In fact, the lift-away option makes the Shark a middle ground between the convenience of a cordless and the power of traditional upright, which is one of the reasons we think it’s such an excellent vacuum. Discover a 2-in-1 model with the Shark NZ690UK – an upright to clean larger floor areas, and a lightweight, portable cleaner that you can take anywhere. Powered Lift-Away technology lets you detach the main unit away from the floorhead, so you can vacuum your whole home in total comfort – from stairs to soft furnishings and ceilings and light fittings. We really like to get a hands-on experience with the products which we feature across Ideal Home, in line with our testing protocol. It means that we get tounderstand more about whatyouare getting for your money. One of the key features of the NZ801UKT anti hair wrap upright vacuum is its powered lift-away design. By detaching the canister from the wand and floorhead, you can clean stairs or other awkward locations much more conveniently. Crucially, the brush bar remains powered when in lift-away mode, so you don’t lose any cleaning performance. Both models come with a surface switch which will allow you to go from hard floor to carpet as necessary. In the hard floor setting which can also be used for small area rugs or delicate carpets, the brush-roll will still spin but at a slower speed.

When referencing the capacity in vacuum cleaners this refers to the amount of dirt and dust particles that the canister (dust bag/dust bin) can hold before filling up. Clearly this is a crucial element when thinking about which vacuum cleaner you want to buy as it gives an indication of how long you can clean before you need to empty the canister. This design feature is a welcome addition, but it can’t match a HEPA filter for filtration. If you have a dust or pet allergy, look for a vacuum with a HEPA filter and a bagged design. With a weight of 6.5kg, the Shark isn’t the lightest vacuum we’ve reviewed, but it’s not too heavy either. It handles well and is easy to manoeuvre around furniture, although we don’t think it can match Dyson Ball technology when it comes to steering. For non-allergy sufferers, however, the NZ801UKT does a good enough job at retaining dust and other particles. Shark NZ801UKT Emptying & CleaningSwitching between carpet and had floors is very easy thanks to the DuoClean brushrolls, which switch over with the touch of a button. It's also possible to go between three power levels, although we found the lowest level perfectly strong enough for the majority of tasks. As mentioned earlier, the NZ801UKT comes with Shark’s DuoClean floorhead. Aside from having two brush bars, there’s the option of switching between carpet and hard floor modes, which affects the speed of the rotating bars. There are some downsides though. While it provides decent performance on carpets, it can’t match the best models for deep cleaning. There’s also no option to adjust the suction power and the eight metre power cord is more restrictive than other models.

Fortunately, it’s still easy to cut any remaining hair in the traditional way, and we don’t think there’s any doubt that the anti tangle feature reduces the quantity of hair caught in the brush bar. Shark NZ801UKT Price & Competitor Comparison As the NZ690Uk is bagless, you don’t need to worry about purchasing replacement bags. Ideal for family households, it even has a high-capacity dust bin – just over one litre – so you can get more cleaning done without constant trips to the bin. A bonus is that the 2-in-1 tool and upholstery brush have on-board storage, which ensures they’re always available and less likely to get lost.

Multi-Purpose Vacuum Cleaner

This level of power is an indicator that this vacuum cleaner is good enough for most standard jobs; if you’ve got bigger bulk to remove, such as dirt from DIY, then a more powerful bagged cleaner, such as a Henry would make more sense. Signature LED lights in the floorhead illuminate hidden dust and dirt so nothing is missed, while the long 8m cord gives you a total cleaning reach of 8.47m. What’s more, the Anti-Allergen Complete Seal captures, and traps 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, making it the ideal appliance for sufferers and homes with pets.

The floorhead also provides decent edge performance, although you’ll still need to use a crevice tool for cleaning right up to walls. Although it is a corded vac, the 9 metre-long cable will give you an adequate radius to work your way around the various floors in the home. Molly lives in a two-bedroom flat, and never found the cord to be an issue, with space to get to all of the rooms she needed to. This is the “True Pet” version of the NZ801UKT series, which means the vacuum comes with a dedicated pet tool. Let’s take a closer look at this vacuum’s features to find out whether it’s worthy of a place on our list of the best upright vacuums. Shark NZ801UKT Appearance, Features & Design How does the Shark’s cleaning performance compare with other upright vacuums though? And is it worth the price? Read our in-depth Shark NZ801UKT review to find out. Overview of the Shark NZ801UKT The Shark NZ801UKT True Pet has become one of the UK’s most popular upright vacuum cleaners. It includes a range of features, such as Shark’s Anti-Hair Wrap technology, powered lift-away design, and pet hair tool. It’s also designed to be a versatile vacuum that’s as effective at cleaning carpets, hard floors, and pet hair.The difference between the two powered modes is in how fast the brush bar on the floor head is spun, but suction remains the same for all modes. If you need to reduce suction to push the vacuum cleaner, then there’s a vent on the handle. In summary, there are some key differences between the Shark NV602UKT and NZ801UKT. Though both have Shark’s signature Lift-Away feature allowing you to go from an upright to a canister mode, quite importantly the Shark NZ801UKT also has DuoClean and Anti Hair Wrap technology. The Shark NV602UKT has the upper hand when it comes to dust capacity with an additional 33% more space than the NZ801UKT. Though the Shark NV602UKT weighs less (5.25kg) than the NZ801UKT overall in its upright form, the Shark NZ801UKT weighs over a kilo less in its Lift-Away canister form than then NV602UKT. When looking at the price the Shark NV602UKT works out typically cheaper than the NZ801UKT. We think it’s hard to overstate how much more convenient the lift-away design is compared to a traditional upright vacuum. Cleaning stairs and cars, in particular, becomes safer and easier, as you can hold the canister in one hand while cleaning with the other. There's a suite of onboard tools which can be used with this vac too, Molly's favourite being the Anti Hair Wrap Power Tool which is great for upholstery and smaller jobs. How we test Shark vacuums The Shark Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Upright Vacuum Cleaner with PowerFins, Powered Lift-Away & TruePet has absolutely everything you need (as you might've guessed from the name) to stay on top of the busiest of homes, in a cordless model.

LiftAwayoffers a removable central canister that can be lifted around to clean stairs and upholstery. This makes is easier to access tough spots, even cars. It’s mostly minor differences between this model and the newer ones, such as the Shark Stratos NZ860UKT. For example, on the NZ860UKT, the hose clips into the wand to stop it from moving about; here, the NZ690UKTDB’s hose is loose.Flexology means your vacuum can be pivoted under furniture using an elbow hinge at the centre of the tube. It saves you from bending and reaching, but it's only available on cordless vacuums.