Lift Away: Some of Shark’s upright vacuums can be lifted off the motorised floor head and carried around, which is good for cleaning stairs and high places. The handle is removed from the extension pole and attachments can be added, adding greater flexibility to what are otherwise large and heavy vacuums. Hard floor cleaning was a similar story, though fewer Cheerios were collected on the first pass, with only 24 of 26g showing up in the collection bin. The missing Cheerios appeared as I reassembled the device, having got caught up on something internally, though again it was nothing that a subsequent pass couldn’t gobble up. Flour on hard flooring fared better than carpet, collecting 49 of 50g on the first pass. The rest fell into crevices between floor tiles that most vacuums struggle with, without resorting to handheld tools. So, if you’re looking for the best carpet vacuum cleaner, the HZ500UK isn’t the one to choose. But if you’re happy to accept average cleaning performance in return for great hard floor cleaning (see next section) and advanced features, then it’s an option to consider. Hard Floors Another useful feature is the LED headlights in the floorhead. Most Shark vacuums include headlights, which make it much easier to spot dirt and dust that might otherwise be missed. The lights are particularly useful for cleaning under furniture, which is a much easier task with the Flexology design. Other Design Features

So, who should buy the Shark HZ500UK? If you’re looking for a lightweight upright that’s easy to manoeuvre, then it’s a great choice – particularly if your home has hard flooring or laminate. It’s also an excellent option if you struggle with heavy uprights, but don’t want to switch to a cordless vacuum. In its handheld mode, it can accept any of the supplied accessories, which include a crevice tool, a multi-surface tool (an upholstery nozzle with a clip-on brush) and, in the TruePet version, the pet hair tool. This latter device is motorised by using a turbine, powered by the suction of air through the vacuum, rather than using its own electric-powered motor. Its rotating “brush” uses rubber flaps instead of bristles, to help reduce hair tangle. As we mentioned, there’s no motorised pet tool included with the Shark though. This makes it difficult to get rid of hair from furniture, stairs, or car interiors. For this reason, we don’t recommend it for pet owners, particularly if your dog or cat sheds a lot. We think the HZ500UK is a solid choice if you need a lightweight and easy-to-use vacuum cleaner, but don’t want the limitations of a cordless vac. It’s effective at cleaning hard floors, comes with Shark’s excellent DuoClean floorhead, and is more convenient than a full-size upright. We think it’s let down a bit by average carpet cleaning performance and the tiny dust capacity though. The only accessory you’ll need to find a home for is the power tool. Unlike the main powered floor brush, the power tool’s bristles are spun purely by airflow.Despite having a HEPA filter, we still don’t think this Shark is the best choice for people with allergies. As it’s a bagless vacuum, dust and dirt can still escape when you empty the bin. Even so, the HEPA filter makes it a decent choice if you want to keep your air clean when using a bagless vac. Emptying & Cleaning When in use, the vacuum is 260 x 410 x 1,180mm (WDH), although the handle can be folded down to a height of 680mm for storage when not in use. It can stand self-supported in this configuration and should be small enough to fit into most under-stair cubby holes. You can also use this flexible joint to send the floor head under low-lying furniture without having to bend over. But before we go any further, it’s worth repeating that this is a corded vacuum cleaner – despite having a design that’s similar to most modern cordless vacs. The 10-metre cord means you can vacuum for as long as necessary without recharging, although it also reduces the convenience of the vac. In general, we think corded vacs make more sense for larger homes or extended cleaning sessions, although cordless vacuums are more convenient.

It’s not the most powerful vac on the market, although raw suction strength isn’t everything when it comes to cleaning performance. The Shark still manages to provide decent all-round cleaning performance – particularly on hard floors. Let’s take a closer look at common cleaning tasks. Carpets The HZ400UKT’s stand-out feature is Anti Hair Wrap technology, which uses a combination of blades and bristles designed to stop hair from becoming entangled around the brush, clogging it up. It was well put to the test in a house with three girls (all with long hair) and four cats; the brush was refreshingly free of hair, making it stand out from the competition.A handheld vacuum won’t replace either of the other types but is a very useful device to have around as a secondary option. These smaller units are easier to get out and use, particularly if you only need to gather up a small spill. They’re ideal for cleaning in places that are problematic for bigger vacuums, such as your car boot, and are useful to have close to hand in the kitchen, garage or utility room. Other Shark features to look out for: