Shark Navigator Lift Away, Steam Pocket Portable

Hard to believe, but the Shark Navigator Lift-Away did very well in Consumer Reports testing! The only area which had bad results was pet hair removal (only fair)

Here are the results for the Shark Navigator Lift Away NV352 (the 350, 356 and Walmart's 351 had similar results):

Consider this bagless upright if light weight is worth a few compromises. Impressive carpet and floor cleaning and easy handling in a machine that weighs a mere 14 pounds are the high points. You also get suction control, which helps protects drapes when using tools, and a brush on/off switch, which safeguards bare floors and prevents scattered dust and debris. But tool airflow was just so-so and pet-hair pickup subpar. The LiftAway also lacks a manual carpet-height adjustment, which is better than automatic systems at matching the brush to the surface. And emptying a bagless vac's bin is a dusty, messy process. Among upright brands, Shark has been a solid performer in our tests over the past several years, though a notch below Miele and LG overall.

Highs
� Excels at removing embedded dirt from carpets
� Performs well when cleaning bare floors; ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, and hardwood floors
� Excels in capturing all the dust it picks up, which is good if you have allergies or respiratory illnesses
� Has suction control, which helps protects drapes when using tools
� Has a brush on/off switch, which safeguards bare floors and prevents scattered dust and debris

Lows
� The on/off switch is inconveniently placed
� Requires manually emptying the bin, which is messier and sometimes presents problems for those with allergies or respiratory issues
� Lacks a manual carpet-height adjustment, which is better than automatic systems at matching the brush to the surface

Detailed test results

CARPET CLEANING: The Shark Navigator Lift Away NV352 does a very good job of removing the embedded mixture of sand and powder from our soiled test carpets. This is a measure of how well a vacuum removes the dirt hidden deep in the carpet and not visible to the user's eye.

BARE FLOOR: The Shark does an excellent job of removing sand from our vinyl floor, leaving very little behind and not scattering sand across the floor.

PET HAIR: This model does a fair job at picking up pet hair from carpets using its power head. The visual inspection of the test carpet following the pet hair test reveals traces of pet hair left behind and pet hair is caught in the brush roll.

USABILITY: The Shark is lightweight which is a plus when carrying from room to room. It also has a swivel head design for maneuvering around furniture. Another helpful aspect is its ability to detach the canister from the power head which allows for more mobility when using tools to clean. Its power switch is a bit lower than most on the vacuum's body.


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Post# 165739 1/12/2012 at 18:40 (4,488 days old) by godfreys_guy (Melbourne, Australia)
Checkrate/Likes I am the VERY proud owner of a new Shark Navigator Lift Away, Shark Steam Pocket Portable and Shark Steam Mop. I don't know why it's taken someone so long to bring these to Australia but they are here and they are MINE. I used the Navigator on my lounge and Hallway and got what you see in the below picture... YUK. I was so impressed that I sent an email to Brand Developers (distributor in Australia) and showed them the same pic and they gave me 25% off! In australia it has been offered with a free shark steam mop and a 10yr motor warranty. The steam mop is great, best ive used, much better than the Bissell one. I also got the Shark Steam Pocket Portable... not sure how long it will last... but it deff doesnt spit water, which is what ive seen in all other portables. good accessories too! Paid $400 for vac and $200 for steam pocket... keep in mind that everything seems to cost more here :(

Post# 165746 , Reply# 1 1/12/2012 at 19:18 (4,488 days old) by szymonrules (Philadelphia, PA )
Checkrate/Likes *Wow!* Cool, I did'nt expect shark to work that well! :)

Post# 165774 , Reply# 2 1/13/2012 at 07:39 (4,487 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes *Consumer Reports found this Shark to be very good!* Hard to believe, but the Shark Navigator Lift-Away did very well in Consumer Reports testing! The only area which had bad results was pet hair removal (only fair) Here are the results for the Shark Navigator Lift Away NV352 (the 350, 356 and Walmart's 351 had similar results): Consider this bagless upright if light weight is worth a few compromises. Impressive carpet and floor cleaning and easy handling in a machine that weighs a mere 14 pounds are the high points. You also get suction control, which helps protects drapes when using tools, and a brush on/off switch, which safeguards bare floors and prevents scattered dust and debris. But tool airflow was just so-so and pet-hair pickup subpar. The LiftAway also lacks a manual carpet-height adjustment, which is better than automatic systems at matching the brush to the surface. And emptying a bagless vac's bin is a dusty, messy process. Among upright brands, Shark has been a solid performer in our tests over the past several years, though a notch below Miele and LG overall. Highs � Excels at removing embedded dirt from carpets � Performs well when cleaning bare floors; ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, and hardwood floors � Excels in capturing all the dust it picks up, which is good if you have allergies or respiratory illnesses � Has suction control, which helps protects drapes when using tools � Has a brush on/off switch, which safeguards bare floors and prevents scattered dust and debris Lows � The on/off switch is inconveniently placed � Requires manually emptying the bin, which is messier and sometimes presents problems for those with allergies or respiratory issues � Lacks a manual carpet-height adjustment, which is better than automatic systems at matching the brush to the surface Detailed test results CARPET CLEANING: The Shark Navigator Lift Away NV352 does a very good job of removing the embedded mixture of sand and powder from our soiled test carpets. This is a measure of how well a vacuum removes the dirt hidden deep in the carpet and not visible to the user's eye. BARE FLOOR: The Shark does an excellent job of removing sand from our vinyl floor, leaving very little behind and not scattering sand across the floor. PET HAIR: This model does a fair job at picking up pet hair from carpets using its power head. The visual inspection of the test carpet following the pet hair test reveals traces of pet hair left behind and pet hair is caught in the brush roll. USABILITY: The Shark is lightweight which is a plus when carrying from room to room. It also has a swivel head design for maneuvering around furniture. Another helpful aspect is its ability to detach the canister from the power head which allows for more mobility when using tools to clean. Its power switch is a bit lower than most on the vacuum's body.

Post# 165781 , Reply# 3 1/13/2012 at 11:07 (4,487 days old) by redgeminipa (Altoona, PA)
Checkrate/Likes *Couldn't agree more!* These are fantastic machines that deserve a closer look by ANYONE looking for a bagless machine. Don't let the price fool you! You absolutely get more than your money's worth with the Lift Away! I have a Black Friday Special email that they still honored pricing on as of a couple weeks ago, and I got a 15% coupon code on top of that. I ended getting it for under $150 - delivered - including sales tax! We recommend them to everyone, and all who bought them LOVE THEM!