A Shark - Everyone's Favorite!

[madman]

NV352 31

Trash find. Gee, I wonder why they chucked it? Dust cup completely full, filters completely caked, brush covered in human hair.

In the previous owner's defense, and in defense of all you Shark haters, this model does look and feel kind of cheap. It doesn't have the same build quality as my Rocket Pro, for sure. And this has a similar cyclone design to the Rotator... that is, a pretty crappy one. It also has that stupid thing where the primary screen filter is not removable for cleaning, which is especially crappy since it gets dirty almost immediately, due to the bad design. Was there like a patent on the actually-good cyclone designs at the time?

Oh well, besides that, this machine is in fine fettle. Great suction at the motor. I'm sure the motor was spared by the bypass valve, otherwise it surely would've burned up. Still waiting for filters and dust cup to dry before I try it, but I suspect it will perform identically to the Rocket Pro (until that screen clogs).

Also, what is this nonsense I'm always hearing around here that the brush head is not serviceable? I had to take it apart to get the brush, it was only a bunch of phillips head screws. Granted, two of them were hidden under tiny wheels, but still. Interestingly, the brush motor is a brushed DC (permanent magnet) motor, and it has a circuit board presumably for rectification and to light up the brush roll indicator. There are no headlights. And the suction hose has a tiny hose that comes off of it that goes to the brush motor, presumably for cooling it. But yeah, it's perfectly serviceable.

So I have yet another free vacuum. What's that they say about a fool and his money?

 

[lux_luthor]

I had one of these when they first came out about a decade ago. It worked really well and I had it for 5-6 years before I decided to sell it and get my first Miele. I kept the filters washed and the bin emptied. So it always performed good as new for me. I used it to vacuum all flooring surfaces, I used it to dust everything, and I’d even clean my car out with it.

 

[gregvacs28]

I do like the color and the compact design.

[this post was last edited: 5/30/2020-07:41]

 

[hoover300]

One of the reasons they say the power heads aren't serviceable, is that the later Navigators (maybe others?) had star headed screws. They were just deep enough where you couldn't use a star headed bit, so you needed the actual screwdriver.

 

[jo]

Early model

Yeah, this one was an early model and Shark has continued to improve their products over the years and they listen to consumer feedback. My Shark Rocket Dulexe Pro easily opens to service the brushroll using a coin. I emailed Shark to get rid of the combination dust mop/vacuum nozzle and change to a bristle narrower floor brush because the mop thing was too big and cumbersome to use and most people I know who had it didn’t like it or use it...and they did make the change.

I like my Shark Rocket Deluxe Pro...it’s a Costco version from 2018 and the wand folds and flexes to get under furniture more easily and fold it down to store in a cabinet and/oror stand the unit freely. Love the lights on it and combination tools and more.

Jon

 

[dysonman1]

It's not that the power nozzles aren't serviceable (as in 'get into them'), it's that there are no repair parts available. I have had over 30 Sharks just left with me at the shop because there was no way to obtain repair parts. And they all needed different things. I should have taken pictures of us throwing them into the dumpster.

 

[fan-of-fans]

We used to have this one where I work, or at least one similar to it, I can't remember exactly. I used it a few times to clean my room and it seemed to work pretty well. Then I guess that one broke because we got a white and red one. I like the hose and attachments pretty well on these.

The main things I don't car for is they like to tip over and to me the swivel action is a little unbalanced when steering it. I'd also like the head to be wider, it seems really narrow. We still have the white and red one, but it doesn't get used much since the current cleaning person uses a Rainbow.

All in all these are good machines I think for a newer vacuum. The filter setup could be better.

 

[huskyvacs]

This is a great find! I bought one of these early Sharks too but it's currently stuck in the postal system and I have no idea what's going on. I hope it gets here.

Yeah, not sure why people have such problems with Shark repair. I have taken them apart down to the wiring harness and had no trouble. They are no different than any other vacuums. A caveman could literally put an Oreck XL series back together, and the most difficult vacuum that has a lot of faffing about is the Dyson ball vacuum.

This model, the NV352, was Shark's first full upright as a company after they absolved Fantom Technologies when they were then known as Euro-Pro. In 2005 they dabbled with an upright vacuum - but it was basically a stick vacuum with a bunch of stuff tacked onto it and it looked like a clunky mess. The Euro-Pro Shark Retractor EP603 from 2005. They then dropped the Euro-Pro name and became Shark and their first vacuum made entirely under Shark was a carpet sweeper (which I own), and then they came out with the Navigator which really set the company off like a rocket and they became the juggernaut they are today.

@Hover300 - A security screwdriver is only like $2-$3. They are not expensive. Nintendo does the same thing to their videogame consoles. It's just a level of protection on the company to keep people from abusing the warranty system.

@dysonman - there are plenty of repair parts available on Amazon, eBay, etc. You can find belts for them on AliExpress - also a few industrial corporations stateside make belts too. Have to know the right places to look and you will find parts.

People pay $80-$100 for any Shark on eBay now. They have a high resale value both to collectors and normal vacuum users. It's just like the Toyota Tacoma pickup - no matter how old it is, it still holds its value (and even more than that). People will pay $7-$10k for a 20 year old model, no joke.

Shark has some a long way since 2008 and their vacuums are pretty damn good now. They went from a laughable "As seen on TV 3 payments of $19.99" company that everyone slept on, and are now just as good as every other brand out there (what little there is anyway). I just got a Lift Away Pro and the quality of it is incredible. It vacuums like butter and runs very smooth, my cat and dogs are not afraid of the soft motor tone, and it's nearly as heavy as a Kirby - so quality parts are being used and in no way at all does it feel cheap. The polishing fluffy roller also helps get dirt out of my unsealed hardwood flooring safely. I swear the fluffy roller is electrostatic because it seems to get dirt right out of the cracks in-between the floorboards.

You have to remember that there are less vacuums today to choose from than there was from 25-30 years ago. A lot of companies have gone out of business or been absorbed via mergers, and there is a greater number of people living on the planet now so prices are going up. Pretty much the only companies making a good bang for your buck vacuum now are Dyson, Shark, and Hoover. Dirt Devil and Bissell hold their own positions and do their own battling among the lower price points for us poorer folk that can't afford a $300 vac. (The DD Jaguar is a pretty competent vac)

Kirby is still around but with no marketing or sales program (cant you guys at least run some TV commercials?) they are basically asleep at the wheel. So even if their vacuum is better than everyone in the department stores - nobody has any knowledge of it.

 

[lesinutah]

Olde

This is one of the first navigators. The rocket I don't know if they will outperform this.
The shark rotator professional is the ideal shark.
The duo clean works very well. You look on the specs 9 to 10 amp are the ideal vacuum.
The security/torw 15 bit. If you use this head the screws come off.
Les

 

[madman]

Thanks for the replies!

So I used it for the first time today. Um... well let me just tell you what happened. In the shop's office, we have an absolutely filthy large rubber-backed doormat type of thing. I vacuumed that. I was shocked with what happened. Literally. Some how or another, the dirt passing through the handle was generating enough static electricity to arc to my pinky finger at a distance of about 3/4 inch! Not just once, either, but at least 20 times, maybe more. The arcs were visible in daylight too, very powerful! I had my friend observe the phenomenon as I persisted in my cleaning effort despite the pain of electrostatic shock. We joked about this for the rest of the day, wondering who we should prank with this vacuum, and he named the machine 'the vacuum of sadness.'

I suppose it could've been a perfect storm of atmospheric conditions, my shoes, concrete floor, and type of dirt. Interestingly, the metal tube the handle connects to has a metal tab that looks like it's meant to ground the plastic handle... although there is no ground connection on the machine.

I was surprised with the cyclone as well. At least it seems to be working better than the Rotator does. The screen and the area around it was free of dust, so I'd say that means the cyclone actually works. However, it seems a lot of very fine dust must've gotten past the screen and caught in the foam filter. That dust is very dark brown. Look how it covered the filter after the first run. The suction was great, though. I don't know, I guess it's not that bad. It's not like I want this to be my primary (or even secondary or tertiary) machine. I kind of want to keep it in my motorhome, but it might be a bit too big for that. Not sure yet.

 

[huskyvacs]

Yup, its filtering all that junk out of the air. Being in an office environment you get a lot of heavily trodden dirt that pulverizes into very fine particulates, and you definitely do not want to breathe that in by putting it back in the air!

Although far newer, I've been using my LiftAway for a week so far, maybe 2 weeks, and i don't really see much dirt on the metal screen. I think mainly they added that to keep big stuff from being sucked into the air channel and not really to filter anything. The lift away has a two-story bin that seems to let the large stuff filter into the top bin and the little stuff packs in the bottom bin for an even distribution and separation of debris material so that the bin does not fill up so fast. My Shark seems to pull out 2.5 bins of dirt when I vacuum every few days, I have no idea where it is finding it at!

And yeah the level of moisture in the air determines if you get static electricity or not, if you keep the humidity a bit on the damp side, you can ward off static electricity. You might be able to tape a dryer sheet on it or rub it on the vacuum and that might take care of the static charges.

Looks like it's working great!

 

[fan-of-fans]

Yeah, I remember seeing these around 2005-2006 in sales circulars from Belk (the department store). Kind of interesting since you wouldn't think of going there to get a vacuum necessarily, but they have always sold Sharks. I think Bed, Bath and Beyond had them when they opened here too like 2008 or so.

I've also heard to wipe liquid fabric softener on vacuums to prevent static electricity.

 

[lesinutah]

Someone

Dryer sheets in the dust bin. This tapers the smell and static electricity. I got this from another member a couple years ago.
Les

 

[gottahaveahoove]

But.... curious.......

is you tire in that photo low in air?

 

[madman]

Tire - not my tire. Customer's car. Doesn't look low, anyhow.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

OK. Well, I just was pointing out

that it looked low.
That's all.

 

[lesinutah]

Meh

It does at the angle look low. If anything it's 25 psi instead of 35 psi. You would see more of the tire sidewall if to specs. Iiho
Les

 

[huskyvacs]

Well tires lose air as the weather warms up due to expansion and contraction of the density of the air within the tire in comparison to the environment outside it. I just filled my tires last month on a 78 degree day and my tires were 25 lbs low on 2 tires, and 13 lbs low on the other two tires after not being filled since fall. I always fill mine up to maybe 3 PSI or so above the sidewall rating number. It gives less wear on the tires, and better mileage, and if some air gets lost, you're still good.

 

[madman]

Husky, the sidewall rating number is almost always the maximum safe inflation pressure! Not the normal working pressure. Look in the driver's door jamb for the tire information sticker, and use that number. Or just use it as your baseline if you like a little more.

Also, a worn tire may appear low because the sidewalls become weak.