Shark Wandvac Cordless Handheld Vacuum WV201 Review
A very powerful grab-and-go cordless vacuum cleaner
Verdict
Small and light, and offering plenty of power, the Shark Wandvac Cordless Handheld Vacuum WV201 is a great choice if you need a grab-and-go vacuum cleaner for tackling smaller jobs. Battery life is short at only eight minutes, but the power delivered lets you cover a surprising amount of space in that time.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Good range of accessories
- Neat storage and charging stand
Cons
- Short battery life
- No replaceable battery
Availability
- UKunavailable
- USARRP: $119.99
- Europeunavailable
- Canadaunavailable
- Australiaunavailable
Key Features
- TypeA small and light handheld vacuum cleaner that packs the full power of a regular cleaner, making it ideal for small, yet tough, spills.
- Battery lifeLasting just eight minutes, this cleaner is suitable for small jobs only.
Introduction
Even the most compact of cordless vacuum cleaners can feel like a chore to get out for dealing with minor spills. That’s where the Shark Wandvac Cordless Handheld Vacuum WV201 comes in. This modestly sized vacuum cleaner is more like an old-fashioned Dustbuster, built to grab and go.
Excellent suction power, a great stand and a decent range of accessories make this a decent choice, but battery life isn’t long.
Design and features
- Extremely small and light
- Clever charging stand
- Dust cup is rather energetic when emptying
A long, thin wand (16.5 x 2.5 x 2.4in), the Shark Wandvac Cordless Handheld Vacuum WV201 is a genuinely small-scale vacuum cleaner. It’s also exceptionally light at just 0.64kg. At this size and weight, it’s a great grab-and-go cleaner.
Shark hasn’t just delivered a well-designed cleaner; it’s clearly thought about the accessories, too. The included charging dock has space to house both the tools that ship with the cleaner, sparing you from having to find additional storage space.
The vac comes with a multi-surface pet tool, which can also be used to cover a wider area, and a duster crevice tool, which has a fold-down brush for soft dusting. Given the size of the vacuum and the market for which it’s been designed, that range of tools is enough.
Using the vacuum cleaner is easy: there’s a single on/off power button and the vacuum operates at a maximum speed only.
There’s just a 0.08qts dust cup in this vacuum cleaner, which is very small. Again, since the cleaner is aimed at tackling smaller spills, this really isn’t a problem.
An eject button flings the dust cup forward with a lot of energy. In fact, the ejection is so energetic that you’ll have to be careful not to throw dust everywhere: a hand underneath to help the dust cup open more slowly could save you having to clean up such mess afterwards.
You can also remove the dust cup completely, which lets you remove the filter and give everything a thorough clean.
Performance
- Sucks up everything with ease
- Battery life is a little short
- Can cover larger areas
I started by measuring the raw performance of the vacuum cleaner in AirWatts (AW), which combines airflow with true suction power. The Wandvac measured in at 42.36AW, which is similar to the Roborock H7 on its standard power setting. Since the Wandvac is shorter in length compared to the H7 (the Shark has no wand, so power is available directly at the end of the accessories), that power should go a long way.
To test this out, I put the vacuum cleaner through my usual tests. First, I started with the carpet test, sprinkling a teaspoon of flour onto the floor, sweeping through with the multi-surface pet tool. This left a nice clean path through the middle of the mess, showing the power of having a slightly wider tool.
The Hoover ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac (sold in Europe under the Vax brand) comes with just a small crevice tool, which can make cleaning up wider spills harder.
Next, I moved onto the hard floor test. Again, the Shark Wandvac Cordless Handheld Vacuum WV201 picked up everything, sucking up all the grains of rice without allowing any to drop back out afterwards.
On to the pet hair test, which I started by combing cat hair into the carpet. Using the multi-surface pet tool, it took only a couple of swipes to get the mess out. The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ CH951, which isn’t quite as powerful but has a motorised pet brush, was slightly better at this task.
The Wandvac’s battery life is a rather paltry eight minutes, after which the vacuum will take 2.5 hours to recharge. There’s also no removable battery, so you can extend runtime with a second one. That’s a shame, especially since the UK gets two versions with a removable battery: the WV200UK (one battery) and WV251UK (two batteries).
Still, this really is a vacuum cleaner aimed at dealing with smaller messes, and for such jobs the eight-minute runtime should be sufficient.
In terms of noise, I measured the cleaner at a loud 82.3dB. It’s a high-pitched whine, but it isn’t as intrusive as you might expect. You can certainly tell that this cleaner is turned on, though.
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Should you buy it?
If you want a powerful vacuum cleaner for dealing with smaller spills, this is a great choice. It’s powerful and versatile.
If you’re after a powerful cordless vacuum cleaner for larger areas, then this isn’t the right choice. Its short battery life (and lack of replaceable battery) hold it back slightly. You’ll be better off with a traditional cordless vacuum cleaner.
Verdict
With the power of a full cordless vacuum cleaner and a great collection of accessories, the Shark Wandvac Cordless Handheld Vacuum WV201 is a great grab-and-go cleaner. The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ CH951 is slightly better for clearing pet hair, but the WV201 is far more versatile. Check out my guide to the best cordless vacuum cleaners for other alternatives.
FAQs
No, this model has an integrated one.
Accessories. The WV201 has a brush/crevice tool, and the WV200 has a standard crevice tool.
Specs
Jargon buster
AirWatt
A rating of how powerful a vacuum cleaner is. AirWatts combines suction power with airflow to give one score, where the higher the number is better.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
