6 Best Shark Stick Vacuums of 2025

The Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum, BU3521, stands out for its innovative auto-empty system, which truly revolutionizes the post-cleaning experience. Upon returning to its dock, the vacuum automatically empties its contents into a sealed base, significantly reducing dust exposure and eliminating the need for manual bin emptying after every use. This model also incorporates HEPA filtration and an Anti-Allergen Complete Seal, capturing over 99.97% of dust and allergens, making it an excellent choice for allergy sufferers. Its lightweight design, reportedly 30% lighter than the Shark Vertex Pro, enhances maneuverability for cleaning various surfaces.

This vacuum offers commendable versatility with its ability to transform into a removable handvac for above-floor cleaning tasks, complemented by an 8″ Duster Crevice Tool and a Pet-Multi tool. It provides up to 40 minutes of runtime in ECO mode, which is generally sufficient for cleaning most homes, and features an auto-adjusting brushroll that optimizes speed for different floor types, from deep carpets to hard floors. The inclusion of LED headlights on the nozzle is a practical touch, illuminating hidden debris for a more thorough clean.

Further enhancing its user-friendliness, the BU3521 includes a Quiet Mode for its docking station, allowing for silent charging and delayed emptying if preferred. The system is designed for minimal contact with dirt, sealing away fine dust and debris effectively. While the runtime is measured in ECO mode at the hand vacuum, its overall feature set focuses on convenience and hygiene. The BU3521’s auto-empty system provides a significant convenience upgrade over the more budget-conscious Shark Pet Cordless (IX141), which requires manual emptying.

The Shark Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum, IX141, positions itself as a strong contender for budget-conscious households seeking reliable cleaning performance, especially for everyday messes and pet hair. Its HyperVelocity suction delivers commendable power for its category, effectively tackling debris on both hard floors and carpets. The bristle brushroll is designed for multi-surface cleaning, ensuring versatility across different home environments. With up to 40 minutes of runtime measured at the hand vac in standard mode, it offers adequate cleaning time for most tasks.

A key feature of the IX141 is its removable hand vac, which enhances its utility for cleaning above-floor surfaces, upholstery, and car interiors, supported by the included Crevice Tool and Pet Multi-Tool. The XL dust cup is a practical addition, allowing for longer cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied, and features a CleanTouch Dirt Ejector for hands-free debris disposal. Furthermore, LED headlights on the nozzle help illuminate hidden dirt, ensuring a more thorough clean in dimly lit areas like under furniture.

The vacuum’s low-profile design facilitates cleaning under furniture, and its freestanding storage capability, achieved by detaching the hand vac and clipping it to the wand’s base, adds to its convenience. It’s designed to be a straightforward, effective tool for regular maintenance cleaning. While the IX141 offers excellent value for basic cleaning, the Shark PowerDetect (IP1251) justifies its higher investment with significantly more advanced dirt detection technology and a much longer runtime.

The Shark IZ163H Pet Plus Cordless Stick Vacuum is engineered with pet owners in mind, offering powerful suction tailored for everyday messes and high-traffic areas prone to pet hair accumulation. Its standout feature is the Powerfins brushroll, designed for continuous cleaning contact to dig deep into carpets and directly engage hard floors, coupled with a self-cleaning mechanism that effectively prevents hair wrap. This model also incorporates HEPA filtration and an Anti-Allergen Complete Seal, crucial for trapping dust, dander, and other allergens, keeping the air cleaner.

Functionality is further enhanced by the MultiFLEX technology, allowing the wand to bend for easy cleaning under furniture and to fold over for compact, freestanding storage. The removable battery provides up to 40 minutes of runtime (measured at the hand vac in standard mode), offering decent coverage for most homes. For above-floor cleaning, the vacuum easily transforms into a removable hand vac, providing lightweight convenience for tasks like cleaning stairs or upholstery.

The IZ163H includes an XL dust cup with a CleanTouch Dirt Ejector for hygienic emptying and LED headlights to reveal hidden debris. These features combine to make it a robust solution for homes with pets, balancing power with thoughtful design elements. The IZ163H offers specialized pet features and cordless freedom, contrasting with the Shark HV371 Rocket Pro DLX’s consistent corded power and generally lower entry cost.

The Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum, IP1251, positions itself as a premium cleaning solution, boasting Shark’s most advanced cordless suction for superior debris pickup across all floor types. Its redesigned DuoClean Detect nozzle features two brushrolls, enhancing hair pickup and overall cleaning efficacy compared to original DuoClean designs. This model is packed with intelligent features, including four distinct technologies that automatically detect hidden dirt, edges, corners, carpets, and even the cleaning direction, boosting power as needed for an optimized clean.

One of its most impressive attributes is the up to 70-minute runtime in ECO mode (tested at the hand vac), Shark’s longest to date, allowing for extensive whole-home cleaning on a single charge. The MultiFLEX technology adds to its practicality, enabling the wand to bend for easy access under furniture and fold for compact storage. The DirectionDetect technology is particularly innovative, allowing the nozzle to pick up debris on both forward and reverse passes, potentially speeding up cleaning tasks.

Equipped with HEPA filtration, this vacuum ensures that fine dust and allergens are trapped effectively. Included accessories like the 8” Duster Crevice Tool and Pet Multi-Tool further extend its versatility for various cleaning challenges. The IP1251 boasts superior cleaning intelligence and extended runtime, whereas the Shark Clean & Empty (BU3521) prioritizes post-cleaning convenience with its auto-empty dock.

The Shark HV371 Rocket Pro DLX Corded Stick Vacuum offers a compelling solution for users who prioritize consistent, uninterrupted power for deep cleaning tasks, especially on carpets and for pet hair. Being a corded model, it eliminates concerns about battery life, delivering sustained suction throughout the cleaning process. Despite its powerful performance, it maintains an ultra-lightweight profile, weighing less than 10 lbs, which makes it easy to carry and maneuver around the home.

This vacuum demonstrates versatility by easily converting into a handheld vacuum, facilitating floor-to-ceiling cleaning. It features an XL dust cup with a 0.68-quart capacity, allowing for extended cleaning sessions without frequent interruptions for emptying. The easy-release foot pedal simplifies detaching the wand from the nozzle, adding to its user-friendly design, while Advanced Swivel Steering and a low-profile design ensure it can navigate tight spaces and under furniture with ease.

LED headlights on both the handheld vacuum and the nozzle are a practical inclusion, illuminating hidden debris and pet hair for a more thorough clean. Specialized pet tools are included to tackle embedded pet hair on various surfaces and extend reach into hard-to-access areas. The HV371 provides uninterrupted corded cleaning power at an attractive price point, while the Shark Pet Cordless (IX141) offers the maneuverability of a cordless design for a similarly accessible investment.

The Shark WZ531H Cordless Pro Stick Vacuum, offered as a renewed product, presents a balanced combination of powerful suction and intelligent features, making it suitable for tackling everyday messes and high-traffic areas. It incorporates a Powerfins brushroll designed for continuous cleaning contact, effectively digging deep into carpets and directly engaging hard floors. A significant advantage for pet owners is the self-cleaning brushroll, which actively works to prevent hair wrap, maintaining performance over time.

This model features an IQ Display, providing real-time readouts on runtime, cleaning performance, and other vital information, which adds a layer of user control and awareness. It offers up to 40 minutes of runtime (measured at the hand vac in standard mode), which is competitive for cordless stick vacuums in its class. Furthermore, the inclusion of HEPA filtration and an Anti-Allergen Complete Seal ensures that over 99.9% of dust and allergens are captured and trapped.

The WZ531H is designed for convenience with an XL dust cup featuring a Clean Touch Dirt Ejector for hygienic, hands-free emptying. It also transforms into a removable hand vac for versatile cleaning beyond floors, including inside cars or on upholstery, and comes with a crevice tool and dusting brush. The WZ531H (Renewed) delivers a comparable suite of features including a self-cleaning brushroll and HEPA filtration to the Shark Pet Plus (IZ163H), often with a more appealing acquisition cost due to its renewed status.