Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pet Vacuum Review

The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pet feels decently well-built. The vacuum is mostly made from thick plastic, though it does have a lightweight metal wand with plastic fittings, while its dustbin is made of clear plastic. Its floorhead also has twin plastic wheels with rubber treads. It mostly feels pretty solid, with little creaking or flexing while in use.

Components come apart and reattach pretty easily, with plenty of easy-clip mechanisms. That said, while its 'Lift-Away' system works well, releasing the motor unit from the floorhead with the press of a button, it's worth noting that this is a release button you need to bend over and press with your finger, unlike the lower-mounted foot pedal found on pricier Lift-Away models like the Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away.

The Shark ZD201 is fairly easy to maintain, though some parts need regular servicing.

• Dirt compartment: You can remove the dirt compartment by sliding up the release tabs near the grab handle and then lifting it upwards. You can open the bottom door from there to drop any accumulated debris into the trash. Just be aware that doing so can release a big cloud of dust. A separate release button near the top of the dustbin opens the upper section to access the lint screen, which tends to collect a lot of hair; you should clean it as needed.
• Floorhead: The floorhead's brushroll isn't removable, which makes it a bit of a nuisance to access. Thankfully, you won't have to do that very often, as its self-cleaning design is highly effective in preventing hair from getting tangled up in the mechanism. You can easily clear away whatever hair gets stuck by hand or using scissors. You can also unlock the floor nozzle hose cover to clear any blockages.
• Pre-motor filters: The foam and felt pre-motor filters are under the dustbin, and you can pull them out after you've detached the dustbin. You should clean them under cold water every three months.
• Post-motor HEPA filter: The HEPA filter is located at the front of the motor section. You can access it by removing the filter cover and pulling it from its housing. You should wash this part under cold water once a year.

You must air dry any part that's washed with water for at least 24 hours before using it again.

This vacuum incurs very low recurring costs.

• Pre-motor filters: You should replace the pre-motor foam and felt filters every 2.5 years. You can buy a set of replacements here.
• Post-motor HEPA filter: You should replace the HEPA filter after three years. You can find a replacement here.

The Shark ZD201 is decently easy to store. It has a larger footprint than the average cordless stick vacuum but is more compact than many full-size uprights, like the BISSELL CleanView. That said, the detachable accessory holder only has room for a single attachment, and you must manually wind up its power cord.

This vacuum has a good-sized dirt compartment. It's larger than the older Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe and compares favorably to larger uprights like the BISSELL CleanView.

• Vacuum body
• Floorhead with PowerFins Hair Pro and Self-Cleaning brushroll
• Wand
• Handle/Hose
• Dirt compartment
• Upholstery tool
• Crevice tool
• Accessory holder
• Foam pre-motor filter
• Felt pre-motor filter
• Post-motor HEPA filter
• Post-motor HEPA filter cover
• User Guide

The range is passable. The vacuum's power cord is shorter than that of higher-end models like the Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away. Still, it has a longer hose, making it easier to clean difficult-to-reach areas when you use the vacuum in its Lift-Away configuration.

This vacuum is pretty portable, especially for an upright. It weighs considerably less than the Shark Stratos Upright and has a particularly low center of gravity that places minimal strain on your arm in use.

This is a corded vacuum without a battery.

This vacuum has a few quality-of-life features. It has two surface settings. There's 'I Hard Floor,' in which the brushroll spins slowly to avoid scattering around debris, and 'II Carpet,' which speeds up the brushroll's rotation to improve surface agitation on rugs and carpets. However, neither setting changes the brushroll height, which isn't ideal for cleaning uneven surfaces or thick carpeting. There is a suction release slider on its handle, which can be helpful if you find the vacuum to be difficult to push and pull around on some floor types.

There's also an indicator light inside the floorhead for the brushroll's status:

• Solid Green: Brushroll is spinning normally
• Solid Red: Brushroll is jammed
• Flashing Red: Floorhead brushroll motor is overheating

In the case of the latter, the manufacturer recommends unplugging the vacuum and leaving it to cool down for at least an hour.

The Shark ZD201 doesn't have too many tools and accessories. There's a crevice tool for tackling messes in tight corners and an upholstery tool for dealing with debris on fabric-lined furniture. This vacuum also comes with a clip-on tool holder with room for only a single attachment, so you can't carry around both attachments simultaneously.

You can use this vacuum in a semi-handheld configuration by decoupling its canister from its floorhead and cleaning with its wand and hose.

This vacuum's performance on bare floors, when set to its 'I Hard Floor' surface setting, is impressive, but with caveats. It has minimal difficulty dealing with medium-sized and large debris on this surface type, clearing away large amounts of both within a single back-and-forth pass. That said, a very small amount can get stuck in the floorhead instead of being sucked into the dustbin, so some material can fall back out of the floorhead inlet when you turn off the vacuum. The rotation of the brushroll also tends to shoot finer debris like sand toward the inner top plate, causing it to scatter around, as seen here.

This vacuum's performance on high-pile carpet is mediocre, even when set to its 'II Carpet' setting. It's pretty good at dealing with larger debris like cereal but tends to leave behind some debris along walls and in corners. It also has difficulty dealing with finer material like sand embedded within carpet fibers.

This vacuum performs decently on low-pile carpet. It's quite effective in dealing with medium-sized debris like rice but leaves behind a smaller amount of larger debris like cereal. It's more effective in clearing away finer debris like sand on this surface type compared to its performance on high-pile carpet, but you'll still need to make another pass to get everything.

The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pet does a fantastic job of clearing away pet hair on low-pile carpet. Also, it takes a lot of pet hair to jam its brushroll, which is great if you have a heavily-shedding pet.

The Shark ZD201's suction performance is poor. While it offers plenty of suction through its hose, comparable to the Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away, its floorhead doesn't do that good a job of sealing to the ground, so it can have trouble drawing up debris wedged in deeper crevices.

This vacuum's airflow performance is decent. It'll have a little more trouble lifting away heavier debris than pricier uprights like the Dyson Ball Animal 3, but it's a long way from terrible.

This vacuum isn't too loud. It makes more noise than a premium model like the Miele Dynamic U1. However, it won't be too disruptive for people nearby if you vacuum in a partially enclosed room.

Maneuverability is alright. The vacuum itself isn't especially difficult to steer around obstacles, but its relatively large dustbin/motor unit can get in the way when cleaning under tables. Its lack of a floorhead adjustment function means it can easily get bogged down on thick carpets. You'll also need to lift it over obstructions like power cords. Its Lift-Away alternative configuration makes it much easier to clean furniture and shelves. However, it's worth noting that swapping attachments on the fly can be difficult, requiring you to put the dustbin/motor unit down. In addition, one hook for looping the power cord is on the wand, while the other is placed lower on the motor unit; if you want to use the Lift-Away configuration, you'll need to unwind the power cord completely.

This vacuum does a fantastic job of dealing with pet hair with its upholstery tool. You'll need to open up the suction release slider just a tad to make it easier to drag across fabric surfaces, but the tool will easily clear long and short strands of hair in a single pass. A small amount of hair can get left on the lint strips at either end of the suction inlet, as seen here, but this is easy to deal with.

This vacuum is very effective in trapping fine allergens. The manufacturer advertises it as having an allergen-sealed construction and a HEPA-rated motor filter. That said, emptying its dustbin can release a big cloud of dust and fine grit, which is something to watch out for if you have allergies.

This vacuum does an okay job of dealing with debris in cracks. Despite having a reasonably powerful motor, its floorhead doesn't generate that tight a seal with the ground, so it can have some trouble drawing out debris in really tight cracks. Even though it does better in shallower crevices, you're still better off using its crevice tool attachment to clean these areas.

This vacuum has no impact on stains.

This vacuum isn't designed to deal with liquid spills.