If you have a bigger home, then the way to get it cleaner faster isn’t necessarily to up power – although that is useful. It’s to super-size everything, as seen with the brand-new Shark Anti Hair Wrap Upright Vacuum Cleaner XL with Powered Lift-Away & TruePet PZ1000UKT. This vacuum cleaner has an extra-large bin and a wide floor head to make short work of any job. With the bin removed, you can reach the main filter; there’s a second post-motor HEPA filter at the bottom. Clean both regularly to keep the vacuum cleaner operating at peak performance. Performance

It’s an improved controller over the previous model, which had a manual air vent and just a slider for hard floor and carpet modes. Here, on the Shark NZ850UKT, the power selector lights up your choice with an LED but only when the wand is plugged in fully; remove the wand or handle and you can’t see which mode you’re on. That’s not such a problem, as with handheld tools, you probably just want the maximum power by sliding the selector fully forward.As well as Lift-Away mode you can detach the handle or wand, using accessories on the end of them. With the wand’s reach, it’s easy to clean around the side of a room without having to bend over or cleaning up high around the ceiling. While raw figures give an idea of performance, it’s the quality of the floor head and suction path that can make a bigger difference. So, onto the real-world tests.

With the bin removed, you can see one of the washable filters, with a second HEPA filter located at the front of the vacuum. This, too, is easy to remove and clean. I tested the Shark NZ850UKT with my standard tools to measure performance in airwatts (AW), an industry standard that combines both suction and airflow. On the had floor more I measured the cleaner at 260.02AW, which is about as powerful as you’ll get from a regular cleaner given that vacuum’s have a maximum power limit. Switching to carpet mode, power drops slightly to 233.96AW, and down to 130.19AW on deep pile mode. The latter might sound a bit low, but this power level stops the vacuum cleaner from clogging up. In the box, you get a crevice tool, a multi-surface brush (it’s a hard brush that turns into an upholstery tool) plus the motorised mini pet power tool. The latter works wonders on sofas and stairs. If you don’t have pets, you can buy the Shark NZ850UK, which is a little cheaper and drops the pet tool from the box.

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In testing, the Shark ICZ300UKT performed extremely well. The soft roller is by far the best tool vacuum cleaners have at their disposal for collecting larger particles, because they trap them without crushing and guide them gently towards the suction tube. On both carpet and hard floor, the Shark gathered all 26g of a 26g Cheerio spill in a faultless, virtuoso performance. Although this cleaner is quite large, it remains easy to use. The power switch on this model has been relocated from the vacuum body to the handle, where it’s simple to grab with a thumb.

Below it sits a slider switch, which lets you change the cleaner’s mode: Hard Floor, Carpet and Deep Pile. This slider adjusts an air valve to reduce power as you move from hard floor up to deep-pile carpet.That’s where Lift-Away mode comes in. Press the button on top and the main vacuum and bin lift off the cleaner. This gives you a handy cylinder cleaner that you can move where you want it. It’s also a bit of a fiddle to remember how to release all the various bits and bobs. Where the wand meets the top of the main unit, there are no fewer than five different buttons and release catches to separate everything, from the hose to the collection bin. It’s all well labelled, but I still found myself having to pause and think about which blue catch to press to release the collection bin. The only time you’re likely to hit an issue is when you want to get under a dining chair, for example, since the large bin gets in the way. That’s where Lift-Away mode comes in: you can remove the entire cylinder and bin and hold it in your hand while cleaning. This lets you use the floor head and get it right under furniture. Last year’s Shark NZ801UKT was one of my favourite vacuum cleaners, delivering power and performance with a great selection of tools. This year, we have the Shark Anti Hair Wrap Upright Vacuum Cleaner with Powered Lift-Away and TruePet NZ850UKT, with an improved and updated design making it easier to use. With excellent suction and near-perfect cleaning on all surfaces, this is one of the best upright vacuum cleaners that you can buy. Design and features Moving onto the pet hair test, I combed cat hair into my test carpet and then gave the vacuum cleaner a pass through the mess. It was all pulled out of the carpet with not a strand left behind.