If you’ve ever been on the market for a handheld vacuum, you probably know that it’s not exactly the pinnacle of premium vacuum cleaners. That kind of product pops up more in robot vacuums and cordless vacuums. That said, there are some products in this little niche that ooze quality. The Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro is one such product.
As a reviewer, I believe that it belongs on the short list of the best handheld vacuums out there. And, for spot cleaning situations or where you need to clean up a couch or car, it’s as good as the best vacuum cleaners for those particular jobs.
It’s lightweight to start. It’s also easy to use and easy to empty. And, most importantly, it’s pretty powerful for the form factor.
Of course, it’s not without some drawbacks as all that power runs the battery out pretty quickly. And, it is fairly loud. I wouldn’t say, obnoxiously so, but I’m not particularly sensitive to loud appliances (when they only last ten minutes).
Overall though, the pros far outweigh the cons. Of course, you have to pay a little more for it. But, I think it’s worth the cost of entry.
Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless Handheld Vacuum: key specifications
Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless Handheld Vacuum: Price and availability
Though you could spend much less on a handheld, the $89.99 / £ 79.99 / AU$199.99 price tag that accompanies the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro is very reasonable. And that’s directly from the Sharkclean.com. While some retailers keep it at that same price such as Best Buy and Amazon, you might see it for a little more ($99.99) at places like Kohl’s. Still, you’re still spending under $100 for something that makes cleaning a couch or car very, very easy (as long as you can do it in ten minutes).
Of course, it’s double or almost double the price of something like the eufy HomeVac H11 or the Dirt Devil QuickFlip BD30025B, two models that grace our best handheld vacuum cleaners list. But, it’s more powerful than either of them, though it suffers from the same battery limitation.
Really, despite its higher price, it’s not excessive. The only reason I see on skipping the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro or something equivalent is if you plan on getting one of the best cordless vacuums capable of being used in a handheld configuration.
Score: 4 out of 5
Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless Handheld Vacuum: First impressions
When I first broke out the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro, I was very impressed. None of the handful of issues really presented themselves during first use (or I was oblivious, like with its loud operation).
It did quick work of some couch cushions that were just covered by pet hair from where one of the dogs likes to burrow. Even taking a step back and looking at assembly, there really isn’t any. Just take everything out of the box and plastic, insert the accessory you want to use (maybe charge it too) and then use it.
Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless Handheld Vacuum: Design
The Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro is more attractive than a handheld vacuum has the right to be. It has a sleek black body measuring 20.82 x 3.82 x 4.35in with a transparent and removeable dustbin. The buttons to remove accessories or the dustbin are yellow as are the two ball-like devices inside the dustbin adding some color to the affair. Parts of the brush roll in the detachable self-cleaning pet power brush are yellow as well.
Speaking of those two-ball like devices, they create or help the motor create dual airstreams for pretty powerful suction.
The dustbin is a decent size for this type of device at 0.45 QT / 14.4 oz, though it’s not massive by any means. If you plan on using it a lot in a day, you’ll be emptying it out regularly. You’ll also be charging it regularly as its lithium-ion battery only lasts ten minutes.
Also, regarding the dustbin, there’s an easy release, or as Shark calls it, the “CleanTouch dirt ejector” to open the dustbin to empty it without removing it. However, you can remove it as well to gain access to a washable filter.
As a handheld, it’s pretty lightweight, coming in at 2.8 pounds. I found that waving it around the backseat of a car or sofa (I even used this to basically get dust off a door) won’t get tiring.
When it comes to controls, there’s just one – a power button. While some might be concerned that there isn’t a low and high-power mode, this is meant to be used when you need powerful suction so it makes sense that there aren’t any options here. More unfortunately, there's just a single LED light to indicate power so you know it's on but not how much power is left.
Lastly, it comes with three accessories. There’s the self-cleaning pet power brush, which is probably the main one you’ll use as it has a brushroll just like you would find in a regular vacuum. There’s also a crevice tool and scrubbing brush.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless Handheld Vacuum: Performance
Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. First, being a cordless vacuum, you’re limited by the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless’ battery capacity. Whether it’s because of its powerful suction or smaller, lighter size, the battery life peaks at 10 minutes of use. While I don’t consider this paltry as it’s meant for smaller jobs, it’s going to be frustrating to use if you plan on vacuuming up all your furniture before company comes over instead of in a spot-cleaning situation. Also, since there's just the single LED indicator, you won't really know when it's fully charged again.
Secondly, its volume reminds me of a full-size vacuum. It registers at about 70 dB during use, which is the equivalent noise level of a washing machine. Of course, silent operation is not something you should expect out of a vacuum. But, the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless will let you know that it’s on.
That all said, I’m not surprised by either negative. They’re something I expect with handheld vacuums. In fact, I think the fact that this is a lightweight vacuum at 2.8 lbs and is easy to use, coupled with powerful performance far outweighs that.
As far as its suction ability, it does a great job of picking up fine dust and debris, including a week’s worth of sheddings from two French Bulldogs. But, it also does a great job where other handhelds struggle – larger debris. I tested this by dumping out a bunch of Cheerios and then vacuuming them up. It was almost satisfying to get each one sucked up so quickly. The Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless had no trouble. And, it will have no trouble as long as you keep its 0.45 QT or 14.4 oz dustbin capacity in mind.
Since it comes with a crevice tool, getting into a corners and tight spaces is very easy. I also used the crevice tool to remove accumulated dust from the panels on a door and the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless did wonderfully there as well.
Speaking of, emptying the dustbin is incredibly easy. You just press a button to pop it open and empty. No need to remove the whole dustbin, though you can and should do that every now and then to access and clean the filter.
Score: 4 out of 5
Should you buy the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless Handheld Vacuum?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
How does the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless Handheld Vacuum compare?
There are a lot of handheld vacuums out there and that’s without even considering the explosion of cordless stick vacuums that are basically powerful oversized handhelds that attach to a stem and floorhead.
The eufy HomeVac H11, for instance, costs $59.99 direct and has a slightly longer battery life. And it does a fine job. But, it can’t handle larger debris quite the way the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro can.
Alternatively, you might consider a Dirt Devil, which has been a name in handheld vacuums for a long time. The Dirt Devil QuickFlip BD30025B, for instance, comes in around $50 so is even cheaper. However, it doesn’t have quite the cleaning prowess as it struggles with things like pet hair.
How I tested the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless Handheld Vacuum
To test the Shark Dual Cyclone Pet Pro Cordless Handheld Vacuum, I cleaned up several couches and upholstered furniture as well as stairs, corners to several rooms to see how it did. I used the three attachments, picked up different size debris, ran it until it lost charge, and removed the dustbin to inspect (as well as empty it).
Read more about how we test.
