I've tested over 100 vacuums, and the Shark Stratos Upright is my top pick — plus it's on sale for its lowest price ever

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When you share your home with multiple pets — in my case, two long-haired Golden Retrievers and a spunky cat — a powerful vacuum is a necessity. I've found that many of the best upright vacuums only perform well on one type of flooring, either hard floors or carpeting, and it's been an endless source of frustration as I have an equal mix of both in my home. I want to thoroughly clean my hardwood floors and area rugs without switching tools, which is why I fell in love with the Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum. It's quickly become my go-to vacuum for my multi-pet household.

The Stratos is Shark's most expensive upright vacuum, retailing for around $500 at full price, but for the first time ever, it's half off. It's packed with features that make it the perfect cleaning tool for multi-pet homes. From its dual brushrolls and odor-neutralizing cartridge to its handy lift-away canister, this powerful vacuum is thoughtfully designed from top to bottom, and it's easily one of the best vacuums I've ever used. Keep reading for everything I discovered while testing this vacuum and in-depth details on all the features that make it stand out.

Setup

The Shark Stratos is a large upright vacuum, weighing more than 16 pounds, and the packaging was quite bulky. I had to wrap my arms around the box and shuffle awkwardly to carry it into my house. Once I opened up the box, I was greeted by a ton of plastic. Every piece of the vacuum was wrapped in at least one layer of thin plastic, and some had a second layer of styrofoam-y wrap for added padding. While I understand wanting to protect the pricey tool during shipping, it's clear that eco-friendliness isn't a top priority for the brand. 

Once unboxed, the vacuum was quick and easy to assemble. A small diagram on the packaging shows how to put the pieces together, but I could have done it without any directions. It was just a matter of clicking the main tube and body onto the floorhead, then inserting the handle and hose. There are two spots on the back of the vacuum to hold the crevice and upholstery tools, as well as a cord wrap to keep the power cable tidy. 

The final step of assembly was inserting the vacuum's odor-neutralizing cartridge, which comes sealed in a metallic package. When I ripped the bag open, I was greeted by a light, fresh scent, and the round cartridge snapped into place on the floorhead. You can turn the cartridge to release more or less scent, and I opted to leave it on the lowest setting, hoping to maximize its lifespan.

Our review of the Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum

Living on a farm with two rambunctious dogs, there's never any shortage of dirt, dust, or pet hair in my house, so the Stratos had its work cut out for it. I used the upright vacuum for my twice-weekly deep cleaning sessions, which involved vacuuming the hard floors and area rugs, cleaning the two sofas, and dusting the baseboards.

Ease of Use

The Stratos is on the heavier side compared to other upright vacuums I've used, but it's well-balanced and ergonomic, making it easy to push around the floor and maneuver into tight corners and around obstacles. I love that its controls are right on the handle — there's a power button, as well as a sliding toggle that lets you switch between settings for hard floors, low-pile carpet, and high-pile carpet. The buttons are all easy to operate, and it's convenient that you don't have to stop or bend over to change the vacuum's settings. The power cord is 30 feet long, which gave me enough distance to vacuum two rooms before I had to switch outlets, and it was easy to wrap up on the side of the vacuum when I was done cleaning.

If you ask me, one of the best features of this vacuum is its "Powered Lift-Away" operation. A button on the top of the dustbin allows you to lift the whole body off the base, essentially turning it into a canister-style vacuum. Thanks to this feature, I was able to easily vacuum underneath low-profile furniture like my couch and media console — places that other upright vacuums could never reach. There are also levers that allow you to release the handle or wand separately, which proved to be useful for cleaning baseboards and vacuuming the stairs.

Cleaning Performance

In addition to using the Stratos as part of my everyday cleaning routine, I also put it through a series of tests, using it to vacuum debris like flour, coffee grounds, uncooked rice, cereal, and pet hair on hard floors and carpeting. I was absolutely blown away by the vacuum's ability to pick up particles of all sizes — it typically only required one pass to pick up the vast majority of the debris, performing much better than many other vacuums I've tested. In almost every test, it was able to pick up 100% of the debris. The only area where it wasn't quite perfect was picking up flour off the carpeting, where it only picked up 90% of the fine particles. In several cases, the dustbin's weight was actually greater than the amount of debris I put on the floor, so it picked up dirt/dust I didn't even know was there (I swear the floor looked clean!)

I was particularly impressed that the Stratos performed equally well on hard floors and carpeting, and I think a lot of it has to do with the vacuum's dual brushroll design. The front brushroll is a soft, fluffy material that captures fine particles and stops larger debris from being spit out, while the back brushroll has more rigid bristles to get deep into carpeting and pull up dirt. Together, they deliver serious cleaning power, and the best part (for me, anyway) is that hair — both dog and human — doesn't get tangled up in the brushrolls.

In addition to cleaning my floors, I also used the vacuum to clean dog hair off the couch. The upholstery attachment is a simple, non-motorized design, but it was still effective for picking up debris. I did notice that it tends to get staticky during use, causing hair and dust to stick to the plastic, but it did a good job cleaning off the fabric in a few passes. I also vacuumed the baseboards around my living room using the crevice tool, and while it worked OK, I wish the vacuum came with a dusting brush for those kinds of tasks.

Odor Neutralizing

Another unique feature of this vacuum is its odor-neutralizing cartridge, which is located in the floorhead. The brand claims it "guards against bad odors," but after testing out the vacuum, it seems to me like the cartridge just works as a mini air freshener, leaving behind a fresh scent when you clean. 

I like the smell, which is fresh without being too in-your-face, but I was disappointed that it wore off quite quickly. After a week of regular use, the scent was far less noticeable, despite the brand's claim that each cartridge lasts up to six months. If you really like the scent, it might be worth swapping in new cartridges, but I personally wouldn't bother replacing it — you can get the same effect from a carpet refresher, which will likely be more budget-friendly in the long run.

Filtration

The Stratos is equipped with a few different filters to help capture allergens like pollen and pet dander and keep them from being circulated back into your home. When you remove the dustbin, you can see the washable foam and felt filters, which the brand recommends cleaning once per month. The foam filter is white, so you can see it get dirtier with each use — a helpful reminder that it needs cleaning. 

There's also a HEPA filter at the base of the vacuum, which can capture 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. This filter can be accessed by removing the "grill" on the front of the vacuum. It should be washed once a year and replaced every three years. 

Dustbin 

The dustbin on this vacuum appears quite large at first glance, as it takes up the majority of the vacuum body. However, the "max fill" line is just a few inches off the bottom of the canister, so it does need to be emptied frequently if you want the vacuum to perform at its best. In particular, dog hair quickly fills up the dustbin, and I generally needed to empty the bin at least once (but sometimes twice) while cleaning my living room and office. 

The good news is that it's easy to empty. There's a button to remove the whole canister from the vacuum, and then a lever pops open the bottom of the bin when you're holding it over the trash. Clumps of hair would occasionally get stuck at the top of the dustbin, but instead of having to fish them out with my hand, the lid also popped open, so I simply turned the container over to bang out any lingering debris.

Cons to consider

Overall, I was truly impressed with the Shark Stratos and it worked well for my needs, but there are a few downsides you'll want to keep in mind. Arguably the biggest deal breaker is the vacuum's weight. When it's empty, the vacuum is close to 16 pounds, which may simply be too heavy for some people, especially if you're going to be carrying it up and down stairs. 

Beyond that, my complaints are minor: The odor-neutralizing cartridge doesn't last very long, even if you put it on the lowest release setting, and the dustbin has a low "max fill" line, forcing you to empty it quite often if you're picking up pet hair. Finally, the vacuum doesn't come with a dusting brush — though you can get one separately from the brand.

What are your alternatives?

If you're looking for a vacuum that's lighter — but still offers powerful suction—the Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum is one of the best cordless vacuums we've tested. It boasts many of the same features as the upright model, but it lasts for up to 60 minutes per charge, has a HEPA filter, and weighs just 9 pounds, making it much more manageable to carry around your home.  

Another cordless option for homes with pets is the Dyson Outsize Cordless Vacuum. It's larger and more powerful than many other cordless models, and it has an impressive runtime of up to 60 minutes, meaning you can clean longer without having to stop to empty the dustbin. However, it is fairly expensive for a cordless vacuum, with a base price of $500. 

Comparatively, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 just edged out the Shark Stratos as the best upright vacuum for pet hair, thanks to its aggressive dust-culling properties and optional suite of pet-friendly attachments, including grooming tools. 

Also from Shark, the Shark Navigator Liftaway Deluxe is a good mid-range option that can frequently be found on sale for around $200. It features Shark's Liftaway design, HEPA filtration, and a brushroll shut-off feature, but it does not have the Stratos' unique dual brushroll design that was great at picking up particles large and small or the odor-neutralizing cartridges. 

If you're not looking to spend that much, the Bissell Cleanview Swivel Vacuum is a more affordable upright option — we were impressed by its suction power and oversized dustbin, which is great for pet hair, but it's pretty noisy. 

The bottom line

For homes with pets and multiple types of flooring, the Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum is an unbeatable choice for deep cleaning. It expertly handles all types of debris across any style of flooring — without getting bogged down by pet hair — and its Powered Lift-Away design makes it much more versatile than your average upright vacuum. I'd recommend it to everyone I know.