I just bought this and used it for the first time over the weekend. I got this vacuum to replace a 7 year old Shark vacuum that was on its last legs. The good: my house hasn't been so clean in probably years. I didn't realize I should have probably replaced my old vacuum a while ago. It did an impressive job. The plastic fins worked great on the hardwood floors to get every little thing. It was easy to empty the bin when it got full. The things I struggled with or wish were different: I love that it has headlights, and wish they were repositioned to be on the end of the hose as well. I use the hose to get into gaps behind furniture, and not having a light made it so I couldn't see if I had gotten everything vacuumed up. The plastic fins made it a bit awkward to ... MoreI just bought this and used it for the first time over the weekend. I got this vacuum to replace a 7 year old Shark vacuum that was on its last legs. The good: my house hasn't been so clean in probably years. I didn't realize I should have probably replaced my old vacuum a while ago. It did an impressive job. The plastic fins worked great on the hardwood floors to get every little thing. It was easy to empty the bin when it got full. The things I struggled with or wish were different: I love that it has headlights, and wish they were repositioned to be on the end of the hose as well. I use the hose to get into gaps behind furniture, and not having a light made it so I couldn't see if I had gotten everything vacuumed up. The plastic fins made it a bit awkward to steer the vacuum (it wants to go straight), and the weight of the vacuum is pretty heavy for me. I appreciate that I can take the canister off the wand to lighten it, but then I am vacuuming with both hands full, which is also awkward. Oh, and it has such amazing suction (yay) that it thought it was clogged when I used it over a washable rug (it is a thin rug, but I could only vacuum it using the "high pile" setting. Odd. Those are my main takeaways. I am hoping to get used to it and have my own approach to accommodate for the idiosyncrasies I have noticed. Really, though, for performance and overall awesome vacuum, you can't go wrong.

Designed to be disposable

This was a good price and the features were very nice. Consumer Reports had rated this highly. What Consumer Reports did not take into consideration was how repairable this product is.This is a factor that is very important to me because I do not like to purchase a product that will force me to discard it, and fill the landfill.This vacuum not only uses torx screws, but torx SECURITY screws. A regular torx screwdriver would not work. I would have to buy a special set of Torx security screws to open it up.I also found that the pre-motor filters on this model were inadequate to protect the motor - essentially a sponge and a cloth. Sure, the HEPA filter will catch whatever passes through the motor in the exhaust - But - a lot of dust will be allowed to pass THROUGH ... MoreThis was a good price and the features were very nice. Consumer Reports had rated this highly. What Consumer Reports did not take into consideration was how repairable this product is.This is a factor that is very important to me because I do not like to purchase a product that will force me to discard it, and fill the landfill.This vacuum not only uses torx screws, but torx SECURITY screws. A regular torx screwdriver would not work. I would have to buy a special set of Torx security screws to open it up.I also found that the pre-motor filters on this model were inadequate to protect the motor - essentially a sponge and a cloth. Sure, the HEPA filter will catch whatever passes through the motor in the exhaust - But - a lot of dust will be allowed to pass THROUGH the motor. Dust that goes through the motor will eventually damage the motor.Therefore the design is not very good. speaking of design, this product is a SINGLE cyclonic bin and is not a more modern design like the multi-cyclonic. A multi-cyclonic vacuum will capture more particles in the bin, letting less through to the pre-motor filters... making the filters cleaner meaning less maintenance and extended motor life.Shark does not have replacement pieces available on their site for this model - it only has manuals. So if a part breaks, it will be difficult to find a replacement piece. I found also that the diameter for the hoses and wands are not compatible with other vacuums... meaning you cannot use a generic piece from a vacuum OEM part manufacturer.I returned this because I prefer to purchase a vacuum that can easily be repaired and not be in a situation where I would have to throw it out because parts are not available.

Great - until it stopped working after 3 months!

I did a great deal of research and ended up with this Shark Stratos. I have a golden retriever in the house so a great deal of hair but nothing crazy and that can't be tamed with consistent vacuuming. At first, this thing was highly impressive. Sucked up dog hair for miles and miles. Great! I absolutely loved it, and raved about how awesome it was. A few weeks ago, only a little over 3 months of using it about 3-4 times per week, a bad burning smell emerged from it, and then the red light (solid) popped on and the roller stopped turning. I troubleshooted, looked for blockages, hair, something but there was absolutely NOTHING that caused it. Zero dog hair caught on the rollers, and I clean the filters monthly as is recommended, so I was baffled why it stopped ... MoreI did a great deal of research and ended up with this Shark Stratos. I have a golden retriever in the house so a great deal of hair but nothing crazy and that can't be tamed with consistent vacuuming. At first, this thing was highly impressive. Sucked up dog hair for miles and miles. Great! I absolutely loved it, and raved about how awesome it was. A few weeks ago, only a little over 3 months of using it about 3-4 times per week, a bad burning smell emerged from it, and then the red light (solid) popped on and the roller stopped turning. I troubleshooted, looked for blockages, hair, something but there was absolutely NOTHING that caused it. Zero dog hair caught on the rollers, and I clean the filters monthly as is recommended, so I was baffled why it stopped working. I called the warranty line and went through that experience, and they did quickly resolve the issue and sent out a replacement part (the bottom section with the rollers) and I was back in action a few days later. I'm relieved and thinking it was just a faulty part. A few weeks later, SAME THING HAPPENS. Bad smell like something burning, and the roller stopped working, with the dreaded solid red light. I'll need to call the warranty line again. At this point I just want my money back and get something reliable. I can't have this happening over and over again especially for the cost of this machine. I'm very disappointed. DON'T PURCHASE THIS VACUUM!

Great features and really strong suction

Bought my Stratos about 3 weeks ago. As an owner of an earlier model Shark Lift-away, I was anxious to see how the Stratos would compare. The new Stratos is a bit heavier, but generally operates the same as my earlier version. The suction is fantastic, and hair truly does not clog up the roller. My Stratos came with the Power Pet attachment which is not as good as my previous one. The old Powered Pet attachment use to be powered with an electric motor powered through the handle. Now the new version powers the roller brush entirely through the suction of the vacuum. So unfortunately, if you're cleaning a couch or something where the fabric is not stretched tightly, the strong suction will cause the power head to bog down or stop. That is my only criticism of this ... MoreBought my Stratos about 3 weeks ago. As an owner of an earlier model Shark Lift-away, I was anxious to see how the Stratos would compare. The new Stratos is a bit heavier, but generally operates the same as my earlier version. The suction is fantastic, and hair truly does not clog up the roller. My Stratos came with the Power Pet attachment which is not as good as my previous one. The old Powered Pet attachment use to be powered with an electric motor powered through the handle. Now the new version powers the roller brush entirely through the suction of the vacuum. So unfortunately, if you're cleaning a couch or something where the fabric is not stretched tightly, the strong suction will cause the power head to bog down or stop. That is my only criticism of this unit. The older Lift-Away also came with a roller carriage that you could detach the power unit and put on the carriage and use more like a canister vac. The new Stratos dust containment is better because it can be emptied top or bottom.All in all, this is a great machine.

My house is clean!

This is the best vacuum I have ever owned. I had a stick vacuum for six years before getting this one and it wasn't doing that great of a job. I have a lot of wall to wall carpeting in my house, two kids and a Maine Coon, I have developed allergies and asthma so decided to invest in a good vacuum for allergies, hoping it will help. I have had the Shark Stratos for two months and my house has not been this clean since I first moved into the house and the carpets were new. There was a lot of embedded dirt/dust and hair in my carpeting and this vacuum has done a great job removing it. The pet power brush is a great tool to help loosen up the embedded dirt and bring up another layer. The air in my home is fresher and cleaner and my headcaches and allergies have go ta ... MoreThis is the best vacuum I have ever owned. I had a stick vacuum for six years before getting this one and it wasn't doing that great of a job. I have a lot of wall to wall carpeting in my house, two kids and a Maine Coon, I have developed allergies and asthma so decided to invest in a good vacuum for allergies, hoping it will help. I have had the Shark Stratos for two months and my house has not been this clean since I first moved into the house and the carpets were new. There was a lot of embedded dirt/dust and hair in my carpeting and this vacuum has done a great job removing it. The pet power brush is a great tool to help loosen up the embedded dirt and bring up another layer. The air in my home is fresher and cleaner and my headcaches and allergies have go ta lot better.After I purchased this vacuum I did some research and supposedly higher quality bagged vacuums like Sebo or Miele are supposed to do a better job than the Shark brand and last longer... but they are twice as much money. If my Shark Stratos breaks down and can't be repaired I will probably invest in one of those other brands but so far I am very happy with his vacuum and feel like it is getting my house very clean so I feel like it was worth the money. I dump the dust bin after every use and wash the filters at least twice a week so I think it will probably last a long time. I have a feeling that people who claim their Shark didn't last are not cleaning the filters very frequently.The only criticism I have is that the suction is so hard that the house stiffens and shortens when you use the wand so the reach isn't that great. It would be great if they offered an extended hose to purchase as an add on!If you want a really great vacuum to deeply clean your home but don't have the money for a Miele or Sebo I think this is a great option. Just make sure you buy extra filters to rotate and clean them often!

NOT A PET FRIENDLY VACUUM

If I were to rate this vacuum the the first week that I had used this vacuum, I would have given it 5 stars. I fell in love with it - I felt like it did an excellent job at cleaning my carpets, especially with having two kids and a golden retriever. Fast forward to five months later, and the brushes in the floor nozzle stop turning. Odd... this is a 5 month old vacuum... how am I having any sort of problems with it? I called Shark support and did a video chat with one of their reps. She had me do a number of things and nothing seemed to solve the issue I have was having. Unfortunately, I was told that I would need a new floor nozzle at a price of $112. Um.... wait? This vacuum came with a 5 year VIP limited warranty? After getting off the phone with Shark, I read up ... MoreIf I were to rate this vacuum the the first week that I had used this vacuum, I would have given it 5 stars. I fell in love with it - I felt like it did an excellent job at cleaning my carpets, especially with having two kids and a golden retriever. Fast forward to five months later, and the brushes in the floor nozzle stop turning. Odd... this is a 5 month old vacuum... how am I having any sort of problems with it? I called Shark support and did a video chat with one of their reps. She had me do a number of things and nothing seemed to solve the issue I have was having. Unfortunately, I was told that I would need a new floor nozzle at a price of $112. Um.... wait? This vacuum came with a 5 year VIP limited warranty? After getting off the phone with Shark, I read up on the "5 year warranty". It's absolutely bogus! Shark can basically say that any part of repair is not under warranty "based of their sole discretion". Yup... my 5 month old vaccum was no longer useable about only 5 months of use. That's vacuuming on average 1-2 times a week. So I decided to do some handy work myself. Unfortunately, Shark does not make it easy to take apart the floor nozzle. I had to order a Torq bit set in order to get to the brush rollers to see what was going on. Turns out this vacuum - was is advertised as being a "hair pro vacuum" - has a faulty design in the brush rollers where the hair doesn't get wrapped around the brushes, but rather gets wrapped around and tangled up in the ends of the brush rollers. There was so much dog hair trapped where the brushes connect to the nozzle that i jammed the brushes and stopped rolling. I was able to clear mos tof the hair away but it was not an easy process to do and the average person would not be able to keep doing in order to keep their vacuum running. Part of the description of this vaccum states" "NO HAIR WRAP: Self-cleaning brushroll delivers powerful pet hair pickup without wrapping hair."My bottom line is that if you have pets that shed, please steer clear of this vacuum. It has excellent suction but you will end up just like me and will either need to replace the brush nozzle at your own expense or you'll be taking apart the floor nozzle (which is not a simple task) every few months.

PROs- It SUCKS! PROs out-weigh the CONS!

love IT! I'm a fan of Shark Vacuums, and it is unfortunate the Vortex I bought didn't last- partly my fault, part bad design...but decided to give Shark another go at it... as I have great luck with their other Lift-Away models having bought them for each of my kids as they moved into their own apartments.PRO: Mine came with ALL the bells & whistles and attachments and the price was pretty good- having hit a promotion- I also got a free floor steam mop and an xtra box of accessories.I also go a discount from the website and another $100 off for using my credit card on this purchase; plus free shipping, making my actual cost before taxes under $300.00 for the $700machines and accessories... if not for the discounts and promotions- the cost would be a CON... ... Morelove IT! I'm a fan of Shark Vacuums, and it is unfortunate the Vortex I bought didn't last- partly my fault, part bad design...but decided to give Shark another go at it... as I have great luck with their other Lift-Away models having bought them for each of my kids as they moved into their own apartments.PRO: Mine came with ALL the bells & whistles and attachments and the price was pretty good- having hit a promotion- I also got a free floor steam mop and an xtra box of accessories.I also go a discount from the website and another $100 off for using my credit card on this purchase; plus free shipping, making my actual cost before taxes under $300.00 for the $700machines and accessories... if not for the discounts and promotions- the cost would be a CON... Overall I am so thrilled with this machine as it does what it is supposed to do= SUCK!PRO: Lots of suction and cleaning capabilities... I am as excited about my new vacuum as my daughter is about her new cell phone!I vacuumed with an old machine then re-vacuumed with my new Shark Stratos- I wish I had a video of what was picked up in the 2nd run! simply embarrassingly unbelievable!CONS: a few design flaws- there is really no way to clean the cover and behind the rollers. like the Vortex, you will have to be really careful not to vacuum up a dead mouse(?) from under the couch!(the death of my vortex- the stench was wretched, and impossible to clean.) so that is something that I forget to check out when making this purchase.The second CON is the the reach of the wand. the length of the hose is insignificant when the handle to the suction end is very short. - there should be a wand extension tool with ALL the includedaccessories. as was included in my original Shark Lift-Away-Professional, this one the wand does not extend. a bit frustrating for only 7 foot ceilings- which brings me to the next Con- the machine is heavy.the Lift-Away feature is convenient, but to reach with the wand, requires removing the unit; which is heavy and still too short to reach the corners for anyone under 5'5" unless you want to hold your arm above your head- (the images are inaccurate of the person vacuuming the top of the steps - or that person is 6' tall) and finally the vacuum is quite LOUD. I only mention the cons, in the event the designers ever actually read thesecomments and want to make a few design changes in the newer models (then I might have to upgrade lol!) If you Know these features both pros and cons exist; I don't think you will surprised or disappointed.

Tank of a vaccum

I just unboxed and used this beast. It is absolutely a tank of a vaccum. I love the large cup because I have Corgis and they leave their glitter everywhere and it grows into creatures that float across the room and scare you quickly because you think it's a whole different animal lol. I bought this because I am interested in the lift away option. But I call this thing a tank because it's exactly how it drives lol....I feel like I just spent 1 hr at the gym working my upper body in 15 min of vacuuming. This thing takes alot of muscle to move around and the design definitely does not let you get under much when using it as an upright vacvum but that's okay because I figure that is where the "liftaway" part comes in with all the gadgets. But right now im tired of ... MoreI just unboxed and used this beast. It is absolutely a tank of a vaccum. I love the large cup because I have Corgis and they leave their glitter everywhere and it grows into creatures that float across the room and scare you quickly because you think it's a whole different animal lol. I bought this because I am interested in the lift away option. But I call this thing a tank because it's exactly how it drives lol....I feel like I just spent 1 hr at the gym working my upper body in 15 min of vacuuming. This thing takes alot of muscle to move around and the design definitely does not let you get under much when using it as an upright vacvum but that's okay because I figure that is where the "liftaway" part comes in with all the gadgets. But right now im tired of pushing it around and need a break bedore i try to tackle that part lol... i inly have hardwood/tile in my house and honestly this thing is totally overkill for it. It definitely would not be my daily go to vaccum ( but thats okay because i have Shark Robot for that). Overall 4/5 stats given because it is a lug to move around, but it definitely gets all the hair, and we'll I'm lazy and skip the gym on the regular so it won't kill me to get in an arm workout with this.

Top Quality Superior Performance Best Vacuum Ever

I had purchased my first Shark vacuum 2 years ago, a corded small Stratos for spot vacuuming, as I was tired of lugging huge heavy vacuums upstairs to my second floor. I was so impressed with the quality & performance that I recently ordered this Shark Stratos™ DuoClean® PowerFins Vacuum & I am very pleased with the performance. I have been a diehard Dyson fan for many years but had found that no matter how much money I invested the vacs just didn't do the job. Plus they are so heavy using them was a real pain. I made the switch to this Shark Stratos & I am so happy I did! The Stratos outperforms Dydon's top models in every way. Quality product, superior suction, less effort, no more pet hair tangling the brushes. This vacuum is a pleasure to use. I have 3 dogs ... MoreI had purchased my first Shark vacuum 2 years ago, a corded small Stratos for spot vacuuming, as I was tired of lugging huge heavy vacuums upstairs to my second floor. I was so impressed with the quality & performance that I recently ordered this Shark Stratos™ DuoClean® PowerFins Vacuum & I am very pleased with the performance. I have been a diehard Dyson fan for many years but had found that no matter how much money I invested the vacs just didn't do the job. Plus they are so heavy using them was a real pain. I made the switch to this Shark Stratos & I am so happy I did! The Stratos outperforms Dydon's top models in every way. Quality product, superior suction, less effort, no more pet hair tangling the brushes. This vacuum is a pleasure to use. I have 3 dogs whose main objective in life is to shed as much fur as possible 24/7. In addition, I live in the middle of the woods & they love mud. I joke that that mud dries into dirt that equals a quarter acre of my land that the dogs bring in daily, then I vacuum it & replace it back in my yard. The Stratos handles all the dirt & hair; cleans baseboards & corners efficiently. No having to vacuum over & over to pick up the dirt. Excellent features to use so you are not constantly moving furniture to clean. I have wool area rugs, hardwood & ceramic tile floors & the Stratos keeps them clean. My husband has breathing issues & this Stratos has made a world of difference for him. In addition, I had some delivery issues but Shark's customer service immediately addressed every problem & made it right. I am beyond satisfied with my Shark & appreciative of the excellent customer service. I have had every top-of-the-line model of other brands but the Stratos is the best of the best.

[Rewarded Review] Good vacuum with some improvements and drawbacks

This is the third Shark vacuum I've owned (I was pretty hard on the first two as I used them for cleaning construction debris, which shortened their lifespan understandably). Shark, overall, continues to make an excellent vacuum and there are some definite quality of life improvements and a couple of bizarre omissions. The self-cleaning brush roll, collection cup, and filters have all been improved. However, they inexplicably removed the ability to take off the cover above the brush roll, I assume because they think the self-cleaning brush roll will perform as advertised. I almost immediately ran over a cardboard price tag which got lodged above the brush roll. In the past this would have been a simple matter of removing the cover and pulling it out. Instead I had ... MoreThis is the third Shark vacuum I've owned (I was pretty hard on the first two as I used them for cleaning construction debris, which shortened their lifespan understandably). Shark, overall, continues to make an excellent vacuum and there are some definite quality of life improvements and a couple of bizarre omissions. The self-cleaning brush roll, collection cup, and filters have all been improved. However, they inexplicably removed the ability to take off the cover above the brush roll, I assume because they think the self-cleaning brush roll will perform as advertised. I almost immediately ran over a cardboard price tag which got lodged above the brush roll. In the past this would have been a simple matter of removing the cover and pulling it out. Instead I had to use a plastic "slim jim" style tool which I thankfully had. While it was still relatively easy to get out with this tool why on earth did they remove such useful functionality that a previous model had? Second, the "powered hand attachment" is total marketing double speak. It uses suction to drive the roller, not electricity. ANY pressure applied immediately stops the roller. It actually works WORSE than just using a regular non-powered attachment and is a complete waste. What's even more bizarre is that they could have easily made this attachment electrical, but chose not to. Overall it does what it is designed to do very well, but it could have been a truly stellar vacuum if they hadn't cheaped out in a couple of areas.