Update on 5/2/2020: While I hate having to give a negative review, I’ve unfortunately fallen out of love with my Shark Ion Rocket as it hasn’t held up very well. The suction faded over time and I was having to clean the filter multiple times per month to get any good use out of it at all. This is in addition to the fact that I had to contact customer service when the brush roll jammed and they (multiple representatives) quickly offered to send me a new cleaner head at half price rather than instructing me to dig into the very corners of the roll – which you cannot unscrew/remove as the housing portion is glued together – to extract hard-to-access, built-up debris (hair, threads, etc). Shortly, after receiving the new cleaner head, it happened again and I had to realize on my own what had gone wrong. To top it off, Shark soon released a new cordless vacuum with a “self-cleaning” brush roll which I can only assume was the result of multiple customer complaints coming in and unnecessary replacement parts going out. Yesterday, we bit the financial bullet and ordered my original vacuum of dreams – a Dyson. While I’m grateful to Shark for the introduction to cordless vacuums, the words “buy cheap, buy twice” pop into my mind whenever I think about this purchase now. In hindsight, I would have done better to wait a little longer and save up a little more to buy what I really wanted instead of settling. Lesson learned. Although I did get a better/newer Dyson out of it… 😉 Side Note: I just realized I’m updating this post exactly one year after it was originally published. How funny!
After seeing them around for a while, envying the ease with which they clean and researching every option, we finally purchased a cordless vacuum last spring. We chose the Shark Ion Rocket as it was reasonably priced, on sale (yay!) and had all the features I was looking for. It requires zero plugging + unplugging, comes with three super useful attachments and it can go from the house to the car and even into my purse to clean all the #momlife messes my family makes. And even though the rest of my kin aren’t as enthusiastic about our new cleaning tool as I am (go figure), having a cord-free vacuum has changed the game for all of us because I’m able to vacuum more efficiently – and more frequently – than ever before.
I do concede that cordless anything is an absolute luxury and the feeling of can’t-be-bothered-ness a lot of us harbor about plugging in devices prior to using them is most definitely a first world problem but man, has grab-and-go vacuuming been an amazing experience. In addition to being cord-free, being able to go from standard vacuuming to handheld vacuuming in seconds means I can clean a variety of messes quickly and easily. And while it was a little pricy, it’s also been an incredible sanity saver for which I am extremely grateful. As for the Shark brand specifically, I’m really happy with our purchase especially for the cost versus some of the more expensive versions. I lovingly named our vacuum Mr. Kaplan after the Blacklist character (who was a professional cleaner with a very specific niche) and she – yes, she – and I are an inseparable team.
In the future, I’d love to add a Dyson to my cordless vacuum collection but for now I’m enjoying the one we have. The Shark Ion battery runs for about 20 minutes on a full charge which is enough to tackle the whole house during a daily clean but if I’m doing detailed work (i.e. trim, curtains, cushions, ceiling corners, etc) I just charge the battery in between rooms. I actually like that the battery is removable so there’s no need for a singular, permanent on-the-wall docking station and I love that additional batteries are available to purchase. The vacuum itself stores really easily as the handheld portion can be hooked onto the base (see the fourth photo above) making it free-standing and compact.
As is the case with wireless internet, smartphones and headphones, I’m officially a fan of cord-free vacuums and all the conveniences they provide. Less time spent cleaning – even though I do enjoy doing it – means more time for other things which is pretty much any mama’s dream I think. If you’re interested in something similar to my current vacuum, check out Shark’s entire range here or – for something a little more advanced + a whole lot pricier – take a look at the new Dyson V11 Torque Drive which is basically the Tesla of the cordless vacuum world. Also, let me know below if you already own a cordless vacuum and if so, which one you have and how you like it! xx
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