Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum review

There are two things that make vacuuming better: When it’s more effective and when it gets easier to do. The Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum tackles both. It’s a cutting-edge, cordless stick vacuum that auto-empties on its charging dock and features a double brushroll with powerful suction.

Thanks to its self-emptying base, this vacuum from Shark offers everything you love about a stick vacuum with the convenience of an upright, canister, or central vacuum. (And it has an extra-long runtime!)

What’s in the box of the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum?

In the box of the PowerDetect stick vacuum, you’ll find the vacuum handle/motor, a MultiFlex wand, an accessory holder (stand attachment), and a DuoClean Detect dual-brushroll head. Also included is an 8″ Duster Crevice Tool, a Pet Multi-Tool, and an Odour Neutralizer Puck.

The PowerDetect Clean & Empty docks on a Clean & Empty dock (included), which empties and charges this stick vacuum upon every docking.

The PowerDetect Clean & Empty cordless vacuum features

The Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty is a cordless vacuum that’s pretty unique on the market right now. There are a few similar models, but they’re all quite new and are far from the norm!

This is a powerful stick vacuum that auto-empties onto a charging and emptying dock. It’s something that I’m surprised hasn’t existed before now, and I’m thrilled that it’s available. The Clean & Empty base essentially works like the self-emptying docks common in robot vacuums. You get the best of both worlds: the weight and ease of a stick vacuum and the capacity of an upright or canister vacuum.

Along with a self-emptying base, the PowerDetect vacuum features a DuoClean Detect nozzle to improve your cleaning experience. The DuoClean refers to the vacuum’s two brushrolls, which capture debris during both forward and backward motions. (Most vacuum brush rolls only pick up debris during the forward pass). The Detect feature automatically adjusts suction power based on environmental conditions, turning up the vacuum’s power in dusty corners and over dirty floors.

To make cleaning even easier, this vacuum is built with what Shark calls MultiFLEX technology. With MultiFLEX, your vacuum can literally bend under furniture and during storage. The brand added a joint to the stick vacuum’s stick, which makes it easier to get underneath furniture without bending down.

The PowerDetect’s “bonus” features

There are two additional, key features that I noticed on the PowerDetect that I didn’t see listed anywhere online.

First, this vacuum has a light that turns on in dark areas to make it easier for you to see dust and other detritus—a really handy feature that you’ll find on upright vacuums but is rare on wand vacuums.

Second, this vacuum’s Clean & Empty Base has a toggle with a fan symbol on one side and a moon symbol on the other. It’s a simple, satisfying mechanical toggle that’s actually pretty genius. When the base is on Night Mode, it charges your vacuum without auto-emptying it. (If you’ve ever had a vacuum cleaner with an auto-empty function, you’ll know that auto-emptying is one of the noisiest things you can do in a home. It sounds more like a jet taking off than a vacuum starting up!) When you switch the base back to Empty Mode, it’ll function as normal and empty your vacuum canister before beginning charging.

The toggle is brilliant. It’s not something I’ve seen before in an auto-emptying vacuuming product and I’m obsessed with it. I know so many families that vacuum after the kids have gone to sleep (I’d actually say the majorities of families that I know with small kids vacuum when the kids are asleep), and auto-emptying would absolutely wake the whole house up. Having the option to turn your base’s cleaning & emptying functions on and off at will is awesome.

The cleaning power and battery life of the PowerDetect

The Shark PowerDetect features, according to the brand, the strongest cordless suction possible based on the ASTM F558—a standard test that measures air performance characteristics of vacuum cleaners. It’s Shark’s strongest cordless wand vacuum yet when used on Boost mode, and it’s designed to be particularly great at picking up hair.

The PowerDetect automatically recharges on its auto-emptying charging base, and it’s packing some serious bettery power on top of that. It offers a 70 minute runtime in Eco mode—the longest I have ever seen for a cordless wand vacuum. You won’t see that kind of runtime out of Boost mode, but 70 minutes is a lot for a cordless vacuum.

Shark’s odour neutralization

On top of washable foam filters and a HEPA filter, Shark also includes an odour-absorbing puck in the PowerDetect. Together, this three-layered system traps dust, debris, allergens, and odours. Shark advertises this vacuum as capturing 1000 times more dust than other models and had a third party test the dust exposure of a Shark Navigator (an upright vacuum) against the PowerDetect.

I’m really picky about home fragrances, and while I enjoyed the multiple layers of filtration that the PowerDetect vacuum uses, I didn’t like the odour neutralizing puck. It comes in a little can that you open right before installation, and that should have been my first tip-off. The puck isn’t so much an odour “neutralizer” as it is a scented cover-up. It’s strongly scented and pushes out fragrance as you empty your vacuum. I don’t hate this in theory—it’s actually a pretty smart way to make your home smell fresh and clean, like adding a little room fragrance to your setup—but I felt it was a little misleading. I was expecting the puck to be something like a charcoal-infused sponge (as charcoal is known for actually absorbing odours), but I could take or leave a scented puck.

My experience with the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty

I absolutely love that Shark added a Clean & Empty base to this vacuum, as it significantly enhances the overall experience and convenience.

Stick vacuums are my favourite style of vacuum to clean with, but I hate emptying them. Their small size and lightweight build make cleaning so much less burdensome, but it’s a pain to detatch the wand, open the canister, shake out the debris, and then fish out all of the hair from inside the canister after every single clean. I vacuum often because I have a cat that I’m allergic to, so unless I glove up before I empty a normal stick vacuum, I end up with itchy hands afterwards, too.

The self-emptying base of this cordless vacuum is a total game-changer. If switching from an upright vacuum to a wand vacuum makes your chores 30% easier, then switching from a wand vacuum to a wand vacuum with a self-emptying base lifts another 30% on top of that. The PowerDetect was definitely heavier and bulkier than the wand vacuums I’m used to using, but it worked well at detecting messes and cleaning them up.

In practice…

One thing that I noticed about the vacuum’s double brushroll, however, is that it interrupts your flow slightly as you vacuum; when you switch directions (particularly from going forwards to going backwards), the floor head will skip a little—just one time. It feels odd as you’re vacuuming, but in my experience, it doesn’t impact the vacuum’s ability to pick up debris at all.

Lastly, the MultiFLEX wand is something I haven’t seen on a stick vacuum before, but it makes a lot of sense. It features a similar technology to Shark’s FlexStyle, which also bends along its wand. Like the “hitch” step, using a Flex wand is odd the first few times. It’s a bit clunky; not super smooth or intuitive. But, you get used to it with time and it is an excellent feature. The Flex wand is fantastic for cleaning under furniture and would be so helpful if you have to vacuum with a pinched back (it is snow shovelling season, after all).

In conclusion

The Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum feels, in practice, like a hybrid stick vacuum slash upright vacuum. It’s powerful and responsive, with some fun technologies like its dual brushroll design, edge-detecting capabilities, and flex wand. However, all of those features come at a price.

The “price,” in this case, is in the vacuum’s weight and bulk. It’s significantly heavier than a standard wand vacuum and it feels bulkier when I use it. For larger homes, I think it can be a worthwhile trade-off: it’s a heavier design, but you get a very long battery life (up to 70 minutes) and a handful of other helpful features, too. I really enjoy this vacuum’s self-emptying base and I think it makes the heavier design feel more sensible, too.

I think the PowerDetect feels and functions like a hybrid product, and that can be a great thing. You get a weight and functionality that’s closer to a wand vacuum, but then you also get the larger dustbin capacity and battery life of an upright vacuum. It’s an excellent choice for larger homes.

Shop the Shark PowerDetect online at Best Buy today.