Different retailers will have it in different configurations — some will have more floor tools at a higher price tag — but the base MSRP is $139. After our pet vacuum tester’s lackluster experience with his own Miele – Calima, though, we thought long and hard about how to qualify value for a general review. If you’re seriously considering the less expensive Eureka – 3670h without the $40 filter, look closely at the Bissell – Zing first.
But the features that make a vacuum excellent on tile floors may not be as good on wall-to-wall carpet, area rugs or hardwood. The Mighty Mite isn’t a bad little vacuum, but the price increase to get the HEPA filter is hard to swallow. Compared to the Bissell – Zing, you get bigger detailing tools (with some onboard storage) but give up some airflow on account of the filter. You can attach the hose to the shark dustbuster exhaust side of this canister for situations when you want a blower, but you’re better off buying an inexpensive leaf blower for most situations where that would be an asset. The Apex also features Shark’s new “Zero-M” system, which actively combs out hairs so they don’t get wrapped around the roller. This makes the Shark – Apex the best canister vacuum for pet hair, or even for extra-long human hair.
You get all the dust control and utility of the German designs, plus a unique convertible multi-floor head. The cleaner head pulls itself forward a bit on carpet due to the spinning brushroll. This is not too pronounced but you will also notice it when pulling the cleaner head back towards you – its fights you a little. Turning on carpet is average and while the two large wheels at the back of the cleaner head help, the cleaner head still doesn’t turn that sharply. The cleaner head and canister are easier to maneuver and turn on hard flooring.
The soft rollers work well on all surfaces, but the hose is short in canister mode. Shark also includes the obligatory mini-power-brush for cleaning dog hair off your sofa. It’s powered by an electric motor so it won’t just stall out the way cheaper versions of this attachment do if you try to use them on your stairs. At about 17 lbs we’d have to say the vacuum isn’t really lightweight, however the canister is pulled along on wheels so you don’t feel the full weight of the machine when vacuuming. But if you lift the entire vacuum (carrying it up stairs for example) you will feel that the unit is not particularly light.
If you’re sensitive to dust and other allergens, you may want to consider a high-end bagged vacuum cleaner. This is the most rigorous set of tests we’ve done on vacuum cleaners at Wirecutter, particularly the cleaning tests. In previous versions of this guide (and in our other vacuum guides), we also did a bunch of testing, but we didn’t measure the results as carefully. We think it’s pretty cool that, even though we keep refining our tests, the same vacuums keep coming out on top year after year.
It would have been nice if there was also some kind of dusting brush (something with soft bristles). CONSUMER RATINGSWe found owner ratings on several sites (see table below). When these figures were averaged we got an overall score for the Shark Canister Pet of 87.8 out of 100. You can compare it to the score of other canister vacuums in our Canister Vacuum Ratings table or you can view all vacuum scores on our site in the Vacuum Cleaner Finder application. Aside from our best overall pick, this 2-in-1 vacuum and mop robot from Shark is by far one of our favorite models from the brand. We’ve had the opportunity to test it in a variety of real-world settings to understand its performance completely.
You will find yourself occasionally having to pick up the canister and move it about. The compact size of the canister and large handle on top make this easy to do. Here at The Spruce, we want to ensure we fully stand behind every product we recommend and that when we say something is the best, we mean it. You might have noticed The Spruce Approved badge next to the products on this list. Every product with this badge has been rigorously tested in person and carefully selected by our expert team of lab testers and editors. In most cases, we buy all these products ourselves, though occasionally, we get samples provided to us directly by companies.