The Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away is a cordless upright vacuum. It's a successor to the discontinued Shark ION P50 Cord-Free Powered Lift-Away, with a similar 'Lift-Away' design that enables you to pick up and carry its canister body separately from its floorhead to clean hard-to-reach areas. It delivers fantastic performance on bare floors and does an excellent job dealing with debris on high-pile carpets. It does feel somewhat fragile in places and has quite a few parts that need regular cleaning.
Our Verdict
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is decent for bare floors. It does a fantastic job of dealing with pet hair and can clear most debris on hard surfaces. That said, while its twin-brushroll floorhead helps to dislodge debris from shallow cracks and crevices, it can also break up some larger debris like cereal, requiring additional passes to thoroughly clean. It's easy to maneuver between obstacles, doesn't make all that much noise, and has a bagless design that incurs low recurring costs. It does have quite a few parts that need regular cleaning. In addition, its bulky dirt compartment can make it hard to clean under tables and chairs.
Good performance on bare floors.
- Low recurring costs.
- Decent battery performance.
- Demanding maintenance requirements.
- Primary brushroll isn't removable.
Build quality isn't particularly sturdy.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is satisfactory for low-pile carpet. It's highly effective in dealing with pet hair and fine debris, but you might need to make an extra pass to fully clean larger material. It's reasonably easy to maneuver around obstacles, though its bulky dirt compartment can make it hard to clean under some tables and chairs. It has a decently long battery life when used in its default power mode, and its bagless design incurs minimal recurring costs. Unfortunately, it has many parts that need regular cleaning. It also lacks a brushroll off switch, so it can sometimes get stuck on rug tassels.
- Low recurring costs.
- Decent battery performance.
- Superb pet hair cleaning performance.
- Demanding maintenance requirements.
- Rug tassels can get stuck in floorhead.
Build quality isn't particularly sturdy.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is decent for vacuuming high-pile carpet. It easily cleans pet hair and larger debris on this surface type, but you might need to make an extra pass to deal with finer material. Suction performance remains consistent as its dustbin fills up, which is good if you have several large messes to deal with. It isn't very loud either, even when used in its most powerful suction mode. However, it doesn't have any floorhead height adjustment, so it can sometimes get stuck on shag-pile rugs.
- Low recurring costs.
- Decent battery performance.
- Superb pet hair cleaning performance.
- Demanding maintenance requirements.
- No floorhead height adjustment.
Build quality isn't particularly sturdy.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is good for dealing with pet hair. It easily sucks up pet hair on bare floors, furniture, and low and high-pile carpet. There's also an onboard HEPA filter to trap allergens as you clean, which is good if your pet sheds heavily. It also isn't very noisy, which is good if your pet is sensitive to loud noises. Unfortunately, since it doesn't have any mopping capability, it struggles to deal with stains. Its primary brushroll isn't removable either, making it very difficult to remove any tangled hair.
- Low recurring costs.
- Onboard HEPA filter.
- Superb pet hair cleaning performance.
- Not especially noisy.
- Demanding maintenance requirements.
- Primary brushroll isn't removable.
- Terrible stain-cleaning performance.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is an great option for vacuuming stairs. Its cordless design ensures that you don't need to worry about tripping over a power cable while climbing up and down stairs. Its 'Lift-Away' alternative configuration allows you to pick up and carry its canister body with you rather than having to maneuver the entire vacuum on stairs. It performs exceptionally well on bare surfaces and does a great job of dealing with messes on low and high-pile carpet. However, it does feel a little fragile in places, especially its clear plastic dustbin. It doesn't come with a miniature turbo brush either, which would make it easier to clean carpeted stairs in its handheld configuration.
Good performance on bare floors.
- Decent battery performance.
- No miniature turbo brush attachment.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is good for vacuuming the inside of your car. Its cordless design ensures that you don't need to park close to an outlet, while its 'Lift-Away' configuration makes it easier to clean hard-to-reach areas. It's very effective when clearing away debris on hard surfaces and low-pile carpet. While it doesn't come with a miniature turbo brush, which would make it easier to clean fabric-lined surfaces and floormats, it does come with a crevice tool, a dedicated upholstery tool, a clip-on hard bristle brush, and a soft-bristle brush for cleaning delicate surfaces. Unfortunately, there's no onboard tool storage, so you'll have to stow these attachments away in a separate location.
- Decent battery performance.
- No miniature turbo brush attachment.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is middling for cleaning your workshop, though this is far from its intended use. It delivers superb performance on bare floors and does a good job of dealing with debris on low-pile carpet. Its secondary soft roller also helps it lift debris stuck in shallow cracks and crevices. However, it doesn't have any mopping capability that would allow it to deal with stains, and you can't use it to clear away liquid spills.
Good performance on bare floors.
- Onboard HEPA filter.
- Demanding maintenance requirements.
- Not wet-compatible.
- Terrible stain-cleaning performance.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 04, 2024:
We've added text for our new performance tests and tweaked our verdicts accordingly at the start of the review.
- Updated Jul 09, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3. We've overhauled our floor performance tests and added new 'Hard Floor Pick-Up,' 'High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' 'Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' and 'Pet-Hair Pick-Up' tests. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Dec 14, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update builds on our previous 'Suction' test with a new 'Airflow' test that more accurately measures a vacuum's ability to generate air movement. If you'd like to see an in-depth look at the reasoning and methodology behind this change, you can see our full changelog here..
- Updated Feb 16, 2023: Added link to the Shark Stratos Cordless review in the 'Build Quality' box to provide an alternative that feels sturdier.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is only available in one color variant: 'Electric Blue.' You can see the label for our test unit here.
Let us know in the comments if you come across another variant, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is a cordless upright vacuum. It's an improvement on the older Shark ION P50 Cord-Free Powered Lift-Away in a few small ways, with a larger dirt compartment and better performance on bare floors and high-pile carpet. Its redesigned 'Anti-Tangle' brushroll is even harder to clean. It's bulkier than the Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight, which shares many of the same design features, but in the form of a more maneuverable cordless stick vacuum.
If you're looking for alternatives, consider our list of the best cordless vacuums, the best cordless vacuums for pet hair, and the best vacuums for tile floors.
The Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away and the Shark Stratos Upright are differently designed vacuums with slightly different intended use cases. The Vertex is a more compact, lighter cordless upright that's better suited to cleaning far-off areas, though it can only run for about 30 to 40 minutes in its default upright configuration. Conversely, the Stratos is a heavier, less maneuverable corded machine, but with better performance on carpeted surfaces. The Stratos also features a suction release slider that makes it easier to maneuver on carpeted floors as well as an odor-neutralization system.
The Dyson V15 Detect is better for more uses than the Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away. The Dyson is a lighter, more portable cordless stick vacuum that features a built-in dirt sensor and a surface-detection system that enables it to change its power mode depending on the floor type you're on. It also has a marginally longer battery life, delivers better performance on low-pile carpets, and is more effective when dealing with debris stuck in cracks and crevices. Meanwhile, the Shark is a cordless upright with a larger dirt compartment and a faster recharging time. Unlike the Dyson, the Shark doesn't come with a miniature turbo brush, but it does have an upholstery tool that helps it do a fantastic job of clearing away pet hair on furniture.
The Dyson V8 and Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away are differently-designed cordless vacuums. The Dyson is a cordless stick vacuum that's easier to maneuver, has fewer parts needing regular cleaning, comes with a miniature turbo brush, and delivers slightly better performance on low-pile carpet. Meanwhile, the Shark is a more sturdily-built cordless upright vacuum with a bigger dirt compartment, a longer battery life, and slightly better performance on bare floors and high-pile carpet. Its secondary soft roller in its floorhead also helps it do a better job of collecting debris in cracks and crevices.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra/Complete is better than the Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away for most uses, though these are still differently designed vacuums with different uses. The Dyson is a more conventional corded upright that's better suited for longer cleaning sessions, as it can run for as long as it's plugged into an electrical socket. It's also easier to maintain, has a larger dustbin, and features an adjustable floorhead that yields significantly better performance on carpeted floors. However, the Shark is cordless, allowing you to clean hard-to-reach areas like the inside of your car with relative ease. It's also quieter and lighter than the Dyson, with a 'Lift-Away' design that lets you use it as a handheld by picking up and carrying its canister body independently of its floorhead.
Test Results
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is decently well-built. Like the older Shark ION P50 Cord-Free Powered Lift-Away, it's mostly made of a mix of satin and matte-finish hard plastic, though it has a lightweight metal wand. Due to its highly reconfigurable design and high number of detachable parts, it isn't quite as sturdy-feeling as the newer, pricier Shark Stratos Cordless, with a slight amount of flex in its structure while sweeping back and forth. That said, it's very easy to take apart and reassemble.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless has a few parts that need regular cleaning.
- Dirt Compartment/Lint Screen: The dirt compartment can be removed by first taking off the wand and handle. You should empty it when you reach the max fill line. The lint screen is built into the top lid of the dustbin lid and should also be cleared of any stuck-on debris or pet hair regularly.
- Pre-Motor Filter Set: You can access the two-piece pre-motor foam and felt filter set by unclipping the filter pre-motor cover on the left-hand side of the vacuum. You should clean the filters every month under cold water.
- HEPA Filter: The HEPA filter can be accessed by removing the battery on the right side of the vacuum canister and pulling the component out. You should clean it with cold water once a year.
- Soft Brushroll: The soft brushroll can be detached from the head and cleaned with cold water when necessary.
- Multi-Fin Brushroll: You can't remove the multi-fin brushroll, which makes it harder to clear away any tangled debris. However, you can remove the brush guard first to allow better access to the brushroll.
- Brush guard: The brush guard can be removed by unlocking three screws underneath the floorhead. While no specific maintenance interval is given, you should still clean it regularly, as debris tends to get stuck in and around the lint strip.
Any component that you can wash under water should be left to dry for at least 24 hours before you can reinstall it.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless incurs low recurring costs.
- Pre-motor filter assembly: You should replace the foam and felt pre-motor filters every two and a half years. A replacement assembly can be purchased from Shark's website.
- Post-motor HEPA filter: You should replace the post-motor HEPA filter every three years. You can buy a replacement from Shark's website if necessary.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is passably easy to store. It's very similar in size to the Shark ION P50 Cord-Free Powered Lift-Away and has a larger footprint than most conventional cordless stick vacuums, even larger models like the Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight. There's also no onboard storage for its tools and accessories.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless has a decent dirt compartment. While its overall shape and design is similar to that of the Shark ION P50 Cord-Free Powered Lift-Away, its max fill line has been moved up, resulting in a higher capacity. You can see a comparison between the two vacuums' dustbins here.
- Shark ICZ362H vacuum body
- Main head w/ multi-fin brushroll
- Soft brushroll
- Brush guard
- Wand
- Dirt compartment
- Hose with handle
- Soft bristle brush
- Hard bristle brush
- Crevice tool
- Upholstery tool
- Pre-motor filter housing
- Pre-motor foam filter
- HEPA filter
- Filter cover
- Battery
- Battery charging dock
- Power adapter
- User guide
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless' range is limited only by the remaining battery life and the room left in its dirt compartment.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is decently portable. It's lighter than most conventional corded uprights like the Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine but is still considerably heavier than stick vacuums like the Shark Vertex Lightweight Cordless. Thankfully it does feel lightweight in your hand.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless has satisfactory battery life. While it only runs for about 10 minutes in its high-power 'Boost' mode, you can expect almost an hour of cleaning time in its most energy-efficient 'ECO' mode in its semi-handheld 'Lift-Away' configuration. Running it in its 'ECO' mode with its floorhead yields anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes of runtime, depending on whether you've selected its 'Bare Floor' or 'Carpet' surface mode. The battery is removable and replaceable, and you can charge it on the included dock.
This vacuum has a few quality-of-life features. Like the Shark ION P50 Cord-Free Powered Lift-Away, you can swap between 'Bare Floor' and 'Carpet' settings, which only affect the speed of its brushrolls. There are also three suction power settings: the energy-efficient 'ECO' mode, the default 'Deep Clean' mode, and the high-power 'Boost' mode for dealing with stubborn debris. The small LED display screen shows you the remaining battery life, surface setting, and suction mode. A headlight built into the floorhead lets you see what you're cleaning in poorly-lit areas.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless has a couple of tools and brushes. You can use the thin 'Anti-Allergen Dust Brush' as a soft-bristle brush for cleaning delicate surfaces as well as a ceiling fan tool. It also comes with a dedicated upholstery tool and a clip-on hard-bristle brush. There's also a crevice tool for tackling debris in tight corners.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless can be configured in two alternate ways from its default upright mode by detaching its canister from its upright chassis. Its 'Lift-Away Mode' function allows you to clean under tables and chairs with its wand and powered floorhead while carrying its canister. You can also remove its wand and floorhead to clean furniture and shelves.
This vacuum performs well on hard floors. It handles most common debris with ease. However, it struggles slightly with larger debris like cereal, which the floorhead tends to break up, requiring additional passes to thoroughly clean.
This vacuum's performance on high-pile carpets is mediocre. It can clear away most of the larger solid debris after a couple of passes, but it isn't very effective for finer debris like sand.
This vacuum's performance is unremarkable on low-pile carpeting. It's fairly effective in dealing with most large and medium-sized debris, like cereal and rice, but struggles with finer debris, like sand, that's thoroughly embedded within the carpet fibers. Its floorhead also tends to trap some large debris, causing a mess when you lift it.
This vacuum offers outstanding pet hair pickup performance. Its brushroll can thoroughly agitate carpet fibers and lift away long and short strands of hair in a single pass.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless has decent real-world suction performance. Using it in its 'Carpet' surface setting helps it exert a greater suction force at its floorhead, though it doesn't change its height to help generate a tighter seal with the contact surface.
This vacuum has decent airflow; in practice, it can lift away most solid debris.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless isn't too noisy. Even in its most noisy configuration, it's quieter than some other cordless uprights like the Hoover ONEPWR Evolve Pet, which is good if you're vacuuming in a more crowded setting.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is very maneuverable. While its floorhead does feel quite heavy and can make it a bit of a hassle to maneuver around obstacles, you can easily reconfigure it into a semi-handheld form for vacuuming on top of furniture. It's somewhat bulky in design, making it tricky to clean under low-lying areas. It also isn't very suited to cleaning shaggy rugs, as they can get caught within its twin brushrolls.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless does an exceptional job sucking up pet hair on upholstered furniture when used in its 'Lift-Away' configuration.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless is effective in sealing in fine particles, thanks in part to its onboard HEPA filter.
The Shark Vertex Pro Cordless does a good job sucking up debris in cracks. Its soft roller helps dislodge debris in shallower crevices, but you should still use it in its semi-handheld configuration with its crevice tool to tackle debris in deeper cracks.
