Shark Vertex Pro cordless vacuum cleaner review – powerful performance on all floors and pet hair

The Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum was designed to give you full-size vacuum power, with the convenience of a lightweight cordless design.

It's the successor to the Shark Vertex Lightweight Cordless Stick, a model that we reviewed and loved. Building on that vacuum's best features, the Pro is loaded with more suction power, a larger dust bin, and a digital display for an upgraded cleaning experience. It also managed to be even lighter in weight, without feeling flimsy.

So, are these upgrades worth it? We've tasked the Shark Vertex Pro through a number of cleaning sessions and are ready to get into the nitty-gritty details to find out if it's one of the best cordless vacuums.

Shark Vertex Pro: Specifications

Shark Vertex Pro: Price and availability

The Shark Vertex Pro is an older Shark model, and is now currently only available at Amazon and Macy's. Surprisingly, it still retails for $449.99, putting it as one of the most expensive cordless Shark vacuums in their range.

The Shark Cordless PowerDetect has since surpassed the Vertex Pro as our favorite cordless vacuum from the brand. It includes more advanced cleaning tech and newer features (like responsive suction power and the option of a self-cleaning base), and costs just $429.99 from Shark.

Cordless vacuums tend to cost around $200 to $400, so the Vertex Pro sits in the higher end of the market. That being said, there are some cordless vacuums that cost $700+ with only slightly improved cleaning, which is why the Vertex Pro is one of the best Dyson alternatives that we've tested.

Who will love the Shark Vertex Pro?

• Power cleaners: Those after power and high-tech specs will enjoy the powerful suction, enlarged dustbin, and generous runtime of this vacuum, which will enable you to power through your cleaning with minimal pauses. Plus, the multi-flex wand makes it easy to access hard-to-reach places.
• Pet owners: The DuoClean PowerFins has excellent hair pick-up while the Self-Cleaning Brushroll resists hair wrap, one of our favorite features in the best vacuum attachments for pet hair.
• Small-space dwellers: It folds compact and doesn't require a specific charging hub.
• Allergy sufferers: This vacuum utilizes HEPA filtration (the gold standard) to capture and trap the most dust, dander, and allergen particles, making it one of the best HEPA vacuums for allergies.

Shark Vertex Pro: Design and features

DuoClean PowerFins
This is the core component of the Shark Vertex models. The Powerfins technology feature two rollers that suck up dirt and dust that maximize floor contact for continuous cleaning. The PowerFins roller is ideal for vacuuming carpets by digging dirt out of the stubborn fibers, while the soft roller picks up small debris and fine particles like dust from hard floors.

Self-Cleaning Brushroll
A self-cleaning brushroll makes sure that human and pet hair doesn't get caught or wrapped in the rollers, reducing suction power and leaving you with the frustrating task of manually removing it. It's essential when vacuuming pet hair the right way.

Multi-Flex Technology
Not only are you unrestricted by cords with the Shark Vertex, but the addition of Multi-Flex Technology also enables you to contort the vacuum into different positions to access hard-to-reach areas. For instance, it flexes up to a 90-degree angle so you can access low areas without bending over, and it's what allows the vacuum to fold in half for compact storage.

Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology
Traps allergens on contact with its HEPA Filtration system and Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology that doesn't expel irritants back into the air, effectively minimizing contact with common household allergens.

Convertible Handheld
In addition to the standard upright mode, you can also seamlessly detach the handheld for above-floor cleaning, and even use the wand for hard-to-reach areas. The included attachments clip on with ease for targeted cleaning.

IQ Display
The digital display screen showcases battery percentage level and indicates the suction level and floor type, selected via two buttons on either side of power button. Toggle between three modes: ECO mode for maximum runtime, Deep Clean mode for increased power and optimized runtine, and Boost mode for maximum suction.

Attachments
This particular Shark vacuum came with a variety of attachments to use with the handheld including a crevice tool, a pet multi-tool that multi-tasks to clean stuck-on debris and remove pet hair from upholstery, and a anti-allergen dust brush for delicate objects, getting in narrow spaces, and dusting blinds.

What is the Shark Vertex Pro like to use?

Unboxing and setup
The Shark Vertex Pro packaging utilizes recyclable paper and cardboard in its packaging as opposed to plastic, which it had previously used. Once everything is unwrapped, the floorhead, multi-flex wand, and hand vacuum all click into place.

Charging and storing
One of the standout features of the Shark Vertex Pro is that the swing-style mechanism of the Multi-Flex design folds in half for easy and compact vacuum storage that doesn't require a designated charging hub, and it can store on its own. It doesn't quite stand upright, a trait common to stick vacuums, but still doesn't require finding a place to prop it up.

The battery is easily removable to be charged on your kitchen counter or in situ wherever you'd like to leave the vacuum to charge. You can even purchase an additional battery if you'd like to have an extra on hand for extended cleaning sessions.

Cleaning Performance
Operation is pretty easy, simply press the center power button and toggle between the carpet or hard floor according to the surface you're cleaning. It automatically turns to the middle Deep Clean mode, then you have to click the button twice to get back to Eco.

The Multi-flex feature works best on hard floors to get deeper under low areas, as the angle becomes too difficult to maneuver, but overall the vacuum exhibits mighty power on both carpet and smooth surfaces.

The vacuum can last up to 60 minutes when used as a Hand Vac on Eco Mode, or up to 46 minutes on a bare floor, and 30 minutes on carpet, both in ECO. Runtime is drastically shortened when in Boost mode, with just 10 minutes of cleaning time.

Emptying the dust bin
The enlarged dust bin (a quart) meant less frequent stops to the bin to empty, and more space for cleaning. Emptying the bin also requires minimal interaction with the dirt, it simply "ejects" into your trash. Easy emptying means that cleaning the vacuum becomes a much easier task each time, too.

Maintenance
The dust bin easily dislodges to be cleaned when needed with water. The top of the bin is also where the pre-motor foam filters sit, which you can pull out to remove. You should clean the vacuum filter once a month by rinsing with water and then leaving to completely dry. The post-motor HEPA filter should be cleaned once or twice a year.

The soft roller pops out from the floor head and can be wiped with a dry cloth, or rinsed as needed. Like the filters, it needs to be completely dry before re-inserting. Hair that initially wraps around the second silicone brushroll will eventually self-clean itself, especially if you continue on the bare floor setting, though you may find yourself wanting to yank off any strands that didn't make it through.

Shark Vertex Pro: Pantry test

I took the Shark Vertex Pro through what I call our 'Pantry Test', which uses common pantry staples to test the real-world suction capabilities of our vacuums. I spread a quarter cup of cereal, a quarter cup of rice, and two tablespoons of sugar on different floor types o see how the vacuum handled food particles, big and small. I also included some hair from my hair brush to see how effective the anti-hair wrap was.

On both carpeted and hard floors, it powered through the food debris with ease. Though it took a little more time on hard floors, I was massively impressed with its performance on hair. This vacuum holds up well against the best vacuums for pet hair.

How does the Shark Vertex Pro compare?

Shark Vertex Pro vs. Shark Vertex Lightweight
When directly compared to the Shark Vertex Lightweight, the weight, build and runtime have a negligible difference. However, the Pro edition has a much larger dustbin of 1qt, as opposed to about a third of a quart. The Pro's battery life is 10 minutes longer and it also hase marginally more powerful suction power. The design also feels more high-end with a digital display that boldly shows battery percentage remaining. At $479, the Pro costs just $50 more than the lightweight.

Shark Vertex Pro vs. other cordless vacuums
The roomier 1-qt. dust bin is larger than what we see from comparable models from Dyson, Tineco, and even Bissell, and the inclusion of the flexible wand means you have more freedom of movement when cleaning.

But other cordless vacuums like the Dyson V15 Detect or the Miele DuoFlex HX1, while more expensive, offer much greater cleaning performance. The best Dyson vacuums also include a green laser that reveals invisible dust, whereas the LED headlights on the Vertex Pro only illuminate the floor. They also have floor detection and automatic, responsive suction power.

Shark Vertex Pro: My verdict

The Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight Cordless Vacuum is an outstanding vacuum performer when you take into account cleaning performance, ease of use, and maneuverability. It's lightweight, even with the larger and more convenient dust bin for extended cleaning too. The compact storing is a neat feature for anyone short on space, or simply a fan of clever design.

Shark still lacks the technology from some of the vacuums I've tried that can automatically adjust suction power according to surface type or debris type, so toggling back and forth between is a bit inconvenient, especially when this helpful technology exists at comparable prices. I do however, greatly value the continuous power and overall ease of operation, the excellent measures taken to seal in allergens and limit interaction with debris, and of course, how it handles hair: that of my dog and myself.

This is certainly a worthy choice for a reliable cordless vacuum that works across all surfaces, although for the price, you might be better off considering one of the latest Shark vacuums with more developed technology.

How I tested

We have a full lowdown of how we test vacuums where you can see our complete methodology.

For brevity, I tested the Shark Vertex Pro in my own home for a few weeks on carpets and hard floors. I used it as the primary vacuum during this time in my home with two dogs, testing out the main floorhead, attachments, and all the features on offer.

I also tested the vacuum using set amounts of cereal, rice and sugar to find out how well it handles debris of different sizes.

Consult our vacuum jargon buster to better understand any of the terms in this review.

Next, consider one of the best multi-surface vacuums for tried-and-tested advice on the most versatile cleaners.