Shark Rocket Professional

[niclonnic]

Today I started a new volunteer job at a school family center. After doing a bit of office work, I got to vacuum. To my surprise, they actually had a decent vacuum: a Shark Rocket Professional! I had never used one, but I really liked this little machine! Powerful suction, very quiet and easy to steer with the "enhanced swivel steering." It's great for going around and under chairs. On the very low-pile commercial carpeting, the brush roll spins so fast, the vacuum feels like it's self-propelled going forward! In addition, the vacuum has a Lift-Away feature, in which the main vacuum can be removed from the floor nozzle and used separately like a (tall, handheld) canister vacuum.

I am very impressed with this vacuum! Has anybody ever used one?

 

[jaker15]

Haven't used one

But I have heard nothing but good things about the Rotator series! I'd like to see one in person.

 

[niclonnic]

Well

My grandmother owns a Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe vacuum from Costco. I used it once last year, and I liked it! I'm starting to become a fan of Shark products.

If I had to get a Shark vacuum, I would get the Rotator Powered Lift Away. That's their top of the line model, and it looks pretty neat!

 

[marcusprit]

I agree with you there. The powered lift away an upright that converts into a power nozzle cylinder/cannister cleaner. Also has an electric powered mini brush with some models.

 

[niclonnic]

Sounds cool, however...

The Shark Rotator Lift-Away vacuums include a lot of tools! I'm not so keen on the rolling caddy that turns the vacuum into a canister. I'm usually an upright person. The caddy and extra tools will take up a lot of space in closets! I highly doubt that I'll use the additional tools, with the exception of the mini motorized brush.

 

[aeoliandave]

Value vs cost

On a side note, I've become enamored of the Shark ROCKET Ultralite.
I first saw it at Canadian Tire displayed beside the Dyson cordless DC62 stick vac.
Widely available in Orange Tangerine, Walmart's is Azure Blue, which I much prefer.
Both are cyclonic bagless hand-vacs with detachable extended wand and a detachable motorhead brush that can be directly coupled together without the wand for an all-round great light picker-upper.
Yes, the Dyson is slimmer and sleeker but the Shark is no slouch in it's lightness, maneuverability and ability to run under furniture w 2.5" clearance.

Thing is, the Dyson uses an expensive battery pack, if you want to have a spare, with a limited run-time, while the Shark is corded with 30 ft of flexicord.

I plugged in and ran both at CanTire on a 'borrowed' throw rug from the furnishings department and for me the Shark Rocket was the winner, obviously for affordability but mainly for it's hang-on-the-wall compactness, larger capacity dustbin, the included accessory tools, equal suction & airflow, better wider brushroll that can easily be used on wall-to-wall carpeting for quick pick-ups of cat & dog hair-bunnies without dragging out the large main vacuum and power brush, and an unlimited run-time plugged into a wall socket.

Both having wand decoupling means a great handheld motor-head vacuum for carpeted stairs but I know the Dyson would loose battery power before I finished mine.

Shark Rocket $149 vs Dyson DC62 $549.48 + extra battery
The Rocket also has available at extra coat a mini powered brush head even better for stair treads.

No brainer - gonna get me to Walmart Canada for a blue one soon. This will be perfect for the pantry cupboard beside the ironing board.

Now, if Dyson would ever put a cord on it I would have to reconsider...

Here's a youTube review comparing both. The presenter is clearly a Dysonite.



Whines about the cord and chooses the motor afterfilter to show how dirty it is. Jeez, that's carbon dust from the motor. No mention of the effective filters in the lids for dust escaping the dust bin, which both have.
and, the Shark does have an aluminum wand. While proclaiming the Dyson lasting longer he ignores the fact that the battery will eventually have to be replaced.
He is a cutie, tho'...a born mis-directing salesman in the making:



Ya gets what ya pay for

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/shark-rocket-vacuum/6000188629416

 

[super-sweeper]

....I just pop the carrying strap on the Kirby and go to town on the house! 

 


Say...If i added a Power-Nozzle to a Kirby....would be great to sell with the Handi-Gardener!! 

 

[mark40511]

Today

I bought a Shark Rotator at Bed Bath & Beyond because I had a 20 percent off coupon which means I saved 51 dollars. I haven't had the ambition to open it yet and I still can't believe I bought a bagless vacuum! But I wanted to try this because the reviews are great and it had a long warranty and from what I've read, the filters are washable.

This looks very similar the the OP's vacuum post.

 

[adamthemieleman]

Yep, used one at work, really not impressed. Good cleaning ability and versatility, but they are not nlos. The filter on our demo is covered in dust.

 

[marcusprit]

Only one cyclone to separate the dust so the filter will get dirty quite quickly.

But still the new Powered lift away is very innovative.

 

[dys0nb0y]

Wish they would just improve on the cyclones. I had one in the build quality is okay but Dysons a lot better still the shark is really good deep cleaning carpets but not very good on hard floors. And it's still one of my favourite machines.

 

[marcusprit]

Have you seen sharks infomercial for the Powered lift away? They claim it has more suction at the hose than the Dyson DC65. What they fail to mention is the Dyson has a lot more airflow at the cleaner head! They are very devious. Bunch of sharks! Haha

 

[dys0nb0y]

Shark Is my second favourite vacuun cleaner brand but I've got to say shark is a bit pathetic theaty always have to make pointless little claims that really shouldn't be a claim at all and they make a big deal about it and how so much better and all that the New shark only cleans 5% better not really anything but i'd would like one of those new sharks as they look really good. yes I have seen the shark infomercials they are quite good..

 

[dys0nb0y]

Tested the shark rotator on hard floor with flour and this is what it does.

 

[marcusprit]

Oh that's not good. They do have a hard floor genie which has a micro fibre cloth on it. That might do better

 

[dysonman1]

The Shark Rocket is very loud, like a tornado siren going off. I bought one at Wal-Mart and took it right back. Way, way too loud. The filter was covered in dirt within moments.

Take a look at Shark's warranty. You have to pay to ship it to New York for service, and include a check for return shipping. The call center is in INDIA. Would you like a Slurrpy with that? Good luck understanding a word they say.

The warranty doesn't cover many parts that would normally be covered. The belt is not replaceable, you have to buy the entire power head. It's really an orphan, no one gets a Shark fixed.

 

[mark40511]

Um, I bought a Shark Rotator yesterday

at Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20 percent off coupon. Actually, I think I got the wrong one! This lifts away, but you can't use the PN during lift away...It has the caddy to do hard floors or canister cleaning, but dear God, the attachments are a complete JOKE!! (at least for this model), and frankly, I don't think the suction is all that! Yes, I've got dirt in the bin, but using this thing is NO WHERE NEAR as easy as using my Epic 6500 or my Rainbow. I'm thinking about taking it back. I wish you could see the dusting brush, it's so small and pathetic! I'm trying to understand how this gets such freaking GREAT reviews! For regular floor vacuuming, I can see that it does well....but it's when you have to do the other things that it becomes not so easy (for me anyway)

 

[niclonnic]

Aeoliandave, that is some very good information! Funny thing is, I'm subscribed to that fella on YouTube. His videos are very detailed and informative.

As for everybody else, yes, all Shark vacuums released after the original Shark Navigator have single-cyclonic technology. The "no loss of suction" claim is a bit of a lie, as the filters WILL get clogged with dust. In fact, behind the dust cup on the Sharks, there is a sticker that says to clean the filters every 3 months or "loss of suction may occur."

Dys0nb0y, the reason why the Shark Rotator doesn't pick up very well on hard floors is because the cleaner head is at a fixed height, no matter what floor is being cleaned. On hard floors, there is a gap between the vacuum and the floor, causing suction power to be wasted.

A Dyson, on the other hand, has an active baseplate which creates a tight seal on any surface, so everything will be picked up from hard floors.

Dysonman1, I can see what you mean. While Shark vacuums are great to use, the Euro-Pro company itself annoys me. I can't imagine dealing with their customer service. I don't like how they claim "no loss of suction" when their vacuums are single cyclonic, thus having to rely on filters to trap the fine dust.

Mark40511, your Shark Rotator does look very similar to the Shark Rocket in my original post. I think the better vacuum for you may be the upgrade, the Rotator Powered Lift-Away. It does look very innovative! You can use the power nozzle in lift-away mode, which is great for getting around and UNDER furniture.

 

[mark40511]

Yea , that's the one I thought I got!!

I must be vacuuming pretty good because vacuuming the entire house, I really didn't get much of any dirt of than cat hair and some powdery dirt. I think I'm just going to use the rotator for carpets and hard floors and just use my Rainbow for dusting above floor. I like that the bin is washable and the filters are washable. But the attachments are just CRAP!! Also, the hose does extend, but not far enough to where I end up turning the vacuum over. It fell twice on me.