Crazy to like my Shark Rotator Powered Lift Away?

[ocscott3085]

So I've had my Shark Rotator Powered Lift Away XL Capacity for about 1.5 years now. Originally I purchased it to use while waiting for a replacement for my central vac unit. I purchased it at Costco and just figured I'd return it once the new unit was installed. I'm not a fan of bagless cleaners and while the Rotator can be a bit unwieldy I must say I haven't found a machine I'd replace it with. I had a Riccar Supralite that was great - lightweight, durable and powerful but I found myself quickly missing tools and the ability to turn off the brush roll. I gave that to my parents who needed something lighter than their Dyson DC65. I considered an Aerus because I could turn off the brush roll to do the wood floors and remembered how durable it was when my parents had their Epic 3500. Well, then that brought me back to the issue of not having an on-board hose. I have yet to come across a bagged upright that offers the same level of convenience features without a crazy price tag. The closest I can think of is a Sebo Felix but I cannot imagine it cleaning better than the Shark. I love being able to quickly grab the dog hair off the sectional sofa, transition to the rugs and push a button to do all the wood floors. Our cleaning ladies use this each time they come as I believe they're afraid of burning up the new central vac unit (like they did to our last one). They bring their Oreck XL but we prefer that they use one of our machines so as to not bring other people's dirt into our home. I keep waiting for the Shark to die so I can get a new vacuum but no such luck yet.
There are some things I don't love about it -

*bagless - I dislike having to empty a container full of dog hair and fine dust. In fact that's why I got the Riccar after previously owning a Dyson. I thought I was done with the bagless craze.

*Vacuum Lines - I'm not a big fan of how it leaves my carpets looking raked. I prefer the lines from our Wessel Werk Edge Powerhead which is just one wide track.

*Bulky mid section - It's a little heavy in the middle of the machine which sometimes makes maneuvering it a little quirky.

However, for the price of $199 I don't know how it could be beat. The vacuum enthusiast in me can't believe I'm almost as fond of a Shark as I was for my old Miele. I'm curious if anyone else is just as fond of their Shark?

 

[mark40511]

ya

they are super convenient. Mine is the the non-powered lift away. I think it will be 3 yrs old around Thanksgiving.
As far as emptying goes. I use my bagged vac I keep in my laundry room and suck the Shark's bin/filters clean so I don't have to dump the mess with dust flying.

If you have cleaning ladies that use your Shark, I'm surprised it's lasted this long honestly.

 

[ocscott3085]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who cleans out their vacuums with another vacuum LOL. I actually pull out the Hide a Hose to clean out my Dyson V8 and Neato vacuum.

 

[sharky]

Just love my Shark Powered Lift Away - I have the smaller version NV680. As they are not sold in Germany, I had it imported from the UK. The USP for me is the powered lift away feature - it comes very close to being a jack of all trades.

In addition, I am amazed about its deep cleaning ability. It does a wonderful job on hard floors as well and seems to be quite well built. And like you I use another bagged canister to empty it.

The Sonic Duo hardfloor cleaner is a wonderful machine, too. I wonder why they have discontinued it.

 

[luxkid1980]

I haven't used a Shark in my own home since I don't want anything without a bag, but I used one in a store but I wasn't impressed at all. The build quality seemed cheap for what is cost and the whole bagless concept....I just can't buy into it. That Oreck XL your cleaning crew uses would have a much better filtering system than the Shark so there should be no worries of other people's dirt getting in your home. It's so convenient to be able to just toss the full bag versus having to empty and clean a bagless vacuum bin and clean the filters. But I understand the convenience angle, being able to use one machine for your floors and a I've floor cleaning.

 

[luxkid1980]

I meant to say "above" floor cleaning, not "I've."

 

[singingrainbow]

My own opinion is that no one is crazy for liking any vacuum. Everyone has their own tastes and needs, and if the shark works for you then it works for you. I enjoy using vacuums many others consider junk, but hey thats just me.

I liked my older shark, I'm only getting rid of it becasue it isn't great on hard floors and that is mostly what we have now.

I agree with you on having the cleaning ladies use your vacuum. It isn't just the dust that might escape from the orecks, but also any gunk that collects on the bottom plate, brushroll, and wheels. I would't want that stuff from someone else's house being dragged across my carpets.

 

[mike811]

Shark Rotator Pro Lift Away NV500

I have to say that I really enjoy my Shark Rotator Pro Lift Away NV500. I imported it from the UK.
For a Chinese vacuum it's quite well made, but not well as the German vacuums.
Why I like it is the convenience. Very easy to use and very versatile. Lift Away feature is a genius idea. I vacuum my bare floors holding the canister in another hand and wand/pipe in another. So far easiest and fastest way to vacuum the hard floors.
What it comes to carpet cleaning performance I have tested and compared it to several different vacuums. It can't match the Kirby G6 and Nilfisk GM80 with the Wessel Werk EBK 340 ph. However it's not far from those.
Being bagless there is obviously more maintenance like the filter washing and bin emptying/cleaning. In my use I don't have to do those often. I have to admit that seeing the dirt being collected to the bin is somewhat rewarding to see.
In the pictures you can see how well it can match the Kirby G6 and the Nilfisk GM80 in flour under the carpet test. Note that I did slow passes, so all vacuums in this test did a good job.
Kirby G6 was the best, Nilfisk GM80 second and not far behind Shark.
Not a bad result.

 

[luxkid1980]

Hopefully if they are good cleaning ladies, they clean the bottom plate on the vacuum Those were just my experiences trying out a Shark. Of course you should use whichever vacuum you like that you enjoy using.

 

[sebo4me]

Personally I think you're insane

 

[n0oxy]

you're not crazy

If that's what you like and it works for you, there's nothing wrong with that. Personally I would never have one of these because of poor quality and the problems that plague most bagless machines, dust going all over the place when you empty it and the filters clogging. And if you have to use another vacuum just to clean it out, to me at least you may as well just use the other vacuum. The only kind of bagless vacuum I would have is the separator water filtration machines. But again, if you're happy with it and it works for you, go for it, everyone has their preferences.
Mike

 

[ocscott3085]

Me? Crazy? Never I typically just use the central vac day to day so the Shark is not much of an issue in the grand scheme of things as the machine is only used every other week.

 

[sebo4me]

Only teasing. I use a central vac too. I did have a Shark Powered Lift Away it cleans very well but I prefer bagged now.

 

[ocscott3085]

I really prefer bagged vacuums too! I go out into the garage to empty the Shark. I had a bagless central vac and found it quite nasty to empty. When I had to replace the unit I went with a MD bagged unit like my parents Silentmaster. Its tough to find a bagged upright here that swivels. I think the Oreck Axis (not so great reviews) and the Sebo Felix are the only bagged upright models here in the USA that swivel. Who knew such a small feature could make such a big difference when cleaning.

 

[sebo4me]

I have an MD I didn't fancy the dust cloud created by a bagless central vac. Imperium do have a bag lining you can use which will make emptying easier.

I like the Felix very solid machine could do with a bit more airflow but apart from that very good!

 

[sharky]

Shark build quality

What's wrong with the Shark's build quality? Everything fits and clicks into space just fine, there's no squeaking, jamming, breaking - the plastics are not brittle at all, so what's the matter?

When it comes to filtration - the NV680/800 have HEPA, so nothing to worry either. Nevertheless I can see the difficulties when using a bagless machine as your only cleaner.

Seems to me that bashing the quality of the Shark is resulting from it being far too good for its price.

 

[n0oxy]

bag preference

I much prefer a bagged machine, or the separator water filtration machines. The water filtration machines come as close as it gets to the best of both worlds, that is, not having to deal with a dust cloud when emptying and clogged filters. Dump the water down the toilet and take the basin right over to the sink, in this way, everything vacuumed ends up going down the drain one way or the other. When I first got my beam central vacuum unit, it was bagless and I despised emptying it, to the point that I was going to sell it at a very cheap price. I found an adapter that lets you turn it in to a bagged unit though and now it's a much better machine.
Another reason I would not have a shark is because they are uprights and I much prefer canisters of all types, whether backpack, central vac, or pull behind machines, but that's personal preference. Here is an interesting question for those who do prefer the bagless machines, which one do you think is made better, the Shark or the Dysons?

 

[rvarley]

Although I've never used the Shark, 2 of my friends have one and they both rave about it. While not vacuum fanatics, they've had higher end vacuums such as Miele, Oreck and Simplicity.

I'm all for an easy to use vacuum, which is why I like my Riccar Supralight. WRT the lack of tools and inability to clean hard surfaces with that, I rather like that it has no fussy hoses and tools to fall off. If I want tools, I'll use another vacuum. And if you get the 2 speed model, it will clean hard surfaces, beds and some upholstry. With all that said, after several years, I had my first disappointment with the Supralight this weekend. While cleaning new carpet with a 2/3 full bag, the vacuum clogged. I never have clogged vacuums. It was easy enough to clean out, but a slight disappointment all the same.

Yes, emptying a bagless can be a little yucky, but there is a certain feeling of gratification I get when I see all the dirt. For bagless, I have Dyson V8, Rainbow and an old Kirby, all of which suck up tons of dirt. Shedding dogs are what made a vacuum fanatic out of me.

 

[dave]

I love my NV680UKT, so versatile and manoeuvrable. I had my Sebo X4 Pet for sale on eBay within 2 days of bringing my Shark home. By the time the auction for my Sebo ended I couldn't wait to see the back of it.

I don't think my Shark would have out lived my Sebo, but I'm not the sort of person that can spend more than a few years of using the same cleaner day in, day out anyway. I'm good with bagless, I take it outside to empty it and I give the bin a good shake outdoors. I've bought a spare filter set and dust bin, so I can have one set getting washed, rinsed and dried out whilst using the other in rotation.

Despite the X4 Pet's charcoal filter, I don't miss the stink of a dirty bag filling the room every time I turned it on (I have a dog). I was having to change the bag in my Sebo when it was less than a quarter full because it would begin to smell (yes I used the freshener cartridges and renewed the charcoal filter). I 'm really pleased with my Plastivac, it cleans exceptionally well and suits my needs perfectly.