Shark vs. Dyson: Which cordless vacuum do you have to get?

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The Shark vs. Dyson debate was alive and properly far earlier than the FlexStyle or Airwrap had been phrases the web had in its vernacular. (However don’t be concerned — we have dissected the FlexStyle vs. Airwrap rivalry, too.)

Vacuums had been the OG gadget which have pitted these two manufacturers towards one another in buying analysis for at the least a decade, although the kind of vacuum within the highlight has shifted from cumbersome upright vacuums to cordless stick vacuums.

Whereas manufacturers like Bissell, Samsung, Roborock, and Tineco sometimes slip a aggressive cordless mannequin into the fold, Shark and Dyson are two clear market leaders. So I am investigating the competitors between the number of cordless vacuums that Shark and Dyson provide as an entire, in addition to evaluating options like suction energy, battery life, upkeep, and attachments on equally priced fashions by means of hands-on testing in my own residence.

Notice: This head-to-head deep dive focuses solely on cordless stick vacuums, not robotic vacuums. The comparability between Shark robotic vacuums and the Dyson robotic vacuum wants far fewer phrases: In no world do you have to purchase the Dyson 360 Vis Nav over any of the Shark robotic vacuums. I examined it and wasn’t impressed, and it is positively not definitely worth the cash.

The place Dyson wins: Efficiency selection, attachments, and the laser

There are 13 completely different cordless Dyson vacuums bought on Dyson’s web site as of summer season 2025, give or take a handful of barely cheaper spinoff fashions of the V7 or V8 seen at retailers like Walmart. This has been Dyson’s core lineup for some time now — no new cordless Dysons have been introduced for the reason that Dyson V15 Detect Submarine and Gen5 line dropped in June 2023.

The Dyson household of vacuums ranges in value from round $300 (on sale) to $1,049.99, and that vast price spectrum leaves a ton of room for a possible purchaser to customise the depth of their splendid cleansing to how a lot (or little) they assume is critical to spend on a vacuum. Somebody cleansing up after a number of pets or kids in a multi-story dwelling may have a much bigger, badder Dyson with a two-hour battery life and a half-gallon mud bin that will not should be emptied as repeatedly, whereas somebody residing alone in an house might not require as a lot stamina and prioritize a extra compact construct that is simpler to retailer.

Earlier than routinely pegging Dyson’s steeper costs as a draw back, I might be remiss to not take into account how a lot Dyson is providing you with for that chunk of change. All the Dyson fashions above $649.99 (the V12 line, V15 line, and Gen5 line) include two interchangeable cleansing heads: the XL detangling Motorbar for deeper cleansing of carpets and the slimmer Fluffy Optic head with the inexperienced laser for extra meticulous cleansing of laborious flooring.

That laser is so iconic that it deserves greater than a obscure point out on the finish of a sentence. It illuminates invisible particles like hair, tiny crumbs, and microscopic mud on laborious flooring that most likely weren’t noticeable with an off-the-cuff look at your flooring, mentioning precisely the place it’s essential to clear even higher than the LED gentle on the cleansing head of Shark cordless vacuums. It is a game-changing instrument in properties with a good quantity of hardwood, tile, or linoleum — as soon as you have skilled cleansing with the Dyson laser, you will not be capable to clear with out it. It is the only motive the Dyson V12 Detect Slim is my favourite vacuum of all time.

The lower-tier Dysons (the Outsize line, the V11 line, and the V8 line) include one cleansing head like all the cordless Sharks do, however not like any of the Shark fashions, even the most cost effective Dyson line comes with the mini motorized hair screw instrument. This attachment marks a full-sized vacuum’s true potential to remodel right into a handheld vacuum and, in properties with pets who chill on furnishings or are frequent passengers within the automotive, is arguably used simply as a lot because the full-sized cleansing heads.

The place Dyson loses: Intimidating costs and… an excessive amount of energy?

It is easy to gaslight your self into accepting that it is regular for a cordless vacuum to price near a month’s lease if Dyson is on the forefront of your vacuum analysis. In some circumstances, the upper prices are considerably justifiable contemplating all the additional attachments that Dyson consists of, in addition to the exhaustive heavy-duty clear achieved by Dyson’s superior cyclonic system.

However this angle begins to unravel towards the cheaper finish of the Dyson spectrum — a number of the lower-tier Dysons simply do not provide what the equivalently-priced Sharks do. For instance, for those who wished to spend not more than $300 or $400 on a cordless vacuum, Shark fashions in that value vary, just like the Shark Clear & Empty ($399.99) or the Shark Vertex Hair Professional ($379.99), are literally a greater bang to your buck than no matter Dyson V8 you stumble throughout on sale. Shark has a extra inexpensive baseline for clever suction energy adjustment based mostly on the particles stage sensed, and provides an automated emptying docking station with one among its smartest fashions for lower than $500. You may solely think about how a lot a self-emptying Dyson would price. The dearth of that full-fledged upright docking system signifies that storing most Dysons both requires closet area or drilling a gap to mount it to the wall.

Mashable Development Report

It additionally seems that there is such a factor as being too highly effective to your personal good. I am not the one particular person I do know who has struggled with Dyson’s Digital Motorbar vacuum head getting caught on carpet, whether or not that is free mushy flooring like rugs and tub mats or a fully-carpeted room. The mixture of such intense cyclonic suction and the spinning brush generally makes the vacuum laborious to push throughout the ground, usually tripping itself up a lot that the comb roll stops spinning altogether. Due to this, I’ve personally dubbed the Fluffy Optic cleansing head as my Dyson’s full-time cleansing head, no matter flooring sort, even if it is tailor-made to laborious flooring.

The place Shark wins: Sensible costs, balanced carpet cleansing, and automated emptying

There are 14 cordless vacuums bought on Shark’s web site as of summer season 2025. (Many cordless Shark vacuums are available in each a self-emptying model or a standalone model.) This quantity consists of the Shark HydroVac Professional XL: Shark’s cordless vacuum and mop combo mannequin that’s considerably cheaper (however much less highly effective) than Dyson’s cordless vacuum mop. Shark barely ever costs a vacuum larger than $500, and gross sales on Shark vacuums aren’t laborious to return by, both.

Shark will get double factors for beating Dyson to the punch on automated emptying. As an alternative of getting to manually empty your vacuum’s mud bin into the trash after each few cleans, a number of Shark vacuums empty themselves as a substitute, dumping no matter they simply sucked up into a bigger mud bin inside their charging dock. This wickedly handy upkeep characteristic is already the norm with robotic vacuums, and is now turning into way more frequent with cordless vacuums — however regardless of Dyson being the costlier model generally, all of its vacuums nonetheless make you take care of the mud bin by hand. This additionally makes up for the truth that most Shark mud bins aren’t any larger than a glass of water, whereas Dyson provides a much wider vary of mud bin capacities.

For folks with allergy symptoms, the closed-loop auto-empty system can be far much less triggering than the inevitable inhalation of mud hovering over the trash can. Plus, the dock additionally acts as built-in storage for the vacuum that does not require a closet or a screw drilled into the wall.

Evaluating suction energy on paper is hard when every model measures it differently. Shark gives normal figures like amps, wattage, and volts, whereas Dyson’s most important suction statistic is a calculation known as Air Watts. Complicated numbers apart, no matter Shark is doing within the suction energy realm is working higher than what Dyson is doing — at the least with regards to plush carpet and rugs. The bristles dig whereas the rubber Powerfins are nice at pinching hair and particles from between carpet fibers, dominated by suction energy that is forceful sufficient to sort out most messes on one go, however not aggressive sufficient to jam the entire mechanism.

Shark consists of one among two most important full-sized cleansing heads relying on the cordless vacuum you select, however each assault messes with Shark’s proprietary Powerfins, a mixture of versatile cleansing fins and bristles just like Dyson’s Motorbar. There is no dust-detecting laser, however there’s a brilliant LED headlight that does a good job of highlighting the trail in entrance of you to level out particles which will have blended in in any other case.

The place Shark loses: Skimpy attachments and heavy-duty premium choices

Shark’s typically decrease costs are much less spectacular once you do not forget that in addition they imply fewer extras within the field. Shark solely ever consists of one full-sized cleansing head whereas Dyson usually consists of two cleansing heads (a heavier-duty one tailor-made to plush carpeting and a slimmer one tailor-made to dusty laborious flooring). Then, Shark attempting to pack such a big, highly effective brushroll and a headlight system right into a single vacuum head makes for a extra cumbersome design that does not match into all the nooks and crannies that most likely want a superb dusting. After getting used to the nimbleness of Dyson’s slim Fluffy Optic head on my V12 Detect Slim, I am perpetually annoyed with Shark vacuums not fairly reaching the complete method into corners, becoming in between or underneath some furnishings, or sweeping behind the bathroom as satisfyingly.

The LED lights on Shark vacuums additionally aren’t almost as useful when cleansing because the Dyson laser is. Having the ability to see the place you are cleansing is best than nothing, sure, however the laser is simply a lot extra exact with regards to choosing up on nice, invisible particles. I do not assume that Shark bulbs present the complete scope of how soiled the ground is, whereas the inexperienced laser illuminates all the things.

It is also noteworthy that the price of a Shark cordless vacuum would not embody the mini motorized brush attachment that makes or breaks a handheld vacuum’s worth. The small attachments Shark consists of with every vacuum, like a crevice instrument or (non-motorized) pet brush, are positively useful, however aren’t going to dig into upholstery or carpeted stairs like a focused spinning brush would. If that is an attachment you may see your self utilizing usually, you may have to purchase it individually — so add $99.99 to the price of the Shark you are contemplating.

Which is best: Shark or Dyson?

In the case of the cordless vacuum aspect of their market domination, each Shark and Dyson provide a number of strong choices that make it impractical to objectively crown one model as “better.” Nevertheless, deciding on the model you need to carry house is fairly straightforward after confirming your most important precedence in your vacuum hunt: price range or cleansing prowess.

All professionals and cons thought of, I am crowning Dyson one of the best model for most individuals. It is laborious to argue with Dyson’s barely larger costs when the rationale for the price is legitimate: They’re merely sending extra within the field. Particularly, the mini motorized hair screw instrument (a non-negotiable in any dwelling with pets), in addition to two full-sized cleansing heads that ship with the V12, V15, and Gen5 traces.

Dyson’s cordless vacuum lineup is bigger and extra sturdy than Shark’s, providing a number of tiers for upgrading and matching the quantity you are keen to pay for sure ranges of suction energy, battery life, and dustbin capability. On the pricier finish of the spectrum particularly, Dyson has an edge by way of the heavy-duty cleansing required to maintain up with huge properties or frequent messes. Dyson’s larger prices additionally cowl extra exhaustive full-sized and handheld attachments that do not require separate buy. In case you’re actually choosy in regards to the stage of cleanliness that constitutes a tough flooring being barefoot-ready, Dyson’s laser is also a promoting level by itself.

Shark’s cordless vacuum lineup makes it straightforward to purchase a superb vacuum on a price range — for anybody attempting to not outspend $500, I believe the Sharks in that value vary are method stronger opponents than a budget Dysons. There’s additionally one thing to be mentioned for conserving suction energy in examine the way in which that Shark has, and you’ll rely on its vacuums to tackle a rug or carpet with out creating a lot drive that pushing or pulling turns into unimaginable. In case you’re grossed out sufficient by guide mud bin emptying, the truth that Shark provides automated emptying with a number of vacuums may very well be a robust sufficient promoting level in itself.

On the finish of the day, Dyson’s line of vacuums simply provides extra selection that I believe will fulfill extra folks, even when it requires saving up, splurging, or ready for a sale. There’s most likely one taking place as you learn this.