Shark Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Pet Vacuum IZ300UKT review

We run all the vacuum cleaners we review through the Saga Exceptional test lab to find out just how effective their suction power and pick up are.

To rate the performance of the Shark Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Pet Vacuum IZ300UKT, we used it to vacuum a selection of common household debris including wool, hair, cereal and ground coffee. 

To get to know just how comfortable the device is and how well it works in a domestic setting, we also used it for two weeks in a four-bedroom family home across wooden floors, Persian carpet, standard carpet and vinyl tiles.

Optimised for use in homes with both carpet and hard flooring, this vacuum comes with a DuoClean floorhead with PowerFins that features two motorised brush rolls.

The head is illuminated so you can see dirt and it glides across both carpet and hard flooring seamlessly, so there’s no need to stop or adjust the floorhead when switching between the two surfaces.

The head pivots 30-35 degrees left and right, so it was easy to manoeuvre. The PowerFins are ideal for standard carpet as they’re designed to dig deep to agitate dirt.

While we didn’t need to change the floorhead when switching from carpet to hard flooring, we did need to select the relevant carpet or hard floor mode on the LED display screen. We could notice the difference in flexibility when changing floor type, with the vacuum speeding up a little when reaching the carpet. 

Finding a cordless vacuum that doesn’t make your arm ache after the first five minutes can be a challenge, but this one is relatively comfortable to use, even after extended use. It is quite a hefty model – so you will need a bit of elbow grease – but it’s well balanced in design with the main cleaner head levelling out the weight of the 0.7L capacity bin and vacuum handle nicely.

The on/off button that you simply press once to turn the device on or off adds to the ergonomic design as it means you won’t have to hold down the power trigger the entire time you use it, risking finger ache. 

At 118cm (46in), the body of the cleaner is slightly taller than your average stick cleaner – the Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Cordless Vacuum IZ400UK measures 114cm (45in), for example. This makes it good for taller users but also gives you that bit more height to reach up high when using the vacuum in handheld mode or reaching deep under furniture.

It does, in fact, have a low-level furniture clearance up to 8cm (3in) with a reach of 82cm (32in) and we found that it glided well under beds and large sofas.

Setting up the vacuum was straightforward as there aren’t too many parts in the box. There are three tools – a motorised pet tool, crevice tool and multi-surface tool – that all work with the main handle of the vacuum to be used as a handheld for cleaning upholstery, stairs and the car. There’s also a tote bag for storing the tools and one battery with a charger.  

Like the majority of Shark stick vacuums, the Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Pet Vacuum IZ300UKT comes with a wand that bends in the middle, which saved our back when attempting to give the living room a deep clean. The wand bends with a simple click using the button in the middle, and bends over completely to make it easy to store after use. 

We did, however, think that the release button that disengages the bin section from the rest of the vacuum is poorly placed. We found it easy to mistake this for the button that folds and unfolds the vacuum for storage, which meant that the bin fell out when we were trying to pack the vacuum away. With a bit of know-how this can probably be avoided. 

This is a bagless design and can capture 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum without releasing them back out into the air. Once the 0.7 litre bin was full, we could detach it from the main wand of the cleaner and press the bin icon to empty the contents.

But while this was easy to do with a bit of shaking, we would have liked to have seen a slider to make it easier to empty the contents out.

One of the main USPs of this model is that it has improved suction power compared to previous models. At 4.1kg (9lb) as measured in our lab, it’s also noticeably lighter than some Sharks, such as the 5.5kg (12lb 2oz) ICZ300UK upright. 

You get up to 60 minutes of run time on a single charge, but this all depends on what setting you choose. There are three power modes – an eco mode that worked well for the delicate Persian carpet, a standard suction and a boost mode.

We found the boost mode really packs a punch, but does raise noise levels. There are also two floor settings to switch between, conveniently located on the LED smart display screen on the handle. These are illustrated with icons for carpet and hard floor and we soon got the hang of switching between the two. 

Overall, we found the cordless vacuum comfortable to use across all floor types. There were times when we needed to go back and forth a few more times than we would have liked, but this isn’t something that we were surprised by and the suction worked very effectively across all floor mess.

In our tests, it did very well at picking up finer debris, such as the coffee grounds and sand, while wool and synthetic hair also got sucked into the vacuum impressively – with minimum trace left on the main cleaner head brush and none on the secondary ‘PowerFins’ roller behind it. 

The three tools included in the box were useful. We managed to attach the multi-surface tool to the wand of the vacuum to create a long, hand-held device that could conveniently reach up to ceilings and curtain poles.

The crevice tool also simply slotted into the top of the cleaner and when on boost mode packed enough punch to rid stair tread corners and car seats of any larger pieces of dirt and debris. 

There’s also a motorised pet tool that attaches to the handle of the vacuum and we found it effective at removing embedded cat hair from the sofa. We did need to move the cleaner back and forth a few times to pick up finer fur, but this wasn’t a chore and it did the job.

When it comes to using a cordless vacuum, every minute of battery life can make all the difference to a room. Shark states on its website that this model has 60 minutes of run time on a single charge. This is in eco power mode using the non-motorised tool.

Realistically, you’re going to want to adjust the power settings and speeds. When we used it across carpet and flooring in a four-bedroom house – adjusting the speeds as we needed – we found that it gave us 30 minutes of run time on a single charge. 

There are lots of enticing features to shout on this vacuum and we think that, if you’re prepared to spend that bit extra on its premium price tag, you won’t be disappointed.

With variable speed and suction powers, the fact that it can be used effectively across both carpet and hard flooring, and has useful tools most notably suited for pet owners, it ticks a lot of boxes.

For a more satisfying clean, try and buy it when it goes on sale, which it regularly does at peak shopping times in the year.

If you like the illuminated head on the IZ300UKT, you’ll love the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute, which highlights dirt and debris to a new level. Its fluffy optic cleaner head reveals twice as much invisible dust on hard floors.

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The Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog cordless is not cheap at £629 but it does feature super suction, HEPA filtration and  a pet-specific motorised brush head for cleaning pet beds. It also features a LED light, which is helpful in pet homes as it does a great job of highlighting hair.

We’re fans of the Shark range of cordless vacuums and think this design has a lot to offer. While the overall design and finish isn’t as luxurious as designs such as the Shark Stratos range or the Dyson Absolute Detect +, there are lots of features that make the Shark Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Pet Vacuum IZ300UKT a reliable and good-value buy.

While its bin design could be improved, and it could be a little lighter in hand, we do like its flexible wand, which bends to fit neatly under furniture and can be adjusted to handheld mode with a few clicks.

We also think it has a good set of powerful suction controls and useful tools for pet owners in particular. The fact that it can be neatly folded to half its size for storage is a bonus.