Shark Cordless Professional Vacuum Overview: How It Stacks As much as Dyson

Vacuuming is one of my little joys in life. The instant gratification I feel when I fill up a canister full of dust and crumbs and who-knows-what is truly one of my favorite feelings. So, when my Dyson V7 vacuum started to slow down, I knew I needed to find a replacement, stat. And, since I recently fell in love with my Shark hair dryer, I figured it might be time to see what the brand’s cleaning tools had to offer. Enter: the Shark Cordless Pro Vacuum ($320). With a cordless design, 40-hour battery life, and a self-cleaning brushroll attachment that claims to prevent the dreaded hair-wrap (yuck), it ticked a bunch of my must-have boxes. After a few weeks of putting it to the test (and stacking it against my old Dyson), I can honestly say it really sucks—in a good way, duh! Read on for my full review.

About the Shark Cordless Pro Vacuum

The Shark Cordless Pro is a smart vacuum, meaning its Clean Sense IQ Mode uses built-in sensors to detect dirt and then boosts the power level accordingly to capture it all. And, with a .72 quart dust cup capacity, it holds a whole lot of debris. The dust cup itself is easy to empty with the push of a button and also features a HEPA filter to help capture and trap allergens.

While the Clean Sense IQ technology is definitely helpful, you can also run this vacuum in Eco Mode (which preserves battery life) for lighter cleanings. Or, if you know you’ve got a nasty job ahead of you, select Boost Mode to kick things into high gear right off the bat. The power button, mode selection, and battery status are all visible on a handy LED screen, so you’ll never be left guessing.

My review

Maybe it’s just because my old vacuum seemed tired, but my new Cordless Pro packs a ton of power without being clunky and zooms around the room with ease. I really dig the brushroll attachment—it pivots easily, glides across rugs and hardwood alike, and seems to live up to its no-hair-roll claims. It’s not as skinny as the Dyson brushroll, so it doesn’t fit in as many nooks as I’d like, but there are other attachments for that.

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The LED screen is really helpful for keeping an eye on the battery level and toggling between modes, which is as easy as pushing a button. Also, while this might seem silly, I appreciate that once you’ve pressed the power button you don’t have to hold a trigger to keep the vacuum running—simply turn it on, select the mode you want, and scoot it around. Eco Mode typically does the job for me, and it’s significantly quieter than the other modes. The Clean Sense IQ technology is cool, if not a little intense, as it revvs up when it senses more debris to suck. That’s pretty satisfying. Worth noting: if you aren’t sold on the sensor technology, Shark also makes this vacuum without it for a lower price.

When it comes to weight, it’s not a heavy vacuum, but it’s not featherlight. It can’t stand up on its own with the brushroll attachment (neither can my Dyson—someone invent this!) so it needs to be propped up against something if you stop mid-clean. I do, however, like that you can click the brushroll base into a standing position and attach the vacuum canister to store it all in one compact place (peep the image below for reference). I would prefer a wall mount, but it doesn’t take up too much space on the floor of my laundry closet.

Shark vs Dyson

To clarify, my Dyson V7 was purchased in 2019 it’s not entirely fair to compare a brand-new vacuum with one that’s seen five years of use. Comparing my two vacuums isn’t apples to apples. Still, there are some basic features that I feel like are worth noting:

Attachments: Shark has several attachments for the Cordless Pro, including the self-cleaning brushroll, a duster crevice tool, and a pet multi-tool for picking up animal hair. Dyson sells basically the same attachments for their V8 (which is the upgraded model of my older vacuum) so there’s not much difference here. I will say, though, that my Dyson V7 often had hair tangled in the brushroll, and that’s not yet been the case with the Shark.

Storage: My Dyson came with a handy wall mount that also housed attachments. The Shark stands upright but needs to be placed on the floor (and there’s no hub for attachments).

Weight: The Dyson weighs around five pounds, while the Shark Cordless Pro weighs just over eight. It’s not a massive difference, but it might matter to some. You can get a better sense of the size difference between my Dyson and Shark in the image below.

Battery life and charging: Both my Dyson (in its prime) and Shark offer 40 hours of runtime on a full charge. My Dyson doesn’t hold that battery life after five years of dust-busting, but I do believe you can get a battery or motor replacement to extend the life of these devices. (For what it’s worth, I’m not getting rid of my Dyson, just adding to the arsenal!)

Special features: The Shark Cordless Pro is more tricked out than the Dyson V8 series, with Clean Sense IQ tech and an LED display. Dyson, of course, also has snazzy, high-tech vacuums that sense dirt and debris—they do come at a significantly higher price point than the Shark Cordless Pro, though.

Price: Here’s where the main difference between Shark and Dyson products seems to lie. As I mentioned above, Dyson has vacuums that are more in line with the features of the Shark Cordless Pro, but they run anywhere from $450-$900. This Shark model retails for $400 (and is often on sale for around $320).

Final thoughts

Vacuuming was satisfying enough before, but I will admit that the Clean Sense IQ tech of the Shark Cordless Pro adds to the delight. I find myself saying “Ooh, good one!” aloud when it picks up speed—are you judging me? Didn’t think so. While there are plenty of vacuums out there that will do the job, the smoothness of this device, the LED display, and the fact that I don’t need to cut hair out of the brushroll make it pretty exceptional.