The other useful features of the smart display are suction level selection, and floor type selection. Not only can you toggle through suction power and floor type, but you can see which settings are selected via the display, which is another feature with obvious real, practical value. Table last updated: October 2023. Prices taken from PriceRunner and PriceSpy to give a general market overview – current prices might differ from the above. Table excludes pet variants. 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 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.

There’s a 0.7-litre bin, which is a good size for a cordless vacuum cleaner. You can empty it in-situ, pointing the vacuum’s bin down and opening the ejection flap. Or you can remove the bin from the body completely, which lets you pull out the rear filter for cleaning and thoroughly clean out the bin.You get two batteries in the box, plus a charger that can take both batteries, so you can keep them both topped up all of the time. If you prefer, you can just charge the battery in the vacuum’s body by plugging in the power cable at the rear. This is a relatively lightweight unit, with a total weight of just under 4.6 Kilos, and while this doesn’t make it the lightest cordless vacuum cleaner on the market, the overall power vs. weight is incredibly good for anyone who wants a vacuum cleaner to be about as light as possible without forfeiting performance. It also has a well-positioned, comfortable grip, and this combination means you’ll have no problem using the Shark IZ300 & IZ320 for hoovering notoriously difficult surfaces including stairs, and even walls and ceilings. There’s no on-body storage for these tools, although Shark does throw in an accessory bag for you to keep everything in.

We were very excited to test the brand new Shark Detect Pro for a few reasons. The first is that it's unbelievably lightweight, at just 2.76kg, so your days of lugging around a heavy vacuum are behind you. In the box, Shark has been very generous with accessories. You get a crevice tool, a multi surface brush (hard brush and upholstery tool), mini pet brush (great for carpets and sofas) and the anti-allergen brush, which you can use for dusting pretty much everything from blinds to furniture thanks to its articulated joint.

OK, the latest Shark vacuum cleaners might not have quite the mega suction power of the latest Dyson models, but the suction power they do provide is more than adequate for the vast majority of homes and they offer you a choice within the same range of cleaners that allows you to fit the right one to your requirements, home and lifestyle. Oh yeah, they are usually hundreds of pounds cheaper than the average Dyson as well which always helps. However, you can get extra tools if you're willing to spend more. The pet variant (the Shark IZ300UKT) comes with a mini turbo brush, while the IZ320UKT comes with the same turbo brush plus an extra battery, letting you clean for twice as long without recharging.

Transform into a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner at the touch of a button, perfect for cleaning stairs, soft furnishings and in the car. Effortlessly remove embedded pet hair from upholstery with the included Motorised Pet Tool. From skirting boards and blinds to behind the radiator, clean a wide range of surfaces and narrow gaps with the Crevice Tool, Multi-Surface Tool and Anti-Allergen Brush. At the touch of a button, the Flexology wand bends to easily clean under low-lying furniture including beds, sofas and coffee tables. When you’ve finished cleaning, simply fold down for freestanding, compact storage – no need for storage hooks or leaning against walls. The second was the wealth of new technologies that Shark boasted about with this vacuum when we got a first glimpse of it at IFA 2023. This vacuum has four detection technologies so that cleaning your home is more thorough than ever. When we were testing, we found dealing with high-traffic areas much easier thanks the the amped up suction and the FloorDetect technology makes transitioning into different rooms across your home much easier too. Transform into a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner at the touch of a button, perfect for cleaning stairs, soft furnishings and in the car. From skirting boards and blinds to upholstery and behind the radiator, clean a wide range of surfaces and narrow gaps with the included Crevice Tool and Multi-Surface Tool.

Price and competition

Shark continue to raise the bar each time they introduce a new range of cordless hoovers and this range is no exception.

All things considered, we think that when you weigh everything up Shark beats Dyson hands down and that is encapsulated in the IZ300 & IZ320 range of excellent, great value for money cordless hoovers. The slogan they use for this is makes me giggle, “bends so you don’t have to”, as I think really what they meant was “bends because you won’t be able to get up again if you get on your knees to hoover under the sofa” ;-).It delivered pretty consistent results on the flooring, leaving carpet – including on the stairs – tiles, and parquet clean. The DuoClean floorhead had a big part to play in this as it can easily transition across the various floor types, on which its twin bristle brushes work their magic. Anti Hair Wrap – a feature designed to stop hair accumulating around the brush roll – had some impressive results, too. This meant that neither human hair nor the hair of small furry housemates lodged itself around the brushes of the floorhead or the motorised pet tool. First they developed their Duo clean system, so that you could seamlessly clean hard floor and carpet without having to give it a second thought.