Shark IZ202UKT Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner review: "small but mighty!"

Price on writing: £220 | Buy now from Amazon

How we tested

Our tester Tamsin tested the Shark IZ202UKT Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner in her two bedroom home in Surrey over the space of a year. She and her husband use the cordless vacuum cleaner for everyday household cleaning as well as deep cleans; testing out all the vacuum's features and taking detailed notes on the ease of use, user-friendliness and quality of the vacuum cleaner.

Our verdict

Tamsin had previously used a Dyson vacuum cleaner, and was drawn to Shark thanks to its great reviews and reasonable price point. Having an anti hair wrap model was important too, so the Shark IZ202UK felt like a natural choice.

With both carpet and hard floor settings, the cordless vacuum cleaner is perfect for giving the whole house a once-over. What's more, the wand is removable, so it can be converted easily into a handheld, which Tamsin loves for vacuuming the sofa. With its clever Flexology wand, it bends to reach difficult spots underneath furniture.

Lightweight and compact, it's easy enough to grab for small clean-ups, but powerful enough to tackle your whole house. With a battery run time of 40 minutes, it has plenty of juice for all but the most thorough deep cleans.

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How easy is the Shark IZ202UKT Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner to set up and start using?

Tamsin found set-up really straightforward. With simple instructions and no complicated buttons to grapple with, all it needed was charging up.

Unlike other cordless vacs like the Dyson V15 Detect, the Shark IZ202UK isn't wall-mountable. However, its flexible wand and sturdy head mean it can be folded to stand upright while its charging or being stored. What's more, you can detach the battery completely and charge it wherever's most convenient.

Once it's ready to go, the controls are very simple, There are two key settings - carpet and hard floor, and it's easy to switch between the two when moving from room to room.

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What's the Shark IZ202UKT Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner like to use day-to-day?

At just 2.2kg, the vacuum cleaner is nice and light, so your arm won't get tired bringing it up and down the stairs, or after a whole-house hoovering session. Despite its small and light stature, it's powerful enough to suck up dust, debris and hair effectively.

With a good range of accessories included, it's ready to take on pet hair, upholstery and narrow spaces. The wand flexes at the touch of a button to reach under furniture or get a comfortable position as you vacuum the stairs.

At 40 mins run time from a full charge, the vacuum cleaner can tackle a small or medium-sized house's floors on a single charge. There is an alternative model with an 80-minute runtime - but it's over £200 more expensive, so unless you take more than 40 minutes over your vacuuming on a regular basis, we think the 40-minute version is sufficient.

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Is the Shark IZ202UKT Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner good value for money?

At £220, Tamsin thinks the vacuum cleaner offers very good value when compared to other brands, and considering the effectiveness of the model. She thinks it can hold its own against a Dyson, which are typically £400+ for a cordless model.

When compared to the budget-priced Tower VL100 Optimum, the Shark has a longer runtime, shorter charge time and can handle hair more easily.

All-in-all, we think the Shark IZ202UKT Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner is well priced for its performance, quality and range of extra features.

Read next: The best carpet cleaners for deep cleaning

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She's been researching and reviewing home and parenting products for 2 years, with a particular focus on laundry and cooling. From washing machines to baby monitors and dehumidifiers to cooling pillows, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the best products out there.

Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. She won a The Week Junior Book Award in 2023, her books have been translated into several languages and she's been featured in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Sun.

After earning a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Leeds and a PGCert in Fashion and Lifestyle Journalism from University of the Arts London, she worked in fashion for most of her 20s. When her children were young, she undertook an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester and re-trained as an author and freelance writer.

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