This Shark vacuum is an unsung hero for pet hair and large homes - why I recommend it to almost everyone

The Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum is often overlooked in preference to Shark's cordless models, but if you want a reliable, robust, powerful vacuum, I don't think you can do better than this. And the price tag sweetens the deal even more.

Shark have established themselves as making some of the best vacuums. Some even say that they're better than Dyson and, if you need some proof of how they do such a good job, you're in the right place. The Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum is a stand-out model, which can pick up pet hair better than most vacuums and it switches between different floor types effortlessly.

I took this for a spin around my home, making great use of the clever lift-away function that gives you almost cordless flexibility, to give you a good idea of why this vacuum is an unsung hero of Shark's collection,

Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum Specifications

Who would the Shark Lift-Away suit?

The beauty of the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum is that it offers all the benefits of a traditional corded vacuum. You can pick up pet hair with impressive power and you'll benefit from the robust, traditional design. It's a reliable model that would suit large homes with various different floor types and more challenging tasks.

Don't let the fact that it's a corded vacuum mislead you though. One of the stand-out features of the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum is in its name: the Lift-Away function. This lets you pick up the main canister, revealing a portable vacuum that tackles cleaning stairs, upholstery, and those hard-to-reach spots with complete effortlessness.

Whilst this might not boast the ultra-modern aesthetics of Shark's PowerDetect Cordless model, it's a practical choice that has lots of well-considered features integrated. The swivel steering and cleaning accessories will earn their place in any big, busy home. I'm sure of it.

Unboxing the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum

The Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum comes in a surprisingly compact box, so much so I wasn't convinced we had the right model. It's light and easy to lift, thanks to handles on the sides, so you could unbox this anywhere in your home.

Shark is one of the best brands that I know for how they package and send their vacuums. Everything from the box to the protective packaging is 100% recyclable, so you can pack down the paper and carboard to put into your recycling. 

Inside all that lovely packaging, you'll find that Shark is generous with what they send you. Of course, you have the main body of the vacuum and the canister, but they also send extra accessories to help you tackle more specific tasks. You can expect to see: crevice tool, upholstery tool, pet tool, charger and dock. And, there's a neat bag to store all the accessories in when you're not using them. 

What is the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum like to use?

The battery that I had for the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum came with enough charge to start vacuuming straight away, but I had anticipated that all the vacuums I tested would need some time to charge and you can't bank on these batteries turning up full of juice. Shark's charging station is simple, stable, and subtle, so you can pop it in a corner and let it charge without needing to have the whole vacuum on display.

Once I was ready to go, I slotted the battery into the lift away canister and the top display lit up with a percentage of charge. You'll see a fan button and a diamond shape on the top of the vacuum too, which will help you to change the floor type and suction power as you want to. 

One of the first things you'll be struck by is just how quiet this is compared to other models. The Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum had an average dB score of 80, which is about 10 dB less than most of the other vacuums that I tested. This came as a bit of a surprise, since this is also one of the most powerful vacuums, but I won't ask any questions.

There are lots of other handy features about the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum: each button is labelled with what it does (the wand release actually says "wand release"), which makes getting to grips with this easy. It also stands independently, just like a corded vacuum would, so Shark do their best to set you up for success. I'll go deeper into the details in my tests below.

Test 1: flour

The first test that I put every vacuum through is clearing up flour from hardwood floor, carpets, and linoleum. This is designed to emulate finer particles of dust and the lighter particles that might embed themselves deep into carpets. In a nutshell, the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum did a wonderful job. Where most vacuums around this price point needed a couple of passes, especially on the carpet, the Shark cleaned up in one fell swoop. In fact, this was actually so good that I found it was picking up particles that other models had left behind and, eventually, this became "the clean up vacuum" for when cheaper models were making a mess.

As I zoomed around the house with the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum, I noticed two things. First, this transitions between different floor types with ease and effortlessness. It didn't drag or judder on carpets, nor did it fly over hard floors without picking up anything. This is perfect for a home with a little bit of everything.

The second point I noticed was that the dust bin fills up quickly, but I don't think that's an issue of capacity. I actually think that the suction power is so good that it ended up picking up more mess than cheaper vacuums. It's scary, but even more satisfying.

Test 2: cereal

The design of the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum sets it up for success with this next test. I scatter cereal on all three floor types (hardwood, carpets, and linoleum) to test how well the vacuum can pick up larger pieces of debris, whether that's actually cereal, dog kibble, or dried mud. The floorhead has a neat, wide lid which means this looks like it almost mows through big patches of dirt. The cereal was tidily suctioned and collected in the dust bin without any scattering of complaints. It's a very efficient way to clean.

Test 3: whole home and hair

The Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum really shone on this test, which is actually my toughest. I have a dog, long hair, and some hair extensions at the ready, so my house gets covered in some tricky hair to vacuum up. However, the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum's brushroll was effective at picking up all the different types of hair from different surfaces really effectively. I could see these collecting in the dust bin (another moment of part horror and part delight) as the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum worked its way around my home and on different surfaces. 

As you'll know, cleaning the whole house means that you'll need to employ some extra help, which is when I pressed the buttons to release the canister and make use of the Lift-Away feature. This transformed the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum into a flexible, compact, handheld vacuum. I attached the crevice function to pick up dust from between the tines on my staircase; I used the upholstery tool to vacuum the sofa where the dog had been sitting (but if anyone asks, she's not allowed on the sofa), and I reached into the corners of the ceiling to pick up cobwebs. It's one of the best, most innovative features on the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum and it deserves a lot of praise.

Cleaning the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum

I mentioned that all the buttons were labelled, which makes emptying the dust bin easy. The handle gives you good grip on the light canister and so it's really easy to empty this whenever you need to. 

There are some extra maintenance tasks that I recommend you keep an eye on: the dust filter is amazing at capturing fine particles and allergens, but you'l want to keep it clean. Similarly, the floorhead is worth keeping an eye on so that you don't end up with a tangle of hair. The Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum is actually really good at not getting tangled, but I always keep an eye on these things.

I found that the battery didn't struggle, even through my tests and a whole home clean, but it's worth giving this a little charge between uses so that you never come to the vacuum to find that it needs an hour before it can get energised.

How does the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum compare?

I've said that the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum is the unsung hero of the brand's collection, but it's not the only vacuum that I love. Shark's PowerDetect, their latest cordless model, offers some other, quite different but nonetheless impressive, features. The PowerDetect is lighter and slimmer; it empties itself in a charging station; and has a hose which bends to fit under furniture. The PowerDetect feels like the modern, urban sibling to the more robust Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum. The PowerDetect has all the bells and whistles on top of the Lift-Away's versatility, but it's double the price. That's the easiest way to choose between the two. Ask yourself whether you really need the luxury extras of the PowerDetect.

As for affordable models, I put the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum in direct competition with Bissel's rival model amd Henry's Cordless Vacuum and, whilst both offer competitive pricing, the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum cleaned up. The other two felt cheap and they ended up spitting and pushing debris around, whereas the Shark performed just like a Dyson, if not a little better.

Should you buy the Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum?

The Shark Lift-Away Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum is a well-rounded model that offers impressive performance, versatile functionality, and a user-friendly design—all at an accessible price point. It may not have the bells and whistles of some high-end models, but its practical features and reliability make it an excellent choice for busy households, especially those with pets or a mix of flooring types.

How we test

At woman&home, we put vacuums through thorough testing to find the best options for your home. We evaluate everything from suction power and battery life to how well they handle pet hair, crumbs, and everyday dirt. Each model is tested on different floor types for manoeuvrability, noise levels, and ease of emptying and storage. Whether you need a quick cordless cleaner or a heavy-duty deep cleaner, our recommendations are based on how well each vacuum performs in real-life situations.

If you want to find out more, you can visit our dedicated page for how we test vacuums.