The Shark Stratos (IZ862H) is a cordless stick vacuum with a two-roller DuoClean head, automatic Clean Sense IQ suction, a HEPA filter and a removable battery, weighing about 8.9 pounds. CNET named it its best overall cordless vacuum after it picked up 95% of sand on average across hardwood and carpet, Vacuum Wars recorded the first perfect 100 in its carpet deep-clean test, and TechGearLab found it a standout on hardwood. Reviewers agree it is heavy, Homes & Gardens and TechGearLab disliked the scent cartridge, and TechGearLab found it weaker on thick rugs. It suits mixed-floor homes, especially those with mostly hard floors; people who want a light handheld or a self-emptying dock should look elsewhere.
Full review
Top-tier pickup on hard floors and most carpet
CNET's lab measured 97.2% sand pickup on hardwood, 94% on low-pile and 94.4% on midpile carpet, a 95% average it says is the second-highest it has recorded for a cordless vacuum. Vacuum Wars scored it a perfect 100 in its embedded-sand carpet test, repeatedly, against an average of 91 across 58 cordless models. TechGearLab rated it a standout on hardwood, cleaning 97% of debris, and Homes & Gardens found it cleared flour and sugar on hard floors in one pass. Thick carpet is less convincing: TechGearLab measured 53% on high pile and saw a clog in one carpet run, while Homes & Gardens saw stubborn short pet hairs left on an entrance mat.
Smart suction, long battery and good filtration
Clean Sense IQ raises and lowers suction according to the dirt it detects, which Homes & Gardens says helps preserve runtime on easier surfaces. CNET measured 80 minutes on medium suction, behind only one model it tested, and TechGearLab recorded 55 minutes on low and about 11 minutes on max. In TechGearLab's clean-room test it contained nearly all the particles, a result rated excellent. Vacuum Wars and TechGearLab both liked the MultiFLEX hinge, which bends the wand to reach under furniture and lets the vacuum stand folded without a wall mount.
Heavy in the hand, and the scent cartridge divides reviewers
At about 8.9 pounds, Homes & Gardens found it heavier than most cordless vacuums, hard to lift overhead one-handed, and tiring in handheld mode after 20 minutes; Vacuum Wars also found the handle heavier than it would like and awkward as a handheld. TechGearLab removed the odour-neutraliser cartridges because they smelled like cheap deodorant, Homes & Gardens compared the scent to a cheap car air freshener, and CNET notes they need replacing every six months at extra cost. There is no self-emptying dock, and TechGearLab and Vacuum Wars both missed a motorised upholstery tool in the standard kit.
Strengths
- +First cordless to score a perfect 100 in Vacuum Wars' embedded-sand carpet test
- +Standout hard-floor cleaner, picking up 97% of debris on hardwood in TechGearLab's test
- +Long runtime: CNET measured 80 minutes on medium suction
- +Sealed HEPA system kept nearly all fine particles in during TechGearLab's clean-room test
- +Five-year limited warranty, longer than most rivals offer
Watch-outs
- −Heavy at about 8.9 lb, tiring in handheld mode and when reaching overhead
- −Less effective on thick, high-pile rugs, which need extra passes
- −Odour-neutraliser cartridges smell artificial and need replacing every six months
How it compares
CNET's figures put the Stratos at 9 pounds and 80 minutes of tested runtime, against 6.8 pounds and 60 minutes for the Dyson V15 Detect, which also offers a dust-revealing laser head the Stratos lacks. Unlike the Shark Cordless Detect Pro IW3511, the Stratos has no self-emptying base, so the bin is emptied by hand.
Rating sources
Counts as 4.36/5 in our score — this publisher's 34 scores on the site average 4.21, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
“Best overall Shark Stratos 8.8 ... this is the highest-scoring cordless vacuum on our list — and an easy pick for Editors' Choice”
Counts as 4.15/5 in our score — this publisher's 1 scores on the site average 4.50, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
“We recommend the Shark Stratos Cordless and its strong combination of features and cleaning performance”
Not in the average — we derived this score from the review's words, and a publisher printed a score for this product, so the printed number counts instead.
Counts as 4.19/5 in our score — this publisher's 138 scores on the site average 3.66, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
“73 OVERALL SCORE RANKED #7 of 21”
Our 4.2 score is the average of 3 of the scored reviews above, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. 1 derived score above is not in the average because a publisher printed a score for this product. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
