Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum cleaner review

Shark Stratos Cordless: two-minute review

The Shark Stratos Cordless comes with Clean Sense IQ technology, which automatically adjusts the suction to pick up dirt and debris that you may not be able to see, and tells you when the floor is clean.

In my testing I was greatly impressed with the suction capabilities, especially the vacuum’s ability to remove hair from my couch when used in handheld and Boost mode. In fact, it holds a spot in TechRadar's best Shark vacuum guide as the top pick for people with a lot of carpet in their homes, as well as ranking highly amongst the best vacuums for pet hair. The MultiFLEX wand makes it easy to clean under furniture, and the flexible rotating head proved effective at picking up dirt in corners and around awkward pieces of furniture such as chairs.

The Stratos is reasonably priced for a high-performance cordless vacuum (especially now, a few years after release, when deals are readily available), and it’s more affordable than some models with similar dust-detection technology like the Dyson V15 Detect.

Keep scrolling to find out more then, head to TechRadar's best cordless vacuum guide to see where it ranks the Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum cleaner.

Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum cleaner review: price & availability

• List price: $499.99 / £399.99 / AU$999.99
• Heavily discounted in all territories at time of update

At full ticket price, the Shark Stratos Cordless is $499.99 in the US, £399.99 in the UK, and AU$999.99 in Australia. At that price, it's right at the boundary between mid-range and premium price brackets. (Note that the AU version comes with a wider range of accessories.)

However, at time of update, it was significantly discounted in all territories when purchased via Shark – $399.99 in the US, £249.99 in the UK and AU$499.99 in Australia. That puts it into the middle of the mid-range price bracket, and represents excellent value for money. 

Another major range for Shark is the Detect Pro, and you can read about the closest model for comparison in TechRadar's Shark Detect Pro Cordless vacuum cleaner review. The Detect Pro is slightly cheaper all round: $379.99 (discounted to $249.99 at time of updating), £349.99 (down to £229) and AU$799.99 (down to AU$499.99). 

Vacuum cleaners often attract deals around major shopping events like the Black Friday sales or the Amazon Prime Day deals, and it's also worth keeping an eye out for a Shark promo code to take the price down. 

• Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum cleaner specs

Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum cleaner review: design

• Flexible hose and option to convert to handheld
• Floor head designed to prevent hair wrap
• LED display shows battery level and lets you swap cleaning modes

At 8.9lb / 4kg, the Shark Stratos Cordless is fairly lightweight as cordless vacuums go, and the floor head can be removed to turn it into a handheld. Rather than an extendable wand it has a flexible wand – a popular feature referred to as 'MultiFLEX technology', which appears in a few of Shark's vacuum cleaners.

Releasing a catch on the back of the wand enables you to fold it forward for compact, freestanding storage, or for cleaning under furniture. The vacuum head swivels, and can effectively turn at a 90-degree angle with just a simple twist of the handle. Between this swivel action and the flexible wand, you can clean pretty much any place that the head can fit.

An odor-neutralizing puck is inserted into the top of the vacuum head to keep it smelling fresh, and an LED headlight lets you see dirt and dust in dark corners. But the most significant aspect of the vacuum head design is the Clean Sense IQ indicator. When you’re vacuuming, a strip of light becomes illuminated on the top of the vacuum head. The longer the strip of light, the dirtier the floor. When the strip of light recedes, it means the floor is clean. 

The Shark Stratos Cordless is designed for use on either carpet or hard floors. On the underside of the floor head you'll find two brush rolls, with fins designed to boost cleaning power. The rolls are designed to detangle hair and direct it into the dust cup as you clean, so you don't end up with a matted mess to remove from the floor head at the end of each vacuuming session. 

To empty the 0.72qt / 0.68L dust cup, which is fitted with a seal to prevent dust and allergens escaping into the air, you detach the main unit from the wand, and release a catch on the cup to deposit the contents into a bin.

At the top of the handle is a LED screen that displays the selected power mode and the remaining battery life. Built into this are buttons for turning the vacuum on and off and switching between Eco, Clean Sense IQ, and Boost mode. The vacuum doesn't have a charging station or base, making it easy to store it away in a closet or other space between uses (newer Detect Pro models add a self-empty base that doubles as a charging stand, but that's not an option with the Stratos Cordless at time of updating this review – see TechRadar's Shark Detect Pro Cordless vacuum cleaner review for an example). 

The tools provided vary depending on which territory you're in, but with the US version I tested, there was a Duster Crevice Tool (which can be used as a crevice tool or a brush), and a flat Anti-Allergen Dusting Brush.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum review: performance

• Excellent suction; automatic power adjustment works effectively
• Flexible hose is a revelation for getting under furniture
• Anti hair wrap works well

The Shark Stratos Cordless performed impressively during my testing. I used the vacuum in both stick and handheld mode on various surfaces including hardwood floors, vinyl floors, thick low-pile rugs, baseboards, a couch, and window treatments. The suctioning capability of this vacuum was superb, and I never had to run over the same area more than twice. 

That said, cordless vacuums can rarely match corded options when it comes to sheer power, so if you really need to be able to deep clean, consider a corded option. There are a few options in this same range – read TechRadar's Shark Stratos Corded vacuum cleaner review for a closer look at our favorite.

While I did test out the Eco and Boost power modes, I generally used the vacuum in Clean Sense IQ mode as I wanted to get a good feel for how the automatic adjustment technology worked. When there was lots of dirt or debris on the floor, the suction was increased automatically and then returned to normal when the area was clean. It's a useful feature if you want effective cleaning that's kind to your battery; check out our Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum review to see a newer, similarly-priced model with more advanced dirt detection.

Because I live in a period home with lots of nooks and crannies, it can be difficult to vacuum in certain corners or tight spaces. The vacuum head has a 10-inch cleaning path width and its low profile makes it easy to push it under cabinets. I appreciated that the floor head has an LED headlight and could twist at a 90-degree angle with just a slight twist of the handle. This made it far easier to clean corners, under dining room chairs, and around stands, in a way that's not possible with other vacuums.

I had never used a Shark cordless vacuum before, and the biggest revelation was the MultiFLEX wand. With a click of the button on the back of the wand, it bends in half, so you don’t have to squat down or lean over to vacuum under a bed or couch. When bent, the vacuum isn’t as easy to control as it is when it’s locked into a straight position, but you can still steer it well enough.

The Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum converts easily to handheld for cleaning furniture and upholstery. In boost power mode, it seemed to pick up hair from furniture much more effectively than other, similar vacuums I've tested.

Thanks to the self-cleaning dual brushroll, hair never wrapped around the brush. The 0.72qt / 0.68L dust cup is large enough to hold quite a bit of dust and debris – I didn’t manage to fill it even after vacuuming my entire house three times. I also found the lack of charging station a benefit, because it makes the vacuum easy to store in a closet or other space between uses.

The extra attachments vary depending on which territory you're in. For my review, I also tested out the Duster Brush Tool on my floorboards, switching to the Crevice Tool when I needed to get into tight corners. In this configuration, the vacuum was light enough to use the  to clean the corners of my 10-foot ceilings and atop door frames. I was excited to try the Anti-Allergen Dusting Brush on my window blinds as they get very dusty, although it wasn't as effective as I'd hoped. 

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum: battery life

• Up to 60 minutes of runtime on ECO mode
• Battery recharges in three hours
• LED display shows remaining battery life

The vacuum’s battery is housed in the back of the handle. You don’t need to remove it from the vacuum to charge it, but you can do so if you find that more convenient.

It takes three hours for the battery to charge, and on a full charge you can get up to 60 minutes of runtime in ECO mode. Other modes sap the battery quicker – including the Clean Sense IQ mode, in which the vacuum senses how much dirt is on the floor and boosts the suction power as necessary.

When testing the vacuum, I never came close to running down the battery when vacuuming my 1,600sq ft / 150sq m home, and I'd often end a vacuuming session with about 40% of battery left.

The only time I got close to running down the battery was when I vacuumed the whole house on Clean Sense IQ mode, and then followed it up by using the Anti-Allergen Dusting Brush to clean the dust off four large window blinds, before using the duster crevice tool to clean floorboards in two rooms; even then I still had 20 per cent left in the tank.

• Battery life score: 4.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum?

Lasts long enough to clean most mid-to-large-sized homes, and automatic mode adjusts suction based on how dirty the floor is, for efficient battery use.

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...