We've officially started working on a new test bench update for vacuums that would treat robot vacuums and regular vacuums as two separate product categories!
We want to hear from all of you. What has your experience been with robot vacuums so far? Is there anything specific you'd like to see in our reviews? Check out updates from our test designers and share your suggestions here.
The Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away UV900 is a bagless upright vacuum positioned in the middle of Shark's upright lineup, just below the Shark Stratos Lift-Away. It borrows a lot from its pricier sibling, with the same odor-neutralizing cartridge, detachable canister unit, and DuoClean Powerfins Hairpro floorhead, which features built-in vanes meant to trap pet hair before they can jam the mechanism. However, a few compromises come with its lower price: it has a smaller dustbin and a less powerful suction motor, and unlike the Stratos, you can't use its powerhead when you use the vacuum in its 'Lift-Away' configuration.
Our Verdict
The Shark Performance Plus is very good for bare floors. Its twin roller floorhead and relatively potent motor result in fantastic debris pickup on hard surfaces. Its 'Lift-Away' alternative configuration also makes it much easier to clean tight spots compared to most conventionally designed uprights. Its bagless design incurs low ownership costs, though it does come with tradeoffs in terms of regular maintenance; you'll need to clean its filters and dustbin fairly often.
-
Excellent overall debris pickup performance.
-
Low recurring costs.
-
Easily handles pet hair.
-
Somewhat bulky design in standard upright configuration.
The Shark Performance Plus is great for low-pile carpet. It doesn't have much trouble dealing with solid debris or pet hair on this surface type, though unfortunately, there's no brushroll off switch, so it can get tangled on things like rug tassels if you aren't careful. It also feels decently well-built and incurs low ownership costs thanks to its bagless design, though it has quite a few parts that need cleaning. Its power cord is long enough to clean most rooms without having to swap outlets, though its somewhat bulky design can make it a hassle to maneuver in tight spots.
-
Excellent overall debris pickup performance.
-
Low recurring costs.
-
Easily handles pet hair.
-
No floorhead height adjustment or brushroll off switch.
-
Somewhat bulky design in standard upright configuration.
The Shark Performance Plus is a great option for high-pile carpet. It's powerful enough to draw away various kinds of messes from carpets, like solid debris and pet hair. There's no floorhead height adjustment, so it can get caught on shag-pile rugs. It's a little on the bulky side, too, which can make it a challenge to maneuver in cramped environments. While it has quite a few parts that need to be cleaned out regularly, they aren't especially difficult to access. The vacuum also feels decently well-built, and its bagless design means you won't have to worry about replacing a new dirtbag periodically.
-
Excellent overall debris pickup performance.
-
Low recurring costs.
-
Easily handles pet hair.
-
No floorhead height adjustment or brushroll off switch.
-
Somewhat bulky design in standard upright configuration.
The Shark Performance Plus is a great option for pet owners. It has no trouble dealing with pet hair on a variety of floor types, and its self-cleaning floorhead is effective in resisting hair wraps. That said, the floorhead's main brushroll isn't removable, making it a nuisance to clear out any hair that does get stuck. Its turbo brush and upholstery tool are also very effective for dealing with pet hair on furniture. The vacuum also features an odor-neutralizing cartridge that masks unpleasant odors with a detergent-like scent as you clean; it's far from a must-have addition and can become overwhelming if you clean often with the cartridge set to its highest intensity. The vacuum's allergen-sealed construction and onboard HEPA filter also help seal in any fine allergens.
-
Easily handles pet hair.
-
Onboard HEPA filter.
-
Primary roller isn't removable.
The Shark Performance Plus is an excellent option for cleaning stairs. Its power cord is long enough to clean taller staircases, though be careful to avoid tripping over it. Its 'Lift-Away' alternative configuration allows you to pick up and carry its canister body with one hand while cleaning tight spots with its wand. Unfortunately, you can't utilize its power head while the vacuum is in this configuration. It features onboard storage for two of the three included attachments; its turbo brush tool is a little too bulky to be stored on the vacuum itself, so you'll have to set it down somewhere else.
-
Fairly long power cord.
-
Varied attachment set.
-
More compact 'Lift-Away' configuration.
-
Short hose.
-
Somewhat bulky design in standard upright configuration.
The Shark Performance Plus is very good for cleaning the inside of your car. Its power cord is fairly long, though you'll probably need to use an extension cord if you can't park within range of a power outlet. Its 'Lift-Away' alternative configuration also makes it considerably easier to use in cramped environments like the inside of your car than a conventional upright. Its hose is short, making it a little tricky to get into hard-to-reach corners. It comes with a helpful assortment of attachments, including a soft-bristle dusting brush for cleaning easily scratched surfaces, an upholstery tool for cleaning seats and carpets, a clip-on hard-bristle brush for dislodging embedded dirt, and a miniature turbo brush.
-
Fairly long power cord.
-
Varied attachment set.
-
More compact 'Lift-Away' configuration.
-
Short hose.
The Shark Performance Plus is poorly suited for workshop cleaning, though that isn't what it's designed for. It can easily handle household debris on hard surfaces, but it isn't designed for cleaning debris like wood or metal shavings or clearing away liquid spills.
-
Excellent overall debris pickup performance.
-
Not meant to pick up workshop debris.
-
Can't clean liquid spills.
- Bare Floor
- Low-Pile Carpet
- High-Pile Carpet
- Pets
- Stairs
- Cars
- Workshop
- Updated May 24, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3. We've overhauled our floor performance tests and added new 'Hard Floor Pick-Up,' 'High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' 'Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' and 'Pet-Hair Pick-Up' tests. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Feb 02, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Jan 30, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Jan 18, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Oct 03, 2023: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Sep 22, 2023: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Shark UV900 is only available in a single color: Navy. You can see the label for our test unit here.
It's also worth noting that the vacuum is only available as new from Costco and Walmart retailers. Let us know in the discussions if you come across another variant of this vacuum.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Shark Performance Plus delivers excellent overall performance at a lower price point than many other traditional uprights. It also feels decently well-built, and its 'Lift-Away' design makes it simple to clean hard-to-reach areas. Unfortunately, it shares common downsides with a lot of other Shark vacuums, with its non-removable brushroll, lack of floorhead height adjustment, and absence of a brushroll off switch.
If you're looking for an alternative, check out our recommendations for the best upright vacuums, the best bagless vacuum cleaners, and the best multi-surface vacuums.
The Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away is a little better than the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pet, though the latter is a good option if you don't want to spend as much. The Performance Plus has more tools, a more powerful motor, and a slightly more complex floorhead with an integrated headlight.
The Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away is essentially a cheaper and more lightweight version of the Shark Stratos Upright, though there are a few differences under the skin. The Stratos features a bigger dustbin and a more powerful motor, though ultimately, the overall debris pickup performance between the two is pretty similar. The biggest difference between the two lies in the design of their alternative 'Lift-Away' configuration, though. The Stratos features a power socket for its main floorhead at the base of its wand, while the Performance Plus has its socket at the base of its canister unit. This means that only the Stratos allows you to use its powerhead when using the vacuum in this alternative 'Lift-Away' configuration.
The Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away is effectively an upgraded version of the Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV. The Performance Plus has a newer iteration of Shark's DuoClean floorhead that's a little more effective in preventing hair wraps as well as collecting debris on carpets, along with an odor-neutralizing cartridge in its floorhead. However, the older Rotator ADV does have a higher-capacity dustbin that won't need to be emptied as often.
The Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away is better than the Dyson Ball Animal 2 Total Clean/Origin. The Shark feels sturdier in your hand, with a more robust chassis that doesn't squeak or flex nearly as much while in use. It also weighs a little less and makes less noise while operating. The Shark's 'Lift-Away' alternative configuration makes it a lot easier to clean tight spots as well. There's very little to differentiate the two vacuums in terms of performance, with both models easily clearing away debris on a variety of surfaces, but the Dyson generates a tighter seal with carpets to the point where it can rip away some fibers. That being said, the Dyson does have a higher-capacity dustbin and a longer power cord.
Test Results
The Shark Performance Plus feels decently well-built. The vacuum is mostly made from thick ABS plastic, though it features a metal wand with plastic fittings, while its dustbin and floorhead top plate are made of clear plastic. Its floorhead also has twin plastic wheels with rubber treads. The dustbin is one of the few obvious weak points, being made of thinner plastic that could easily crack. The dustbin release door has flimsy, cheap hinges, too.
Thankfully, overall assembly is pretty simple, with all of the vacuum's major component parts clicking together smoothly. Nothing jiggles or wobbles too much when attached. The 'Lift Away' system also works quite well, allowing you to detach the canister from the floorhead with the press of a single lever, as seen here.
The Shark UV900 is fairly easy to maintain, though a couple of parts need regular servicing.
- Dirt compartment: The dirt compartment can be removed by pulling up a release latch at the base of its handle and then lifting it upwards. From there, you can open the bottom door to drop any accumulated debris into the trash. The upper section of the dustbin features a lint screen to catch longer strands of hair or bulkier debris, as seen here; you can access it by opening the second door at the top of the dustbin after it's been detached from the vacuum. The manufacturer recommends cleaning the lint screen by gently brushing it out as needed.
- Primary brushroll: The primary brushroll isn't removable, and you can only really gain good access to it by disassembling the lower part of the floorhead, which requires the removal of 12 screws, which isn't especially practical. That said, the floorhead is advertised as being self-cleaning, with integrated fins that discourage hair wraps. This system is reasonably effective in real-world use, but a small amount of hair can still get tangled around the main brushroll, and you'll need to pull out any hair by hand or cut it away with scissors. The bottom of the floorhead features a separate door to access the hose leading up to the dustbin. You can just press the twin release latches inwards to open the door and clear out any blockages.
- Soft Roller: The soft roller can be removed by pressing the red access button on the side of the vacuum head and then pulling it free. It should be washed under cold water if you notice an accumulation of debris.
- Pre-motor filters: The foam and felt pre-motor filters are located under the dustbin, and you can pull them out after you've detached the dustbin. You should clean them under cold water once a month.
- Post-motor HEPA filter: The HEPA filter is located at the front of the motor section. You can access it by removing the filter cover and then simply pulling it from its housing. You should wash this part under cold water once a year.
You must air dry any part that's washed with water for at least 24 hours before using it again.
This vacuum incurs low recurring costs.
- Pre-motor filters: There's no replacement interval given for the pre-motor foam and felt filters, with the manufacturer only recommending that you clean them as per their recommendation. Still, if you do need replacements, you can buy them as a set here.
- Post-motor HEPA filter: There's no replacement interval given for the HEPA filter, with the sole recommendation being that you should clean it every year. Regardless, you can find a replacement here.
- Odor neutralizer cartridge: You should replace the odor-neutralizing cartridge after six months to maintain optimal performance. A replacement can be purchased here.
The Shark UV900 is fairly easy to store. It's marginally more compact than the Shark Stratos Upright, so it won't be too much of a hassle to fit in most closets. It features two tool storage pegs on either side of the canister unit. Unfortunately, like its pricier stablemate, you'll have to roll up its power cord manually, and since this cord is stored on the side of the vacuum, it can get in the way of wider attachments, like its miniature turbo brush.
This vacuum has a decently sized dirt compartment. It's made of clear plastic and has a clearly labeled max fill line, so you'll always have a good idea of when to empty it, but it's also about 30% smaller than that of the Shark Stratos Upright. Its measured capacity of 0.50L also falls well short of the advertised capacity of 1.1 qts (1.044L).
- Vacuum body
- Floorhead with primary brushroll
- Soft roller
- Wand
- Wand handle
- Vacuum hose
- Odor Neutralizer cartridge
- Odor Neutralizer cartridge dial
- Dirt compartment
- Upholstery tool with Detachable Hard Bristle Attachment (Pet Multi-Tool)
- Turbo Brush (HairProâ„¢ Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush)
- Soft Bristle Brush (Anti-Allergen Dust Brush)
- Foam pre-motor filter
- Felt pre-motor filter
- Post-motor HEPA filter
- Post-motor HEPA filter cover
- User Guide
The Shark UV900 has an overall good range. Its power cord is quite long, allowing you to clean large spaces without needing to swap outlets, though its hose is a little on the short side.
This vacuum isn't too hard to carry around. At just over 14 lbs, it's a little lighter than the Shark Stratos Upright, which makes it a little easier to carry around, but it's still noticeably heavier than conventional stick models. Thankfully, most of its weight is concentrated low to the ground, so it isn't too fatiguing to hold when using it as an upright.
This is a corded vacuum without a battery.
The Shark UV900 has a few quality-of-life features. It has two surface settings. There's "I Hard Floor", in which the brushroll spins slowly to avoid scattering around debris, and "II Carpet", which speeds up the brushroll's rotation to improve surface agitation on rugs and carpets. Unfortunately, neither of these settings adjusts the brushroll height, so the vacuum can still get bogged down in thick carpeting. Thankfully, there's a suction release slider on its handle, seen here, that you can use to make the vacuum easier to push and pull around on carpets and rugs.
There's also a headlight inside the floorhead that both illuminates darker areas and serves to indicate vacuum status; a solid white light indicates that everything is working well, a solid red light indicates that the brushroll is stuck, a flashing red light indicates that the motorized floor nozzle is overheating, and a flashing white light indicates that the operating environment is too hot or too cold for the vacuum to function properly.
The odor-neutralizing cartridge, mounted inside the floorhead, can mask unpleasant odors as you clean with an air freshener-like scent, the intensity of which you can adjust by turning the cartridge in its housing. It can get a little overwhelming if you use the vacuum multiple times per day with the dial turned to its highest intensity.
The Shark UV900 comes with a few tools and brushes. Its HairProâ„¢ Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush is a turbo brush with a self-cleaning brushroll, meant to deal with stuck-on dirt. There's also the Pet Multi-Tool, which is a straight suction upholstery tool with a clip-on hard bristle brush. It comes with a Pet Crevice Tool to clean tight spots, too. Lastly, there's the Anti-Allergen Dust Brush, a low-profile soft-bristle brush meant to clean fine dust as well as tight crevices.
This vacuum's 'Lift-Away' alternative configuration allows you to detach its canister unit from its floorhead and its wand from the canister to clean tight spots. Unlike the Shark Stratos Cordless, the UV900 doesn't have a power socket at the base of its wand; it's instead placed at the bottom of the canister unit. This means you can't use its powered floorhead in this configuration.
The Shark UV900's real-world suction performance is adequate. While it doesn't deliver the same level of peak suction power from its hose as the Shark Stratos Upright due to its less powerful motor, their similar floorhead designs end up equalizing performance in this regard when measuring from the floorhead. As a result, it won't have much trouble lifting away debris from carpets or cracks and crevices.
This vacuum has great airflow performance and isn't far off of premium bagless uprights. It won't have any trouble lifting away heavy debris, even if it isn't quite as powerful as the Shark Stratos Upright.
This vacuum is pretty quiet, especially for a full-size upright. You won't have too much trouble hearing what people nearby are saying, even when it's running in its more powerful suction mode.
Maneuverability is okay. You can easily switch between the vacuum's upright and semi-handheld configurations or attach and detach different tools, which is facilitated by the two onboard storage pegs. Its swiveling head makes it easy to maneuver around furniture. That said, the bulky, low-mounted canister unit can get in the way when cleaning under low-lying tables and chairs, which makes it a nuisance to use in tight spaces. The lack of a dedicated brushroll off switch and brushroll height adjustment means it can also get stuck on really thick carpeting.
This vacuum does an excellent job of cleaning pet hair from furniture with its turbo brush tool. The attachment is very effective in lifting away hair, though some short strands can be left behind. The straight suction upholstery tool is similarly effective for this kind of use. The vacuum's 'Lift-Away' design makes it easy to carry the canister unit close to the couch, though it's worth noting that the vacuum hose isn't all that long.
This vacuum is very effective in trapping fine allergens. The manufacturer advertises it as having an allergen-sealed construction and a separate HEPA filter, so you won't need to worry too much about fine particles when cleaning. That said, a cloud of dust and debris can still escape from the dustbin when emptying it, which is a problem endemic to most bagless vacuums and is something to watch out for if you have allergies.
The Shark UV900 does a good job of cleaning crevices. Its secondary soft roller helps dig into shallow and medium-depth cracks and dig out any lightweight debris. However, this is one of the few areas in which its suction motor shows its weakness compared to the more powerful unit in the Shark Stratos Upright, as it doesn't do as well as its pricier stablemate when cleaning deeper cracks.
This vacuum has no impact on stains.
This vacuum isn't designed to deal with liquid spills.