Vacuuming rarely starts with vacuuming. First you have to clear the floor of stray socks and abandoned toys left behind by children, pets or messy partners. Then there’s the irritation of finding the vacuum’s dustbin still full of dirt, or the battery flat because someone forgot to charge it.

The (take a deep breath – long name coming up) Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean and Empty Pet Pro cordless vacuum Ultramarine IA3241UKT certainly won’t pick up the scattered toys for you, but it has been designed to make the job of vacuuming as frictionless as possible.

Most of that is down to the self-emptying and charging station. Shark claims this will hold 45 days’ worth of dirt before needing to be emptied. Once you’ve finished vacuuming, you put the cleaner back on the stand, and a secondary vacuum in the base pulls the dirt out of the cleaner’s 0.47l collection bin and into a 2l chamber below. If you live with people who are prone to absent-mindedly leaving a vacuum stuffed to the brim after using it, it makes a real difference. The base station also charges the cleaner, so the next time you reach for it, it’s not only empty of dirt but ready to go.

How I tested

With a cordless vacuum cleaner such as this one, I start with a battery test. The device is fully charged, switched to full suction power, and left to run on a piece of short-pile carpet with the primary floor head attached until the battery runs out. I then recharge the battery and repeat the process on the lowest suction setting, which might not clean the floor as well, but is useful if you want to cover the largest area.

Next I test the suction using a vacuum meter. Powerful suction doesn’t guarantee a great vacuum cleaner, but a weak result here is often accompanied by disappointing cleaning.

Lastly, I run through a series of cleaning tests. I measure precise amounts of pet hair, cat litter and flour, depositing them on carpet and hard floor. I weigh the collection bin before and after vacuuming each type of mess, giving the device one chance to pick up whatever it can with a single forward and backward pass.

I’ve performed these tests with all the vacuum cleaners I’ve reviewed for the Filter, so I can easily compare the performance with every model I’ve tested.

What you need to know

Shark sent me the top-end model (the IA3241UKT, RRP £499.99), which comes with the emptying station and a motorised hand tool designed for stairs and pet hair on upholstery. Ditch the self-emptying station and the motorised pet tool and the RRP drops to £429.99 (model number IA1241UKT); this comes with a non-motorised brush and funnel hand tool instead. If you only want the combination crevice tool and dusting brush that comes with all models, there’s also a version of the cleaner for an RRP of £399.99 (the IA1241UK).

The vacuum itself is crammed with Shark’s detection technologies. The floor head knows whether it’s on carpet or hard flooring, and adjusts the suction power and the speed of the roller accordingly. It also senses when it’s being pushed up against a wall, skirting or kick-board, and cranks up the suction to better draw in dirt from the edges.

There’s a dirt detection system, too, which increases the power when it thinks it might have hit a particularly grubby patch. Lastly, when it’s on hard flooring, a blue light switches on to make spotting dust and dirt much easier.

Most of Shark’s usual cordless stick-vacuum features are included. There’s a 180-degree hinge in the extension wand, for example, which can be used to flatten the device for cleaning under low furniture. It can fold all the way over, which allows the device to stand upright without support, but also means you can store it in a low cupboard if you’d rather put it away than keep it on the base station.

The one thing that’s missing from Shark’s usual repertoire is the dual-roller floor head. While the majority of Shark’s most effective cleaners feature a regular brush bar and a fluffy roller in the floor head, this model has ditched the fluffy one. I have to admit this set alarm bells ringing. Dual-roller floor heads have proved effective in my tests, and my favourite cordless and corded vacuum cleaners have them. I couldn’t help but wonder if, as with Dyson’s Piston Animal, Shark had taken a step too far in reinventing its floor head.

Specifications

Weight (measured): 3.2kg (vacuum with extension wand and floor head attached)Max suction power (quoted): 150 air wattsMax suction power (measured): 24.5kPaBattery life (quoted): 1hr (Eco mode without motorised tool)Battery life (tested): 49mins 55secs (Eco mode with motorised floor head attached)Charge time (quoted): 5hrsDust capacity: 0.47l (handheld); 2l (base station)Additional filters supplied? NoDimensions: 26 x 37.5 x 114cm (WDH, including base station)

What we love

During testing, I quickly realised that I had little cause for concern. The IA3241UKT performed exceptionally well across all my cleaning tests. On carpet, its floor head cleared 99% of the cat litter and 96% of the flour. You can see the two pieces of cat litter that escaped in my before and after pictures above, and while the flour appears to have left a bit of a streak, that was after a single push and pull motion. When I further tackled it from a few more angles, the vacuum lifted the last remnants.

This is slightly better on carpet than my favourite cordless, the IP3251UKT. It also dealt with cat litter better than the corded LA791UKT, but wasn’t as good as this model when picking up flour.

Interestingly, it performed even better on hard floors, where I was expecting the absence of a fluffy roller to leave it lacking. It gathered every last piece of cat litter, while the flour test results rose to 97%. A vacuum with a fluffy roller may take things a little further and, matching expectations, the IP3251UKT managed to lift more flour in this test. However, I remained hugely impressed with this model’s performance on hard floors.

I also tested the vacuum with pet hair – where again it excelled. The trimmed dog hair I placed on carpet and hard flooring was all sucked up, leaving no trace behind. It proved effective on the mats where my cocker spaniel hangs out, and lifted traces of his fur off sofas and cosy chairs with the motorised pet tool.

All the tests were run in the vacuum’s Detect mode, which regulates the suction and roller speed based on whether it’s on carpet or a hard floor. This worked well in terms of cleaning: it audibly changed the power depending on the surface, when it detected an increase in dirt, and when it was being pushed along a wall. If you prefer, you can opt to run it in Eco mode for improved battery life, or Boost mode to temporarily max out the power.

What we don’t love

The first time I attempted a whole-house clean, the hairball that was coughed out from the vacuum into the self-emptying bin blocked the neck of the station. It vacated the cleaner but got stuck at the top of the self-empty station, rather than dropping down into the bin below. So while the vacuum coped with everything I threw at it, the base did not. On subsequent empties I was unable to replicate the problem, although I was wary of overfilling it before popping it on to the base to empty it.

I was also caught out by the battery. While some vacuums provide clear guidance on how much charge is left, either as a percentage or in minutes and seconds, the Shark uses a bar with a gradient. I struggled to notice the battery dropping from what the manual defines as half charge to low charge, and as a result, I was never prepared for it to cut out completely. If a battery is about to quit, I’d rather have a much clearer warning, so I can at least prioritise what I want to clean, or make an informed decision to reduce the power to eke out more cleaning time.

Having said that, it didn’t help that the battery life is disappointing. In my tests, which measure how long the battery lasts when the vacuum is left running on the same piece of carpet, the IA3241UKT outperformed my current favourite cordless, the IP3251UKT. However, in practice the IP3251UKT showed no sign of failing to make it around my house on a single charge, while this model left me short of power. That makes the IP3251UKT a better option in a larger house.

Warranty, repairability and sustainability

Shark offers a generous five-year warranty that kicks in as long as you register your product within 28 days of purchase. It covers parts and labour, and Shark will repair or replace your product if it breaks down. It doesn’t include the rechargeable battery, although this has its own two-year warranty. It also doesn’t cover normal wear and tear or accidental damage, and it becomes void if you’ve replaced any parts with accessories or consumables that aren’t manufactured by Shark. If bits of your vacuum break or wear out, there is an extensive supply of spare parts available via Shark’s website.

If you want to rescue a Shark, the company offers refurbished models on its eBay store. You’re less likely to find the latest models, but it’s good to know that returns are checked, refurbished and offered for resale at a discount.

In terms of recycling, Shark complies with the usual WEEE legislation in the UK, which requires that it contributes information and financial support to the recycling of electrical waste via council-run waste collection sites.

Shark PowerDetect IA3241UKT: should I buy it?

When it comes to cleaning, the vacuum itself is a marvel. It’s easy to use and extremely capable at cleaning up mess. It coped well with all the dirt I threw at it, on carpet and hard floors.

Its biggest drawback is its inability to make it around larger spaces. I found the battery life couldn’t quite get around my detached family home, so it’s better suited to a smaller property. The smaller-than-average collection bin is also a limitation, although you can regularly empty it into the larger base station. The imprecise battery power gauge is frustrating, but will be less of a problem in a small house or flat.

For longer-lasting battery power without losing the self-emptying base station, I’d recommend the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty IP3251UKT. Or, if you don’t mind a cable and plugging into a wall socket, the corded Shark Detect XL Car + Pet LA791UKT is also superb. That will never run out of power, and its 2.5l collection bin is even larger than the secondary collection bin in the base station of Shark’s self-emptying models.

For more:Dyson Pencilvac Fluffycones review
The best cordless vacuum cleaners, tested
The best vacuum cleaners for hard floors and carpets
The best robot vacuums to keep your home clean and dust free

Andy Shaw is a consumer journalist and technology addict. Having reviewed tech products professionally for more than 30 years, his favoured working environment is a small desk surrounded by big boxes. His greatest weakness is that he never, ever remembers how things came out of their packaging, so they rarely fit back in again when it’s time to return them