Shark PowerDetect Upright vacuum review: a powerful, smart and versatile dust-buster

Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum: two-minute review

The Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum is one of the most versatile upright vacuums on the market. Like other Shark vacuums, it’s outfitted with a Detect mode that adjusts the suction based on the floor type and how clean it is. You don’t have to worry about unseen dirt because the vacuum can sense debris, dust, and dirt, and increases the suction as required to clean it up.

While you could use the three manual modes (hard floor, carpet/low pile, and thick carpet/area rug), with the Detect mode, the vacuum informs you when the floor is clean with lights on the vacuum head that turn from purple (i.e. dirty) to white (i.e. clean).

During testing, the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum performed wonderfully on various floor types, especially when it came to picking up fine materials like tea and hair. Though it missed a couple of large oat clusters on a single pass, it’s still a top-tier vacuum, with suction capability that’s well above average. It’s one of the very best upright vacuums I’ve tested, as well as one of the best vacuums for carpet.

Sure, the vacuum head is a bit bulky, and the cord may get in the way, but Shark made this upright vacuum as versatile as possible. You can remove the pod (which holds the dust bin) from the wand, allowing you to use it as a stick vacuum to reach under couches and beds or in conjunction with one of the three accessories to clean tight spaces. If you need something less bulky, there’s a stick vac in the same range – read about it in my Shark PowerDetect Cordless review, or head to TechRadar’s best Shark vacuums guide to see other options, some of which have similar features.

All in all, the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum is a great choice for those who have homes with carpet and/or lots of rugs as it does a stand-up job with deep cleaning.

Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum review: price & availability

• List price: from $549.99 / £399.99 / $699.99
• Launched: Announced September 2024
• Available: Worldwide, including US, UK and Australia

In the US, there are a couple of different PowerDetect Upright options – the one I reviewed is the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum with TruePet Upgrade, and it’s priced at $549.99. There’s also the Shark PowerDetect Upright Bagless Vacuum With Ultimate Cleaning Tools, which costs $449.99. The base model is the same, but the different bundles come with different cleaning tools. In the UK and Australia, there’s just one Shark PowerDetect Upright, with a list price of £399.99 / AU$699.99.

At full price, that puts this vacuum in the upper-mid or premium price bracket. However, at time of writing, there are significant discounts available in all territories, taking this vacuum down more firmly into the mid-range market.

I think it’s good value for what you’re getting here. There are cheaper upright vacuums on the market, but this one has a flexible design and several advanced features that help set it apart from the competition. As you might have gathered from the above, this brand isn’t averse to a discount either, and I expect more price drops to appear as time goes on.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum specs

Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum review: design

• Corded vacuum with LED lights and a 12in cleaning path
• Detachable dust cup lets you use the wand with the three specialty tools
• Four cleaning modes including an automatic mode

The Shark PowerDetect Upright is a corded upright vacuum that can be used in various configurations for different cleaning tasks.

Although typically I prefer the freedom of a cordless stick vacuum, I do understand the appeal of a corded upright – in a battle of upright vs cordless vacuums, the former tends to last longer, will never run out of juice, and almost always deliver more powerful suction too.

The cable here is fairly generous at 30 feet / 9m long – that’s not the longest on the market, but it should still enable you to clean a decent-sized space before having to unplug and replug.

Similarly, at 17.6 lbs / 8kg, it’s not the lightest vacuum but it’s not overly heavy either. The vacuum head is a bit bulky, but comes with useful design features like a self-cleaning brushroll which means the vacuum can pick up pet and human hair easily without it tangling on the brush, and LED headlights to make it easier to see in dark corners. In fact, you’ll notice a lot more lights and indicators on this vacuum than most, plus an odor neutralizer capsule designed to prevent bad smells and keep your floors smelling fresh.

The handle has five buttons: a power button and four cleaning mode buttons (Detect mode, Hard floor, Carpet/Low pile, and Thick Carpet/Area rug. When using the Detect mode, this upright vacuum senses the floor type and adjusts the speed of the brushroll and the suction power to clean. Upon sensing dirt, the LED indicator light on the vacuum head turns purple. When the light is white, users know that section of the floor is free of dust and dirt.

The vacuum is outfitted with two other Detect modes. With Edge Detect, arrows on the top sides of the vacuum light up when the vacuum moves close to an edge of a room, and the suction increases on the relevant side of the floorhead to clear any dust that might have gathered there. There’s also Direction detect, which is designed so that the vacuum cleans just as well on the reverse stroke as it does when it’s pushed forwards.

The dust cup on this PowerDetect vac has a capacity of 2 quarts / 1.3L, which is on the smaller side for an upright vacuum, but is still far bigger than the bin you’d find on a cordless stick vacuum.

For greater flexibility, this dustbin section can also be removed and held in the hand. A flexible hose connects the wand to the dustbin, and from there you can reattach the motorized vacuum head to the wand, to allow you to reach under furniture without the dustbin getting in the way.

You can also attach one of the detail tools, to tackle awkward or hard-to reach areas. Exactly what tools are included depends on which bundle you opt for. The review model I tested here came with a Duster crevice tool, Pet multi-tool, and HairPro Self-cleaning pet power brush.

As far as sound goes, the vacuum has a dB rating between 77-83, which is dependent on the mode being used or the increase in suction by the vacuum when it senses dirty floors.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum review: performance

• Excellent edge and reverse cleaning
• Accessories make it easy to clean furniture, ceiling, and tight spaces
• Great at detecting dirt and adjusting suction on various floor types

The Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum took only a couple of minutes to assemble. When I first tried to use it, the machine wouldn’t turn on despite pressing the power button and having it properly plugged in. Eventually, I realized I didn’t have the hose connected all the way. I love that the vacuum ‘protects’ the user from accidentally turning the vacuum on and sending dust and debris they’ve just vacuumed back into the room.

On test, the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum did not disappoint. I have historic hardwood floors, laminate floors, and low pile rugs in my house. On my first go, I cleaned my entire house with the vacuum, jumping between the Detect mode and manual surface modes (hard floor, carpet/low pile, and thick carpet/area rug) to get a feel on how each one worked.

I’ve tested a number of Shark vacuums, and I’m a huge fan of the Detect mode, which detects unseen dirt on the ground. I love when the lights turn from purple to white, indicating the surface is dust-free. So many vacuums lack this feature and it’s truly a shame, because it’s difficult otherwise to know if my floors are actually clean.

No matter the mode, I felt like the vacuum picked up dirt, dust, and debris on all my different floor types wonderfully. The only drawback I observed was that the vacuum head wasn’t able to fit into tight spaces. Not to mention, I was unable to reach under my couch or bed because the dustbin got in the way. (There is a workaround this; keep reading.)

During my testing period, I had the opportunity to take the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum to my parents’ home and test it on the carpet in their bedrooms. I was stunned by how much dust and dirt it picked up from the carpet. When using the Detect mode on their carpets, I found myself vacuuming over one strip of floor about six times before the light turned from purple to white indicating it was clean. (According to my dad, they hadn’t deep cleaned their carpets in a while…) Anyone who has carpet in their home would do well to have this vacuum on hand.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this upright vacuum is the ability to break it down and use the detail tools provided. The main pod (which holds the dust bin) can be removed from the wand, and the wand can be removed from the vacuum head. This allowed me to attach the duster crevice tool to the end of the wand and clean the corners or my ceiling.

Granted, I had to hold the pod in one hand and the wand in the other, but there aren’t too many upright vacuums that offer this feature, and it’s very useful. I was also able to use the wand and the vacuum head to clean under my couch and bed without the pod getting in the way.

The only drawback to breaking down the vacuum is that it’s not easy to move the unit around the house in that mode. I’d have to pick up the pod in one hand and hold the wand in the other and walk to a new spot. Sometimes, I’d have to go back and grab accessories or the vacuum head or make sure not to get the hose tangled in the cord.

I don’t have pets so I used the Pet Multi Tool and HairPro Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush to remove my own hair from my couch. Compared to other vacuums that offer similar accessories, I thought they performed slightly better – although that might be more to do with the fact that the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum has a more powerful suction. Nevertheless, it’s worth putting this model in the mix if you’re looking for the best vacuum for pet hair.

Maintenance isn’t too much of a hassle. When I was done cleaning, I removed the dust bin and placed it over a trash can before opening the latch, allowing the dust and debris to fall in. Because the dust cup is much larger than you’d find on most cordless vacuums, you shouldn’t have to do this too regularly. The only other required maintenance is cleaning the pre-motor filters every month, the HEPA filter every year, and hand washing the soft roller as needed. Sensors must also be occasionally cleaned, and blockages must be checked for in the hose, wand, and nozzle. The squeegee bristle strip has to be cleaned or replaced occasionally too.

Suction tests

I went on to run a few standardized tests so I can get an even better look into the suction power of the vacuum and how it compares to other models. To do that, I placed loose leaf tea and oats on one of my rugs and on the laminate floor in my kitchen. From there, I used both the Detect mode and the manual modes of Hard Floor and Thick Carpet/Area Rug to see how well the vacuum sucked up the debris.

One update on this Shark range is ‘Direction direction’ tech, where the vacuum is designed to vacuum just as well when pushed forwards as when it’s pulled backwards (some previous Shark vacuums tend to pool debris behind the floorhead when reversing). I also kept an eye on this aspect in my tests.

When it came to the loose-leaf tea, the vacuum performed perfectly on my laminate floor and area rug. No matter if I vacuumed forward or in reverse, or what mode I used, it sucked up every single piece of the fine material in a single pass.

Now for the oats test… When it came to vacuuming oats on my laminate floor, the vacuum did a pretty good job. It looked like the vacuum had picked up all the oats in a single pass. However, I later found that the vacuum missed five clusters. Compared to other models I’ve tested, this is still impressive. Most vacuums push the oats forward or I find that the oats get trapped behind the wheels. The Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum didn’t do that. Sure, it missed a couple of oats, but they were quite large clusters and only needed one more pass to remove them from my floors.

For the carpet/rug test, the results were slightly different. No matter the mode, the vacuum suctioned oats perfectly when vacuuming in reverse. Oddly, it missed a few of the larger clusters of oats when vacuuming forward. It took me two to three swipes of the vacuum to remove all the oats from the rug. Again, this is not as big of a drawback as it seems. Most vacuums struggle with picking up x-large clusters of oats, no matter the floor type.

With its Edge detect feature, the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum senses when it’s near the edge of a room, where dust can collect, and boosts suction on the relevant side of the floorhead to clear it. To test this feature, I sprinkled loose leaf tea along a wall. The vacuum head picked up every bit of the fine material in a single pass. I give the edge cleaning a perfect rating.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

How I tested the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum

I tested the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum with TruePet Upgrade over the course of two weeks. Not only did I use the numerous cleaning modes on my hard floors and low pile carpets, but I also took the vacuum to my parents’ house and tested the vacuum on the high pile carpets in their bedrooms. As part of my review, I ran two vacuum tests with fine and thick materials on two different floor types to see how well the vacuum picked up the items on the lowest suction setting.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners