Cordless Cleaner Reviews

Dustin Ginsberg says:

Over the last few years I've owned three versions of this vacuum, which I use on tile floors. I first chose it when testing the maneuverability of the samples in the store because it was the most easily maneuverable of the several cordless stick vacs on display, and it was relatively inexpensive–about $70, as low as $50 on sale in the U.S.A. The first two versions had a detachable battery with a separate charger (SV800 in the U.S.A), and the last one available was like the one in your video (SV800 N 54 in the U.S.A) . From the first to the second one they made some slight modifications, namely, to the joint on top of the head unit to allow the handle to be lowered even further towards the floor, so that it can now go down to about 17° from horizontal, which is very convenient for getting under tables and chairs. They also added an automatic shut off when the battery gets low while in use.

The main problem is the time it takes to charge, but worse is that the batteries stop holding a charge in about a year, and they were rather expensive from Shark–that's why I ended up buying the second vacuum instead of the battery because it wasn't much more when you include shipping for the battery. I also did, however, buy a second battery. They still did not last very long, alternating them, and I only recharged them once every two or three days.

I still really like the vacuum for my purpose, however. It's so light you can also slide it around on bare floors in addition to maneuvering it. But I think a little carelessness in that regard caused the wheel housing on one of them to break.
 
Unfortunately, these models were discontinued a few years ago in the U.S.A.. I bought an extra battery over year and a half ago for the version you demonstrate, which I kept uncharged as a spare, just now having to use it because the original battery won't hold a charge. Replacement batteries are no longer available from Shark, in the U.S.A., anyway. On Amazon they offer an aftermarket battery for the version I mentioned above where the battery snaps out and you put it in a separate small charger stand. The replacement battery info says they are for the newer versions with a separate charger, but I believe that the version you demonstrate is the newer one, as it was the last model available in U.S.A. and incorporated the latest modifications. These replacement batteries, by the way, are Ni-MH, as opposed to the Ni-Cad which Shark provided, and by most reports work better (more powerful and don't need to be fully run down before recharging), and are cheaper, I cannot find an aftermarket battery for the version you demonstrate, which has a different shape battery that remains inside the unit. This is unfortunate because I have plenty of spare parts between the three units. I may buy an aftermarket replacement battery for the unit with the separate charger and switch to that one when the battery I just put in starts dying in a year or so.

Or I could just buy a different new vacuum cleaner such as the Hoover Air Cordless, which, when I rolled one around in the store, was extremely maneuverable, if not as light as the Shark. The Hoover Air was much more maneuverable than the Shark Navigator Cordless which I had for a few days a year or so ago, until it stopped working completely, including the charger, and I returned it.

Andrew Eslick says:

I noticed you put the filter in backwards. I love your videos I watch them all the time i'm really into vacuum clearners.