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. Thankfully, this model also comes with Shark’s Motorised Pet Tool, which makes for a much lighter clean on steps. If you’re looking for something sleek and stylish, then Shark has got you covered with the HV390UKT. There’s no bulky cannister to worry about like with the average stand-up hoover. The slim profile means that this hoover is attractive and easier to store in tight cupboards. The tube portion of the hoover is also available in rose gold, which makes it totally on-trend for the current marketplace.

The Duo-Clean floorhead sports some very serious LED lighting, which worked admirably. Given the low power consumption of LED lights, we just can’t understand why so few brands have LED headlights. The Energy label claims the HV390UKT emits 80dB of noise. That’s fairly quiet, if a long way from super-silent models. Shark’s Duo-Clean floorhead is the star of the show, with its twin roller brushes and LED lighting that will highlight fluff and debris in the darkest recesses.The tool roster is complete with a decent size Crevice Tool and an effective dusting brush, although there’s nowhere to store these items on-board. Within EU regulations, Shark could have fitted a 750W motor and still had some watts left to power the floorhead. Using traditional motors that might have made the HV390UKT a little heavier, but not by much. Opportunity missed? We think so. Although, looking at it another way, it’s A+ energy rating means it’s greener and leaner on your electricity bill. 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.

Yet this Shark doesn’t offer improved suction over its cordless sibling, despite being mains-powered. Its very low-power (circa 400W) suction motor is half the EU power limit, and that shows in some of the test results. 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. With its twin rollers and own electric motor, the Duo-Clean floorhead is a big and weighty unit. This isn’t so much of an issue on floors, but using it single-handed on stairs requires some serious wrist strength. Another great thing about this model’s design is that the controls are very straightforward. The bendy hose is excellent for compact storage. Therefore, it also means that there’s not as much hassle involved in getting underneath and behind furniture when you’re vacuuming, too. Overall, Shark has excelled from a design perspective. 2. Shark DuoClean Noise Levels and Cord Length Overall, a single pass or two delivers a good surface clean on carpet, and another pass or two clears the remaining debris. Edge cleaning is very good indeed. Shark Duo-Clean TruePet HV390UKT – How does it cope with pet hair?If you can live with the above then there’s plenty of versatility and cleaning ability here for a relatively attractive price. Verdict As ever with Shark products, all the HV390UKT’s fixtures, fittings and clips are clearly labelled, very well made, and operate with a solid precision. Shark includes a five-year guarantee as standard on this model, and it’s easy to see why. To help you decide whether Shark’s approach to handling dirt, dust, and pet hair is right for you, we’ve put together this comprehensive review into the Shark Duo Clean corded vacuum with Flexology. Better still (for those of us with editorial OCD), Shark now refers to this ‘UK’ model with a proper ‘s’ in the Motorised badge, rather than a US style ‘z’ of previous incarnations. Yay!

To empty your canister, just press a button when aiming it over the bin. Remember, although the process for emptying the container isn’t hard, it’s also a bit messy. Thus, make sure you’re prepared for a plume of dust. Used in its fully assembled mode it’s plenty easy enough to move around, attributable to the wheels, two rollers and its moderate suction power. Subsequent tests also showed that, with just a single pass, there was a tendency to smear bigger patches of very fine dust. This can be seen in the faint white patch of talcum powder a few centimetres out from the skirting. A few stray hairs were left behind when we cleaned the entire carpet, though. While the floorhead is good at drawing out entwined hairs, there isn’t the sheer suction power to pull that last 1%. Like the carpet cleaning test, however, a few more passes over these spots and all was clear.

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Pet hair furballs and heavier dirt were equally well catered for. There isn’t the suction to pull loose dirt in from outside the direct path of the floorhead, but it cleans within its own edges admirably. With a Pet-based name, the HV390UKT TruePet needed to display vet-level animal handling abilities. It didn’t disappoint.

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. Closer inspection of the main carpet did reveal plenty of the heavier grains of freshening powder clinging tenaciously to the pile, however.Fully assembled, the main floorhead is quiet, dampening air-rush noise too. The result was a very peaceful 73dB when cleaning hard floors and carpets on the highest (carpet) setting. Given this is how most people will use this cleaner most of the time, that’s a great result. 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? 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.