Customer Reviews

Shark EP724 Pursuit HEPA Bagless Canister Vacuum

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

After waking up another morning barely able to breathe (welcome to Texas!), I got a little obsessive and decided it was time for a new vacuum. After reading hundreds of online reviews, I decided my top 3 choices were... the Dyson Animal (2 cats) the Westinghouse 1551 (the original Fantom), and the Shark Pursuit. I eliminated the Dyson based on price and looked everywhere for the westinghouse... unfortunately I couldn't find any retailers who carried the product. I didn't want to order online because I wanted to be able to return the product if I didn't like it. so that left the Pursuit. Let me clarify...as far as I can tell, the Pursuit and the Stealth are the same product. I brought my little canister home and started on the living room... I had to empty the canister at least 3 times! I was soooo pleased! :) The amount of hair I picked up was literally disgusting. But I was also encouraged and couldn't stop sucking up cat hair! It actually brought back the bright navy color in my fiance's couch! We had been talking about having it reupholstered but now it looks so much better I think we can put it off for a while... And I'm SURE we picked up hair from the previous owners' two dogs... we have been here 2 years. (!!!) I was disappointed, however, in how it worked on the floors... I wasn't altogether pleased with the floor tools. So I brought home the Pursuit upright and the Ultimate Roadster upright... both were great for the floors, but I couldn't get under the furniture and when I tried to clean the upholstery the hoses would contract and pull the main unit up against me. I guess it shows how great the suction is, but it's NOT exactly easy to use this way. SOOO... after even more searching, I found the greatest thing!!! Linen's and Things www.LNT.com carries this product in their stores and online for $129.. WITH a MOTORIZED power head!!! it's GREAT!!! well worth the extra $30!!! NOW the floors get REALLY clean, and I can suck all the junk out of the upholstery too! YAY!!! So, here are the specifics for the model I'm keeping-- The Shark Pursuit canister, model number EP724M... The main unit is 10.3 amps and the power head (the floor brush) is 1.7 amps... still a total of 12 amps for cleaning the floors, slightly less for the above floor stuff, but I can't really tell the difference, and it's probably a good thing considering the suction power.

pros: -Cleans great! good little sucker, especially for the price!

-easy to maneuver

-my house smelled much fresher after using it, so I guess the HEPA filter is doing it's job....

-FABULOUS for cleaning upholstery, etc... I even sucked cat hair off the curtains (be careful!)

-the air powered turbobrush did get clogged alot, but since I bought the motorized powerhead I don't have to worry about that.

Cons-- I agree with everyone else, the filter is very difficult to clean... the dispenser somehow traps all the hair around the filter, so you have to reach in and pull everything out. I'm considering trying a few things, like waxing the inside of the canister, etc... to see if I can't get this resolved. I also plan on buying a second hepa filter at the suggestion of another reviewer and switching out so I'll always have a clean one. I also have been vacuuming the filter with my old hoover upright and that seems to help alot, too. PLUS, my upright uses hepa bags so the mites and yuck stay where they belong. (this vac was good for sucking dust, but not much else)

The cord is quite short, but I have lots of outlets so it's not a huge problem for me.

Doesn't come with the little pet hair turbobrush, but I found them to be incredibly noisy-painful even- I'm going to order one from another company (about $30)to see if theirs works better.

Somewhat inconsistent product quality-- I recommend buying local and if you have a problem with one exchange it for another one before you give up entirely. of the four I tried, one smelled funny when I turned it on... If I had decided on that one, I would have exchanged it.

OH! by the way... I started this project on Sunday, and Monday morning woke up much less congested..(even though we have a HEPA air purifier in the bedroom) Tuesday morning even better... looks like it's working! I think I'm going to vacuum the mattress again..... ;) byebye dust mites!!!

I really liked this vacuum at first, even though I would have to clean out the turbo head during and after each use. I tapped the filter after each use, or even midway while vacuuming because suction would decrease. When I bought my Shark, I even bought replacement filters. Unfortunately, when I when to change them out, I found that the box was missing parts. That started my hunt to find parts, which are non-existent even at the store (Bed Bath & Beyond) where I bought this vacuum--my store doesn't even carry this vacuum any longer. I then found the Shark website, and was pleased to be able to place my order for replacement filters, and even hoses and heads. My order was totaling close to half what I spent on the thing in the first place, but I really wanted to give this machine the benefit of the doubt. I received a confirmation right away that stated I would have parts in 1 to 3 weeks. After 6 weeks, I was able to find out that my parts were on back order. After a few more weeks, I decided to make other vacuum arrangements, and I cancelled my order, only to have part of my order to show up on my doorstep 2 weeks after that. At least in my package I was able to finally get a phone number for customer service. My issues are not resolved yet because the man I spoke with at customer service seems to think I should have to pay to ship back this item when I can document a confirmation from Euro-Pro that I cancelled this order days before they shipped out the parts I received. Hopefully, the service in customer service will prevail.

My advice? Keep looking at other vacuum options!

Yesterday I bought a used Shark EP724. The brush needed cleaning, which took over an hour to take apart--the only effective way to clean it--clean, and put back together. In doing that, it became clear that suction was not going to cause the roller to spin; the design was too chintzy for that. What I didn't realize was that the unfunctioning mechanism would prevent most suction from even reaching the carpet. But it did. This wasn't the result of something being broken, just the result of a really poor design. BTW, the manual suggests buying each of three filters at least twice a year.

Don't buy this vac.
I bought it hoping that at this price I'll get some value but it has very weak suction even when it's new.
It can't lift cat hair from a rug, or regular dust, or even "dust balls" from the floor when directly pointed at them...
I stopped using it several months ago and since then has not vacuumed my apartment; it's about time so I'm currently looking for a replacement and will buy a Rigid wet/dry vacuum (for same or lower cost) which Amazon doesn't sell from some reason.

I recently purchased a wool rug that had been shedding like crazy, and the first time I used the Shark Pursuit, it pulled up so much excess pile that I had to empty the filter twice (which I didn't mind). Though it can be kind of gross to have to empty it after each use, it's worth it to me if the machine is able to pick up so much stuff. In addition to pile, I saw that the Pursuit also picked up very, very fine particles of dirt and dust, thanks to the HEPA filter. As an allergy sufferer, I was psyched to see this.

I would recommend purchasing the EP724M model that Linens N Things sells online and in its stores. It's worth the extra $29 for the motorized head (in addition to the Air Driven Turbo Brush you get with the EP724). The motorized head works very, very well on rugs, and the Turbo Brush works great on floors. The two additional attachments that come with both the 724 and 724M can be used to clean your upholstery and in hard-to-reach crevices.

I read the other Amazon reviews before purchasing, and sure, the 724 filter can be a pain to clean, but if you're into getting a really good clean AND you don't want to spend $$$$ on a vacuum, you need to get the EP724/724M. It's the best cyclonic vacuum you'll find for under $300.

Also, some reviewers belowed complained about how difficult it is to find replacement filters. I found them online through the Euro-Pro website, which is euro-pro dot com. Enter model number EP724, and you'll see all the accessories available.

I'm so disappointed with this vacuum!! We purchased it about a year and a half ago and I really regret it. It seemed to work fine at first, but it quickly went downhill from there. For the last several months it's hardly picked up anything at all. We have taken good care of it, checked the hose for clogs, etc. It's just a crappy vacuum.

Also, the cord that runs from the vacuum head itself up to the arm of the vacuum has become very loose. It falls out all the time.

I knew this vacuum was doomed when my super-thrifty inlaws - who had purchased the exact vacuum months AFTER us - replaced theirs....before us!! They had several of the cheap plastic parts break altogether.

Don't waste your money!

My husband came home with this vacuum very pround of its price and looks... I started using the thing and I really don't recommend it!! It is IMPOSSIBLE to clean the filter or empty it correctly. It does a TERRIBLE job at picking up anything, not even crumbs or a small ripped piece of paper towel!! A real dragg that ended up promptly in the basement.

I bought this vacuum cleaner about six months ago and used it only occasionally. Just last week, the machine broke down and would not start again. After surfing the web for warranty information, I realized that I am not the only one stuck with a broken Shark. The quality of the brand is spotty, to say the best. Now I am in the process of getting it repaired and the shipping costs along will cost over $40 (two-way, Yes the manufacturer will have you pay for return shipping as well). What a hassle for a machine that costs $99. Buyer be aware!

I am glad that I bought the Shark Stealth canister which ended my canister vacuum research. I bought two other lightweight canisters (Bissell and Sanyo) recently and had to return them due to the malfunctioned parts and lack of suction/no suction power. Here are the pros and cons of Shark Stealth:

Pros:
- Comes with turbo brush which helps pick up dust underneath the carpet and pet hair.
- Best suction among many canisters that I've tried.
- Light weight and easy to maneuver. The main unit basically follows me everywhere I vacuum without much pulling, a very amazing design compared with other canisters.
- Perfect brush size and rotating connector which allow me to vacuum underneath the bed and around almost all my furniture without having to move them.
- Easy to empty dust cup
- Retractable cord and on board attachments
- Easy to assemble (took just a minute from the time I opened the box to the time I started vacuuming)

Cons:
- Cord is a bit short
- HEPA filter requires some effort to clean. (I used the attachment on my upright Hoover with bag to suck up the dust in the HEPA filter.)

Let me tell you about the worst vacuum cleaner on the market... the Shark Pursuit HEPA Bagless Vacuum. I had talked my mom into buying this one for three main reasons, the look, its size, and its price.

When we first bought it, it was great. It worked perfect, and had great suction. The heads were convenient as we could switch out for different surfaces and to reach in smaller places. And unlike our older one, this one had the HEPA filter which reduced the amount of dust that would become airborne when the vacuum sucks it in. But a really cool feature back then was how the power cord would get sucked back into the machine at the push of a button. Gets rid of the whole tangled cord mess which I know everyone has had to deal with. It was pretty much a lazy factor... I didn't have to spend the time or energy to twirl the cable back onto the vacuum.

Now lets start up with how much I HATE THIS VACUUM CLEANER. First and foremost is the brush heads they provided. After about a months use, the most important head broke down. The carpet cleaner head was done for... It no longer spun the brushes. What you need to realize is that if the brushes don't spin, the brushes themselves prevent the suction from even reaching the carpet. So I spent about an hour taking it apart and fixing it. A week later, the head broke down again. I gave up on it and left it alone. The only way to remove the dust and junk that this vacuum sucked up was by pushing a button on the top which would release the bottom of the tank that held the dust. Bad design... if you don't want half of the dust coming back up on you, you have to go outside to dump the tank into a bag. Now this once great HEPA filter was junk... On the box, it stated that you would never have to buy another filter for it as it was a "convenient" tap clean filter. Two major issues with this. First being the tap clean part. When you tap it, nearly all the dust flies into the air, and you still don't get all the dust off the filter. Second being that the manual suggests replacing the filter at least twice a year to "improve its efficiency." Now, let me bring you to the most important aspect of a vacuum cleaner... the suction. The fact that it is 1300 watts simply signifies the strength of the engine being used, not the suction itself. The vacuum cleaner can't lift regular dust from the floor when directly pointed at them. No joke... I stuck the vacuum cleaner without any of the non-functioning heads under the sofa hoping it would at least suck up the major dust... It failed. So I still relied on the Swifer to do the job. My mom and I stopped using it about 2 months after we bought it and since then, have gone to using our old reliable one.

Overall, this is definitely NOT worth the money. I would say on a five star rating scale I would give the Shark EP724 Pursuit HEPA Bag less Canister Vacuum a negative... unfortunately, I am stuck with resorting to a 1.