Cordless Cleaner Reviews

On review here is the Shark DuoClean Cordless Upright Vacuum Cleaner with Powered Lift-Away (IC160UK). This is a battery-powered vacuum cleaner that can switch from an upright vacuum cleaner to a handheld mode to reach those out-of-the way spots under the sofa.

In the box, there’s the IC160 itself, three different heads and a convenient tote bag to keep them in. There’s a crevice tool, an upholstery tool and a dusting brush. There’s a battery charger too.

I’ve been using the Shark for about 9 months now and it’s replaced our household’s existing vacuum cleaner and a much smaller handheld vacuum that was used in the kitchen. The cordless convenience and power of the Shark means that it’s easy just to get the Shark out and whizz round. The difference modes of operation (upright, handheld) and the ease of switching make it really handy for doing everything in one go.

I think the Shark sucks well – watch the video to see it cope with pine needles – though as with any vacuum with rollers, the head needs to be cleaned regularly. It picks up long hair well but they get wrapped round the roller and have to be cut off. Again, this is covered in the video.

As expected these days, there’s no bag. All the dust, dirt and rubbish goes into a transparent cylinder – a dust cup – which you empty out into the bin when full. There’s a certain sense of satisfaction watch all the dirt as it gets sucked up into the cup. The IC160 seems to be able to detect when the cup is too full and will refuse to go until it’s emptied.

My other impression of the Shark is that a great deal of thought has gone into the design of the vacuum. For example, there are suckers on the bottom of the battery charger so that it stays stuck to the surface when you yank the battery out of the charger. There are lots of clips and catches that can be used to get access and remove blockages if you’ve been over enthusiastic in your vacuuming. All the hoses and pipes and heads are interchangeable to help get the cleaning done everywhere. And air is drawn through the battery unit to keep it cool and prolong the battery.

On that topic, battery life is quoted at 50 mins. I get close to that if it’s standard vacuuming, but if i need to use the boost button, the suck time drops quickly. Charging takes around 3 hours to fully top up the battery from flat, so you need to get into the habit of charging after use, otherwise you’ll get frustrated half-way through a job. A second battery is available for purchase either as part of a bundle or later on. An extra battery is GB£100 though…

Let’s be honest though – this is an expensive vacuum cleaner. It’s on sale at www.sharkclean.eu for GB£350 and it has a list price of GB£450, which is a good chunk of change. Having used some other cordless vacuums, I think it holds its own very well against them. It perhaps doesn’t suck as hard as a big mains-powered upright but the convenience of cordless wins out.

The Shark DuoClean IC160UK was provided to me free of charge for review but there were no other payments.

#GNC #Shark

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