One minute review
Shark is known for making some of the best vacuum cleaners (opens in new tab) and we know the brand as one of the leaders when it comes to cordless vacuum cleaners (opens in new tab)† But unlike its rival Dyson, Shark still makes a range of plug-in corded vacuum cleaners. This includes upright and canister vacuums, also known as cylinder and barrel vacuums, depending on what part of the world you’re from.
As is typical for Shark vacuum cleaners, this model has a different name in each area, which can be a bit confusing. If you’re in the US, you’ll find the Shark Canister Pet Bagless Corded Vacuum CZ351. In the UK it’s known as the Shark Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT, while those in Australia look out for the Shark Bagless Barrel Vacuum CZ250.
It’s the slightly cheaper sibling to Shark’s premium plug-in canister vacuum, but that’s not to say it’s lacking in features. The powered brush roll floor head uses Shark’s Powerfin technology to get deep into carpets, as well as the self-cleaning anti-hair wrap technology. The cleaning rod bends in half to reach under furniture and can also be used for overhead cleaning. There’s a crevice and upholstery tool in the box, plus UK customers also benefit from a powered pet tool.
During the test, this Shark bus showed good performance and maneuverability. We noticed particularly good absorption on carpets, but it is equally at home on hard floors as it is cleaning upholstery or overhead. It’s a great choice for people who don’t like upright or stick vacuums or anyone who wants reliable cleaning without worrying about how much battery is left.
Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT Price and Availability
- MSRP: $399.99 / £299.99 / AU$699.99
As we said, this vacuum cleaner has slightly different names in different countries. It’s the UK Shark Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT. While in the US it goes by the name Shark Canister Pet Bagless Corded Vacuum CZ351 and in Australia it is called the Shark Bagless Barrel Vacuum CZ250. The only real difference between the three models is that the UK version comes with an extra small, pet power tool. You can buy it direct from Shark in all countries. (opens in new tab)
It’s priced well compared to cordless vacuums and is also cheaper than Shark’s high-end canister vacuum, which costs $479.99 / £329.99 / AU$799.99.
Design
- Dust container capacity 1.9 litres/1.6 litres
- 25 ft/ 9 meter power cord
- HEPA filter
Weighing in at 9lb/4.4kg without the hose or any attachments and without a full dust container, the canister itself is a pretty good weight for most people to carry up and down stairs, the large handle and rubber handle help for sure, too.
The size of the bus is pretty standard, 49 x 26 x 26 cm (hxwxd) and there are plenty of different configuration options for storage, depending on whether you have a tall or short closet space.
The floor head has front headlights to illuminate dark areas, such as areas under furniture. There’s a powerful self-cleaning brush roll designed to remove dirt deep into the carpet fibers while avoiding that annoying clogging of hair around the brush. However, there is no option to disable the brush roll, which can sometimes be desirable for particularly delicate floors.
A control panel on the handle includes an on/off button, but there’s also one on the canister so you can turn it on with both. A suction level button allows you to easily switch between the three suction levels with your thumb, and a third button allows you to choose between carpet or hard floor. For this and for the suction, there are easy-to-understand symbols that light up to show the selections you’ve made. It defaults to hard floor and medium suction power when first turned on.
In the box you also get a crevice tool and upholstery tool, as well as a clip to hold them to the wall, making them easy and convenient to access while cleaning. If you buy it in the UK you get an extra electric pet brush to deal with pet hair on upholstery and pillows.
The flexible handle can be bent halfway in the middle, allowing it to get under low furniture without the user having to bend over, a feature seen on many Shark upright vacuums. And for overhead cleaning, the small tools can be attached directly to the rod. Likewise, the main floor head can be attached to the handle to make it easier to clean small areas such as stairs.
Performance
- Maneuvers well
- Controls conveniently placed on the handle
- Good dust extraction
The flexible rod does its job and allows easy cleaning under low furniture without bending over. While it’s not as easy to maneuver in this mode, we didn’t feel like we had as much control over the direction of the vacuum as we did in the standard mode.
The floor head is self-supporting, so when you snap it upright to retrieve a stray sock, it will stay put without tipping over or being placed on the floor, and the brush roll will pause automatically. And switching between power levels or floor type is super easy with the controls within easy reach on the handle.
Overall absorption is good on both carpet and hard floors and the beauty of a plug-in vacuum means you don’t feel the need to use one of the lower power levels to save battery, you just need to switch to lower power consumption for vacuuming delicate carpets or upholstery. Speaking of rugs, a deep pile rug coped well, removing a lot of dirt left behind by a robot vacuum that cleaned it the same day.
We were impressed with the dust and grime collection, even if it was a bit chilling how much it removed from recently vacuumed carpets. Edge cleaning is good too, and it was able to collect oats along our baseboards whether we approached with the front or side of the floor header. It had no trouble removing hair from carpets and we were pleased to see that none of it got tangled up in the brush roll.
The canister is small enough to balance on stairs and by removing the rod and attaching the floor head or one of the tools directly to the handle, cleaning stairs is a breeze. Likewise, we were left with clean sofas after we vacuumed them with the upholstery tool. And the crevice tool attached to the wand was useful for clearing cobwebs overhead, although you wouldn’t be able to clean for long without getting a sore arm.
The dust bin is easy to remove and during our testing all the dirt and dust fell straight into the bin at the touch of a button. That said, the large capacity means you don’t need to do this too often, which is especially helpful if you have allergies and are prone to the usual cloud of dust that erupts when emptying a vacuum. The filters are also easy to remove and they are washable, so keeping them in good condition doesn’t require expensive regular replacements.
In use, the floorhead proved to be generally manoeuvrable and the bus followed with very little effort to pull it along. Occasionally the hose would fold up and hinder the suction, but that’s pretty common for long hoses and doesn’t take much to reset.
On the hard floor with the highest suction power, our sound meter reached a maximum of 76dB, but this dropped to about 68dB at the lowest suction level. On carpet, the noise levels were quite similar, but the pitch wasn’t quite as high.
Should I buy the Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
First assessment: June 2022
