Shark Cordless Detect Pro review: Flexible suckage

I don’t mind admitting that I expected a much bigger vacuum cleaner when I unboxed the Shark Cordless Detect Pro for this review.

With an auto-empty stand, HEPA filters and a raft of automatic dirt detection features listed on the spec sheet, I was expecting a beast of a vacuum. 

But Shark has managed to compress all of its tech into a tiny and lightweight vacuum. That obviously does come with some limitations — most notably battery life — but does make using the vacuum much more manageable.

This is a stick vacuum perfect for apartment dwellers, though it also serves as a great secondary option to support a robust robot vacuum.

Shark Cordless Detect Pro Vacuum review: Design

The Cordless Detect Pro looks sleek from the moment you take it out of the box. A combination of bright white, copper, and a hint of purple, the vacuum will slip comfortably into any laundry.

It’s remarkably compact, even for a stick vacuum with an auto-empty station. Compared to the Samsung Bespoke Jet Elite Extra I reviewed last year, the entire system seems designed to slot into even the smallest apartment.

Like the Samsung, though, I found the included power cord a little short for my laundry. It’s just over a metre long, but my only free power point is a bit higher off the ground.

The core of the vacuum feels remarkably compact and lightweight. The controls are simple, with just two buttons on the back of the vacuum — one to turn it on, and one to cycle through the different suction modes.

There’s also an LED display that highlights how much dirt is being detected during your clean. It’s almost identical to the system on the Tineco cleaners we reviewed last year.

The display highlights red when the ground is filthy, orange if it’s moderately dirty, and blue when things aren’t too dirty at all. 

It also displays remaining battery life via a four-bar indicator, as well as the suction mode you’re in.

On that front, you get three options: Auto, which adjusts suction based on the floor material, and the amount of dirt being detected using the different sensors in the vacuum; Eco, which is all about maintaining battery life; and Max, which cranks up the suction.

The auto-empty station is compact yet powerful.

Having an auto-empty station with your stick vacuum seems like a bit of overkill in some homes, but I have to say that Shark’s implementation here is pretty good.

When you’re finished vacuuming, simply drop the vacuum (with the stick attached) on the station, and it will automatically empty to a larger bin, which is large enough for about 30 days, according to Shark.

Unlike other vacuums we’ve tested, though, this doesn’t empty into a bag, just into a larger chamber. This is both a blessing and a curse. It means you don’t have the ongoing expense of vacuum bags, but it also means you’ll need to empty and clean the chamber every month.

Given one of the strengths of the vacuum is how well it captures fine dust with its HEPA filter, having to just tip out some of that dust on a monthly basis seems counterproductive.

It’s also not like there isn’t any ongoing expense with the vacuum, either. The base comes with a fragrance puck, which will help your home smell fresh when you empty the vacuum into the base station. 

The other design challenge of the base station, while minor, is that there is only a single storage hook on the side, yet the vacuum comes with four different attachments. 

Clearly, it’s a compact body, and it’s difficult to find a home for four separate attachments. But it makes me wonder why Shark included any clips at all.

The QuadClean Multi-Surface Brushroll 

A big part of the Cordless Detect Pro’s smarts can be found in the QuadClean Multi-Surface brush roll. 

The “dirt detect” functionality sits in the powerhead, alongside sensors for when you vacuum next to an edge, what type of floor you are cleaning, and powerful LED lights that click in when it’s a bit dark.

The wand itself features a bendable design close to the vacuum, so you can more easily clean under surfaces like your bed without having to crawl on the floor.

Overall, this is an intelligently designed vacuum.

Shark Cordless Detect Pro Vacuum review: Performance

If you expect the smaller body or barrel to impact the Shark’s vacuuming performance, you would be mistaken. This thing sucks like a champion.

I put this vacuum through a pretty rigorous testing over the past 6 weeks. From cleaning my car, to getting underneath the beds in my kids rooms, to sucking up the dust after sanding back a wall before painting, the Cordless Detect Pro didn’t miss a beat.

It’s also fascinating to watch. The design of the barrel features a conical mesh that blocks the larger dirt and dust from hitting the filters. Dust, fluff and other debris attaches to this cone as you clean, and then gets sucked off when you dock the vacuum.

One thing that has me confused is the little window within the barrel that has filled with dust over the review period. It doesn’t empty through normal processes, and I can’t find any mention of it in the manual. 

It hasn’t impacted the performance, but it is a little container of dust I don’t seem to be able to clean out.

When it comes to cleaning, though, I particularly appreciate the power head’s performance. The sensor’s in the vacuum kick into gear, and you definitely feel like you’re getting a good clean.

For example, when you vacuum around the edges of your home, the lights on the powerhead will illuminate on the side next to the edge and the vacuum will suck a bit harder. 

Also noticeable is the increase in suction when you transition to carpet from a hard floor. The Cordless Detect Pro kicks it up a gear, and the floor feels cleaner as a result.

While there’s some level of maintenance required for all vacuums, the Detect Pro’s QuadClean brush roll has held up remarkably well in all the cleaning it has done. Where I would have to untangle the hair from my old Dyson V10 every couple of weeks, so far, it looks clean and clear.

Battery performance

While I loved the compact size of the Shark vacuum, it also led to the biggest disappointment I’ve had so far with this vacuum: its battery life.

While Shark promotes a 60-minute runtime, that’s when you keep the vacuum in Eco mode. When you use the Automatic setting, which uses the sensors to adjust suction based on the environment, I found I’d only get about 20–25 minutes from the battery.

That didn’t get me through a full vacuum of the house. I also found it insufficient to give the car a deep clean.

If you live in a smaller apartment, that’s probably still going to be enough battery for your needs. But my three bedroom home needed to be cleaned over a couple of charges. 

Considering my old Dyson V10 could get through the entire home in a single run, this feels moderately disappointing. 

The battery is replaceable, so a second battery could help you get through the full clean, but who wants to fork out for that.

More reassuring is the fact the battery charges relatively quickly. So if you aren’t quite finished with your clean, you can bang it on the charger while you have a cup of coffee, and by the time you’re done it should be pretty good to go.

Shark Cordless Detect Pro Vacuum review: Verdict

The Shark Cordless Detect Pro Vacuum is an impressive vacuum that combines intelligent sensors and great suction to deliver impressive cleaning performance.

It’s impressively compact, combining its auto-empty station and stick vacuum into a unit that can look good in any home or apartment. It’s easy to push around, and lightweight enough to make overhead cleaning easy. 

I would have liked a slightly longer battery life and would prefer if the vacuum emptied into a HEPA sealed vacuum bag, so there’s no need to get up close and personal with your home’s dust.

But given the price and performance, this is an incredible vacuum.

Buy the Shark Cordless Detect Pro vacuum online

Shark Cordless Detect Pro

The Shark Cordless Detect Pro packs incredible cleaning performance into a remarkably small and stylish body, but battery life could be better.

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