We've tested the majority of Shark's vacuum lineup over the years. Whether it's a cordless, upright, robot or carpet vacuum cleaner – we're usually pretty impressed. They often bring the cleaning power of premium vacuums but without the high price tag.
So, we've got our hands on the Shark Detect Pro Cordless to see if it could shape up to be one of the best cordless vacuums. It brings new tech for Shark, where the vacuum is able to sense what's on our floors and adjust the cleaning power accordingly.
I tested the vacuum cleaner for weeks to see what it's capable of, and whether it's worth your money. Read on to find out how the Shark Detect Pro Cordless performs on different floor types, when vacuuming hair, and for how easy it is to clean and maintain.
Shark Detect Pro Cordless: Specifications
Shark Detect Pro Cordless: Unboxing & setup
Like all recent Shark products, the Detect Pro Cordless packaging is vibrant and free from any soft plastic. The setup is what you'd expect from every cordless vacuum: assemble the parts together and charge the battery. It took around an hour or two for the battery to fully charge, then it was ready to use.
The Detect Pro Cordless includes the vacuum, QuadClean floor head, wand, charger, removable battery and crevice tool.
Shark Detect Pro Cordless: Design & features
The Detect Pro Cordless is one of the nicest-looking vacuums I've seen. It's a small detail, and not at all a dealbreaker, but it's always thoughtful when vacuum brands consider how the product will look in somebody's home.
It doesn't come with as many attachments as other cordless vacuums, as the QuadClean brush-roll is said to be suitable on all floor types. Still, it's built the same as most cordless vacs, with a detachable wand allowing you to switch it to a handheld vacuum.
Detection is the new feature of the Detect Pro Cordless. It's able to sense the dust and dirt volume of your floors and adjust suction power when needed. And at the front of the brush-roll are LED lights to illuminate the dust and debris on your floors. It's Shark's first contender into the 'detect' types of vacuum cleaner that started with Dyson's V15 Detect and Gen5detect.
An LED display at the top of the vacuum will show battery life and suction mode, and it has light rings indicating whether high amounts of debris are detected. As the area is cleaned, the colors change from red to orange to blue.
What is the Shark Detect Pro Cordless like to use?
The Detect Pro Cordless maneuvers well and easily reaches under furniture and around corners, and it glides smoothly across both carpets and hard floors. Although the vacuum uses a redesigned TurboDrive motor that's said to be 30% lighter, the vacuum is still a bit weightier than others I've used from brands like Dyson and Miele. The brushroll's wheels also roll heavily making it loud on hard floors.
The LED display isn't over-complicated and just displays the basic essentials. You can reach the power and suction mode buttons with the same hand that's vacuuming, and the colored rings are a nice touch for a quick and clear visual to know how dirty the floors are. The only inconvenience here is that you have to fully turn the vacuum on to see the battery level (when charging you get a red, amber or green light).
I noticed when cleaning the floor's edges that the wand, without any attachment on the end, is built at an angle for you to easily press it against the floor without having to do so at 90 degrees. It makes the vacuuming less taxing, and means you don't need to attach the crevice tool every time you're getting into tight spaces.
The removable battery can be a big help when it comes to charging, especially in homes where the space to store a vacuum isn't near an outlet. It can also be stored completely freestanding by removing the vacuum and attaching it to the wand clip.
The LED lights on the brushroll will illuminate wherever dirt is detected. It's a neat feature, and it shows that the vacuum cleaner is actually able to detect where the debris is, but the lights don't reveal anything hidden on the floor unless you're vacuuming in the dark.
Generally, the vacuum is as easy to use as any cordless vacuum, albeit a bit heavier. It has strong detection and a helpful screen and, as you'll see below, I found it performed better on carpets than hard floors.
Shark Detect Pro Cordless: Flour & sugar test
Flour and sugar are accurate proxies for dust and dead skin, as well as being a mess we'd typically find at home. Flour is also a great visual test, as we can spot when it's left on the floor or stuck in any of the vacuum's parts.
Hard floors (wood & linoleum)
One of the telltale signs of a capable vacuum cleaner is how many runs it takes to clear everything. Surprisingly, the Detect Pro struggled to get everything in the first or second run, and took a few goes back-and-forth to get it all. On wooden floors the flour and sugar was getting left in the cracks between the panels, and on linoleum it was getting stuck in the surface's small grooves.
Most of the flour and sugar were picked up on the first run when tackling the edges, but it struggled with the flour that was right at the edge, so Shark's claim of full-width brush-roll cleaning might not be completely accurate. The wand was able to pick up much of the rest, but I needed the brush on the crevice tool to fully clear it all away.
Carpets
On carpets, the Detect Pro left a noticeable amount of residue after the first run, but was able to clear almost all of it by the second run. Boost mode helped here, especially when cleaning up to the edges, and was able to pull up any remaining remnants from within the carpet. The crevice tool didn't work well at all, however.
Shark Detect Pro Cordless: Pantry test
We use cereal and red lentils as strong examples of the type of debris we find on our floors. Cereal (we use off-brand Cheerio's) emulates many types of large debris, while lentils are smaller and have a texture that makes them stick to hard floors more easily.
Hard floors (wood & linoleum)
Getting the lentils out of the cracks between the wood panels was a challenge. Whilst almost everything else was cleared away, it took a few runs on boost mode to get those left in between. However, on linoleum floors, where there aren't any cracks, the vacuum had no problem at all. Barely anything was stuck to the roller afterward.
When cleaning the edges, the boost mode was automatically activated as soon as it neared the high-debris area. The vacuum cleared everything on the first run except for one Cheerio.
Carpets
In one run it was able to suck virtually everything minus a couple of Cheerios that were flung forward. It did struggle with lentils that were against the wall, and in the end, I had to remove the brush-roll and press the wand down on every section to clear it all.
Shark Detect Pro Cordless: Hair test
To simulate pet hair, we chop up hair extensions and spread them across wood, linoleum and carpet floors. With carpet, we push the strands deep into the fibers to recreate the conditions of homes with pets.
Hard floors (wood & linoleum)
When vacuuming sparse, smaller amounts of hair, the Detect Pro performed ok. But when dealing with larger amounts, it all clumped at the end of the brushroll. Nothing was wrapped around the brushroll, but these clumps then fell out when tapped on the floor, bringing flour dust with it. For this reason, I'm not sure if I can recommend the Shark Detect Pro Cordless as one of the best vacuums for pet hair.
Carpets
It performed better on carpets. Even after pushing the hair deep into the carpet's fibers, the vacuum was able to pick everything up on the second run/pull back.
Shark Detect Pro Cordless: Cleaning & maintenance
The dust cup and filter are completely removable, which is a big help when it comes to making sure everything is emptied out. However, I've found this to be essential, as dust gets caught really frequently in the cup and filter.
The dust can be shaken off (and high-impact shaking helps to knock the stubborn dust loose) but I still often used my hands to clear the rest of it away. Luckily, dust is the only culprit, as there's nowhere for hair to get caught in the dustbin.
Shark Detect Pro Cordless: Price & availability
The Shark Detect Pro Cordless retails at full price for $379.99, but is often on offer for under $200 (as it is now at the time of writing). You can find it direct from Shark, or from Amazon, Walmart and QVC.
In the UK, it sells for a similar £349.99 from Shark, Currys and Argos, or £286.57 from Amazon.
This is comfortably in the mid-range for a cordless vacuum. Those below $300 tend to not be amazing, and the more premium models typically cost upwards of $500.
You can also buy the Shark Detect Pro Cordless with a self-empty station for $449.99 from Shark.
How does the Shark Detect Pro Cordless compare?
The Detect Pro Cordless is Shark's entry into the new wave of detection vacuums that have become popular since Dyson first introduced the feature. The Dyson V15 Detect, the Gen5detect and the V12 Detect Slim are Dyson's offerings and, on test, all three of these performed better than the Shark Detect Pro Cordless. But they also come with a higher price tag, with the cheapest (the V12 Detect Slim) retailing for around $650 at full price and $450 in sale season at Dyson.
I tested the Detect Pro Cordless alongside the Henry Quick, the Tineco Pure One Station, the Proscenic P11 and the Dyson V12 Detect Slim. Out of these, I'd recommend the Henry Quick as a strong alternative: the suction power was great, it worked well on pet hair, and nothing got caught in the roller.
Should you buy the Dyson V12 Detect Slim?
The Shark Detect Pro is perhaps a little too expensive considering there are some clear kinks to iron out. It struggled to pick up debris caught between the floors' cracks, couldn't handle large amounts of hair, and required manual cleaning to completely empty the dust cup.
But if you were to grab it in a sale for around $200, it is an intuitively easy-to-use vacuum with decent suction power and an attractive design. It also works great on carpets.
How we test vacuums
At Homes & Gardens, we have a dedicated and thorough procedure of how we test vacuums. At our test center, we test various substances on three floor types (carpet, wood, linoleum) to recreate real-life circumstances.
Outside of this rigorous testing, I've been using the Shark Detect Pro Cordless as one of the many vacuums in my home.
If you're still looking for a reliable vacuum cleaner without a scary price tag, consider our guides to the best Dyson alternatives or the best vacuums for pet hair.
