Shark IZ320UKT anti hair wrap cordless pet vacuum review: eat my dust

The Shark IZ320UKT is top of the cordless stick vacuum food chain – meaning luxuries like an extra battery, charging station and LCD display over cheaper models in the range. Those things aside, this is an extremely flexible device at its heart, which can get into all nooks and crannies and find stubborn dust and dirt while it’s there.

When you’re done, it packs away to an easily storable size and, because the battery is removable (unlike a Dyson), it doesn’t need to be located near a plug socket. A battery percentage display means you’ll never unexpectedly run out of juice, and it’s easy to empty too.

Vacuuming the house sucks – does this make it easier?

There are three main things I look for in a cordless vacuum cleaner – suction, manoeuvrability and run time. The Shark confidently put a tick in all three boxes.

For a start, the powered roller head has a clever finned design that claims to find and pick up more hair but features Anti Hair Wrap technology to stop it from coiling around the brush. I haven’t had to remove a single follicle yet, which is deeply impressive.

There are two surface modes, one for hard floors and one for carpets, and three power settings to choose from too. In its least demanding setting Shark says each battery will last an hour, and there are two of them, so you can have one on charge while you’re vacuuming with the other.

On hard floor, the cleaning head glides around and picks up everything I could throw at it, even larger bits of debris like my kids’ breakfast cereal and shards from a dropped pint glass (oops). On carpet, the finned brush gives the fibres a real workout and you can feel this when you try to pull the vacuum backwards – it really clings onto the carpet.

This model comes with a charging dock, which I’ve hidden near a plug socket behind my television, meaning the cordless vacuum itself can be tucked away in a cupboard.

Rival cordless vacs don’t feature removable batteries, so you have to charge the whole thing where you store it. Fine if your cupboard has a three-pin plug in it, not so much if it doesn’t. Each battery takes four hours to charge from flat.

That 60-minute run time is based on using the lowest speed setting and without the motorised head attached – in the middle speed using the roller head I get about half that, which is still more than enough to clean our three-bed semi-detached house.

Partly that speed is down to how quickly you can move around with the Shark, it’s very light and the roller head turns corners with agility. It’s also got two bright LED lights on to help you spot dirt in dark places. Plus, the main tube folds in the middle so you can glide it under furniture without having to bend down.

Turned up to full power, the battery percentage displayed on the LED screen drops quite a bit quicker, but I’ve found few reasons to use it this way, as it does a more than good enough job in the second speed setting.

What about the supplied tools?

A pretty standard line-up with a brush tool and nozzle, but the dusting head is a bit different and takes the backache out of cleaning across the top of units or curtains.

You attach these directly to the vacuum, leaving you holding just the dust collector and motor, by disconnecting the main tube. There’s a rocker button for this, which is located quite close to an identical button that folds up the middle of the vacuum, and I’ve got the two mixed up quite a few times.

This being a pet vacuum model means you get a second motorised roller tool, this one is smaller and connects directly to the main unit and is very effective at cleaning cat or dog hair off your sofa or upholstery. I also found it very good at getting deep into the stair carpet.

Any downsides?

While we’re talking about the tools, the lack of a charging dock means there’s nowhere to store them, other than in the black fabric bag the vacuum was supplied with. Not really a deal-breaker as this is easily hung from a hook in a cupboard, but it feels like an oversight on what is quite an expensive item.

The roller head is also quite tall and doesn’t quite fit under our sofa, where the slimmer head of a Dyson could easily reach. Again, not a huge issue, but it’s annoying when it gets jammed under there as I’m cleaning the floor nearby.

I also think the power button needs to be held just a half second too long – if you’re used to the instant response of a touch screen phone or tablet, having to hold the button down feels unnatural. Quite often I’ll press it and then have to go back and push it harder.

That also ties in with my final complaint – when I’ve been vacuuming my car for example on the Boost power mode, and then turn the vacuum off briefly to walk around to the footwell on the other side, when it powers back up again, it does so in the middle power setting. I get that it wants to run in the more economical mode, but I’d prefer it to remember where I’d left it.

Price and competition

There’s no getting around the substantial price tag on this model but you can save money by opting for the non-pet version if you don’t need that function, and quite a bit more besides if you pick the IZ300UK single battery model. It’s nice having two, but in reality, one would be more than enough for my house and I’d rather have the £100 saving.

Still, it’s quite a bit more expensive than a Gtech Pro 2 and equivalent Hoover H-Free, but cheaper than a Dyson V15. On balance, I think the price reflects the performance, and all things being equal I’d choose this over its rivals for those removable batteries and clever elbow joint in the tube. The fact it happens to be really powerful and agile makes it even more convincing.

Verdict

This Shark vacuum cleaner is brilliant – admittedly it feels a bit plasticky in places, especially compared to some of the metal components you get with a Dyson. Still, it’s sturdy enough in use and doesn’t feel punitively heavy.

As I said before, it delivers where it really counts, thanks to a powerful motor, large dust capacity and effortless movement around the house.

It’s definitely easier to waft about on hard floors, but if anything, the resistance you feel on carpet is a testament to how deep it’s cleaning.

The clever elbow design and Anti Hair Wrap tech just pile on convenience, as does the fact you can store it in one place and charge the batteries in another. A consummate all-rounder, providing you don’t want a docking station or a vacuum that could also pass as a decorative item.

Verdict score 4/5

How the product was tested

The Shark IZ320UKT was subjected to a month of high-intensity family use – it didn’t get away lightly with a couple of lab tests – I’m talking about broken glass, sand, mud, damp cereal, pet hair, trodden in garden debris and probably half a kilo of peas during that time.

Our house has both carpet and hard floors and a staircase that harbours all manner of detritus ground in by outdoor shoes that one or both of my kids have forgotten to remove.

I’ve also cleaned out several cars and vans from trips to the seaside and wet, muddy bike rides, plus food spillages in hard-to-reach places. It’s been through the wringer, basically.

Adam Binnie is the Commercial Content Editor and reviewer for WhatsTheBest, specialising in bikes, fitness, cars, parenting and cooking.

Subscribe to the What’s The Best Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews and recommendations from the What’s The Best team.