Shark - Stratos Powered Lift-Away

As a cleaning lady I won’t touch cordless, bagged, or stick vacuums as they’re typically gimmicks or very inconvenient, with the same old technology and engineering that’s existed since the first household vacuums hit the market. Kirbys are very nice but expensive and heavier than hell, at least the ones I’ve handled that my clients ask me to use. You want a vacuum that can take a beating and be used on virtually any surface in your home, the Shark Lift Away Navigator Professional (grey with headlights), Shark Rotator with anti allergen seal (blue/green with yellow brush roll), or Shark Stratos with powered Liftaway. Personally, I hate silicone brush rolls. I’d much rather my hair get caught on the vacuum’s brush roll and have to cut it every couple of vacuums than what the silicone does. It will ball it up after a couple runs or if you let it sit on the hair in the carpet, so eventually the silicone deteriorates after about 200-300 vacuums and will no longer bunch up the hair, and god forbid you have a lot of hair fall. This is my only complaint with the Shark Stratos Liftaway, as one typically lasts 1-1 1/2 years in my cleaning business. 780-800 cleans per year, 1500-4000 sq ft homes. It can take a beating but eventually will stop picking up hair as well. The other two I mentioned, the navigator and rotator with anti allergen are my personal faves. The navigator has unbeatable suction, so much so that you definitely can pull up your carpet if you’re not careful with it. The rotator I have admittedly never used, but it takes my favorite parts of the Stratos and combines it with the navigators traditional brush roll and an anti allergen seal, essential for not undoing a dusting you just did. As for canister vacuums, bissell zing, all the way. I’ve had to use it on carpet when my Stratos broke mid clean, and it does the job.

I have a Shark Stratos (corded) and I actually really love vacuuming with it. Everyone here says it won't last. Time will tell. I am saving up to buy a Sebo or Miele. Ideally I will have both the Statos and a high end vaccum. I can't wait to compare them with the Shark Stratos. People here say they filter the air better and I will get a deeper clean.

I have that Shark Stratos. I bought it before I knew better. It's okay but if I were you I would go with the Kenmore 600 or Sebo Dart. Bagless vacuums are NOT as good as bagged ones.

A stick vacuum isn't going to be effective for thoroughly cleaning carpeting. It is okay for quick pickups but that is about it. I had a Shark corded stick vacuum for 6 years as my main vacuum and it didn't clean my carpeting well at all. I have a corded Shark Stratos now. It does a way better job than the Shark stick vacuum. However, my next vacuum will be a bagged machine. I hate washing the filters and emptying the dust cup.

Shark https://sharkclean.co.uk/product/shark-stratos-pet-pro-anti-hair-wrap-plus-anti-odour-upright-vacuum-nz860ukt-zidNZ860UKT Dysons are overpriced and their build quality has declined over the years

Didn’t see this. Posted a link above. I agree, they’re great. Have a shark cordless and upright.

Got a Statos directly from Shark for $250, on sale and a promo code. Thanks retailmenot.com!

My mother bought 2 Miele C3 Cat and Dog vacs. They've been shit. Get dirty and hot very easily, lose suction, hard to clean. I'm surprised they get such a good rap. I got a shark strator XL or whatever it's called and it's been wonderful. So many little design choices to make it easy to pull apart and clean or get to tight spots or even just manage the cable as you're moving around the house. It even has different power settings and lights to indicate faults if you suck something up you shouldn't have. I heard they weren't great AFTER i bought one but it's been a joy to use copared to the just as expensive Miele that looks and performs like it was designed 20 years ago and not in a bulletproof way.

A lot of commercial cleaning companies I’ve seen use Shark Stratos or other top end Shark vacuums, actually bought one based on a review from a woman that owned a cleaning company using something crazy like 100 of them over their locations and swore by them. It’s a fucking fantastic vacuum cleaner, only ever needs one pass even with pet fur, never clogs with hair, really have no complaints with it I can think of besides the weight but it’s built like a tank and maneuvers well so I can’t even really complain about that. Used to stick with Hoover bagged vacuum models since that’s what my parents recommended to me, and it is so much better in every conceivable way.

I love my Shark Stratos. Paid about $500, got the package with the steam mop. I'll agree it's not a "commercial style" vac, but it works very well and beats having to replace the Bissell every year or two. My friend liked mine so much, she bought one too and still loves it.

Tried the Miele pet hoover and it’s awful. Don’t bother, unless you want to be unclogging the roller every time you use it. We switched to the Shark Stratos XL and it’s a million times better.  

Shark stratos. Any shark lift away

Check out VacuumWars on YouTube for reviews. He uses really objective testing. My recommendation is the shark Apex/Vertex/Stratos duo clean zero m. It has a little comb inside that basically stops all hair tangles around the roller and it has two rollers- a soft roller for hard floors and a brush for carpet. It can be lifted off for handheld use. It's a 10/10. The Apex is the original model, there's now the Vertex and I think Stratos But you're more likely to find the apex on sale. This isn't a super cheap vacuum but it isn't outrageous either. It also has great filtration.

I have a Shark Stratos and love it. This is after owning many dysons.

We have 2 cats (used to have 3) and have used shark for years. We've had many sharks over the years. Specifically the lift away, power lift away, navigator I think it's called and then a rocket. Rocket died in like 3 years but the lift away lasted almost a decade. the power lift away can't remember but I think it lasted a few years. Navigator I can't remember lmfao. Currently we have a dirt devil "endura reach" I think it's called and a Kirby avalir. Both are pretty good. Endura reach has a pretty short cord tho. But most sharks or some have anti hair wrap technology on their brush rolls. That's already worth every penny if you've got cats. So I'd look at a shark if you've got pets. Hope this helps.

I have a few Shark vacuums... powered lift away for big stuff and two ultracyclone pet pro hand vacuums for smaller stuff. I've tried others and my big one has been working well for over 10 years! The two hand vacuums, well I have two because the batteries don't last for long but they work well otherwise. Hence why I have two.

Sebo powerhead. So incredibly easy to clean. I also had great luck with the Shark duoclean powerfin system but the actual vacuum was a dumpster file. Didn’t last a year. I also learned I prefer bagged vacuums to help trap and contain the allergies, dust, hair. My Sebo canister has four levels of filtering on it. My Dyson smells like it has none.

I use a shark anti-allergen pet plus with self-cleaning brush roll. My brother and myself have waist length hair and I have a Maine coon mix and a domestic medium hair cat. The brush roll has not clogged with all of that hair.

I bought a Shark Upright Liftaway in 2023 for my upstairs (I have a large house) and I liked it so much that when my main-level vac died I got a Shark "Powerdetect", description includes "with Powerful Suction for Pet Hair Pickup". These vacuum cleaners have the strongest suction I've ever seen and the ability to lift off the canister and just use that is really useful.

I’ve had the Shark Lift Away (line #5) for probably 8-10 years now and it’s been great. Handles long hair and pet hair reasonably well and is very mobile. My only complaint is that you can’t attach the beater head to the wand portion, which limits how far you can reach under furniture. But other than that, it’s a great vacuum, especially for the price!

Mine has been fine for 3.5 years with a dog and fiancé. I clean the filters regularly and wipe the insides down once in a while.

Whatever you do, DO NOT buy the Shark Lift Away models. They are absolutely terrible in longevity, being built with cheap plastic parts at the bottom hinges, which will break in a few years. It is very poorly designed in that section. Suction is great. Longevity is awful.

There is so much weight on the bottom hinge that it eventually gives way. Suction performance is great. Don't expect longevity. I bought mine in 2017. It was broken by 2023. My hoover (bagged) lasted from 99 till 2017 when I gave it away but its suction performance was nowhere near that of the Shark. I just wish Shark made more durable products.

Our lift away is 10 years old and still going strong! I'm looking for an upgrade now because we can afford something that cleans a bit better but it's done very well for a vacuum under $200.

Can you get some plastic carpet protectors? Those are a godsend in my piggy room.  I'll also sweep the carpet that is exposed real quick before vacuuming just to get the long cloggy hay fibers mostly out of there, which cuts down on clogs drastically. I use a shark liftaway vacuum, I actually really like it 😅

Have had my shark lift away for 7 years now and LOVE it. Having the light on the bottom really helps on hard wood & laminate floors. I've gone back to using it over a cordless Dyson I was gifted.

I had my first shark lift away for around 9 yrs. It survived a triple coated dog through many blowout seasons. When I accidentally broke the canister shark sent me a new one free of charge even though it was out of warranty. I will.always buy shark brand vacuums

I like my Shark Lift away. It was both a Wirecutter and consumer reports top pick. My house cleaner likes it better than others she uses at other houses. I got mine at Target but Amazon has them now as well.

I have an old Shark Lift Away that we bought eight years ago when we got our first Sam. It definitely does the job and it’s great although the rollers are a little hard to clean (the dogs’ hairs don’t get stuck in the rollers, mine do 💀). There are definitely better vacuums on the market for people with larger houses but I live in a fairly small house with laminate floors, and an apartment with laminate floors prior to that, so I don’t really need much. For traction I basically have covered the dogs’ travel paths and play areas with area or runner rugs and the vacuum does a good job on those.

The shark lift away is truly BIFL. Every part that could get clogged is removable and makes fixing incredibly easy.

I second this vacuum. My chocolate doesn’t like it, but it picks up her hair with ease.

I've had an old hoover and a new hoover....still like my shark lift away way better 🤷‍♀️

I’ve had a Shark liftaway for 15 years and it still works great. It’s possible their quality has deteriorated over time, but I have no complaints.

A Shark lift away model. Will do carpet and hard floors, and get under things like the bed.

I’ve had a corded shark lift away for 10+ years and it’s still going strong. Seems like a much better value. Only thing I’ve had to fix/replace was the hose.

No. I got one from Costco (Liftaway). I used it fairly gently for maybe a year or so then it bricked itself. I checked the contacts, power to the head, etc. (I'm an engineer). It's just dead. Seems like poorly built garbage. I'll never buy another.

Some version of the Shark Lift-Away is typically offered on BF by Walmart for about $99, probably closer to $120 or more now with inflation.  If they are showing out of stock at your local Walmarts, what you want to do is change your zipcode to more rural areas close by you in the app or online. Apparently they have a set number of the BF-priced model at each store. My last shark I had to drive 20 minutes out of the city for, but it was totally worth it to save $70. Also check Target and Costco or Sam's if you have memberships there. I know for a fact I've seen Costco advertising them, too. Oh yeah, to answer your question - from my experience, with vacuums they don't tend to mark them down any further, the danger here is them selling out.

I am having the same issue. I bought a shark lift away which I loved for 2 months then the latch broke so front brush roll won't stay in. Since then I've bought 3 other vacuums and none of them pich up dust or dog hair. I need an affordable vacuum that will work on hard floors that will suck up pet hair and dust. In the past I had a Tineco vacuum mop and I agree with the comment on the smell and mine didn't pick up anything very well. I have long haired dogs and I need something that works. Plus I'm on a fixed income so I can't pay $700 for a vacuum. I'm at a loss

Agreed. We’ve had our shark lift away for just over 3 years and I’ve been very happy with it. No noticeable change in performance, great suction, and easy maintenance.

Any of the Shark lift away vacuums 💯

My shark lift away is still kickin after 4 years but it’s happened 3 times where it just stops working and I had to open up the screws and remove some random clog, my buddies Dyson never had that issue although his battery is trash compared to mine

This is so funny, I’ve had the shark lift away for 6 years and liked it. I didn’t realize that was apparently the consensus for it! Ive thought about upgrading since I used it to vacuum some hot cinders from a grill (not an intelligent choice) and now it always smells like fire… maybe I just replace it after seeing this chart

I’ve had my shark lift away for about 6 years and it’s still going strong, but can’t speak to any of the others. I always hear Miele bagged is the way to go

Shark lift away was well worth the extra pennies.

I have the shark lift away and love it. If you have carpets though no matter what you get I highly recommend a carpet rake. It’ll help get up some of the hair before vacuuming. We ruined a few vacuums with dog hair before learning this.

Which Shark do you have? I just bought the Lift Away (corded) at Costco and it seems solid in the few times we've used it.

Which Shark did you get? I just got the Lift Away and it seems fine, especially for the price ($150 at Costco).

I’m in sort of of the same boat. My wife trains service dogs and we have 5 dogs (and 3 kids) in the house. Also, because 5 dogs, my back yard is a mud farm and everything is coated in a layer of dirt. We have a tinneco pure 1 (it’s a stick vacuum with a base compartment). We vacuum the main part of the house where the dogs are (living room, laundry, entry, kitchen dining room). The living room really is the place we vacuum, 3-4 times a day but everything listed gets hit at least once a day (maybe twice in rainy days). We decided that making vacuuming convenient was more important than doing it super well (cause let’s face it, it’s gonna be dirty again in 5 minutes) and reliability took a back seat to convenience. So for us convenience > reliability > performance. We didn’t think ANY vacuum would make our floors 100% clean, so we didn’t try. Just get them 80% and but clean often. Then we mop probably every day or every other day…..(why do we have this many dogs again?) THEN we keep a corded shark in the basement where we keep their kennels. The shark is 5 years old and it sucks up everything but it’s heavy, so it stays in the basement) we also use this one to vacuum their kennels. We found that doing some work on our yard and cleaning the dogs as they come in, helped a ton. We still haven’t found a great solution yet. I rambled a lot. If you have any questions or suggestions for us. Let me know.

Shark Cordless (don’t remember model number but was great on hardwood, horrible on the rugs). We also tried variety if stains (cordless and corded) from friends and they all failed. Currently we’ve gone back to a 10+ year old corded shark that performs ok, not great. But very heavy and cumbersome. Main floor for house is 50/50 hardwoods and rugs. Rugs are thin bc they are all washable (pets). Upstairs is wall to wall carpet but gated off to keep pets downstairs. Budget…honestly anything at this point. I guess I’d like to keep it under $700 but at this point I really don’t even care. We haven’t tried any canisters, open to that is they aren’t too cumbersome, I have RA, so easy to maneuver is pretty important.

I LOVE the Shark corded vacuum. Easiest to clean, switch out parts, consistent suction, power not limited by battery. Win-win!

Get a Shark. So much better than a Dyson as a fraction of the cost and their attachments use synthetic bristles. We had a top of the range cordless Dyson and we’ve had multiple corded Dysons and they’ve all been terrible. This corded Shark one I’ve got now is amazing, most powerful vac I’ve ever used. In general I’d avoid cordless vacs unless you live in a tiny place, otherwise it won’t even clean your full house before it needs charging.