Add Shark’s lift-Away function, which allows you to separate the vacuum unit and cleaning hose from the floor head, to reach areas like stairs and upholstery, and you have a vacuum that is unsurpassed in both power and flexibility.

While raw figures give an idea of performance, it’s the quality of the floor head and suction path that can make a bigger difference. So, onto the real-world tests. When you need to empty the bin, you just push the button on top to remove it, then there’s an eject button that flips the bottom open. It’s pretty easy to empty cleanly, and the top also opens to get all of the dirt out. That’s where Lift-Away mode comes in. Press the button on top and the main vacuum and bin lift off the cleaner. This gives you a handy cylinder cleaner that you can move where you want it. As the NZ690Uk is bagless, you don’t need to worry about purchasing replacement bags. Ideal for family households, it even has a high-capacity dust bin – just over one litre – so you can get more cleaning done without constant trips to the bin. A handheld vacuum won’t replace either of the other types but is a very useful device to have around as a secondary option. These smaller units are easier to get out and use, particularly if you only need to gather up a small spill. They’re ideal for cleaning in places that are problematic for bigger vacuums, such as your car boot, and are useful to have close to hand in the kitchen, garage or utility room. Other Shark features to look out for:Despite the powerful motor, the Shark NZ801UKT is relatively quiet, coming in at 77.9dB. That’s good going given the suction power you have available here. Signature LED lights in the floorhead illuminate hidden dust and dirt so nothing is missed, while the long 8m cord gives you a total cleaning reach of 8.47m. What’s more, the Anti-Allergen Complete Seal captures, and traps 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, making it the ideal appliance for sufferers and homes with pets. This level of power is an indicator that this vacuum cleaner is good enough for most standard jobs; if you’ve got bigger bulk to remove, such as dirt from DIY, then a more powerful bagged cleaner, such as a Henry would make more sense.

There are other handhelds that offer greater suction, but Shark’s clever design traps the collected dirt in a secondary chamber away from the vacuum workings, which helps ensure the vacuum doesn’t clog up or lose suction while you’re still cleaning. It’s an improved controller over the previous model, which had a manual air vent and just a slider for hard floor and carpet modes. Here, on the Shark NZ850UKT, the power selector lights up your choice with an LED but only when the wand is plugged in fully; remove the wand or handle and you can’t see which mode you’re on. That’s not such a problem, as with handheld tools, you probably just want the maximum power by sliding the selector fully forward.There’s a single floor head here, with rubber strips and bristles on the single brush bar; newer vacuum cleaners from the company have a DuoClean head, which uses a brush bar for the carpet and a soft roller for hard floors. In the box, you get a crevice tool, a multi-surface brush (it’s a hard brush that turns into an upholstery tool) plus the motorised mini pet power tool. The latter works wonders on sofas and stairs. If you don’t have pets, you can buy the Shark NZ850UK, which is a little cheaper and drops the pet tool from the box. Lift Away: Some of Shark’s upright vacuums can be lifted off the motorised floor head and carried around, which is good for cleaning stairs and high places. The handle is removed from the extension pole and attachments can be added, adding greater flexibility to what are otherwise large and heavy vacuums. Keep your carpets and hard floors spotless with the NZ690UK from Shark. This upright cleaner comes with Anti-Hair Wrap technology and Powered Lift-Away as well as a 1.1L dust capacity to help you vacuum through your home with ease. Multi-Purpose Vacuum Cleaner DuoClean: Shark’s DuoClean motorised floor heads have two rollers. The first is a soft roller designed to capture dirt from a hard floor. The second is a brush roller, which agitates carpet pile for deeper cleaning.