Lift Away: Some of Shark’s upright vacuums can be lifted off the motorised floor head and carried around, which is good for cleaning stairs and high places. The handle is removed from the extension pole and attachments can be added, adding greater flexibility to what are otherwise large and heavy vacuums. The combination of DuoClean floorhead and relatively strong suction means the Shark HZ500UK does a decent job of removing pet hair from carpets and hard floors. We also test their cleaning ability with measured spills of flour and Cheerios, on both hard floor and carpet. Each vacuum is given one pass to to see how much it can collect, and we weigh how much is collected to compare to every other vacuum we’ve previously tested. Note: Shark sells a pet version of this vacuum cleaner called the HZ500UKT. It’s a bit more expensive, but includes a turbo pet tool. Price & Value for Money

An interesting feature of the HZ500UK is that it comes with Shark’s Anti Hair-Wrap technology. Shark claims this actively removes hair and deposits it into the dust canister, meaning you shouldn’t need to remove tangled hair from the brush bar. Thinking of buying the Shark HZ500UK vacuum cleaner? Here’s our in-depth review of this vacuum, along with our thoughts on who should buy it. How does it compare to other corded uprights? And is it worth buying over a traditional upright (such as those on our buyer’s guide?) Keep reading our Shark HZ500UK review to find out. Overview of the Shark HZ500UK’s FeaturesDespite having a HEPA filter, we still don’t think this Shark is the best choice for people with allergies. As it’s a bagless vacuum, dust and dirt can still escape when you empty the bin. Even so, the HEPA filter makes it a decent choice if you want to keep your air clean when using a bagless vac. Emptying & Cleaning If you don’t want the bother of having to charge batteries, but want the flexibility that a cordless vacuum cleaner can bring, the HZ400UKT could be just the cleaner for you. It offers all of the advantages of an upright vacuum, the power of a corded model, and the flexibility of handheld operation, too. Note that the HZ400UKT can be a touch unwieldy to use for some jobs, though, as a result of much of its weight sitting towards the rear of the unit. Hard floor cleaning was a similar story, though fewer Cheerios were collected on the first pass, with only 24 of 26g showing up in the collection bin. The missing Cheerios appeared as I reassembled the device, having got caught up on something internally, though again it was nothing that a subsequent pass couldn’t gobble up. Flour on hard flooring fared better than carpet, collecting 49 of 50g on the first pass. The rest fell into crevices between floor tiles that most vacuums struggle with, without resorting to handheld tools.

We think the Shark is one of the best upright corded vacs when it comes to ease-of-use. It’s lightweight (3.9kg,) easy to push around the floor, has swivel steering, and the handheld mode is great for stairs or cars. You can also still attach the wand when in handheld mode, making cleaning cobwebs and other high locations easier. The HZ400UKT’s stand-out feature is Anti Hair Wrap technology, which uses a combination of blades and bristles designed to stop hair from becoming entangled around the brush, clogging it up. It was well put to the test in a house with three girls (all with long hair) and four cats; the brush was refreshingly free of hair, making it stand out from the competition.READ NEXT: The best vacuum cleaners you can buy Shark Anti Hair Wrap with Flexology and TruePet HZ500UKT review: What’s it like to use? The Shark HZ500UK comes with a HEPA filter. This is brilliant news for people with allergies, as HEPA filters are effective at preventing dust, pet dander, and other allergens from escaping into the air. It’s also designed with Shark’s Anti-Allergen Complete Seal. As we mentioned, there’s no motorised pet tool included with the Shark though. This makes it difficult to get rid of hair from furniture, stairs, or car interiors. For this reason, we don’t recommend it for pet owners, particularly if your dog or cat sheds a lot.

In its handheld mode, it can accept any of the supplied accessories, which include a crevice tool, a multi-surface tool (an upholstery nozzle with a clip-on brush) and, in the TruePet version, the pet hair tool. This latter device is motorised by using a turbine, powered by the suction of air through the vacuum, rather than using its own electric-powered motor. Its rotating “brush” uses rubber flaps instead of bristles, to help reduce hair tangle. The only accessory you’ll need to find a home for is the power tool. Unlike the main powered floor brush, the power tool’s bristles are spun purely by airflow. READ NEXT: The best cordless vacuum cleaners to buy Shark Anti Hair Wrap with Flexology and TruePet HZ500UKT review: Should I buy it? So, if you’re looking for the best carpet vacuum cleaner, the HZ500UK isn’t the one to choose. But if you’re happy to accept average cleaning performance in return for great hard floor cleaning (see next section) and advanced features, then it’s an option to consider. Hard Floors No, the HZ500UK is the basic version of this vacuum cleaner and doesn’t come with a pet tool. You’ll need to spend more to get the HZ500UKT (known as the True Pet version) to get this extra accessory. VerdictBut before we go any further, it’s worth repeating that this is a corded vacuum cleaner – despite having a design that’s similar to most modern cordless vacs. The 10-metre cord means you can vacuum for as long as necessary without recharging, although it also reduces the convenience of the vac. In general, we think corded vacs make more sense for larger homes or extended cleaning sessions, although cordless vacuums are more convenient. In practice, we’ve found this isn’t 100% effective, as some hair still gets caught. The technology certainly reduces tangled hair by a lot, however, making it a useful bonus if you have pets or family members with long hair. A handheld vacuum won’t replace either of the other types but is a very useful device to have around as a secondary option. These smaller units are easier to get out and use, particularly if you only need to gather up a small spill. They’re ideal for cleaning in places that are problematic for bigger vacuums, such as your car boot, and are useful to have close to hand in the kitchen, garage or utility room. Other Shark features to look out for: