If you're looking for a vacuum with strong suction, premium features, and a reasonable price tag, consider Shark's lineup. But as they make cordless and upright vacuums in the Stratos vs. Vertex lines, which is better?
Our experts have tested the best Shark vacuums alongside 74 vacuums from 23 brands, and here, we pit Shark's Stratos and Vertex models against each other to figure out the better one for your needs.
From capacity to agility, here's everything you need to know when deciding between Shark's Stratos and Vertex vacuums.
What's the difference between Shark Stratos and Shark Vertex?
The Stratos vacuums tend to have more advanced technology for avoiding hair tangling in the rollers as well as odor neutralizing cartridges. Other differences, such as dimensions, weight, and capacity are model dependent.
Stratos Upright vs. Vertex DuoClean
Winner: Stratos Upright
The Shark Stratos was once the best upright vacuum we'd reviewed, before the newer Shark POWERDETECT was released. It has powerful suction, an agile design, and the same effective, odor-neutralizing cartridge that we love in their cordless models. Even as a vacuum for pet hair this was mess free and easy to clean.
The Shark Vertex comes close to the Stratos in power. It's excellent across a range of debris and floor types. It's also lighter than the Stratos, so easier to move around. However, when we tested the Stratos, we found the dustbin limiting. The Vertex's dustbin is another 0.5 quarts smaller, making it a little frustrating to do thorough cleans with.
Both the Stratos and the Vertex have LED lights on the nozzle and DuoClean PowerFins, but the Stratos is wins for two key reasons: it has the HairPro Power brush and odor neutralizer cartridges.
Even though this takes longer to assemble, if you're often vacuuming pet hair and the smells that come with it, the Stratos is unmatched.
The Vertex boasts a 12" cleaning path, which is wider than other vacuums and 1.4 inches wider than the Stratos. If you have a big home, this kind of distance adds up. It makes for an effortless clean, especially considering the Vertex is half a pound lighter.
Bottom line: The Stratos is best for pets, deep cleans, and those who suffer from allergies. The Vertex is best if you want a (slightly) lighter vacuum and you don't mind often emptying it.
Stratos Upright |
Vertex Upright |
|
|---|---|---|
Dimensions |
46.5 x 10.6 x 11 inches |
46.5 x 12 x 10 inches |
Cord lenth |
30" |
30" |
Power |
1344W |
1344W |
Dustbin |
1.48 quart |
1.05 quart |
Weight |
17.2 lbs |
16.71 lbs |
Noise |
74 dBA |
74 dBA |
Accessories |
HairPro brush roll, self-cleaning brushroll, self-cleaning pet power brush, powered lift-away, crevice tool, upholstery tool, HEPA filters, odor neutralizer |
PowerFins brushroll, self-cleaning brushroll, self-cleaning pet power brush, powered lift-away, crevice tool, upholstery tool, HEPA filters |
Retail price |
$479.99 |
$499.99 |
If you own pets, you'll love the tangle-free brush roll and odor-neutralizing catridges. It has better bin capacity than the Vertex and it's still lightweight and agile.
Read more in our full Shark Stratos Upright review.
With powerful suction, a nimble floorhead, and a thorough floorhead, this is an excellent upright vacuum. We really like it, but it lacks bin capacity, and the rollers get more tangled with pet hair.
Read more in our full Shark Vertex Upright review.
Cordless: Stratos vs Vertex
Winner: Shark Vertex Pro
In terms of sheer power, the Shark Vertex Lightweight Cordless is better. It was close to faultless across our tests, with our only complaint being that the dustbin is small.
And, the newer and more advanced Shark Vertex Pro has topped our guide of the best Dyson alternatives for months now. It has higher suction power, a larger dustbin and a digital display for when you're cleaning. Out of the two, the Vertex Pro wins.
The Stratos has great suction, too. We haven't managed to test this ourselves, but some reviews suggest that this is better than the Vertex on low-pile carpets. The Vertex, on the other hand, is said to be better as one of the best vacuums for hardwood floors. This could be a deciding factor depending on the floor types in your home.
If you have pets and need that extra something, the Stratos is consistently reviewed online to have strong anti-tangle technology, one of the reasons why pet hair is so hard to vacuum, reducing how often you'll have to cut hair out yourself.
A key difference is the Stratos' ability to sense what's on your floor and adjust the power setting itself, similar to the best Dyson vacuums. With both Vertex models, you have to do this manually, but it only takes the push of a button.
Bottom line: The Vertex Pro is the best for cleaning power, but the Stratos' floor sensors make it more user-friendly. The Vertex Lightweight is best if you're on a budget.
Stratos Cordless |
Vertex Lightweight |
Vertex Pro |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Dimensions |
13.78 x 10.24 x 51.18 inches |
15.35 x 10.24 x 47.05 inches |
10.24 x 14.7 x 46.5 inches |
Dustbin capacity |
0.72 quart |
0.34 quart |
1 quart |
Weight |
8.9 lbs |
9.04 lbs |
8.82 lbs |
Battery life |
Up to 60 minutes |
Up to 60 minutes |
Up to 60 minutes |
Suction settings |
Smart IQ, Eco, Boost |
Bare floor, Carpet, Boost |
Low, Medium, High, Boost |
Retail price |
$499 |
$379.99 |
$449.99 |
The Shark Stratos is lightweight with a large capacity and smarter technology in comparison to the Vertex. It's nicer to use and navigate around, but you'll pay twice the price of the Vertex Lightweight for those little pleasures.
This might be more basic than the Stratos, but it's brilliant nevertheless. Lightweight and agile, we've called it the 'best budget' vacuum in our buying guide. It compacts down and is easy to store when you're not using it.
Read more in our full Shark Vertex Lightweight review.
This continues to be one of our favorite cordless vacuums, years after its release. It did a great job of cleaning carpets and hard floors, and easily avoided wrapping with hair. It's a huge improvement from the Vertex Lightweight.
Read more in our full Shark Vertex Pro review.
FAQs
What is better, Shark Stratos or Shark Vertex?
The Shark Stratos (cheapest at Amazon) wins if you're looking for an upright vacuum, perhaps if you want the best vacuum for carpets. But the Shark Vertex Pro takes the top spot when looking at the best cordless vacuums.
How we test vacuums
At Homes & Gardens we have a thorough process for how we test vacuums. We test each of them in our dedicated test center on carpet, linoleum and hardwood to see how they clean different surfaces. We vacuum standardized amounts of flour, sugar, cereal and lentils to see how they fare against everything from fine powders to large debris.
To distinguish between pet vacuums vs regular vacuums, we test pet vacuums in a local cat and dog shelter. It's a busy environment that's full of fur and general mess, so it's a great opportunity to see what the vacuum can handle.
In the incredibly rare event that we can't test a vacuum or are waiting on a review, we will do diligent research into a model. Our experts spend hours reading through user and professional reviews so that they know everything they need to about a vacuum.
Next, browse our tried-and-tested guides of the best vacuums for hardwood floors and the best lightweight vacuums.
