The famous "There's always room for Jell-O" slogan seems to reflect the thinking of some vacuum makers. However I'd say, your stomach's one thing but what and how many things you can squeeze into the hall closet's another. How many models can you make? Well, Shark has now produced three current machines meant to drown public imagination, so I'm asking, as usual, if anyone here is trying any of them out or has them on sale in their shops.
Usually, I probably wouldn't pay much attention but Shark stick vacs, in whatever form, end up being taken on as sole vacuum in many homes due to size, weight and somewhat more bearable price.
The 700-watt Shark Navigator Light NV100, save for a slight change in design, appears to be more of the same we've seen for a long time from Euro-Pro/Shark but, much nicer than in past, the hose handle and suction wand have been re-designed to become the handle for guiding the NV100 when used as an uprigt for floor cleaning. One odd thing I noticed, is that there's not much info about changing the belt or replacing the brushroll. It's MSRP is 179 bucks though it appears to price at about $130.00 to $150 where you find it sold. (Is this the expected price for so-called "disposable" vacuums these days?) Warranty is three years.
http://www.sharkclean.com/manual/NV100_26_IB_ENG_110317_2.pdf
The cordless and rechargeable Shark SV1100 is an impressive looking stick vac meant to either challenge or emulate Hoover's Platinum Collection Linx BH50010. The switch is on the powerhead aand can be operated with the user's toe. The carger sits on the floor and you simply sit the vacuum on it for recharging. Runtime is not known.
http://www.sharkclean.com/manual/SV1100_ENG_110916_4.pdf
Assumedly put out as "best in show," the 1200-watt Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pro NV356E is the newcomer meant to surpass the company's Lift-Away 350. Its look is kind of neat but, to impress us the more, they threw in a useless "Dust-Away" tool for barefloors. The brushroll on the NV356E's powerhead can be shut off for bare floors as expected but the Dust-Away tool can only be used when attached to the hose and wand meaning that you must detach the motor unit from the base and carry it around with you as you use the tool to do bare floors. What's even more dumb is that they simply did not supply a normal bare floor tool with bristles that you can simply whisk clean with the hose end. The Dust-Away tool which highly resembles the nozzles found on Swiffer vacs uses micro-fiber pads that though washable will be easy to lose and thus need replacement. On the upside, this machine's hose end has a bleed valve for suction adjustment; hose end and wand serves as its handle. (There is a cord hooked at the upper part of the wand that may snag when cleaning under low furniture.) Whether the NV356E's rug cleaning action is a step up is hard to tell. The powerhead's housing has had a facelift but there's no indication as to any improvements beyond that. Warranty is for five years.
http://www.sharkclean.com/manual/NV355_NV356E_NV356K_NV357_IB_110714_3.pdf
Venson
This message was modified Nov 27, 2011 by Venson