The Shark Detect Pro Cordless Vacuum

After moving into my new apartment and seeing the years-old canister vacuum my roommate brought with her, I knew we needed a change. As an editor and product reviewer for three years, I’ve tried multiple robot and stick vacuums, and knew a stick vacuum that doubles as a handheld one would make daily tasks more manageable.

Living in a small Brooklyn, New York apartment, I have multiple spaces that require frequent cleaning, but not a ton of storage (read: closet space) and hardwood and carpet floors, which is why I was so excited to try out the Shark IW3511 Detect Pro.

After testing for over two months, this vacuum has completely changed my cleaning routine, especially thanks to its self-emptying feature, which I’ll require for every vacuum I use in the future. 

The set up was easy and took ten minutes. The charging dock is slim, and since I don’t have a closet or extra storage space to hide it away, slimness is something I prioritize in a vacuum. Right now, the Shark Detect Pro lives in my living room—out in the open—but I don’t mind seeing it every day. Plus, the visibility encourages me to clean more. 

After my first pass with the vacuum, I immediately noticed how bright the light on the head was. This makes the dirt, dust, and hair on my floor very visible. While it took a little getting used to, it’s a game-changer in being able to see and pick up everything.  

The self-emptying process surprised me at first; mostly because of the noise. I put the vacuum back on the charging dock, and it made a loud sound like the vacuum wasn’t properly turned off. I quickly learned this is the self-emptying system. I watched in delight as the dock sucked up the clump of dust, visible in the transparent part of the vacuum’s canister. 

If you’re worried about the noise from the self-emptying feature, don’t fret. There’s a quiet-mode button on the canister to pause the emptying. This eliminates the noise when you put the vacuum back on your dock, which I utilize while my roommate is on Zoom calls in her room next door. 

Once the bin is full, emptying it is intuitive; pick up the handle to lift off the canister and press the trash icon on the side to open the bottom and release the dust. 

According to Shark, the dock can hold up to 30 days of dirt and debris, which would be great for large families who vacuum frequently and have kids or dogs at home—I use it in my two-bedroom apartment with one roommate and lots of city dust. I’ve owned it for just over a month now, but I don’t vacuum every day, so I haven’t had any problems with the dock overfilling. 

Those with furry friends will appreciate the odor-neutralizing replaceable cartridge in the dock (shown below), so the dirt and dust are truly out of sight and out of mind. The vacuum also comes with a pet multitool to remove pet hair from couches, which will be handy since my roommate frequently fosters dogs. 

Another perk of this vacuum is the interactive LED panel on top near the handle (shown below). It shows your battery life and lets you toggle between eco-friendly, intense, or normal modes. Eco-friendly is a bit quieter; otherwise, I opt for the normal mode. 

The vacuum is meant to expertly detect dirt on every surface and adjust accordingly as you move from carpet to hardwood. Even on my high-pile carpet, I find the lightweight vacuum easy to maneuver. It just requires a bit of extra grit to move it back and forth than on smooth hardwood. 

For small areas, I love the crevice tool (shown above), which attaches to the top of the vacuum. There’s a small hook for it to live on the side of the vacuum’s dock (shown below), so it never gets lost—an especially attractive feature for me, someone who admittedly often loses vacuum attachments. 

Often, after sweeping my kitchen floors, I used to find that I’d need a dustpan and a vacuum to fully eliminate the pile of dust and crumbs I’ve accumulated, but not anymore. I just take off the top of the vacuum, so it functions like a handheld vacuum and sucks up the pile with ease.

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