Shark Navigator

[joshdonnell]

Shark

Well.... No vacuum is gonna remove all that dirt not even skark. I wouldnt buy it . But id say miele is better then anyother . Just becuase you go over the carpet with one of vacuums then another doesnt mean theres not gonna be dirt stil left in the carpet.

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Seems like I was trying to

defend the Shark to unreasonable people but I just checked some of the ages and I now know I was trying to defend a well made decent product to children . Next time I guess I will only respond to the Adults on the site .I have over 39 years experience with almost every model ever made but learned more about vacuums as I grew up .

 

[vintagerepairer]

Well could someone from the USA please educate this British Dinosaur into the Shark brand, because I've not heard of it before. When I google Shark Vacuum Cleaner I see a page of modern cleaners, all of which have been on sale in the UK under various names, and none of which cost very much to buy. In otherwords, they were at the cheapest end of our market and not a patch on the quality of bottom-end cleaners from years back.

 

[godfreys_guy]

The lift-away

is one of the best performing vacs I have EVER used. Although it isn't cheap here in australia (at $400) it is a really good vacuum cleaner. It feels relatively solid, grooms the pile well and has amazing pick-up. If you see the photo beneath, that is vacuuming just the lounge-room after about 4hrs before with the Sentria. The thing just mows along, it's quiet, and very manouverable. I know it prob won't last the 10yr warranty but even if you got 3-4 I could buy 8 of them for the price of 1 kirby!

 

[director12]

I have noticed people bash the Navigator for not having a carpet height adjustment, and the warranties not being honored.

 

[szymonrules]

OK

I know I bashed a brand, but still, it was my honest opinion! I'm not saying that Shark is awful, but I just don't like their products. I hope no one takes this as a childish thing.

 

[vintagerepairer]

I don't take it as childish, but I do wish someone could take the time to explain the brand to me, because as I delicately side-stepped around earlier, all the Shark cleaners I have seen on Google were of cleaners we've had in the UK which were potentially absolute tripe.

 

[venson]

Shark serves its purpose . . .

I have demoed Shark's Navigator and it works well and serves a purpose. If you need decent cleaning, don't have a lot of storage room OR a lot of money to spend it's not a bad option. I'd like it as a supplementary vacuum in a home of good size and would be more than pleased to have it as sole vacuum in a small apartment.

It comes with tools too. I have a thousand bucks worth of elegance and oomph sitting in my broom cupboard now but couldn't afford to spend that again in future. A cleaning device that sells for under $200 and meets my needs would sound mighty nice if I had to replace my present machine.

Vacuums that price low but offer satisfactory service should never be forgotten or overlooked. Nor should affordable refurbs of better brands.

 

[eurekaprince]

Benny - Shark vacuums began when someone in North America decided to produce a very powerful handvac and promote it with direct marketing and television infomercials - especially during the Christmas shopping season. The hand-vac was shaped as a chubby, little shark and hence the name. It was probably produced very cheaply in China just when that country started producing household appliances for all the major American companies.

The little Shark probably sold very well. Because the English name would not go over well in French parts of Canada, someone decided to use the name Euro-Pro on the French infomercials in Canada. This is how the infomercial-driven brand was created in North America. I think the next tv promotion in the line up was the Shark cordless floor sweeper.

The cheap Chinese-made Shark handvac and floor sweeper is what launched this company - and it seems to have grown in popularity for those who buy their cleaning equipment at Walmart and Canadian Tire and Zellers here in Canada.

Consumer Reports has not given high marks to the latest Shark cordless sweeper (the VX3 has really poor edge cleaning and can't pick up pet hair very well). But it's tests show that the Navigator is one of the better bagless upright vacs:

Here's their summary of the Navigator Lift Away NV352 (the 351, 350 and 356 all received similar marks):

"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."



Here's a picture of the "Shark-faced" hand vac that started it all:



http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...6351P/Shark+Europro+Hand+Vacuum.jsp?locale=en

 

[sebo_fan]

VR - Shark have used a lot of Morphy Richards upright vacuums as well as horrible model that I once owned called "Vax Quicklite Widetrack." The current Shark Navigator Lift Away everyone is talking about is also being sold here in the UK. Unsurprisingly it's by Morphy Richards under the "Clarity" tag and "Never Loses Suction," rather elongated name now appearing on Amazon. (photo shows 73410 model)

However all the UK line up can be seen on site as well as video:

http://www.flixfacts.com/view/media...832034656&p=20882&g=&txt=&cp=no&btg=MS5&t=fl&

Video shows it going under an open stool easily to link how low flat it is - shame the rectangular bin would get in the way if I tried it under my open bed. Only one vacuum gets under there successfully - SEBO X series!

Someone else mentioned the Shark Steam mop - the purple one has been in the UK before under the unfortunate name of Daewoo and other Chinese companies. I nearly bought it but decided to go with the Hometek light n easy.

All Chinese made!

 

[vintagerepairer]

Thank you for the replies. I know very, very little about cleaners made for the USA market, but the conclusion I am coming to is that we in the UK were used to a far greater quality of machine than those made for the USA market. I say this only because I read the messages from our friends across the pond and you seem so much happier with machines which I see as inferior to those we over here have become used to.

 

[director12]

Um, Euro-Pro Fantoms are just as awful. And why did Euro-Pro focus more on Shark and keep Fantom as a sideline?

 

[venson]

@vintagerepairer

"Thank you for the replies. I know very, very little about cleaners made for the USA market, but the conclusion I am coming to is that we in the UK were used to a far greater quality of machine than those made for the USA market. I say this only because I read the messages from our friends across the pond and you seem so much happier with machines which I see as inferior to those we over here have become used to."

There are few American vacuum aficianados here in the U.S and, contrary to your feeling, I highly suspect there aren't all that great a number in Europe. Most of the thinking world goes for whatever works and is affordable. It's presumptuous to assume otherwise.

We have had quality all along. The long selling Electrolux Model XXX was a well-designed cleaner that sold for about $80 back in the 1940s That was a lot of money then but in comparison to present times, it stands proportionally way below the well over $1,000 being asked for the brand before and after the name switch to Aerus.

Nonetheless, we'd all like the auto, the vacuum, the washing machine or TV that offers stellar features, ability and bankable longevity. That is possible BUT the one thing overlooked here is that all that comes at a high price. Prices on better made American vacuums, Riccar, Simplicity, Rainbow, Filter Queen, etc., are over the top along with imports like Miele and Sebo. (By the way, Miele claims it prices high because it costs a good deal to bring us "quality".)

As for Chinese imports, it's hard to say no to the prices and also hard for government here to advocate a "buy American" campaign when China's holding around 1134.1 billion of the national debt.

While we spendthrift "aficianados" may lean toward snobbery by our varied perceptions of the significant worth in a purchase, the more economically concerned average vacuum buyer is only interested in getting his or her floors clean by whatever affordable means. Rationalizing high cost by allusions of buying ahead because of quality don't wash well anymore. The usual reply is, "Nice idea but it will have to wait a while.

I, for one, perfectly understand that. There's absolutely no sense in outlaying significantly disproportionate amounts of money for merely one aspect of household needs when you have other financial demands -- and duties -- like rent or a mortgage, utility expenses, kids that need to be fed and cared for. As we have loads of young people here hard pressed to find work while trying to get out from under tuition loan payments, even the single may not be free to indulge but instead also must make do.

As far as disproportionate expense is concerned, entertainment is what sells. What I've seen here is that tell someone looking for a vacuum that the model they're viewing costs more than $200 and you have to call for the smelling salts. However, show them a flat-screen television with a mile-wide screen that's well beyond $1,000 and they'll go for it despite the budget prohibitive price or inevitable indebtedness.

I have a Miele Capricorn and also had a Miele Tango I had to leave behind due to moving. Both were bought and paid for and thoroughly enjoyed. However, I have no doubt that there are brands and models two-thirds less in price that would help do the job just as well. I would never suggest anyone buy Miele unless they can shoulder the price of the machine and consumables OR, as I, have some mad money they aren't going to miss.

 

[vintagerepairer]

Thanks for that. I do like the comment about the price of the TV set. That rings true for over here as well.

 

[sebo_fan]

Lets not forget though Venson, where Miele vacs in the U.S are concerned, the model line ups consist of fixed priced products (old stock reduction prices excepted) that have had tools specifically linked to them.

In the UK department stores and places such as Comet, Currys and even Dixons allow buyers to custom build their Miele vacs, so they don't pay a higher price as U.S buyers are made to. Also the cost price of German products here in the UK may well look expensive but when compared to the U.S prices, by god the Americans are being pushed to pay MAJOR costs when buying any of the German vacuum cleaners.

But then on the other side of the coin, American products sold in the UK command a high price too - the cost price of an Oreck here is ridiculous when buying new and we don't get the latest models, either.

 

[sebo_fan]

"...Notice how the only ones bashing it are the ones who

Yeah, I don't own it but Im only bashing it cos they don't produce any of their own vacuums.

Plus they're all made in China- a big No, No apparently for U.S buyers. Suddenly though everyone is doing an Evita and "turning a blind eye..."

 

[venson]

@sebo_fan

"In the UK department stores and places such as Comet, Currys and even Dixons allow buyers to custom build their Miele vacs, so they don't pay a higher price as U.S buyers are made to. Also the cost price of German products here in the UK may well look expensive but when compared to the U.S prices, by god the Americans are being pushed to pay MAJOR costs when buying any of the German vacuum cleaners."

A great enlightening was being in Munich and seeing the Mercedes -- a prized luxury vehicle here -- being used as taxis. Our top of the heap American cars, like the Cadillac, are never called upon for that kind of duty unless they're hauling you around after you've died. (To be fair, way back in the day, specially built Cadillacs were used as ambulances as well as hearses.)

Well -- we do get to "custom build" our Mieles here too except that we have to pay piece by piece and at ridiculous prices. Kenmore vacs aren't made in America either but I can get a regular power nozzle, an electrically powered mini nozzle, bare floor tool plus all the usual attachments for $500 or under.

If they won't lower prices, I feel Miele should be fitting out its machines similarly instead of nickel and diming buyers. Most of its options are not of great use anyway. I do my car with no problem at all using just the upholstery nozzle and crevice tool. Why anyone would pay more than a hundred American for their so-called "kits" I'll never fathom. There's a new utility brush that I like but am not buying because it's priced at $40 but is actually worth less than $10. A similar tool has been thrown in as part of the attachment set of the top-line Kenmore can.

By the way, we're also into the UK for a nice piece of change re our national debt. I suppose over-priced Orecks are a way of shaving a bit off our balance. However, Orecks are priced too high here also.

 

[joshdonnell]

Yeah

But... I would rather spend the money thats gonna last me longer and you see the shark last 20 years lik miele . The reason becuse they are not made like a miele simple as that

 

[trebor]

"There are few American vacuum aficianados here in the U.S and, contrary to your feeling, I highly suspect there aren't all that great a number in Europe. Most of the thinking world goes for whatever works and is affordable. It's presumptuous to assume otherwise."

Venson,
One does not have to be an aficianado to know the difference between a high-quality and a low quality product. A careful buyer researches until he or she selects and purchases an automobile, an enthusiast or aficianado never stops looking because looking and acquiring knowledge is a hobby.

 

[sebo_fan]

Yes trebor, but until the internet came along, you have to admit that the whole nation and the world were less-informed - thus brands like Hoover et al used reputation and reliability to sell products, even if sometimes it was less than reality.