The Shark WANDVAC System is a simple upright/handheld vacuum. It's essentially an upgraded version of the Shark WANDVAC with a wand and a floorhead. Being based on a handheld vacuum comes with a few compromises; while it's lighter and more maneuverable than most conventional cordless stick vacuums, it's also stuck with a tiny dirt compartment, weak suction motor, and low-capacity battery that can be depleted in less than 10 minutes depending on what setting you use. Still, it's a fairly easy vacuum to maintain and incurs virtually no recurring costs.
It's worth noting that there are multiple variants of this vacuum, though they only really differ in terms of color and included attachments Further details on the differences between models are outlined in the Differences Between Variants section of the review.
The Shark WANDVAC System is okay for bare floors. It's fairly effective at dealing with large debris like cereal, but medium-sized and fine debris can be flung outwards by the rotation of the brushroll, and some debris can fall out of its dustbin if it's overfilled. It's maneuverable thanks to its rotating head and configurable design, and it incurs virtually no recurring costs.
The Shark WANDVAC System is very good on low-pile carpets. It's okay at dealing with large material on this surface type, but its floorhead does little to dislodge medium-sized and fine debris embedded within carpet fibers. It also has a tiny dirt compartment, but on the plus side, it incurs virtually no recurring costs and is fairly easy to maintain.
The Shark WANDVAC System's performance on high-pile carpets is mediocre. It struggles with most kinds of debris on this surface type. Its tiny dirt compartment needs emptying often, but on the plus side, it incurs practically no recurring costs.
The Shark WANDVAC System is a middling option for pet hair. It has no problem clearing pet hair on bare floors, but its floorhead does almost nothing to clear away hair on carpeted floors. It also doesn't have an allergen-trapping HEPA filter, but thankfully, it incurs practically no recurring costs and is fairly well-built and easy to maintain.
The Shark WANDVAC System is a good choice for cleaning stairs. It's portable and easy to switch into a handheld, which helps clean tight or awkward areas. It's cordless, so you don't need to worry about swapping outlets halfway through cleaning your stairs, and it delivers very good performance across surface types. However, its dirt compartment is tiny and needs frequent emptying.
The Shark WANDVAC System is an okay choice for cleaning your car's interior. It's cordless, so it's suitable for cleaning far-off areas and can be reconfigured as a handheld vacuum. It comes with an upholstery tool that can help dislodge dirt from car seats, as well as a crevice tool for cleaning tight spots.
The Shark WANDVAC System isn't designed for workshop cleaning. It isn't designed to clear away liquid spills, and using it to clear away workshop material like wood or metal shavings will damage its internals.
The Shark WANDVAC System has a couple of different variants. We tested the WS620 model, and you can see its label here.
Model Name | Parts Included | Color | Notes |
WS620 | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi Tool | Slate | |
WS630 | Crevice tool | Blue | |
WS632BLBRN | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Cove | |
WS632GDBRN | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Gold | |
WS632GNBRN | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Sage Green | |
WS632PKBRN | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Thistle | |
WS632RGBRN | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Rose Gold | |
WS633 | Motorized Turbo brush, Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Navy | |
WS642 | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Steel Grey | Suction power isn't adjustable |
WS642BL | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Pure Water | Suction power isn't adjustable |
WS642GN | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Sage Green | Suction power isn't adjustable |
WS642RG | Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | Rose Gold | Suction power isn't adjustable |
WS642AE | Self-emptying base station, Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool | White | Suction power isn't adjustable |
If your vacuum is different from those above, or if you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
The Shark WANDVAC System is a cordless upright/handheld vacuum. It's great at sucking up pet hair from all surface types, and while it struggles a bit with fine debris like baking soda on carpets, it has a very good overall performance on both carpets and bare floors. It has a particularly small dirt compartment for an upright/handheld vacuum and a mediocre battery life, but it's easy to maintain and incurs virtually no recurring costs.
If you're looking for more options, check out our lists of the best cordless vacuums, the best handheld vacuums, and the best car vacuums.
The Dyson V8 is a better vacuum than the Shark WANDVAC System for most uses. The Dyson has a bigger dirt compartment and an allergen-trapping HEPA filter. It also has a significantly better performance on almost all surface types. That said, the Shark is lighter.
The Shark Rocket Pet Pro is a better vacuum than the Shark WANDVAC System. The Rocket Pet Pro has a much better performance on bare floors, a bigger dirt compartment, and a better battery life. On the other hand, the Wandvac System is lighter and does a somewhat better job of cleaning high-pile carpets.
The Shark Vertex Lightweight Cordless is a better vacuum for most uses than the Shark WANDVAC System. The Vertex Lightweight Cordless has a much better battery life and a significantly bigger dirt compartment. It also delivers better performance on bare floors. On the other hand, the Wandvac System does a better job of cleaning carpets and is more portable.
The Shark WANDVAC System is a better vacuum for most uses than the BISSELL Adapt Ion. The Shark does a much better job of clearing debris from all surface types and comes with more tools and brushes. On the other hand, the BISSELL picks up marginally more pet hair from carpets and has a more spacious dirt compartment.
The Shark WANDVAC System is a better vacuum than the JASHEN V16. The Shark is more portable and does a much better job clearing debris from all surface types. On the other hand, the JASHEN V16 has a better battery life and a bigger dirt compartment.
The Samsung Jet 90 Complete and the Shark WANDVAC System have different strengths, and you may prefer either one depending on your needs. The Samsung is the more powerful, versatile vacuum, with better overall debris pickup performance on most surfaces. It also has a bigger dirt compartment and a better battery life. On the other hand, the Shark is more portable, and its storage rack takes up less space.
The Shark WANDVAC System is a better vacuum than the Dyson Omni-glide. The Shark delivers significantly better performance on bare floors and does a very good job of cleaning carpets. It also comes with an upholstery tool for cleaning fabric-covered furniture. The Dyson isn't intended for cleaning carpets and delivers a mediocre performance on bare floors, but it has a uniquely designed rotating head that helps make it much more maneuverable.
The Samsung Jet 70 is more versatile than the Shark WANDVAC System. The Samsung has a significantly larger dirt compartment, a longer maximum battery life, makes less noise, and performs better across all surface types. It also has fewer parts that need regular cleaning, takes up less room when stored, and comes with a miniature turbo brush attachment, not to mention a five-stage filtration system that includes a HEPA filter. However, the Shark's handheld configuration is noticeably lighter.
The Shark WANDVAC System and Xiaomi Mi Vacuum Cleaner Light each have their strengths. The Shark comes with an upholstery tool and a hard-bristle brush, making it a better option for dealing with messes on furniture, and it delivers considerably better debris pickup performance on carpeted floors. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi is lighter, more maneuverable, better built, and offers much better battery life. It also has a larger dustbin.
The Shark WANDVAC System has an alright build quality. It's entirely made of sturdy plastic, but its wheels feel a bit flimsy. The clear-plastic dirt compartment feels like it could break if dropped. Luckily, its simple design makes it easy to assemble, and you can remove many of the parts with the push of a button.
The Shark WANDVAC System is fairly easy to maintain. It has some parts that need routine maintenance, but the vacuum's simple design means that it's not too complicated.
If you wash any part with water, it should be allowed 24 hours to dry before going back in the vacuum
.The Shark WANDVAC System has virtually no recurring costs as long as it's well-maintained. If a part gets lost or needs replacing, the manufacturer sells dust cups, cyclone filters, and fabric filters on its website.
The Shark WANDVAC System has poor storage capabilities. It has a charging and storage station with a slightly smaller footprint than some other upright/handheld models, like the Shark APEX Upright. It's stored with its wand and body in two pieces, so it doesn't take up too much vertical space. However, it has no onboard storage for its tools or room for them on the storage rack. Also, while there are grooves on the back of the station that you can put part of the power cord through, it doesn't have a way to stow or manage the rest of the cord. The WS642AE variant has a self-emptying charging base that further increases its footprint.
The Shark WANDVAC System has a poor dirt compartment. It's tiny and won't hold a lot of debris before needing to be emptied. On the plus side, it's made of clear plastic, so you can see when it's full, and you can push a button under the handle to release the cover and empty it. Check out the Xiaomi Mi Vacuum Cleaner Light if you want a similarly compact cordless stick vacuum with a bigger dustbin. Alternatively, you could also check out the WS642AE variant of this vacuum, which comes with a self-emptying base station, similar to the Samsung Bespoke Jet's Clean Station accessory, that transfers material from the vacuum's dustbin into an external dirt compartment that's advertised to hold 30 days worth of debris.
The following attachment is exclusive to the WS633 model:
The following attachment is exclusive to the WS642AE model:
The Shark WANDVAC System is a cordless vacuum that has an unlimited range as long as there's room left in the dirt compartment and battery life remains.
The Shark WANDVAC System is amazingly portable. It's not very heavy overall and feels fairly light in your hand in its upright configuration. A carrying handle built into the body makes it a bit easier to carry between rooms or from floor to floor.
The Shark WANDVAC System's battery performance is mediocre. If configured as an upright vacuum and set to 'Boost' mode, it only provides roughly eight minutes of continuous use. That stretches to about 17 minutes if you use it as a handheld vacuum with no tools attached. It takes about three hours to recharge completely.
The Shark WANDVAC System has a few extra features. The main head rotates, making it easier to navigate around obstacles and tight spaces. There are buttons on top of the handle to turn the vacuum on and off and to release the dirt compartment cover so you can empty it more easily. There's also a button underneath to turn on 'Boost' mode, which is the more powerful suction setting. However, WS642 variants don't have this 'Boost' function.
The Shark WANDVAC System comes with a few tools and brushes that can be attached to the vacuum in its handheld mode. There's an upholstery tool with a removable soft bristle brush that you can use for cleaning fabric-covered furniture or with the brush for dusting delicate objects like curtains. There's also a crevice tool with a small brush on one side for getting into tight corners and narrow spaces.
The WS630 version doesn't come with this combination upholstery tool/hard-bristle brush, whereas the more expensive WS633 model comes with a motorized turbo brush for cleaning upholstered surfaces.
This vacuum's performance on bare floors is mediocre. It's reasonably good at dealing with larger debris like cereal, but smaller debris like rice and finer material like sand can be caught and projected backward by the motion of the brushroll. In addition, shaking the vacuum slightly when the vacuum is off can cause debris to spill out of the tiny dustbin and fall out the wand, as seen here.
The suction performance is poor. Even at its 'BOOST' setting, this vacuum doesn't exert nearly as much force as more conventional cordless stick vacuums.
This vacuum's airflow performance is poor. It'll struggle with lifting away large amounts of heavier debris.
This vacuum is fairly quiet. It's just about loud enough to mask the sound of nearby conversation, but using it in an enclosed room does help block out most of the noise.
This vacuum is decently maneuverable. When used as an upright vacuum, the rotating head helps it move around furniture and other objects. You may need to crouch down to clean under low-lying furniture, though, and it tends to suck up shaggy carpets and rug tassels. You may also need to lift the vacuum over electrical cords, which is slightly inconvenient because it's somewhat heavy.
However, it's easy to switch into a handheld configuration if you want to clean your couch or a tabletop, and the power button is easy to reach and press. To activate 'Boost' mode, you need to push and hold the button under the handle, which can be a bit tiring after a while.
This vacuum does a great job of dealing with pet hair on fabric surfaces in its 'BOOST' mode. While its battery life is short in this configuration, it does have a noticeable positive impact on pet hair pickup. That said, the angle at which you hold the vacuum is crucial, and the nozzle's narrow width makes it tedious to clean bigger areas.
This vacuum does a good job of sealing in fine particles despite lacking a HEPA filter or even a dirtbag. That said, you'll need to be careful when emptying its dustbin, which can release some finer debris.
The Shark WANDVAC System does a poor job of dealing with debris in cracks. It doesn't exert enough suction power to pull debris from crevices, while its brushroll does little to sweep it free. It does a little better when used as a handheld, but you'll also need to be careful when using it to clean finer debris like baking soda, which can spill outwards onto the filter, causing a loss in suction performance, as seen here.