In my humble notice, Dyson stick vacuums are the apotheosis of form. They are light, powerful, practical, useful, and magnificent. Still, for a household item that gets used so much, I wish they were a bit more sturdy. After several years, I blew up the engine of the Dyson V7. Two years later, I dropped my precious V11, which broke the case. Oh, and I accidentally blew out the circuit board while rinsing the washable filter.
Rather than invest in another heartbreaking Dyson, I decided to investigate the Shark Line, widely touted as the Dyson Killer. The shark is the most popular vacuum cleaner brand in America, and its vacuum cleaners have received top marks for their reliability and relative affordability.
The Dyson effect“Making ordinary household products superior and desirable” is very real. However, not only do Dyson products perform well, they are also attractive and have design details that make them overall more enjoyable and easier to use. If you’re as clumsy as I am with your electronics, you’ll probably want to buy a shark. Otherwise, stick with a Dyson.
Difficult to manage
Dyson Reviews, including mine– pay particular attention to the appearance and power of the vacuum cleaner. It took a switch to another stick vacuum for me to realize some of the benefits of Dyson.
For example, a Dyson stick vacuum comes with a docking station. You can mount the vacuum cleaner in a cupboard or corner of your kitchen. Once you’ve screwed the docking station into the wall, the vacuum snaps cleanly and starts recharging automatically. It also conveniently stores all the different suction heads. To charge Shark’s Vertex, you need to plug a cord into the base of the vacuum and find a cardboard box to store the suction heads.
After I got the Vertex, I plugged the charger into an outlet in my dark closet. I rearranged some space, propped the vacuum skeptically against a wall, and shrugged. Then I searched for the cord on the floor, accidentally unplugged my router, found the correct cord, and plugged the vacuum back in. It is not as elegant.
At just over 9 pounds, it’s almost twice as heavy as its closest competitor, the Dyson V7. The brush head is also much larger, so it’s more difficult to maneuver it quickly in small rooms. Finally, it’s not as pretty as the Dyson and just a little more difficult to use.
For example, the brush head has an imprint marker. (I realized after a while that you had to step on it to unlock the brush head.) The Dyson doesn’t need you to step on it for any reason, nor such a marker.
Keep your powder dry
As the name suggests, the Vertex DuoClean has two modes: one for hard surfaces and one for soft surfaces. When you flip the brush head you will see a soft roller for constant contact with the floor and a self-cleaning brush roller mounted with PowerFins, polyester and silicone rubber wipers that dig into the mat for better cleaning power.
On paper, the Vertex has a lot more to offer than a V7. It has more features, like a collapsible tube to fit under sofas and beds. Not to mention, it’s about an hour long, which is longer than the V7’s slim 30 minutes. (Of course, runtime matters less when you can just put the V7 back into its charging case rather than scouring your closet floor for wire.)