Shark Pet/Rocket Pro Cordless [IX141, UZ155, WZ240] Vacuum Review

The build quality is alright. It feels similar to similarly-designed Shark stick vacuums like the Shark Cordless Pet Plus. It’s made mostly from plastic but features an aluminum wand. It feels relatively sturdy for the most part, though its clear plastic dirt compartment is a tad fragile. Thankfully, it's very easy to take apart and reassemble, with most components attaching via easy-clip mechanisms and featuring visible latch buttons to take them apart.

This vacuum has a few components that need regular cleaning.

Any part rinsed under water should dry completely before being reinstalled in the vacuum.

Recurring costs are very low.

• Pre-motor filters: The foam and felt pre-motor filters won't need replacing if they're well-maintained, but you can buy them as a single set from Shark's website if necessary.
• Post-motor filter: The post-motor filter isn't listed as a replaceable wear item either, but you can still buy a replacement from Shark's website if you need to.

You can also buy a replacement lithium-ion fixed battery from Shark’s website.

It isn't a difficult vacuum to stow away when not in use. Like Shark's other stick vacuums, you can detach the main body/dustbin assembly from the wand and stow it onto a slot just above its floorhead to minimize its vertical footprint. Unfortunately, there's no rack or onboard storage for the included attachments, so you'll have to find another place to put them.

The Shark Rocket Pro has a relatively large dirt compartment for a stick vacuum. It's mounted parallel to the wand, allowing for a larger overall capacity than alternatives with vertically-oriented dustbins like the Dyson V8.

• Vacuum motor unit/body
• Vacuum head
• Vacuum wand
• Brushroll cover
• Dirt compartment
• Felt pre-motor filter (with pink tab)
• Foam pre-motor filter
• Post-motor filter
• Recharge cable
• Crevice tool
• Upholstery tool (not included with IX140, IX144AMZ , and IZ142 variants)
• Dusting brush
• User guide

This is a cordless vacuum, so the range is limited only by the remaining battery life.

This vacuum is fairly portable. At a smidge over seven pounds, it's noticeably heavier than contemporaries like the Samsung Jet 60 but much lighter than other Shark stick vacuums like the Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight, which features a more complex dual-roller floorhead as well as a heavier folding wand.

In its 'Barefloor' surface setting with no attachments, you can expect a nearly 40-minute runtime, less than newer Shark vacuums with higher-capacity 2450 mAh battery packs. In its most-power-hungry configuration, with the 'MAX power trigger depressed, the floorhead attached and set to its faster-spinning 'Carpet' setting, battery life drops to just under 15 minutes, which doesn't give you a lot of time to deal with stubborn messes. You can keep tabs on the remaining runtime via the trio of LED indicator lights on the battery, which turn off one by one as the charge level decreases.

Unlike the pricier Shark Cordless Pet Plus, its battery isn't easily removable; instead of the press of a latch, you'll need to remove four Philips-head screws to remove the battery cover and access the pack. Thankfully, you can still buy a replacement pack if its performance degrades over time.

This vacuum has a couple of quality-of-life features. The slider on top of the grab handle allows you to switch between 'Hard Floor' and 'Carpet' modes, which decrease and increase the rotational speed of the brushroll, respectively. However, since there's no height adjustment, its floorhead can still get dogged down in thick carpeting. Pulling and holding the trigger inside the handle activates the vacuum's 'MAX' power setting for cleaning stubborn debris.

This vacuum comes with a somewhat limited attachment set. There's a crevice tool for cleaning tight corners and an upholstery nozzle with a clip-on hard-bristle brush to deal with debris on upholstery or to scrub away embedded dirt.

You can use this vacuum in a handheld configuration by detaching its wand and floorhead.

This vacuum has poor real-world suction performance. While it has the same motor as other Shark vacuums like the Shark Cordless Pet Plus, its floorhead doesn't generate as tight a seal with the ground. Regardless, its floorhead delivers sufficient surface agitation to allow it to draw up most kinds of debris, which does help offset its limited power output.

Note: The attachment point at which hose diameter is measured is D-shaped and doesn't form a perfect circle. As such, the hose diameter was measured at its widest point.

This vacuum's airflow performance is mediocre. It can't generate as much air movement as newer, pricier Shark vacuums like the Shark Stratos Cordless and has a little more difficulty dealing with heavier debris.

It's a very quiet vacuum. Even with its 'MAX' power trigger pulled and the brushroll spinning faster in its 'Carpet' surface setting, you can still hear and understand nearby conversations spoken at a relatively normal volume.

This vacuum has decent maneuverability. It's easy to adjust power and floor type settings on the go or to detach and reattach different tools. However, unlike the pricier Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight, it doesn't have a flexible wand, making cleaning under tables and chairs much easier. Its floorhead also doesn't pivot flat to clean under tables and chairs, but its bottom-mounted dustbin would get in the way even if it did. It does get stuck on carpet tassels and thick rugs, too, requiring you to turn the vacuum off to lift it free.

This vacuum does a great job of dealing with pet hair on furniture, even when used in its standard suction power setting. Its upholstery tool effectively collects pet hair on fabric, though the vacuum's relatively bulky design makes it a nuisance to use for extended periods.

Air filtration performance is poor. This model variant doesn't have a HEPA-rated post-motor filter, and particles can easily escape from its exhaust.

This vacuum does a poor job of cleaning cracks and crevices. It lacks the suction power to lift debris stuck in cracks when using its floorhead. Even using it in its higher-power 'MAX' suction mode does little to improve performance in this respect – you can see a video of the vacuum cleaning crevices in its 'MAX' power mode here and the outcome of that test here.

This vacuum has no impact on dried-on stains.

This vacuum isn't rated to suck up liquid spills.