Ode to my Shark Vacuum cleaner - how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways

[Belleende]

Is it because you block every time I use you. EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Is it because even after spending 20 minutes unblocking you, then vacuuming after, you block again and spew everything out all over the floor the moment I switch you off, and I then have to do the unblocking rigmarole all over again.

Is it because you block not in one place but in three places, which can take multiple implements and 20 minutes to unblock.

Is it because the brushes are so harsh they have considerably hastened the need to replace the hall and stairs carpet.

Do not do what I did last year on a mumsnet recommendation and get one in the sales, I nearly launched ours out my bedroom window this afternoon.

I don't trust shark because most people I know got them based on 'influencer' reviews and who doesn't love free stuff!

Get a Miele, they're reasonably priced and work well.

Mine's a cloggy little fucker as well, it can just about cope with a gentle swoosh round the kitchen but as soon as I try and vacuum near a doormat it sucks it up and refuses to believe it's not stuck in there until I've taken the whole thing to pieces. It can't cope with the dining room or hall floors without clogging up so I have to sweep them first to get the worst of it and then vacuum to get the rest.

I agree. I have a new cordless one as a replacement for the old cordless that just stopped working! It lost all of its suction.
It was a fiasco getting them to answer the phone then told they sent parts out but hadn’t. Then told to send faulty one back and they’d send a new one. Sent mine back and it took another four weeks and me threatening them with small claims to get the promised new one.

New one is rubbish. Even worse than old one. We do have a dog but we don’t have carpet and most of the time I resort to using a brush as it does a better job abs doesn’t get blocked. The new one the dog hair gets caught in the teeth of the roller bit and you have to scrape it all out. I’d rather just sweep and then clear up with a dustpan and brush.

I have a corded one (not anti hair wrap) which is great < backs out thread >

Swapped mine for a Hetty, it was a massive pain in the arse and I much prefer Hetty!

I agree. Mine is like a finely tuned racehorse that occasionally, if the going is good and everything has been checked and double checked, performs amazingly. The rest of the time it's lame, off colour, off its food ie spits everything everywhere.
I regularly just resort to my original Henry, now over 12 years old, who trundles around the house like a fat old cob and does a pretty good job every single time.
Overrated.

They are annoying. Mine is top heavy and falls over all the time - usually onto my leg or foot. The suction is poor on hard flooring. We have to empty it and wash the filter out all the time in order to persuade it to suck. The brush bristles are all mangled and haven't kept their shape. It has annoying front lights so all the none picked up crumbs and fluff can sit there and laugh at you and you can't ignore them.

I’ve had my cordless shark for approx 2 months and the only time it’s chucked its dummy out was when I hoovered up shit loads of hay (house rabbit)

Also you need to wear a wrist support to prevent joint damage from trying to manoeuvre the bastard

Wow. Love mine. Glides easily, sucks up tons of muck and love the wee headlight on the front! Only thing is unclogging long hair from the roller but have had to do that with all hoovers. It’s the best thing we’ve bought in a long time

My Dyson is the same. Biggest pile of crap, give me back my Henry any day

I recently bought an AEG and it's fab. It's on offer at John Lewis for £179 instead of £279.
AEG CX7-2-45AN Animal Cordless 2-in-1 Detachable Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

This is an ongoing argument in my house.
We have a Miele plug in just sucks vacuum. It’s great just gets on with it. DH wants a fancy dyson or shark. I’ve had that type before and broken three. One nearly caught fire when it jammed so much with hair. Why they insist on putting beaters on them I do not know.

I have to keep a garden cane in the larder to unclog the tube. Then there’s the window between the two chambers, so the fluff blocks the gap and doesn’t move into the storage bin.
The hair wrap which needs to hair to be cut away (bought as I have a lot of long hair).
FML, I won’t buy another!

I agree op. Fucking annoying. I've gone back to Henry and his smug little face getting stuck on every corner now but at least he never lets me down.

I love my Shark pet cordless with anti hair wrap, knocks spots off my previous Dysons & G tech air ram, anti hair wrap was my reason for my purchase, it really works, no more cutting my hair off the brush bar.

I HATE mine because @Belleende my newly laid wool carpets now have areas where the beaters on the hated Shark have damaged the pile and made the carpet look older than it is.

That and it's also crap for all the other reasons that other PP's have said. Never again, it's going to the tip.

OP I utterly despise mine too. It is the bane of my life. It spits grit out everywhere. I spend more time unblocking it than actually hoovering. I think we must have the same model!

@tattychicken I think I love you a little bit. I love a horse racing metaphor. I was once in a vair nice restaurant in London, quite near the city at lunch time. Was seated in the very nice window seat, in the near empty restaurant, when the waitress pretty much ordered me to move to the crappiest table in the place for no reason. I refused, asked to see the manager, who let me stay put.

One of the very few other occupied tables was 4 older city types, pin stripe suits and braces type men. One of them sent me over a drink, which of course had to be delivered by the by now very annoyed waitress. I looked over a bit puzzled, kind of shrugged my shoulders, one of them shouts over "I do love a filly with some spirit. Enjoy!" . It was so funny that the rampant feminist in me subsided and I thoroughly enjoyed that very nice glass of wine, in my window seat, alone in the sun.

Love ours and the only time it’s blocked is when I accidentally hoovered a pair of my toddlers knickers up.

The collapsing any time you use the hose.
The fact there is a little tag to hold the hose into the body, which just doesn't bloody work - doesn't stop me trying.
However it is forgiven for its stair vacuuming.

I hated ours. We've kept the little hand held bit and skipped the rest. Absolute bastard of a thing. Got a Henry now and I love him!

I have had 2 sharks a white one. Now I have a burgundy shark no problems at all. I have had a replacement sent for free before maybe call customer services OP it sounds odd for a shark!

Hate mine.

Stupidly listened to DH who hardly ever vacuums say that a cordless one would be better than the Henry.

Guess what, the shark spits out most of what it tries to pick up and as DH hardly ever uses it I have gone back up my faithful Henry which actually does the job.

Parents bought my shark as a moving in gift (certainly no “social media influencers” influencing them ) 3 years ago it’s just as good as when we got it. A little part snapped a few months ago but they sent us a replacement no bother