Shark Navigator Lift Away Professional NV356E – Buyers Guide
Table of Contents
If you want a decent cleaning machine that features quality and easy cleaning then the Shark Navigator lift away professional vacuum will fit in perfectly into your choice.
Features of Shark Navigator Lift Away Professional NV356E at a glance:
- Clean compact areas easily with just a button to put away the canister.
- Hard Floor Hero™ collects the separable and stiff dirt from the surface, delivering superior quality floor cleaning.
- The Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology® + a HEPA filter catches 99.9% of the dust particles and irritants inside the vacuum.
- Comes in a powerful, portable and versatile fashion with an incredibly lightweight 13.7 lbs.
- Also comes with – Hard Floor Hero, Pet Power Brush, Dusting Brush and 8 inch crevice tool.
- Additional hard floor or microfiber may be included.
- Includes Brushroll Shutoff feature, this makes deep carpet and floor cleaning an easy job.
Shark Navigator Lift Away Professional NV356E
There’s not much preparation you need to take with the Shark lift away vacuum cleaner before you can start cleaning, you can detach the canister which makes it easy to clean the difficult reaching areas, and taking off loose dirt and stiff ones from the surface quite sums it up. In fact, the Shark Navigator lift away vacuum cleaner is a best seller as it gives the best value for money.
On its own, the Shark Navigator Lift Away Pro NV356e is one of the first in line Navigator models from Shark with intense working power. Having made a cut with good specs and simple design, it has proven to pass the test of time with flying colors.
Features and Benefits:
Right out of the box, the Shark Powered lift away vacuum is an upright and flashy looking machine that uses a cyclonic design. You cannot only judge it by the looks because it carries a powerful 1100 Watt motor which reduces loss of suction when there’s a jammed filter allowing the last and the first place to be vacuumed evenly.
The HEPA filter perfectly seals down the dust compartment which ensures the dust and other particles such as – pet dander are not gushed into the open air. On top of that, it ensures all environmental allergens are reduced up to 99.9%.
You can save more time and get things done more quickly because of the extra-large sized dust cup it carries since you don’t need to empty the cup that often.
You can vacuum the stairs, the cushioning, and the car interior comfortably as it contains a lift away canister. Easy to rotate on its center and smooth steering with makes it even more painless to get close to as many obstacles as you can which ultimately gives you better cleaning.
Build Quality
The Shark lift away features a reasonably well built machine but not robust. Assembling the components is pretty easy and reassembling is also just a matter of little time.
Although, the clips are comparatively small and fragile, but I’m satisfied that the vacuum cleaner, it seems to be strong and detail oriented in the right places. The extension tube is made out of metal which is good.
When compared by size it is close to the ball vacuum and by power it is the larger DC07.
The machine powered floor brush at the bottom is not so broad but there is a see-through part where you can see the brush if something gets caught up with the brush before it causes problem.
Judging from the height and weight perspectives, it is a suitable choice for people with less height and/or for aged people.
The dust cup can be emptied easily because of the large opening. This means you can clean the cup without touching the dirt and nasty hairballs inside it.
The power cord has a reasonable 30 feet length which is a good sign. You can do your work without having to change outlets repeatedly. Also the hose extends up to 8.5 feet which is appreciable.
The powerful 1100 Watt suction motor lets you adjust the power and enables you to vacuum the large carpets uninterrupted. Another handy feature of Shark Powered lift away is that you can turn the beater brush on and off. In this way you do not have to worry about the scratches on the floor or burned carpets while using the machine.
With appropriate size and weighing just about 14 pounds, it was ensured that your cleaning chores become less tiring because of moving heavy weights.
The carrying part weighs about 8 pounds which is easy to carry specially while cleaning the stairs or the furniture. Also, the filters are removable and washable to keep it working at the best same level.
Ergonomics
Now, here’s a little mishmash. Once you’ve got everything set up, you can easily detach the ‘Lift-Away’ canister from the bottom and it’s a very easy to do. This makes cleaning things like the stairs, compact spots, and cobwebs on the roof corners etc. much easy to do.
The light weight comes is very handy while moving it around the house and the swiveling feature makes it similar to the ball vacuum. But it works equally as well as that one. The removable canister and the upright vacuum cleaner makes it a perfect combination of all in one.
The common response to dealing with wires or cord holders is that they can be irritating if needed to be set up on different outlets very frequently. When you are moving in one direction, it’s easy if you wind up the cord.
Another advantage is that the lower clip is tucked in so as to make the movements easy. The tool holder is a separate part where you can put the crevice tool and brush in a friction holder. You can assemble it easily. And speaking of assembling, it is very simple and can be done and undone in just a few minutes.
The handle is well places which is a must in any vacuum cleaner also makes it pretty easy to use. The body along with the main roller head is easy to tilt and balance. The tank removal system is straightforward and definitely should be the best going point behind the selling of this machine.
The Shark is a clear winner when it comes to thorough cleaning. And I honestly believe that the Shark has some good advantages for hitting the mark.
Filter
One of the focus point of the Shark lift away vacuum cleaner is that it’s guaranteed to smell clean. It has a multi-step filter located in 2 different locations. Now, it may seem like its complex but with the Shark there’s absolutely nothing that goes back into the air.
The base filters are very efficient and are made to be clean. A good look at the filters will tell you that they are designed to work with good capability. The pre motor filter can be accessed when you remove the canister from the machine. At the base, the pre motor filter comes with a felt filter with foam attached on top.
The post motor air returning filter is a HEPA filter inside of an egg crate style frame. That is the grill you can see on the front view. You can see the pre motor filter on removing the canister. On top of it all, this is a 5-star rated product for allergy prone victims.
Design Flaw!
Aside from being a great utility, one minor flaw is with the Shark Navigator is, the button for releasing the door is at the bottom of the canister and opposite to the joint. This means you cannot just drop the tank in the trash can and let go off it. It needs to be high enough so that you can press the button and release it. This can potentially get your hands dirty, which can be bad for the allergy prone people. Honestly, I’d rather do this outside in the garbage can but at the same time I’d make sure that it’s not windy.
You can also be bothered about the interior design flaw of the canister on comparing with its competition in the market. On reaching the top, you can find an inverted tube that comes close to the outer wall.
Although, the Shark is equipped with interior braces to trap dog fur, but it can be easily removed by just banging it. Again, this puts you in a position where you might have to deal with getting your hands dirty and so quash the superb filtering property of the product.
Cleaning the Carpet
The first thing that caught my attention is its ability to work on really low noise. Honestly I was very amazed to see how monotonic it was yet so quiet! I was under the impression that these things are far noisier than I’ve seen them.
Although you will be accompanied by a high pitched whirring sound yet, when it comes to actual cleaning this unit positively outperforms the large models of other brands available. Easy to use, assemble and maneuver and also pulls much more out of your carpet than any other vacuum cleaner does.
Another handy feature is that it carries a little ring you can turn clockwise and anti-clockwise to reduce and increase the suction power if it becomes hard to push. Along with that, there is an indicator light for the motorized brush. Green light indicates the brush is working properly while red light indicates a blockage or some other malfunction.
Among all the convincing points of the Shark, the one that bothers me is that the working brush leaves brush marks on my carpet. I don’t know if this should be worth the pain in the neck but I think it also varies from carpet to carpet. But you can certainly tell by one look that it has been vacuumed properly for sure.
How good is Shark lift away at cleaning hardwood floors?
Cleaning hard wooden floors can get irritating but that is where the Shark comes in. There is a Dust Away part with the detachable part which acts like a pro. This little bit is a clever extra part that works adeptly to bring out dirt that manages to get between the gaps of the plank style hardwood floors.
There is an open part in the front part of the pad to grab the big stuffs and following that is a pad which grabs the dust and fine particles that is mostly missed by the vacuum even when the beater brush is working.
Nonetheless, you will still need to wet mop the floor sometimes to get the stuck stuffs removed. But for regular cleaning this is a well suited option.
Cleaning Pet Hair
On the more positive side, the cleaning attachment comes with a beater bar. This part has been cleverly built and it has a very interesting way of working. Powered by the suction machine but it is much smaller than the Dyson Animal attachment and evenly more useful.
Also being just about 4 ½ inches wide makes it even more perfect for use on chairs and sofas. This allows you to accumulate more dirt from the upholstery compared to a regular brush attachment. I wasn’t expecting such an inclusion in the package and honestly was surprised.
This Shark lift away model is an upright 1100 Watt high functioning vacuum cleaner which is very well fitted for use on hard floors and on carpets.
The ‘no-loss’ suction along with its cyclonic design ensures that the dirt and dust particles are being collected and reserved in the tank at a stable speed rather than just pushing it all in through the filter. The suction stays consistent from empty to full as long as the filter has less dirt clogging it.
The HEPA filter assures the only escape path for the suctioned air is through itself. The extra-large dust cup is completely sealed which leaves the air to pass directly through the HEPA filter and to such a degree it ensures that 99.9% dirt is held inside the vacuum along with the allergens, making it one of the best cleaners around for pet hair.
Easy to lift off the floor owing to the lightweight property of the vacuum makes it certainly uncomplicated for cleaning the stairs and upholstery. The section with the dust cup and filter is lift able which makes cleaning less painful to do.
- Incredibly powerful suction control and power that does not alter even when the dust cup gets full.
- Reasonably priced, light weighted and easily operated.
- Easy to maneuver because of the circular swinging base.
- Efficient filtering system with a clever bag free design.
- Simple 2 point power switch (motorized brush head on/off).
- Motorized brush head with clogging indicator and a see through window.
- Easy to clean the staircase and compact areas.
- Extra attachment for Hardwood / Tile and pet upholstery.
- Long range 30’ cord with easy cord release for better efficiency.
- Warranty up to 5 years.
- Concise hose: This model received lots of complaints for this feature. For many customers, the tube felt short. I doubt 8.5 feet is too short though.
- Easy to topple: With the slightest pull on the hose, it is easy to lose balance of this vacuum cleaner. So it’s necessary that you put a hand on the hose to keep it upright. However, this problem can easily be swept off if you use the lift-away part.
- No onboard storage: Having no onboard storage is a downside as you have to keep most of the extra accessories elsewhere. But on the other hand, keeping the extra accessories in other places make the machine lighter and allowing more control over it.
- Poor edge cleaning: The Shark lift away NV356e couldn’t stand up to the hype as in this particular matter not many vacuums can perform with ease and this one is no exception. So, for the best result or edge cleaning, the hose and crevice tool are still a must.
- No Headlight: Having no headlight is not considered much as a design flaw. Then again, it’s also a personal opinion.
Let’s be honest here. The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional NV356E is a decent offer for those who are willing to the cut down on the looks and focus more on power and utility. Between a decent look and a handful of utilities, I’d definitely pick the utility because that’s what they are bought for. Nevertheless, some parts are good looking with proper details but the general appearance is plain and simple and a little disarranged.
The Navigator NV356e is bound to deliver you cleaner floors in less time and work and also comes out as economical when compared to its competitions in the market.
It surely pulls out more dirt from each pass than its competitions due to having a powerful suction motor. So, you don’t have to go over the same spots again and also expect better results.
Some of the users have reported that they had experienced a bad customer service but thankfully the complaints are’t regular.
It’s a win-win situation for you as you can get the performance of a Dyson machine with one-third of its price. Like I said, this will keep your floors clean and shiny for a considerably long time.
On the whole, I’m super happy with this Shark Navigator model and would definitely recommend if you’re someone who loves to do the cleaning chores neatly in a short amount of time. Aside from the power and cleaning performance in hand, the first thing that caught my eyes is the Lift-Away design. It feels as though you are carrying a canister vacuum to clean the staircase, cobwebs etc. instead of carrying a heavy lifting machine.
And other one is the efficient filter. Combine these two and add a light weighing and easy controllable machine and you will have the most efficient cleaning machine for money. Shark has definitely kept their promise.
That will be all for a well-deserved 5 stars.
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