Shark Stratos Pet Pro Anti Hair Wrap Plus Anti-Odour Upright Vacuum NZ860UKT Review
The most powerful upright vacuum cleaner
Verdict
An incredibly powerful vacuum cleaner with a lot of flexibility thanks to Lift-Away mode, the Shark Stratos Pet Pro Anti Hair Wrap Plus Anti-Odour Upright Vacuum NZ860UKT is the ultimate upright. It dealt with all of my test mess with ease and left my home smelling fresh.
Pros
- Flexible cleaning
- Powerful
- Anti-Odour pods make your home smell fresh
Cons
- Can be fiddly to empty bin
Availability
- UKRRP: £429.99
Key Features
- TypeThis is a plug-in upright vacuum cleaner.
Introduction
The Shark Stratos Pet Pro Anti Hair Wrap Plus Anti-Odour Upright Vacuum NZ860UKT is an upgrade over last year’s Shark NZ850UKT in more ways than one. With a new Anti-Odour pod and redesigned floor head, this is a far superior product to last year’s cleaner and officially the best overall upright vacuum cleaner that I’ve reviewed.
I reviewed the Shark Stratos NZ860UKT, although there’s also the NZ860UK available, which is identical but doesn’t ship with the mini pet tool.
Design and features
- Lift-Away mode adds flexibility
- Anti-Odour pods help your room smell fresh as you clean
- Simple controls
Shark has kept the same basic design for the NZ860UKT as last year’s model, the NZ850UKT. That’s no bad thing, as the Lift-Away design is as brilliant here as it’s always been. If you haven’t used a Shark upright before, Lift-Away lets the central cylinder lift off the body and be carried around. Without the bulk of the bin on the wand, Lift-Away mode makes it easier to clean under furniture, on stairs or get into tight gaps.
Importantly, Lift-Away mode is easy to activate, with the cylinder lifting off effortlessly. With a total weight of 6.7kg, the NZ860UKT isn’t light, but Lift-Away does make it more nimble.
There’s plenty of reach, too, with the vacuum cleaner reaching right up to clean around ceilings as easily as it can vacuum the floors. And, with an 8m power cable, it’s easy enough to clean a floor using one power socket, or two at the most.
There’s a large 1.3-litre bin on this model, which lifts out for emptying, with a flap opening at the bottom. As the bin is thinner at the bottom, I find it sometimes needs a bit of a tap to get out all of the mess. Fortunately, the top opens, too, so the entire bin can be cleaned.
Two easily accessible filters can be removed and washed: you should do this regularly to keep suction power at its maximum.
Controls are placed on top of the handle, with an on/off button and a slider to select the mode: hard floor, carpet, and deep pile. The slider adjusts the speed of the floor head but also opens a vent to help the vacuum cleaner move around more easily. It works, and this is one of the most nimble upright vacuum cleaners I have tested.
There’s the same useful range of tools that most Shark vacuum cleaners come with, including a crevice tool, two-in-one brush, and the mini pet tool.
Usefully, the vacuum cleaner has space for two of these accessories at the back, so you can carry around your most-used tools.
New to this model is the new DuoClean floor head with Anti Hair Wrap Plus. As with the old Duo Clean, the floor head has a soft roller for hard floors and a brush for carpets. This model is designed to be better at picking up pet hair, and even better at avoiding hair getting tangled; I didn’t get any hair wrapped around the brush during my testing.
As with the cordless Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro Cordless Vacuum IZ420UKT, the NZ860UKT takes the same Anti-Odour pods, with intensity setting. This releases a pleasant odour as you vacuum, similar to the pods used in the Henry Quick. When the odour stops, replacements cost £4.99 each.
Performance
- Lots of suction power
- Cleans beautifully
I measured the Shark NZ860UKT’s raw power at 268AW, which is a lot for an upright and slightly more powerful than the older NZ850UKT. Cylinder cleaners, such as the Numatic Henry tend to be more powerful, but Shark doesn’t need as much suction power as its floor head does a lot of the work.
I moved on to my real-world tests. First, I sprinkled a teaspoon of flour onto the test carpet and then gave the vacuum cleaner a single pass through the middle. It handled it flawlessly, leaving a clean sweep through the middle. As the floor head is quite wide, there’s not much mess left for subsequent sweeps.
Next, I moved onto the difficult edge test, where I sprinkle flour right up to the skirting board on carpet tiles. Here, running the Shark NZ860UKT along the skirting board, I removed all of the dust and didn’t have to resort to using the crevice tool.
I then combed cat hair into the carpet. Here, the NZ860UKT managed to remove the mess without leaving anything behind.
On the hard floor, the DuoClean head showed its worth again, helping to pick up every last grain of spilt rice, without dropping any back onto the floor.
I measured the Shark NZ860UKT at 74.3dB, which is a little louder than its predecessor, although the noise this vacuum produces isn’t an annoying one.
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Should you buy it?
If you want the most flexible and powerful upright vacuum cleaner, then this is the model to buy.
If you’ve got last year’s model, there’s no much reason to upgrade. Those looking for a different format, such as cylinder cleaner, will want to look elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
In terms of power, flexibility and features, there’s not a better plug-in vacuum cleaner than the Shark Stratos Pet Pro Anti Hair Wrap Plus Anti-Odour Upright Vacuum NZ860UKT. It effortlessly dealt with all of the mess I put in front of it thanks to the new floor head. And, the Anti-Odour pods are a great addition, leaving my home smelling fresh at the end. If you’re after a different type of cleaner, then check out my guide to the best vacuum cleaners.
How we test
We test every vacuum cleaner we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main vacuum cleaner for the review period
Tested for at least a week
Tested using tools to measure actual suction performance
Tested with real-world dirt in real-world situations for fair comparisons with other vacuum cleaners
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FAQs
This model has a redesigned floor head, built to prevent hair from getting tangled. And, the floor head takes the anti-odour pods.
The Shark Stratos NZ860UKT has a pet tool, while the NZ860UK does not.
Full specs
Jargon buster
AirWatt
A rating of how powerful a vacuum cleaner is. AirWatts combines suction power with airflow to give one score, where the higher the number is better.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
