Shark Corded Stick Vacuum Cleaner [HV390UK] Lightweight, Purple

Product Information

As noted, cleaning is easy, aided on the larger brush roller by a little channel that allows scissor access to cut off hairs. The head is also very easy to clean out, thanks to a top-mounted removable cover and huge thumb clips. No need to find a coin to turn release-screws here.

The Duo-Clean floorhead is mighty heavy and its huge footprint makes it unwieldy on anything but straight flights of steps with open sides. You’re best to deploy the Motorised Pet Tool for stairs. This Shark is rated at only 450W, including the floorhead motor. Around this level of suction isn’t dissimilar to the power from the best cordless cleaners, including Shark’s own battery powered models, so don’t expect a big uplift in cleaning power for the cable-connected inconvenience. The Duo-Clean head can be attached to the cleaner with Shark’s funky Flexology folding tube, or directly to the cleaner’s body. The head tilts, pivots and articulates nicely for easy steering, and the big rear wheels and small front rollers should keep things moving. The Flexology tube is as mad as a box of frogs, but it absolutely works for getting under low obstacles. Unclip the catch and the tube folds with ease. Combined with the low profile of the Duo-Clean head, there’s no other cleaner on the market quite so good at cleaning under your sofa or other low furniture.

Shark NV601UK Lift-Away Upright

Closer inspection of the main carpet did reveal plenty of the heavier grains of freshening powder clinging tenaciously to the pile, however.

The disadvantage of the Flexology tube is that the folding mechanism and flexible tube coupling add further weight. This is particularly noticeable when you reach for those pesky high-up cobwebs. The pistol grip is well behind the weight of the motor, too, leading to a very nose-heavy balance when you lift it ceilingward. Using a second hand for support is essential – and mind you don’t trip over that cable when looking up. If you can live with the above then there’s plenty of versatility and cleaning ability here for a relatively attractive price. Verdict Yet in real-world use the results were more variable, and mostly for the better. In fact, only the aggressive Pet Tool bumped up the noise output, cresting 81dB on our sound meter. With the Crevice Tool and dusting brush attached directly to the body, the noise was a much quieter 77dB. However, pet hair did cause us some issues. Frequently, big clumps of hair would get caught in the transition port between the cyclone and the bin itself, requiring reaching in and resulting in dusty fingers. The design of the HV390UKT might be excellent, but there are other things you’ll need to think about before you decide if this is the right one for you. For instance, how comfortable are you going to feel using the vacuum?The Energy label claims the HV390UKT emits 80dB of noise. That’s fairly quiet, if a long way from super-silent models. With a Pet-based name, the HV390UKT TruePet needed to display vet-level animal handling abilities. It didn’t disappoint.