The Shark Rocket UV450 is a skinny little thing with the words “ultra lightweight” heavily highlighted throughout its specification. With its wide, low head at the base, the long thin pole and the small unit at the top, there is very little too this product; however, it promises versatility through its use as either a full-scale upright or a hand vacuum and a great performance.
The design of this Shark Rocket means that it has a lot of potential capabilities and there is plenty of praise for the results.
Like many stick vacuums, there is the promise here for floor-to-ceiling cleaning through its different cleaning options, attachments like the pet and crevice tools and the reach of that light stick. The handheld option is the reason why so much of the body of the vacuum is compacted into the top end – detach this small canister with its 500w motor and ergonomic grip handle and you have a portable model for the stairs and other difficult areas. As a result, the machine has a great performance on a range of surfaces; the low profile head and strong suction allow for an all-over clean on carpets and hardfloors and it can also handle stairs and upholstery.
Whichever way that buyers choose to use this Shark UV450, it is designed to be highly convenient and easy to use, despite the top heavy design.
The shape of this stick vacuum means that it can look a little awkward and top heavy, and there are buyers saying that it took a little time to get used to the weight distribution, but there is an advanced swivel steering to help users guide it across the floor and it is even wall mountable after use to stop it from tipping over. Remarkably, this mount is actually pretty useful, as is the LED head light for underneath furniture, so Shark have clearly put some effort into their design and features. There are of course some areas that are better than others and while there is also the promise of an easy to empty dust cup for minimal mess, some say it is still too messy, that the canister is far too small for big jobs and that it would have been better with some filtration to eliminate allergens.
The final verdict of this Shark Rocket UV450 review:
There are some aspects to this vacuum that will not suit users purely because of the style of of this 2-in-1 stick model – the weight at the top is too much of an issue for some less able users and it can be quite awkward to get used to. If you can get along with these types of stick vacuums then this Shark vacuum could be a good choice because of the versatility of the clean and some of added features for user convenience. There is a good chance that you will find yourself cursing the canister and dust removal system but it may be worth it for the performance on different surfaces, the maneuverability and that quirky little wall mount.
Cesse Poole says
The floor nozzle hose breaks and Shark will not replace it or even sell the part. Shark forces you to buy a whole new motorized floor nozzle head at half the cost of a whole new vacuum ($90) because they will not replace a $10 hose part (available on other models). Not pleased and will not buy another Shark product after such poor customer service