Customer Reviews

Shark SV736N 15.6-Volt Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner with Motorized Brush, Colors Vary

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

This is the BEST dustbuster-type device I have ever owned...or that anyone I've known has ever owned! It is truly a marvel. I have forced it to pinch-hit for a shop vac, sucked up plaster, nails, splinters, bits of adhesive-backed tiles, sawdust, roly-polies, cobwebs, flour, ginormous dust bunnies...and still it won't die. I have used the roller attachment to vacuum my shag rug. It is POWERFUL! I have abused this thing so severely, I don't deserve to own it.

If it died, I would cry, apologize to it, bury it in my backyard...and immediately buy another one.

I owned an older Shark vacuum and had to put it to rest a few months ago. I was happy with its performance, but wanted a more powerful vacuum. Over the last few years I've acquired some dogs who like to ride in my car, but cleaning out the dog hair from cloth seats and floors was a real pain. I did a lot of research and decided on this hand-vac. I'm happy to report that after 4 months of hard vacuuming this product is living up to the good reviews here. I also use it around the office and home, but the car is where it gets its true workout. Would recommend to anyone looking for a strong powerful handvac. Just a warning - be sure that you dont accidentally throw the filter out when you are emptying it out!

I'll agree with other reviewers that this hand vac has impressive suction power. So much so, that I was ready to retire my upright and just use this and the Roomba for my house.... glad I waited!

After about 3 or 4 uses over the course of a month, it would no longer recharge. I tried using different outlets, cleaning every nook & cranny, even opening it up to make sure the battery didn't get jarred out of position -- no luck. Unfortunately, the cost of sending it in during its one-year limited warranty (shipping & insurance + $12 for return shipping) was worse than just buying a new battery and hoping it fixes the problem.

Ultimately this product costed me about $15 more than its listed price. For that, I would have just gone with a fancier model at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Just a warning from one person's dilemna about buying such a product online. My Shark turned out to be a lemon.

SV736 vs. SV736N
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There have been some complaints about Amazon engaging in bait and switch. Admittedly, I ordered the unit through this page and I DID get the charging stand, but Amazon seems to have changed the model to one without a charging stand. To clear this up, the model currently offered for sale is SV736, and it does NOT come with a charging stand. If you want a charging stand, the model to get is SV736N.

With that out of the way, let's proceed:

Accessories
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The Shark Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner comes with 3 attachments:
- Brush Attachment
- Crevice Attachment
- Motorized Brush Attachment

Cleaning Power
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The suction is about as strong as a mid-range corded vacuum cleaner - plenty strong for a handheld vacuum cleaner. It's able to maintain maximum suction for about 13 minutes, after which its power starts to falter and the suction gradually drops. The usable suction it puts out lasts about 20 minutes tops. Still, it's plenty of time to vacuum out the interior of your car, clean up a small mess, or do some spot cleaning.

Even though the vacuum is touted as having "Twister Cyclonic Technology", which supposedly helps to maintain suction longer, it is important that the dirt receptacle be emptied when it gets about half full, otherwise the suction will be significantly reduced.

The motorized brush attachment is excellent for extracting dirt and pet hair embedded in the carpet. The downside is when the attachment is on, the battery gets drained more quickly.

Maintenance
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- Dirt Collection Receptacle
The frosted see-through dirt collection receptacle lets you know how much dirt has been collected. Once full, the receptacle can be easily removed and emptied.

- Filter
The filter is washable and is made of a durable material that will stand up to repeated washings.

- NiCd (Nickel Cadmium) Rechargeable Battery
There are a lot of complaints the battery capacity of the Shark diminishes over time. I suspect the diminished battery capacity that many people encounter is due to the so-called "memory effect" on the Shark's NiCd (Nickel Cadmium) battery.

"Memory effect" is a phenomenon that results when a battery is repeatedly charged BEFORE it is FULLY discharged. The result is the battery capacity diminishes because it "forgets" that it can be discharged all the way, hence the term "memory effect."

The proper way to care for a NiCd battery is to fully discharge it ("deep discharging") before fully charging it to avoid "memory effect". Diminished battery capacity due to memory effect may be reversed by putting the battery through repeated deep discharge and full recharge cycles.

After the vacuum cleaner is past putting out any useful suction power, let its battery deplete completely before charging it back up. I've had the Shark for about three years and never had a problem with diminished battery capacity.

CAUTION: The above only applies to NiCd batteries. Do not confuse NiCd batteries with rechargeable NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) or lithium batteries. NiMH batteries are reportedly less prone to memory effect and lithium batteries absolutely do NOT suffer from memory effect. Deep discharging NimH and ESPECIALLY lithium batteries may actually damage them.

Conclusion
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The Shark is a top-notch handheld vacuum cleaner that provides plenty of suction. If you're careful to observe proper battery maintenance, it should provide years of trouble-free service.

I have no real purpose now for an upright vacuum; this thing takes care of everything. And I have been known, once or twice, to run in up and down my pants to remove cat hair, it works like a charm. Now only if I could run it up and down the cat. It makes my white couch (cat sovereignty) pristine and I can even get in between my keyboard keys. I just love it; they make Black and Decker dirt devil look like punks.

Granted, I just bought this cordless vac and am still breaking in the battery through the charge/discharge cycles, but I am extremely impressed by the way this thing works. The motorized brush has some great power for a cordless machine . . . it swept the ground-in dirt and the dog hair off of my sofa and car seats better than the corded Dirt Devil I'd been using. Don't let the person who gave one star (who apparently had the misfortune to buy a broken one and then extrapolated that even if it HAD worked it would have broken anyway) deter you from this vac. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because it's still so new, but I love it. Just remember that it is, indeed, a cordless vacuum and it's not meant to be used to vacuum full floors or work for an hour at a stretch. It's exceptional at what it's built for. I highly recommend it.

I've had this vac for about a year now and it is still going like gangbusters and I use it every day. We have a pug and for those of you who own pugs, you know that he/she seems to shed their entire coat every day. Even with brushing every day (with the Zoom Groom - another excellent product), there is still fur everywhere. Seeing that he sleeps on our bed, that means vacuuming the bed every day (the entire bed - comforter, sheets, pillows, you name it, it has fur on it). This is the only hand vac that will pick up the fur off of the sheets, the sofa, area rugs and on and on... Granted, without the rotating brush, it would be just a regular hand vac. But, oh the joys of the rotating brush. It gets even the very fine hairs off of the sheets. So I know that I can sleep in peace without breathing in a lungful of fur.

I have a regular Dustbuster and when you compare the dust cups after vacuuming with both, you will see the difference. The amount of fine dust (along with all the fur) in the Shark's dust cup is amazing compared to the Dustbuster.

Why 4 stars instead of 5? The charging cradle. The vac doesn't slip easily in and out of the cradle. Slipping it out is okay. But putting it back in always requires a bit of jiggling. But a very minor quibble.

But other than that, it is a 5-star machine. Good suction and that wonderful, rotating brush. If it broke, I'd buy it again without a second thought.

have had a number of "dustbusters" over the years.......
by far out performs them all.
The only question is how long it will last. But at this price..... who cares!

My criteria for buying a hand vac was: high power suction, decent battery life, quality construction.
I've used the Shark SV736 for a month. I'm glad to report it has performed well on all criteria.

My only criticisms:
- It's heavier than most, even without attachments on it.
- Mounting this on it's wall charger is awkward. I can't just slip it on like others I've owned. I find myself using two hands some times to guide the charging pins in to the vacuum.

In summary, this is a good vacuum. I'd buy it again.

We love our Shark cordless vac. It works well on upholstery and wood floors. Perfect for car seats, small cracks and pet hair!