Shark Stratos Review

When we first purchased the Shark Stratos, we weren't sure we would appreciate its Lift-Away canister feature. However, when we separated the primary dustbin and body from the wand and cleaner head, the new cleaning option won us over. We could reach under furniture and manage tricky spots and stairs with ease, giving us the versatility of a canister vacuum without the bulky and awkward storage.

Performance Comparison

Carpet Performance

While many modern vacuum cleaners can now clean hardwood floors, the number one reason people choose upright vacuums comes down to carpet. We focus our most important test on low pile carpet because tighter weave carpets are more common, but we also test on high pile carpet because many people have shaggy area rugs. Plus, our rigorous tests help reveal suction and cleaner head characteristics that can help you choose the right vacuum for your floors.

We start each carpet test by weighing 1/2 cup each of sand, rice, and Cheerios, representing three debris sizes found in many homes. We then spread the mixture over 9' x 3' sections of both types of carpet and give each vacuum just 24 seconds to collect as much as possible. This test is very hard and pushes the vacuums to their limits. We run each test 2-3 times to determine an accurate result average.

Low Pile

The Shark Stratos collected a whopping 97% of the test material, a top score tied by only one other vacuum out of more than a dozen we tested in the same way.

When I first ran this test, the Stratos sucked up almost all of the debris, but I noticed that not all of the material made it through the intake system and into the dustbin. It didn't appear to clog, so I ran two more trials. The next two runs collected the same amount of material, and all the material entered the dustbin before the time ran out.

Despite the odd performance in the first test, this machine performed flawlessly in previous test scenarios and our various take-home tests. For those with low pile carpet, the Stratos is one of the best upright vacuums available today, making it easy to recommend. Only the Kenmore Intuition 3-in-1 scored as well in our low pile carpet test.

High Pile

The extra-thick fiber weave in high pile carpet is much more difficult for vacuums: Small debris falls deeper and large debris floats higher on the fibers, making it tough for cleaner heads to grab and suck it all up. This machine collected an average of 52% of the mixed debris in this test, which is close to our average.

On our shag carpet section tests, the results were mixed. I felt that the Stratos struggled to create consistent suction on the thick carpet. I liked how well its DuoClean brush roller cleaner head rolled right over the lightweight Cheerios, which it sucked up easily, but it struggled to grab all the sand and rice that fell deeper into the carpet weave. Because I measured so much suction power in our suction test, I was expecting better performance from it here.

Before Testing After Testing

Overall Carpet Cleaning Performance

Overall, this vacuum scored well above average on carpet, only dropping a couple of notches below the best, primarily due to its mediocre performance on high pile carpet.

For people with a lot of low pile carpet, the Stratos will be an outstanding choice. On high pile, it felt as if it eventually plateaued and couldn't continue capturing debris in our short, intense test. If you have high pile carpet and with lots of dirt being dragged in, you'll likely need to take more passes to get shaggy area rugs clean. Still, I was very impressed with its carpet performance. I believe its DuoClean head design is most impressive on flatter surfaces, including hardwood — see below for more hard floor detail. However, if you only want a vacuum for carpet, the aforementioned Kenmore Intuition took our top score for carpet performance, earning it a “Best for Carpet” Top Pick from our editors.

Hardwood Performance

As more households transition to vinyl and hardwood floors, we expect vacuums to clean multiple surfaces. The ability to ditch the broom and rely on a vacuum to suck up everything lends to its versatility, providing more value to the tool.

To test how well a vacuum works on hard floors, we start by measuring and spreading our debris mixture of 1/2 cup each of sand, rice, and Cheerios over a large section of hardwood. We time the vacuums to mark the fast pace that many of us try to achieve with cleaning our houses. All these steps in the test procedure are to replicate real-world experiences, so you know what to expect from this product.

Cleaning Performance

The Stratos easily collected 97% of debris on hardwood in our timed tests, besting all other upright vacuums we tested.

Again, in the first test run, I noticed that not all the debris made it into the dustbin when I turned off the vacuum in this test. However, when I ran the test twice more, all the debris made it to the dustbin. I didn't experience a clog, so it could simply be that the vacuum just needed another half-second in the first run to get all the material to the dustbin.

Crevice

One trouble spot for households is transition areas between flooring types that have crevices where dirt can build up. In addition, those with tile floors and deep grout lines also need machines that can suck debris from cracks without needing to use separate hand or crevice tools. We test crevices by measuring and spreading a 1/2 cup of sand between the slats of a bamboo rug, giving each machine four forward and backward passes to suck up as much sand as possible. This is a tough test because the roller bristles can't reach the sand, forcing the vacuum system to use its suction power to get the job done.

The Stratos sucked up a respectable 75% of the sand, an above-average performance. By the fourth pass in this test, I could feel that it had plateaued and had gotten all it would get, even if I gave it extra passes. If you have very deep crevices in your home, you'll likely have to break out a crevice hand tool to get up heavy, deep sand, but if your crevices are relatively shallow, you'll likely be good to go with this vacuum.

Edges

For next-to-wall vacuuming, some vacuums do a fantastic job, while others aren't designed to suck up material near hard right-corner edges. Because so many of us want to clean our hard floors without needing to break out hand tools near walls, we test edge performance by spreading coffee grounds next to a wall. We test two passes, one parallel and one head-on to assess performance.

Suction power is important for this test, but the cleaner head design can also affect its ability to reach the edges and grab material due to the head's thick bumpers or wide sides. After such great cleaning sessions with this product, I was happy to see this machine suck up all the coffee on both approaches.

Overall Hardwood Cleaning Performance

The Stratos did well in all three submetrics, making it a great choice for households with hard floors.

While I can easily recommend this machine for hard floors, the Eureka QuickShift OmniVerse NEU801BL sucked up nearly as much material on the vinyl floor while sucking up more sand in our crevice test. Plus, the Shark PowerDetect AZ4002 crushed on hard floors, too, tying the Stratos with the top overall hardwood ranking. If you want your upright vacuum to clean your hard floors, I recommend all three of these machines.

Pet Hair

One of the toughest jobs for cat and dog owners is vacuuming the hair they shed. Depending on the breed and time of year, cleaning up pet hair can be relatively easy . . . or a nightmare. To help reveal which vacuums can handle pet hair nightmares, we specifically test hair performance on low pile and high pile carpet.

Our challenging pet hair tests start with a 4-gram fistful of pet hair, which we smear over 13-square-foot sections of carpet. We then sprinkle 1 gram of long hair extensions over the top, representing the hair shed by long-haired humans in a household. But wait, we're not done yet: We mash it all down to the carpet with a heavy press wheel to simulate typical household traffic.

Before Testing After Testing

This vacuum delivered average performance on low-pile carpets, capturing most of the fur and directing it to the dustbin. However, while half of the long hair extensions made it through, the rest tangled around the brush roller. High pile results were much worse.

I was unpleasantly surprised by how poorly this vacuum performed on the hair. I believe the cleaner head with the double brush roller system leads to much more diffused suction on high pile carpet than on low pile carpet, affecting its ability to grab and send pet hair to the dust bin. Lots of hair got caught in the tines near the soft brush roller and on one of the wheels. I would not want to have to flip this vacuum over to de-hair it in my own home each time I vacuumed up pet hair.

For typical pet hair on low pile carpet, the Stratos is acceptable but well under the best — and worse on high pile carpet. If pet hair performance is important to you, check out my review of the Shark Rotator LA502, which crushed this test, besting all others, including the very competitive Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra.

Filtration & Suction

We take the time to test filtration and suction because they're surprisingly important factors in vacuum quality and performance. Filtration is important because some vacuums with poor filtration tend to spew tiny particles out into the air you breathe, potentially causing small particle risks to people with heart or lung disease.

Suction is important because it's an indicator of how powerful a vacuum is, which can help illuminate how well a machine might be able to suck up deeply embedded debris in carpet and cracks — or illuminate why it performs poorly in our tests.

Filtration

We start with a clean room environment as our baseline to measure filtration. We then vacuum 1/3 cup of household flour while running two Dylos air quality sensors that measure fine particulate matter in the air. If the vacuum cannot contain the debris it's sucking up, the particle counter will record a spiked reading of the amount of small and large particles in the air.

We recorded no remarkable spike from the room's baseline, and Dylos ranks any reading increase by its air quality monitors from 0 to 75 as excellent. This means that the Shark Stratos has a great sealed air filtration system that doesn't let out many harmful particles that can ruin the air quality. We were actually quite impressed that the number of particles in the air, both small and large, was only in the single digits.

Suction

Instead of measuring suction at the intake tube, which primarily affects handtool power, we measure it at the cleaner head of a vacuum because this is where most people need suction as they vacuum most often. We establish a differential pressure reading as the cleaner head rolls over a hard floor test box with a centered hole that is connected to a manometer. By rolling the cleaner head over the hole, we record the suction power created at the cleaner head.

I measured 547 pascals of suction at the cleaner head, ranking fourth of all the upright vacuums I tested. The Dyson Ball Animal was a powerful outlier, creating a mind-blowing 2,587 pascals, while the Shark PowerDetect and Rotator each generated 572 pascals. Interestingly, despite have the least amount of suction compared to these other three vacuums, the Stratos outperformed them in our carpet and hardwood tests. This shows us that more efficient and effective cleaner head designs strongly affect real-world performance — and it's why we test each vacuum so thoroughly in different situations.

Ease of Use

Some vacuums are easy to push and maneuver, while others are surprisingly cumbersome, which can be critical factors for those with back problems or strength or balance issues. In addition, some vacuums are easier to clean or maintain, while others skimp on handy attachments that can help you clean furniture or stairs around the house.

Consequently, we test maneuverability, consider ease of maintenance, and test upholstery cleaning capabilities to rank each vacuum in our ease of use category.

Maneuverability

We test each vacuum by walking it through a maneuverability obstacle course, testing transitioning from hardwood to a bamboo mat to a low pile rug while moving around cones and vacuuming under furniture. This vacuum was one of the most maneuverable, sharing the top spot with the PowerDetect.

I can't believe how easily this model makes tight turns! It fully cleared our difficult tight tolerance turn and didn't even brush against a cone to do it. I appreciate not having to take a wide radius around furniture — it makes vacuuming faster with less hassle. The brush roller also seemed to help propel the vacuum along, and the surface type handle control switch reduced the spin speed on hardwood and increased it for carpet and shaggy area rugs.

I thought the Lift-Away canister would be clunky to release and use, but it was fluid and easy to use. I think with just a bit of practice, many people will be able to easily lift it off to vacuum under pesky couches and tables — and then snap it back together with no trouble.

One drawback to maneuverability is the relatively large dustbin and the initiation force I needed to use to start a head-swivel turn. If it was just a bit smaller and a bit easier, it would have nailed a perfect score.

Maintenance

If there is one thing that annoys us, it's cleaning appliances that are hard to clean and maintain, making household chores harder than they ought to be. Luckily, the dustbin is easy to remove and empty, and the filters are removable, washable, and replaceable.

I'm a big fan of easily removable brush rollers because they make removing and cleaning hair a breeze. While the soft front roller is removable, the rear carpet roller is not, making it harder for me to cut away wrapped hair.

Upholstery & Attachments

Lots of people use their vacuums to clean their furniture, pet beds and suck up dust, so we include an upholstery attachment test in our evaluations. We spread coffee grounds on a throw pillow, then use the most appropriate included attachment to clean it up.

The HairPro, mini-powered brush sucked up 98% of the coffee grounds on the first pass. Only two other vacuums performed as well in this test. If you have small nooks and crannies in your home, pet beds, or furniture you like to vacuum, I'm a big fan of the HairPro brush. I found that it could still wrap hair and tangle, but overall, it's a handy and versatile little tool.

Should You Buy the Shark Stratos?

Two years after it was first introduced, the Shark Stratos is still the best-performing upright vacuum we've tested. It outperformed more than a dozen other models in our new and improved tests, tackling every challenge but high pile carpet with ease. For those who want to clean both carpet and hardwood, it's hard to beat.

What Other Upright Vacuum Should You Consider?