Shark Stratos Cordless Compared With The Vertex Pro

Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum - the best yet! Let's tell the difference between it and the Vertex Pro.

Hello guys, and today we will talk about the new Shark Stratos cordless vacuum.

And was found that not only is it the most feature-rich Shark cordless vacuum yet its performance scores were better than any previous Shark cordless I've tested too. 

Pros

More power

Its power was significantly improved from the previous most powerful Shark cordless stick vacuum the Vertex which was above average in its own right. But the Stratos had more airflow at both the base and the had. It also had significantly more suction power at the base. As well as the higher score with the unsealed suction test at the head is interesting because the Vertex and Stratos are really close to the same weight and form factor. So my guess is it's the higher wattage motor on the Stratos that gives it this extra power all that power translated into useful performance metrics too.

Vacuum cleaner for carpet

The Stratos was the first Shark cordless vacuum to get a perfect 100 on the carpet deep clean test.

It did multiple times in a row which is a test that's not very easy for cordless vacuums to do as you can see from the average score.

Surface debris pickup

In terms of surface debris pickup, it was basically as good as it gets on both hard floors and carpets. This excellent pickup is largely due to the patented DuoClean head which has a soft roller in the back. Gives it a great seal on hard floors for things like crevices but it's also good for picking up really fine debris basically dusting hard floors. 

Sharks with DuoClean heads are also unparalleled with their ability to pickup large debris on both hard floors and carpets. This versatility is even more interesting when you consider that no adjustments are needed to the height of the head.

The Stratos also has Shark's anti-hair wrap feature.

We tested it with large amounts of pet and human hair and it remains one of the best anti-hair wrap systems on the market in my opinion.

Auto modes

It has three power levels an eco mode, a max power mode, and for the first time, Shark has an auto mode called Clean Sense IQ which changes the suction power based on input from an infrared dirt sensor when it senses that you're vacuuming a dirt area it will boost the suction and bring the suction back down when you don't need it.

This is a feature primarily useful for optimizing battery life.

Battery life 

And it really does give you the most bang for your buck in terms of battery efficiency. Shark says it can get 60 minutes on eco mode without the head I tested it on max power with the head and got 10 and a half minutes which is pretty well more than the Dyson V12 on max power for example which had similar power metrics.

Need to recommend using it on its auto mode most of the time.

Where I would expect it to get 20 to 30 minutes of run time per charge which should be more than enough for most jobs.

It also has a digital readout of the remaining battery life on the handle which is a great feature and a pretty rare one except on premium cordless vacuums like this one it also has a removable battery.

So you could buy an extra one from Shark if you needed more runtime. 

Multi-Flex wand

The Stratos has Shark's MultiFlex wand system which enables you to clean under furniture in a way that's not possible with most vacuums. Also because it sort of folds up it gives you more storage options than typical stick vacuums.

HEPA 

Another big pro is its filtration as it has Shark's complete seal HEPA Anti-Allergen system which is another feature that is rare on cordless vacuums under a certain price range. And it did well with this in our tests.

More features

• LED lights on the floor head 
• large dust bin compared to previous shark cordless vacuums
• nice swivel on the floor head with good responses to wrist movements making it easy to maneuver in tight spaces, especially on hard floors
• new odor neutralizer which is a replaceable cartridge that fits into the forehead 

I can't think of a single reason not to have it it can't all be good stuff though.

Cons

Handle weight

The main negative thing was its handle which as I said earlier is the same basic size and weight as the previous Vertex. But it is a little heavier than I like also its shape was a bit awkward when trying to use it as a handheld vacuum. 

Tools and attachments

Also while I like the quality of the tools it does come with a duster crevice tool and an anti-allergen brush. I was disappointed that it didn't come with something better for upholstery cleaning. 

Price

Another con is the price. As it's currently Shark's most expensive cordless vacuum though for context it's still quite a bit cheaper than a premium Dyson. 

Summary

Really though there isn't that much to pick on with the Shark Stratos IZ862H with Clean Sense IQ. It's clearly the best cordless stick vacuum that Shark has ever made in my opinion. It's also the first DuoClean cordless that I feel confident in saying is just as good with carpets as it is with hard floors because of those deep-clean results. Though I still think that a person who has mostly hard floors in their house will like it more because of its extreme agility and unparalleled debris pickup on hard floors. 

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