is acceptable especially given that it’s bottom-heavy. It also disassembles, so when cleaning high places, the majority of the weight doesn’t need lifting overhead as it can be carried in your other hand. As we previously said, it comes with a range of useful attachments which differ slightly between the US and UK models. The UK model comes with a crevice tool, dusting brush, wide upholstery tool, and motorized pet tool. The US model comes with a crevice tool, pet multi-tool, and an anti-allergen dusting brush.

There’s a large 0.6-litre bin on this model, which should see you around an average house without having to be emptied. It’s easy enough to pull out, and opens at both ends to make it easy to clear dust and to clean.It didn’t carry its perfect performance over to the flour test, but it still did a decent job. On hard floor, I measured 44g of a 50g spill making it into the collection bin. However, apart from a small residue near the start of our pass, it certainly didn’t leave 6g of flour behind. I suspect most of the missing flour was lining the tubes or caught in the floor head and would work its way into the bin eventually as I performed other cleaning tasks. With all the controls on the handle, adjusting the suction power or floor type as you vacuum is effortless, however, we did have to keep repositioning our hand for comfort, the handle can be uncomfortable if your grip is too close to the control panel.

One of the best things about the Shark ICZ300UKT is how powerful it is on carpets. Using the LED panel to switch from hard floors to carpets couldn't be easier, especially when compared to other vacuums from Dyson which require you to remove one brush head and add another. This and its amazing results on hard floors and carpets is why it is one of the best vacuum cleaners I have tried. It's somewhat quieter in eco mode, but both the floor head and motor are still notably louder than some other cordless vacuums we've trialled.As with most vacuum cleaners, this model has two filters. The main filter is easy to get out, but the HEPA filter is a little fiddly. Both filters can be washed to keep them working at optimal efficiency. Performance However, you can get extra tools if you're willing to spend more. The pet variant (the Shark IZ300UKT) comes with a mini turbo brush, while the IZ320UKT comes with the same turbo brush plus an extra battery, letting you clean for twice as long without recharging. The other recent innovation that Shark has brought to this model is the screen and control panel on the top of the handle, which debuted on the Shark IZ300UKT. This is mostly to display how much battery capacity you have left, shown as a percentage that decreases in increments of 10%. It isn’t as accurate as the battery gauge on the Dyson V15 Detect or V11 Outsize, but you get more information than on most cordless models. The Anti Hair Wrap technology was effective at preventing hairs from becoming tangled in the brush rolls, even after we spread extra hair over the floor to give it a challenge. We also appreciated the headlights on the front of the floorhead, they illuminate dark corners and the areas beneath furniture, making it easier to see what you’re vacuuming.

There are three power modes to choose from (Eco, Standard and Boost), plus you can choose between carpet and hard floor modes, which adjust the speed of the floor head. For this model, Shark has redesigned the controls. There’s now an LCD screen that shows battery life as a percentage. This is far better than the old display, where you’d get a set of lights to indicate the rough level of charge remaining; but it isn’t as good as the Dyson V15 Detect, which shows you battery life in minutes. Performance is excellent, with Standard mode cleaning a path through my spilt rice grains, with nothing dropping out at the end. Moving on to the hard floor test, the Shark ICZ300UKT impressed. Its floor head is a DuoClean model, which means that it has a hard floor roller built-in; there’s no changing floor heads to move between surfaces, as you do with a Dyson. And unlike the Dyson, the display doesn't work while the vacuum is charging. So you have to rely on three less precise indicator lights on the battery to know when it's fully charged.Why not go portable with Powered Lift-Away? This upright instantly transforms into a portable vacuum cleaner. Simply lift the main unit away from the wand to enjoy free movement around your home. You can comfortably clean stairs, ceilings and even in the car. Added Features The dust cup is easy to remove and with the press of one button the dirt empties out of the bottom into the trash. However, we did find that on more than one occasion we had to manually pull some of the dirt out due to tangled hair which stopped it from falling out on its own, which is somewhat annoying. The filters have to be washed monthly to keep them from getting clogged but it’s an easy job and they last 2.3-3 years before they need to be replaced. Go portable with Powered Lift-Away to easily clean stairs and soft furnishings, up high, in the car and underneath furniture. Includes 3 attachments for effortless whole-home cleaning. I finished off the test using Eco mode at the bottom of the mess and Turbo at the top. As you can see, the vacuum performed well in Eco mode, although it left a trace of dust behind; for smaller spills, this lower power mode will do the job. I upped the power to Turbo, approaching the leftover mess at different angles, but there was still a tiny amount left remaining at the end. It was nothing that the crevice tool couldn’t deal with, mind.