Courtney Cox's Shark vacuum has tempted me away from a lifetime of Dyson use - here's why

It's been decades since a vacuum has caused as much of a stir as the Shark PowerDetect™ Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum. With a foldable arm, ergonomic design, and powerful suction, the Shark might be the best vacuum I've ever used.

Courtney Cox has often joked that her TV persona Monica doesn’t actually require much acting. “I’m a clean freak,” she wrote on social media, so who better to ask for advice on the best vacuum cleaner on the market?

Historically, the answer has always been Dyson. I’ve used Dysons for decades and so has all my family, but as soon as I used the Shark PowerDetect™ Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum I knew my Dyson days were over.

Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum specifications

Unboxing the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum

Shark is fantastic when it comes to sustainability with their packaging. The slim, relatively light cardboard box is filled with vacuum parts and paper or cardboard. This means you don’t have to put any single-use plastic or polystyrene in the bin. It’s feel-good cleaning at its finest.

You’ll get the vacuum in a few parts: the base station, the floorhead, the accessories, crevice tools, car tools, and material tools too.

All the parts are very simple to assemble and you won’t have to puzzle about what goes where. Another one of Shark’s special skills is user-friendly designs and I would happily hand this to a grandparent as much as I would a toddler. Yes, there is a toddler mode too, so curious little people can help out. It was originally designed to be used on the stairs and in the car (which is does brilliantly), but what’s the point in having little people around if you can’t give them some productive jobs to do too?

Who would the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum suit?

I normally find the “who would it suit?” section really easy to answer because vacuums cater to specific audiences. However, when a vacuum is as good as the Shark PowerDetect™ Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum my answer seems to be “everybody”, which, I know, could be a little more helpful for you.

The bottom line with this vacuum is that it’s powerful and thorough. It takes a lot of the fiddly, daffy bits of cleaning out of the picture. The floorhead, for example, adjusts its suction power when it’s near a skirting board, increasing suction on one side to lift all dirt from the cracks. See? It’s just clever.

One of my favourite features is really designed for people who might have back or mobility issues. The vacuum bends to fit deeply under beds, sofas, and kitchen islands. It’s easy to activate and makes cleaning a lot less sweaty and frustrating. I don’t have any issues and generally consider myself to be fit and healthy and still find this feature really helpful. In fact, it bends so much that the vacuum can stand on its own, making it a game-changer for busy cleaners.

There are other neat extras that make this a the cordless vacuum that a forgetful or busy home needs. The charging station, for example, looks subtle and covers all your maintenance. It empties the vacuum cleanly and quietly and then will charge it up to. It means you’ll never get yourself motivated to tackle a cleaning job and then find your vacuum has gone to sleep. I think of this as a hands-off answer to all the frustrating vacuums out there.

What is the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum like to use?

I never thought I would be one of those people who vacuums regularly, but after investing in the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, I find myself picking this up to tackle small and large tasks. There are lots of clever features integrated into the design, from automatic emptying through to a flexible hose. I'll talk you though these as I use the PowerDetect to tackle my toughest tasks.

Test 1: flour and sugar

I should preface this part by telling you that the Shark PowerDetect™ Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum cleaned up on my tests. I don’t just mean in the practical sense, I mean in the metaphorical, comparative, and every other sense you can think of kind of sense. I used this to tidy up the mess less capable vacuums left behind and it really made a mockery of some very expensive vacuums that I had ready to test. I should emphasised here that this isn’t a sponsored review. The Shark PowerDetect™ Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum just really is that good.

The first test that I put all vacuums through is cleaning up a spill of flour and sugar. I’ll coat hardwood floor, a carpet, and linoleum with the same amount of flour and sugar and then see how the Shark PowerDetect™ Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum does with mopping up the mess.

If you want the abridged version of this test, it was flawless. In one pass, almost everything was cleared off the floor. The one exception was on carpets, which isn’t a surprise, since carpets can harbour a lot of dirt, especially when they’re finer particles like flour and dust. Rather cleverly, Shark’s design teams has put fins in the floorhead that will suck up dust and debris when you’re vacuuming in both directions — most vacuums will only work when you’re pushing them forward. This meant that all I had to do on the carpet front was pull the vacuum back and I had a clean and clear patch underneath me. It’s genius.

Test 2: cereal

The next test that I run all the vacuums through is picking up cereal. This is a representation of the bigger pieces of debris that you’ll find around the house, whether that’s clumps of mud, kibble, or pieces of cereal. The clever floorhead of the Shark is high enough not to create the plough effect. It didn’t push the clumps of granola around, instead, it sucked them up without complaint.

I even thought I could pressure test the design by scattering granola from the hardwood floor into the carpet, but the automatic adjustment for different settings worked a treat, sucking up every last oat.

When I gave this a third and final test, picking up bits of food that fell under my kitchen island, the vacuum bent flat and suctioned everything up as if it was the easiest thing in the world. When you’ve been designed by the Shark team, that’s apparently what this is.

Test 3: hair

My final test is on hair, which, is you have long hair or a dog (I have both) proves to be a bit of a grim task. Hair easily gets caught around rollers and you’ll find yourself picking out tangles and wondering what happened to the glamorous future you once imagined for yourself.

Well, you won’t find me or Courtney Cox doing that, because even with hair extensions scattered around my house, the rollers kept clear of any blockages. After cleaning all five floors of my house, there was just a couple of stubborn hairs that had wrapped themselves around the floorhead and they pulled out easily.

Test 4: whole home

I had to add this section to cover the generic cleaning experience of going around my whole house. There are lots of features that I got to make use of and I want you to know about them. First, the smaller floorhead and toddler mode, which shrinks the vacuum to handheld size, proved to be dexterous and powerful enough to clean my spiral staircase beautifully. There wasn’t a crack or crevice that escaped the wrath of the Shark.

I was initially a little wary of a smaller floorhead, even though it’s helpful for stairs, it means more passes over the floor. However, given that this can vacuum going backwards and forwards, that didn’t really pose a problem for me, at all.

The lights on the floorhead worked scarily well at showing up dust and dirt in more difficult places to clean and the whole house was spotless. One of the other features that Shark changed was sitting the motor in the floorhead, which takes a lot of weight off the upper part of the vacuum. I wondered whether this would make it difficult or unpleasant to push, but you saw what I said about whole home cleaning. I managed five floors and a spiral staircase without needing an arm massage and a big cup of tea. It’s really nice to handle.

Cleaning the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum

Cordless vacuums can often come a cropper when it comes to the cleaning and charging. It’s easy to mess up. I’ve had lots of dust explosions and charging conundrums that have left me in more of a mess than when I started. However, the design of the Shark very cleverly avoids all of that.

Once you’re finished vacuuming, you’ll want to sit the Shark PowerDetect™ Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum in its dock. From here, it’ll empty itself without a word, putting all your waste into a bag that’s stored in the dock. Of course, you’ll need to empty the bag, but mine lasts months before it needs any attention and the vacuum will alert you to this anyway.

Whilst in the dock, the vacuum will charge too. I’ve managed to vacuum as much as I need to on one charge. In fact, I challenge you to make this vacuum run out of battery before you do. It’s brilliant.

Of course, tougher tasks and lots of switching between surfaces will run the Shark lower and quicker, but even then, it’s no cause for concern.

How does the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum compare?

How do I compare the best vacuum I’ve ever used to anything else on the market? With great difficulty. I should address the D-word, because I was a die hard Dyson user before the Shark. I still think their vacuums are fantastic and keep my V15 to hand. As you can imagine, being in a tall house has resulted in me trying to minimise how many floors I have to carry my vacuum up and down.

The Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum Cleaner and the Dyson V15 Detect are both high-performing cordless vacuums, each with unique features cater to different cleaning styles. The Shark model stands out for its affordability, innovative DuoClean Detect nozzle, dirt-sensing technology, and a self-emptying base that efficiently disposes of dust and allergens—a feature absent in the Dyson V15. Additionally, the Shark offers a flexible arm for reaching difficult spots and boasts a longer runtime, enhancing its versatility.

In contrast, the Dyson V15 Detect is renowned for its premium engineering, featuring laser dirt detection, real-time debris display, and automatic suction adjustment based on floor type and debris levels. However, these advanced features come at a significantly higher price point, with the Dyson being nearly £200 more expensive than the Shark. All in all, I'd be tempted to go for the Shark. Shut your ears Dyson.

Should you buy the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum?

Given that this convinced me away from my Dyson obsession, I have to say that this is an amazing vacuum. The Shark Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is incredible. I recommend it to everyone; it's the envy of my friends; and, whilst it's expensive for a Shark vacuum, it's a worthwhile investment to make.

How we test

At woman&home we put vacuums through their paces to find the best models for your home. Our testing covers everything from suction power and ease of use to battery life and how well they tackle pet hair, crumbs, and everyday dust. We assess each vacuum on different floor types, checking for manouverability and noise levels, and we even look at how easy they are to empty and store. Whether you need a cordless wonder for quick clean-ups or a deep-cleaning powerhouse, we make sure our recommendations truly stand up to real-life messes.

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