Shark Power Pro Cordless Vacuum

Introduction: The Shark Power Pro Cordless Vacuum is a powerful and practical upright vacuum cleaner, focusing on consistent performance and everyday value rather than flashy features. It is one of the most affordable cordless models tested, offering excellent performance without significant sacrifices. Although its design isn't luxurious, it's not an ordinary vacuum either. One of its most notable features is automatic surface detection, which adjusts suction power when transitioning from carpets to hard floors. It is a strong contender within the best budget vacuum cleaner category.

Advanced Design Features

Signature Shark Touches: Despite its economical price, the vacuum features signature Shark touches such as an anti-hair wrap brush, a flexible wand for reaching under furniture, and a floorhead equipped with LED lights that illuminate dust and dark corners. These features, borrowed from more expensive Shark models, make the Power Pro feel like a more complete tool than its price suggests.

Balance Between Cost and Performance

Practical Simplicity: This does not mean it is without flaws. In some areas, its simple construction hints at its economical positioning. Parts click together solidly, but some plastic components detract from the user experience, especially the boosted power button. The appeal of the Power Pro lies in its ease and simplicity. It's a practical, reliable vacuum with a range of well-executed features that are genuinely useful in everyday use.

Ease of Interface and Control

User-Friendly Interface: There are no modes to choose from. Instead, the floor detection head automatically selects the correct setting based on the surface you're cleaning. All you need to think about is using the Boost button, which is within easy reach. It won't offer dirt detection or edge detection (found in best Shark vacuums within the lineup), but this floor-based adjustment is undoubtedly useful.

Flexibility and Maneuverability in Use

Easy Handling: In use, the Power Pro is balanced and easy to maneuver. The floorhead moves effortlessly across different surfaces, while the articulated wand detaches to give you flexible access under beds and sofas. When switching to handheld mode, the Power Pro is surprisingly lightweight. It's a little bulky for very tight spaces like car footwells, but the included crevice and upholstery tools help reach corners and crevices.

Overall Cleaning Performance: While not as powerful as the Shark Power Detect Cordless Vacuum, the Power Pro delivered impressive performance in cleaning tests. Suction was strong on carpeted floors, lifting visible dirt and ingrained dust without the need for repeated passes. It also handled fine dust and heavier particles on hard floors, although boost mode was useful for picking up larger debris. One caveat is that the brush bar is set back within the floorhead, meaning it may struggle to reach edges along baseboards.

Practical Battery Life: Battery life is decent too. While there's no Eco mode to extend battery life, in Auto mode, I achieved a very good average of 40 minutes when cleaning a mix of carpeted and hard floors. At around 3 hours, the Power Pro is also relatively quick to recharge. Since power connects directly to the removable battery, you can use a spare battery if you wish to extend runtimes.

Initial Conclusion: The Shark Power Pro isn't the most stylish or advanced vacuum on the market, but it might be the best cordless vacuum cleaner for budget-conscious shoppers. With consistently strong performance, good battery life, and some thoughtful features, it's a solid choice for households needing an easy dust removal solution. The Power Pro is durable for everyday use and offers excellent overall value.

Shark Power Pro Cordless Vacuum: Price and Availability

Official Pricing: Advertised price: $329.99 USD / £249.99 GBP / $399.99 AUD. Launch Date: Early 2025. Availability: USA, UK, Australia. The Shark Power Pro was launched in early 2025 and is widely available from Shark and various retailers. At its advertised price, the standard model costs $329.99 in the US, £249.99 in the UK, and $399.99 in Australia. This places the model at the lower end of the mid-range category, but at the time of writing, it was heavily discounted in all regions.

Discounts and Offers: Based on price history, discounts appear to be fairly common, and you shouldn't have too much trouble getting the Power Pro for a price closer to $200 / £180 / $300 AUD – which firmly places it within TechRadar's budget price category, even though it offers many features found in more expensive Shark models.

Bundle Options: Some bundle options are available that include different tools (for example, the "Pet" version has a small motorized cleaning head for upholstery), as well as a more advanced "Flex Reveal" version in some regions. For this review, the IZ380UK version was tested, which comes with crevice and upholstery tools, as well as the standard floorhead.

Value for Money: Based on current discounts, the Power Pro is one of Shark's most affordable cordless vacuums, and I believe it's good value for what it offers. As a simple, effective cordless vacuum with a streamlined but useful feature set, it offers excellent value for money in its category.

Shark Power Pro: Design

Design Summary: Simple build that feels plastic but is durable. Flexible wand and bright LED lights in the floorhead. No wall mount, but the lockable floorhead helps it stand steadily. The Shark Power Pro follows a practical design philosophy. It doesn't claim to be a luxury vacuum, but it still incorporates many thoughtful touches that elevate it above basic alternatives. It's not an ugly unit either, although Shark has focused on functional choices rather than aesthetic refinement.

Build Quality: Out of the box, the Power Pro feels solid enough for everyday use. All parts click together reassuringly. However, the construction relies heavily on plastic. Parts like the Boost button and dustbin release latches feel hollow, while there's some flex and rattle in the casing, giving a clear indication of where costs have been saved. These issues don't affect performance, but they contribute to a less premium impression than more expensive Shark models.

Structural Design: The Power Pro follows the familiar cordless stick design. There's a neatly packaged handheld unit that connects to a motorized floorhead at the base. The useful Shark MultiFLEX / Flexology wand is also part of the setup. An articulated joint in the middle allows it to bend, enabling you to reach more easily under furniture without bending down. It's a feature typically found on more expensive Shark cordless models, so its presence is welcome in this price category.

Weight and Handling: The main unit is surprisingly lightweight, and although the wand and floorhead are less so, it still falls on the lighter end of the stick vacuum market. The simple handle design isn't entirely comfortable, but it's comfortable enough for general maneuvering, partly due to the lightness of the main unit. It's a little bulky for very tight spaces like car footwells, but the included crevice and upholstery tools help extend reach. The range of accessories included with the classic model is modest, but it covers most essential tasks around the home.

Controls and Lighting: Controls are intentionally minimal. Since the floor detection head automatically adjusts suction based on whether you're tackling carpets or hard floors, there are no settings to switch between. There's just a power button and a Boost button at your index finger. Three illuminated icons on top of the handheld unit show the active mode, while three other icons on the battery show the charge level. This is less precise than a numerical readout, a feature not typically found in this price category. At floor level, integrated LED lights illuminate dust and dirt on dark surfaces. Unlike more expensive Shark models like the Shark Detect IW4621KT, these headlights don't react based on how well-lit the area is. They simply come on when the vacuum is switched on, which will be perfectly adequate for most users.

Dustbin: The dustbin has a capacity of 0.7 liters, which is slightly smaller than average, although it fills up slower than you might expect. The dustbin design itself is a little unusual. To empty it, you press a latch to remove the entire bin from the handheld unit, before releasing the bottom flap via another button. This adds an extra step compared to vacuums with direct bottom-empty bins, but it helps reduce accidental spills.

Charging and Storage: Charging the Power Pro isn't as neat as it could be. The location of the charging port at the top of the battery pack means the cable runs over the handheld unit. It would be more natural if the port was underneath, but this is a necessary compromise to make the battery removable. The upside is that you can detach the cell to charge it, which opens up the option of keeping several spare batteries ready for swapping. The Power Pro doesn't include a wall mount or charging dock, which you'd expect with a more expensive model. Instead, you'll need to lean it against a wall when you need a cleaning break. The unit can't stand on its own at full height, but the floorhead can at least bend at a 90-degree angle, preventing it from rolling away from the wall. The forward-bending wand also allows the entire unit to fold in half and lock that way for more compact storage. These are neat practical touches for a model sold without a stand.

Shark Power Pro: Performance

Performance Summary: Powerful dirt pickup on carpets and hard floors. Brush doesn't reach edges. Automatic adjustment based on floor type works well. Performance is what sets the Shark Power Pro apart from other budget stick vacuums. Tests consistently showed efficient dirt pickup, removing both surface and ingrained dirt from carpets in just a single back-and-forth pass.

Floor Detection System: The floor detection head does a lot of the work here. As you move the Power Pro from hard floors to carpets and vice versa, it automatically adjusts the power to suit the surface. The system responds quickly to changes, with no noticeable lag. Suction is noticeably stronger on carpets, where the floorhead seems to really pull in the dirt.

Carpet Performance: As a result, the Power Pro performed very well in carpet tests. When dealing with fine, dry tea bag contents spread on a medium-pile carpet, the Shark Power Pro collected almost everything in its path in a single pass. Any remnants were cleared on the return pass. It also handled larger debris well. 30g of oats were removed cleanly enough, with little clumping or scattering. This is an area where many budget cordless vacuums falter.

Hard Floor Performance: It also offers strong performance on hard floors. Fine tea vanished cleanly from kitchen vinyl, as did drilling dust. Standard suction was sufficient to collect heavier particles like oats, although switching to Boost mode sped things up. Unlike some vacuums, the Power Pro didn't generally push dirt around or scatter it on hard floors. However, for optimal performance, you might want to consider upgrading to the Shark Power Detect Cordless Vacuum, which features an additional shroud added to the floorhead that specifically allows it to clean large particles on the reverse pass.

Edge Reach: Edge performance is one area where the Power Pro shows some limitations. The brush is set back slightly inside the floorhead, meaning the suction window doesn't quite reach the bottom of cabinets and furniture. When I spread tea and oats along a baseboard, a thin strip remained even after a high-power pass. This is a limitation of the head's design rather than power, and it means you'll need to use the crevice tool to get spotless edges.

Anti-Hair Wrap Technology: The floor detection head features Shark's anti-hair wrap technology, with integrated rubber fins designed to prevent hairs from tangling around the brush bar. Over several weeks of running the Power Pro over carpets where longer human hair was naturally shed, it worked extremely well. The brush remained generally tangle-free, and I didn't need to cut any wrapped strands, which is something many cheaper stick vacuums suffer from. It's another feature typically found on more expensive Shark models and works just as effectively here.

Noise Level: Noise is well-managed too. Those rubber fins produce a low hum on carpets as they spin within the floorhead, while the handheld unit generates a relatively quiet whir that only becomes noticeable when Boost mode is activated. For me, the Power Pro was quieter than other cordless vacuums I've tested. It's not completely silent, but it avoids the harsh, high-pitched tones common among budget stick vacuums. This makes it a better option for households where noise sensitivity is a significant factor.

Shark Power Pro: Battery

Battery Summary: No Eco mode, average of 40 minutes in Auto mode. Boost mode reduces battery life to less than 15 minutes. Removable battery, can be charged independently. Shark states the Power Pro has a battery life of 50 minutes. In reality, runtime varies slightly depending on what you're cleaning and where you're cleaning. For example, cleaning carpets consumes more power than hard floors, while frequent use of the Boost button will significantly impact performance figures.

Power Modes: Unlike other Shark vacuums, the Power Pro doesn't have a low-power Eco setting. Because of this, you can't force it to be more economical by disabling floor detection mode. Instead, it will always assess the surface it's working on and adjust power accordingly.

Actual Battery Life: As a result, you'll get longer battery life if your home has entirely hard floors, versus a predominantly carpeted home. My home has an even balance of both, meaning the figures I achieved in my tests should be largely representative of real-world performance across different surfaces. Over several runs, I consistently got between 35 and 45 minutes from a full to empty charge. Taking the average of 40 minutes, this unsurprisingly comes in below the official figure. It also places the Power Pro a step below the best cordless vacuums when it comes to longevity – although you should bear in mind that given runtimes will almost always be for Eco mode.

Charging Duration: For me, 40 minutes felt like a healthy duration for a single session and a competitive figure for the price category. It's certainly enough to cover a single-story home with some charge left in the tank. The more modest capacity also gives the Power Pro a shorter charging time than other models. Shark says it takes "around 3 hours" to fully charge the IZ380UK, which proved to be an accurate figure in my experience. While not instantaneous, many vacuums take significantly longer.

Impact of Boost Mode: Using Boost mode has a significant impact on battery life. Keeping my finger on the button reduced the figure to around 15 minutes. This is actually a strong runtime for Boost mode – but it still reflects the fact that it's meant for use as a short burst for tougher dirt, not a permanent high-power cleaning solution.

Removable Battery: The Power Pro also benefits from a removable battery. The cell itself can be charged while detached from the vacuum. This means you can extend runtime by keeping a second spare battery charged, ready to swap in when the first runs out.

Should You Buy the Shark Power Pro Cordless Vacuum?

Buy it if...

• You want a great value vacuum: Thanks to impressive suction, robust battery life, and good build quality at a competitive price, the Shark Power Pro ticks many boxes for the money.
• You prefer a simpler interface: With only two modes, a power button, and a boost button for control, the Shark Power Pro is simpler than many vacuums on the market.
• You want a lightweight vacuum: In handheld mode, the Power Pro is impressively lightweight, and even with the wand (which is somewhat bulky) attached, it’s lighter for a stick vacuum.

Don't buy it if...

• You need all the premium features and accessories: While it features a floor detection head with integrated lights, you don't get the smart edge detection features or a charging dock found in premium Shark vacuums.
• You want excellent build quality: Its plastic body is durable enough to withstand bumps around the house, but the Boost button and dustbin release latch feel cheaper than competitors.
• You expect perfect pickup: The floorhead does a great job of sucking up dust, but it's not as powerful as Power Detect, and the brush doesn't quite reach corners.