Shark Navigator Pet ZU62

Wished I bought 3 years ago – I have black carpet and an inside/outside very fluffy white and ginger cat. Tackling pet hair and deep cleaning carpets with the Shark Navigator Pet with Self-Cleaning Brushroll, is so easy. This powerful 960W upright vacuum makes light work of removing embedded dirt and pet hair from carpets and hard floors. The self-cleaning brushroll removes… Read more

hair wrap for nonstop cleaning. The bagless design holds 3 liters and empties with the push of a button. Weighing just 7.3kg, the Navigator glides easily from room to room. It comes with a 2 year warranty. Incorporating Anti-Allergen Complete Seal technology, the Navigator Pet Corded Upright Vacuum keeps your interior fresh and clean by capturing up to 99.9% of dust and allergens down to 1 micron*. Which is great when you have dust mite allergies like myself. Made with an extendable hose featuring up to 3.6m of total reach, this Shark Corded Upright Vacuum provides easy access to hard-to-clean, above-floor spaces, including stairs, furniture, and shelves. The upright design makes it easy to store when not in use. I wish I had bought this 3 years ago instead of a vacuum that was twice the price and dam useless. I actually enjoy vacuuming now. It leaves the black carpet so clean and hair free. I can now even get my husband to vacuum.

Great value for money, easy to use, well made, powerful vacuum cleaner – [UPDATE 2023: It's still great and works perfectly. We couldn't be happier] [Update: After a year this vacuum still sucks, but in a good way. We love it and couldn't recommend it more highly. I think it deserves 5 stars] For the last 8 years, we’ve used a ducted vacuum system to clean our carpets and hard timber floor. For the last 2 years,… Read more

we’ve employed a cleaner to give the house a good deep clean to take the pressure off ourselves. Our cleaner uses a current model Dyson and whenever she leaves, the carpets look very different to how we manage to clean them. I figured since the ducted vacuum needs to suck through a huge amount of piping it must be the reason why it’s less powerful. So we’ve been contemplating buying a Dyson to supplement or completely replace the ducted system. Because vacuum cleaners like other white goods are to me kind of grudge purchases I wasn’t in a great rush to buy one. Fast forward many months and this box arrived in the mail. I opened it and assembled the shiny new Shark Navigator Pet Vacuum Cleaner with a Self Cleaning Brushroll. Yes, dear reader, that is indeed its full name, quite a mouthful.

I opened the box, in a sceptical frame of mind. Here was a vacuum cleaner that cost around a third of what our cleaner’s machine cost. Was I just wasting my time?

The Shark Navigator is an upright bagless vacuum cleaner with a 300mm wide floor nozzle. Our unit has three separate attachments, a crevice device with a sliding brush that turns it into a sucking duster, an upholstery tool and a swivelling brush. The hose looks short but can extend almost six times in length and seems of very high quality. In a way, it reminds me of Ms Marvel, one of the Avengers, in the way she can stretch her arms to crazy lengths. This hose is attached to a light but sturdy aluminium wand which clicks into the floor nozzle. The power cable is wound onto two loops and clipped in place.

The cleaner is activated by a red switch with three positions, off, floor and carpet. The rotating carpet brush comes on when the vacuum cleaner is tilted beyond a certain angle. One needs to use one’s to hold the floor nozzle down while doing this otherwise it lifts as well and the carpet brush does not switch on. One can see the brush working through the transparent nozzle cover. There is also a green LED to indicate that it is working. This LED is green when everything is hunky-dory and red when the brush needs to be cleaned. Since the roller is supposed to be self-cleaning one would hope that this wouldn’t be often.

My examination of the machine revealed a reasonable build quality. The plastics were quite solid if not hewn from stone. Hoses and wands clicked into place with a reassuring sound and remained rock solid until released with their corresponding catches. Nothing looks weak or unable to last a long time. Ergonomically, the device is quite tall so it is easy for my 185cm self to carry it around without having to stoop down. The height also means that the dust collecting canister can have a sufficient volume without becoming too fat. So it is easy to get this machine under coffee tables.

When turned on the vacuum cleaner sounds like a jet engine being spun up. This is not surprising because it uses a cyclone type system to spin the air and create suction. Particles are spun by centrifugal force and strike the sides of the dust collector. On turning on the machine I didn’t have to move the machine anywhere to instantly I could hear the sound of sand and dust being spun inside the canister. The carpet that the machine sat on had been cleaned the day before the vacuum cleaner was still sucking up dirt. It must have been from deep inside the pile. From the way the inside of the clear receptacle quickly became opaque our carpets were obviously filthy. Clearly, this machine was finding dirt that our 2.5KW ductless system could not.

I set to work and vacuumed the room, with the brush engaged. I used forward and reverse strokes for each patch of carpet and by the time I had finished the carpet looked cleaner than the ducted vacuum had ever done it. The pile was fluffed up again. In my opinion, it worked at least as well if not slightly better than the Dyson used by our cleaning lady.

I then tested it on the interior of my wife’s E class Mercedes. That car has soft open pile wool carpets but its mats are made of tough woven sisal. The carpet and seats were no problem but not being able to use the floor nozzle, it took longer to get the mats clean. That was not surprising because the weave was not allowing blades of grass to be easily lifted. This is not surprising because even massive shop vacuums at the dealer have a hard time with these mats. I did manage to eventually get it clean after but had to use the crevice nozzle and some agitation to do so. After the car, I tried an old open pile wool rug. The outcome was really good. Next, I tried a large floor cushion our Labrador sits on. It’s covered in her hair. This was crunch time for the Shark. The vacuum cleaner says Pet in its name so it had better be good. And it was. The cushion became hair free with little effort.

A few days later I tried the big test. Our ducted vacuum and even the cleaner’s Dyson has always had a hard time lifting human hair from our bedroom carpet. Somehow this hair clings to the carpet fibres like grim death. It always needs several passes from two different directions for the ducted vacuum cleaner to lift them. The Shark simply gobbled the hair up in a single pass, no sweat. But in doing so it revealed its Achilles heel.

The next time when I switched the machine on the brush refused to turn. The green LED had turned red. I opened the cover under the floor nozzle by turning three catches with a coin. The problem was clearly evident. The human hair had turned out to be this shark’s nemesis. A few hairs had wrapped themselves around the roller and triggered the overload circuit. The roller’s self-cleaning mechanism, thin rubber wipers could not remove them off the roller. Human hair is actually quite strong. Each strand can on average hold a weight of around 100g. 10 strands can hold a kg, or resist a 10 N of force.

It was easy enough to remove the hair. And after that, the vacuum cleaner resumed working well. It does mean the vacuum cleaner gets one negative mark against it. Would it make me not buy it? Probably not, hair doesn’t accumulate on our carpet with great regularity and the fix is quite easy. Having said that it does show this product is not flawless. And the only other negative is minor. The machine has insufficient storage for more than two accessories. Given that 3 come in the box, the designers could have accommodated more than two pegs to mount them on.

I continued using the vacuum cleaner over the following week. Before writing this review, I decided to empty the canister. To my surprise it was full. The amount of dust and crap that this machine pulled out of our clean carpets in the middle of a wet winter was eye-opening. The canister is dead easy to remove and requires a single catch near the handle. Once removed, a door at the bottom of the canister allows the contents to be emptied. With the canister removed one gains access to the three extra filters. Removing and replacing them is also extremely easy.

This is consistent with how I feel about this vacuum cleaner in general. It’s just easy to use. Its tall and slender form fits well into a corner in a cupboard. Its sturdy handle and easy to unwind cable makes it easier to grab and use than manhandling the unwieldy pythonesque ducted vacuum hose. As a result, our carpets are getting more love than before and I’m getting more love from the wife because I’m tidying up more. I call that a win-win.

So in conclusion, I’ve got a good feeling about this machine and have no problem recommending it to others.

Great pet vacuum – I am really impressed by this shark, it is quieter than any other vacuum I've had. It has a great length of cord and has very good suction. I particularly like the fact that you can adjust the amount of suction which is especially useful on different surfaces. Also being able to turn the brushes on and off with the touch of a button. Price was great too. Show details

Wow... what a surprise!! – When asked to try the upright Shark Navigator Pet vacuum, I was skeptical as I have used upright vacuums before and have been unimpressed with the performance. Being a Dyson lover for many years now, I usually shy away from other brands. But after trialing the Shark Navigator on carpet, vinyl and tiles, to say I was surprised is an… Read more

understatement. I was expecting a heavy and hard to maneuver vacuum, but it definitely wasn't. It is very light and handles corners with little effort at all. It gets close to walls and furniture, ensuring a thorough clean, and the wide head was a big bonus as it cleaned larger areas with a lot less work than the smaller head of other vacuums. In saying that though, it was tricky to use in small rooms like the toilet and laundry. And it didn't fit under things like bedside tables and draws like my existing vacuum, so you'd need to switch to the detachable handle for tighter jobs. Having back problems, I really worried about how far I would have to bend to use it and how much strain it would put on my muscles. But it moves with such ease, and the handle is positioned in such a way that I hardly had to bend to use it. Having no heavy vacuum to drag behind you was also a small pleasure. All of the Shark’s extra attachments are great quality and not flimsy plastic and attached to the main body of the vacuum itself for easy storage. These extra attachments are great to use on furniture, or cleaning the car. The option to detach the hose makes it easy from cleaning objects above your head without having to lift the vacuum itself. The head includes a self-cleaning motorised roller that really gets in and picks up the dust – and also gives the carpet that fresh clean look. But it can take only a small strip of paper for it to trigger the red warning light and stop turning. For me the self-cleaning feature of the head is great for long hair as it doesn’t get tangled around it as easily, and if it does get tangled, you just have to remove the head cover with a coin, and the roller to clear it, which is easy to do, but can be a little fiddley. One thing the Shark Navigator Pet does lack is a retractable cord, which is also shorter than my existing vacuum. But the cord does rolls-up and unrolls without tangling and stores on the side of the vacuum. The cord also clips to itself to ensure it stays rolled up neatly. The vacuum stores in a very small area, so fits in my small laundry without getting in the way. The XL dust chamber is very generous and you can clean the whole house without needing to empty, and without affecting the suction. Emptying the chamber was incredibly simple. A nice wide opening ensured nothing got stuck inside and a separate section at the top catches larger objects like building blocks and small toys, so no more searching through dust to find the kids toys that have been sucked up. Please note however that the lid does open very quickly, so you need to make sure the opening is completely over the bin to prevent the contents flicking out all over the floor. The clean that the Shark Navigator Pet gives is amazing. Every time I vacuum my carpets look like they have just been professionally cleaned. There is not a speck of dirt to be seen and the carpet is soft and fluffy, like brand new. Even the hard floors feel so clean you'd think they had just been mopped. The suction on it is fantastic. You can hear the dirt rushing up the hose, even if you vacuum daily, and it picks up larger things with no effort. The Shark Navigator Pet comes with washable filters, which can be easily accessed for simple cleaning. And the amount of super fine dust that the filter catches is amazing to see, and a little horrifying to know that we would be breathing this in otherwise. So in a home with multiple asthmatics and allergy sufferers, it is a very welcomed addition. Is this the PERFECT vacuum cleaner? No it isn't. But is it a powerful and easy to use vacuum that does the best it can to do what it does? YES! Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed using the Shark Navigator Pet and will continue to use it from now on. It will be sad to say goodbye to my faithful Dyson, but the Sharks positives outweigh the few negatives. I would happily recommend this vacuum to friends and family.

I have attached a photo of the amount of fine dust the Shark Navigator Pet picked up on its first run through the house.

Powerful but has some limitations – The Shark Navigator is not normally a style I would have purchased. For the last 16 years, I have primarily used 240V Dyson 'ball-type' and cordless stick cleaners, plus our house gets a daily clean from the Xiaomi (2017 Gen1) robot vacuum. Our four bedroom two bathroom house is a mix of hard floor in the living areas and short pile carpet in… Read more

bedrooms.

The first thing you notice about the Shark Navigator is how pleasantly styled it is. The colours are great and the contours leave no sharp edges that could snag your clothing or skin. Performance wise, it sucked really well and cleaned as good as I would expect for a 240v machine, moving from the carpet to tiles and to vinyl with no effort or hangups. It doesn't get as close to the walls as I would like, but time will tell if this is really a problem. I am a huge fan of 'bagless' style vacuum cleaners, as it keeps the running costs down, and the Shark Navigator ticks that box. Also, the washable internal filters help to cement the idea that the Shark company don't want to slowly extract money from consumers with continual 'essential' filter purchases.

To start cleaning, locate the top part of the power cord holder, rotate the arm 180 degrees so it's now facing down and pull the cord off in one motion. Unwrap the cord, plug the power in, then place your foot on the roller head whilst slowly pulling the handle towards yourself to release the standing mechanism, then select the floor mode on the red three position rocker switch. The only difference I can tell from the Hard Floor and Carpet modes, is the brush speed. The main motor does not audibly change which would indicate the RPM is constant and the suction does not change, which is a GOOD thing. I don't appreciate sand or Rice Bubbles flying around because of an overly enthusiastic rotating brush (I'm looking at you Dyson!). Also, sometimes you don't want the brush at high speed on carpets either, especially on older mats potentially undoing the weave.

One problem I did strike was trying to get under beds with this unit. My eldest child has a double bed, with a roll out single innerspring trundle bed and the Shark cannot get low enough to get more than just the head under before striking the HEPA filter cover. So, I thought I'd then vacuum the garage under my Colorado Z71. Again, the Shark Navigator failed the 'limbo' test, this time striking the dustbin. With some of my own yoga techniques I was able to vacuum under the ute, except for about 50cm in the centre. Probably easier to move the car (and beds) first.

I am a 100kg very strong, gym going male and can effortlessly lift the entire vacuum in a 'side raises' motion. I didn't find the Shark Navigator heavy or hard to maneuver, however it is heavier than a ball vacuum to move back and forth and rotating the head. Ball vacuum cleaners you are mainly just moving the wand and head with the motor staying behind you. This also makes it seem like the Shark is louder, as your ears collect sound from the front. With some measuring with my mobile phone and an App called "Speccy", I was able to determine the motor noise is the about same at the same distance away.

Positives: * Powerful suction, without any scientific means to test this, I would say it's on par with my 240v Dyson. * Fully loaded, it's lighter than my Dyson Cinetic big ball animal+ motor unit alone! * Quieter than the v6 Stick vac at full power. About the same as the ball vac though. * Articulated upholstery brush. * Crevice has a handy slide brush making two tools in one. * The "Carpet / Hard floor" switch doesn't affect suction, only the brush speed. * Easy to remove huge capacity bagless dustbin and effortless emptying. * Easy to access motor pre-filters and HEPA filter. * Washable filters. * Easy removal and insertion of the wand or handle for quick spot cleaning. * Large easy to access roller brush. * Convenient cord clip on the wand to keep the power cord out of your feet.

Negatives: * Although lightweight for an upright vacuum, you can really feel the inertia when changing directions from forward to backwards and twisting to rotate the head. I don't think this can be fixed in this type of cleaner, but if you have a shoulder or back injury then this type of cleaner may not be for you. * Shark is not stable when using it in hose mode. I thought I'd clean my cars interiors with the Shark. Almost every time I leaned into the car to use the tools close to the carpet, the entire unit would try and topple over. The manual does mention that "21. Your Shark vacuum may not be designed to stand up on its own." Keep a hand on it while using in hose mode, or lean it into the seat, but ensure you don't engage the brush/roller. * Won't vacuum under our beds in 'upright' mode. You could use the want and tool, but it's not very wide and very time consuming to do so this way, especially because of point 2. * After using Shark for 10 continuous days, the foam filter under the main bin is visibly dirty. The cyclonic action on the main bin needs more efficiency to mitigate the reliance on the other filters. * Three wand/hose tools, yet only two mount posts on Shark. I tuck the upholstery brush under the bin handle for quick access. It could easily fit under the left sides tool mount. Maybe I'll CAD something up and 3D print an alternative mount solution. * Roller/brush to wall width is about 15mm on the cord side, 30mm on the other. Getting in really close to cupboards and walls may end up leaving hair/dust in the unbrushed areas. * Tall storage cupboard of 1.5m required.

This is listed suitable for pets and has quite good reviews. I have a long hair and short hair pet, vacuum daily and clean the machine regularly to ensure it operates. Not even 5 mths and i had to use my 12 yr old vacuum to clear the hose blockage. Unless you have a hairless cat i would not recommend this for pets. Show details

I bought this a few months ago. It has a huge dust collection container which means less emptying it, which is a plus but I’m disappointed in quite a few other features. The whole unit is very heavy and hard to use one handed, the cord always gets in the way when vacuuming, the head on the vacuum is super heavy so it doesn’t manoeuvre in and… Read more

around tight corners well, it doesn’t work well on out linoleum floors you often have to vacuum the same spot twice to get small bits of dirt or food crumbs. The vacuum need 3 filters to be changed so after market maintenance adds up dollar wise

Great Vaccum – This Vacumm has been great in our household, we have a dog and a cat and two rabbits and a quarry close by so alot of pet hair and dust. I find the suction great on carpet and rugs and does a great job on the wood floor too. Only reason i didnt give 5 stars was because it is very big and bulky and the head can be a little large to fit under certain places Overall Great value for money Show details

What I can say - Just ridiculously Nice – Lots of hair in home , lots of dust ,lots of debris in home , papers , confefetti after party . It don't care Shark kills it . So nice . Hair never tangled to my shark vacuum .so powerfull. It is bit heavy when you compared to the sticks like bespoke samsung or dyson sticks .In my opinion shark is ten times better in sucking the dust. Iam… Read more

very happy .bought it from big w around 290 dollars.

This review iam typing after one year of usage as a daily driver.

Don’t believe the reviews – Thought I did my homework before purchasing this vacuum. Needed something with strong suction that could pick up pet hair and according to reviews, this was supposed to fit the bill. I was wrong. Initial use was good but went downhill from there. Struggles to pick up the smallest of grime and leaves pet hair behind. Constantly pulling head apart… Read more

to clean the hose from backed up hair and grime. It backs up in the most inconvenient spot in the hose which means u have to contort the nozzle so that it sucks up via the head into the hose. Have to do this after each use and it still leaves stuff behind. Now need to go find another vacuum. It is also a lot heavier to use than a standard pull along vacuum, so find it aggregates my back. Whilst it has 2 settings, one for hard floors and one for carpet, neither works well.

Great suction, slightly heavy – Used on bamboo hard wood floors and carpet. Suction is fantastic. Attachments are good. Performs well everywhere however is heavy up stairs. I have the XL capacity which doesn't break down into smaller compartments to easily take up stairs. Quite loud on carpet setting but does vacuum really well. GREAT part to not get hair tangled up - life saver with long hair and pets Show details

Powerful but badly flawed design – This vacuum cleaner is really powerful, but it has some unforgivable design flaws that drive me crazy at every use. Firstly the power chord, which is THE most tangly horrible power chord of any product I've ever seen. It's impossible to untangle/untwist it - it's like a piece of copper wire that twists itself into knots. Secondly, the hose is like… Read more

an elastic band that when in use frequently causes the machine to topple over. I'll have to replace it with a Dyson, it's too much of a pain to use.