We’ve Tested 90 Vacuums, and The Self-Emptying Shark Cordless PowerDetect Is the Best Way to Stop Touching Dust (Now $120 Cheaper)
It also banishes dust and hair from every floor type
The cloud of dust that emanates every time you empty your vacuum is more than just gross; it exposes us to allergens and can recirculate them back into your home.
But instead of using dust bags that add to landfill, the Shark Cordless PowerDetect, which is currently $120 cheaper, comes with a cleaning station that stores dust for up to 45 days in a HEPA-sealed container.
The Shark Cordless PowerDetect Empties Itself to Stop You From Touching Dust
The Shark Cordless PowerDetect self-empties and self-cleans, while also boasting strong suction across all floor types.
The Shark Cordless PowerDetect's self-emptying station, dubbed the 'Clean & Empty System', takes care of your vacuum debris after you've finished cleaning. Slot it onto the station, and it instantly sucks away all the dust, hair, and household mess from the vacuum's dustbin.
This makes cleaning sessions even more convenient than a cordless stick already makes them. Because the station charges the vacuum, it's always ready to use whenever you need a quick clean, and instead of having to empty it every time, you can just put it back. You won't have to empty the station for over a month at a time.
The station conceals the dust inside, so you don't have to worry about seeing old food crumbs and pet hair every time you walk past your best vacuum. It's also HEPA-sealed, so all the allergens you've vacuumed aren't going to be re-released into your home.
When you empty your vacuum normally, the cloud of dust can circulate into your home's air and become airborne, where a vacuum won't be able to deal with it anymore (you'd need one of the best air purifiers instead). And if you empty it outside, anybody with sensitive allergies will feel it. That's the health benefit of minimizing exposure.
And what's more, it preserves the lifespan of your vacuum cleaner. Having a powerful motor sucking away the dust also clears it from internal parts and passageways, which, over time, would eat away at them and cause common faults in Shark vacuums.
Clean & Empty System aside, we loved this vacuum during testing. It's our favorite cordless stick that isn't a Dyson vacuum, balancing affordability with strong performance so that you can clean different kinds of flooring without paying a high premium.
It excelled particularly on hard floors, picking up everything from fine debris (like dust and powders) to pet hair. And on carpets, it pulled up a surprising amount of pet hair that tester James Holland didn't even see.
'I tested it on carpets, upholstery, and hard flooring, and it had no issues sucking up debris and dust. I even used it to vacuum two rooms that had been untouched for a week, but that seemed clean, and found its 0.74qt dust cup to be a quarter full of pet hair, dust, and dirt,' he wrote of the vacuum's performance.
As the name suggests, and taking a page out of the Dyson V15 Detect's book, the vacuum detects the surface you're vacuuming and how dirty it is, to automatically adjust the suction so it's at the optimal level. In a dirty area, it'll up the suction, and on bare floors, it'll lower it to preserve the runtime.
The handheld attachment also did a stellar job at pulling hair and debris from upholstery, so if you're a pet owner, this is one for you.
The Shark Cordless PowerDetect Clean & Empty System is discounted to $429.99 at SharkNinja.
More to Shop
For more anti-dust solutions, here are some top picks from the 90 vacuums we've tested at Homes & Gardens.
All prices correct at time of publication.
This model once cost around twice as much, but as it's now a bit older, you can find it at Amazon for $200 less than the Shark. It doesn't clean quite as well, but it's a great budget alternative, and has surprisingly strong suction from this relatively up-and-coming floorcare brand.
Read more in my full Tineco Pure One Station review.
This canister vacuum uses vacuum bags so that all dust and debris is entirely self-contained, and you don't have to expose yourself to allergens even when you're disposing of it. But dust retention aside, this is the best-performing vacuum we've ever tested. It's $100s cheaper than anywhere else.
Read more in my full Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog review.
With the longest runtime of any cordless sticks – an impressive 100 minutes – this Samsung vacuum also has a station that charges and empties the vacuum for you, as well as adaptive suction after sensing what surface it's vacuuming.
Read more in our full Samsung Bespoke Jet review.
Next, see what vacuums we rank as the top Dyson alternatives and the best vacuums for pet hair after our rigorous testing sessions.
