Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT review

The Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT has a lot going for it which can help to keep the floors, sofa, stairs and higher-up surfaces free from daily and monthly grim. It's a popular vac amongst our readers, and an affordable one at that.

At the time of writing (August 2022) it's priced at £189.99, which is a very appealing price tag considering Shark produce some of the top-rated vacuum cleaners on the market, and even more so if you use Shark discount codes. For your money you get the DuoClean floor head which has not one but two motorized brush-rolls which work together to clean carpets and hard floor, drawing in debris of various sizes and lifting stuck-on dust. It also features Shark's signature Lift-Away Technology to make vacuuming all levels within an easier reach by transforming from an upright vacuum cleaner into a lighter, more portable version. It's being advertised as 'perfect for homes with pets' since it comes with a separate pet tool, and we can imagine that the powerful suction comes in handy to tame stray fly-aways, too.

Although we do not have pets, I do have a long malting mane of my own which gets around the house. We also have a toddler about the home so there's no shortage of crumbs. As busy working parents we need to establish what the best vacuum is for our space, and that means one which is reliable, robust and does a quick and effortless job at keeping the home as clean as possible. Here's how we got on.

Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT specifications:

• No. speed settings: 2
• Cord length: 8m
• Hose length: 67 - 145cm
• Weight: 5.25kg
• Dustcup capacity: 1.1L
• Colour: rose gold

Homes Editor, TechRadar

Homes Editor, TechRadar

Jennifer (Jen) Oksien

Jennifer (Jen) Oksien is Homes Editor on TechRadar. Previously she has written for Ideal Home, Real Homes and Homes & Gardens as our Appliances Editor.

She was sent the Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT to review at home to find out how it performs across the various floor-types with varying amounts (and types) of debris. Her three-bed house has hardwood flooring and limestone tiles downstairs, and a relatively new carpet running up the stairs, across the landing and into the three bedrooms making it the perfect space to review vacuum cleaners.

Who will it suit?

The Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT is being advertised as 'perfect for homes with pets' since it comes with a pet power tool. It is suitable for four-legged friends, yes, but also busy households who need to regularly vacuum the stairs and sofa with something smaller than the motorised floorhead.

Delivery, unboxing and set up

The Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT arrived boxed with paper packaging. No single-use plastic is in sight. All packaging can be recycled which is really great. The vac was well packaged with a mix of cardboard inserts and paper and each attachment was individually wrapped in the protective paper wrapping.

It didn't take long to set up and it was all quite intuitive. The user manual is useful for quick reference, if you need. The handle clips into the wand; the hose clips in to the back of the Lift-Away pod; and the Lift-Away pod clips on to the floorhead. Make sure that all parts are firmly in place.

You'll also need to secure the power cord on the cord hooks, and now would also be a good time to secure the crevice tool and multi-surface tool to the onboard storage - this just slots in to place. There is no space to store the pet power tool which is a little annoying so just ensure that you remember where you put it.

Performance

I was really impressed with the performance of this vac. There are two suction levels (MIX and MAX) on the Suction Control Slider located on the handle and two surface settings (Hard Floor and Carpet) located on the Pod. It's obvious where to use the latter but opting for a suction level should be determined by the floor type - MIN on carpets, MAX on hard floor. I switched between all of these during testing which became easier the more I got used to using the vac.

Transitioning between carpets / rugs to hard floor was easy with just a flick on the surface switch. The brush rolls spin on all modes, the soft roller bar is just more engaged on the Hard Floor setting. The brush rolls will stop spinning when the vac is returned to a secure, upright position which is handy when needing to move any furniture around, etc.

The vacuum cleaner was easy to move around on all settings and debris pick-up was really good. I scattered some rice pops on the floor to see how it copes with larger debris and is powered through them, not missing any. The dust cup is a decent 1.1L size which meant that I was able to collect plenty on my walk through the house with the vac.

A feature which I really like when using the Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT is the LEDs in the floorhead. This helps to show-up dust on hard floors where there are low light levels, and also helps to light up the path of the vac under furniture.

The three attachments which arrive with this vac is the Pet Power Brush, Multi-Surface Tool and Crevice Tool. These are all really useful attachments to have near by  - the Multi-Surface Tool and Crevice Tool can be stored onboard the main unit. All these attachments are to be used when the vac is in Powered Lift-Away mode. They clip on to the end of the handle or wand to make moving it around less arduous and increase reach.

As the name suggests, the Pet Power Brush is good for tackling embedded pet hair on upholstery and carpet. We do not have pets but I do have long, untamed hair which gets everywhere. The pick-up using this attachment was impressive. I found it particularly useful on the stairs to vacuum the top and side of the steep. The unit remained steady on the step as I worked my way up and down the stairs. A couple of things to note; hair became wrapped around the bristles and it is loud - I measured 76dB on my sound meter reader which, for context, is close to the 80dB that we expect for blenders.

The other attachment I used is the Crevice Tool. This is useful for lifting dust away from the top of skirting, and other tight spots which the floorhead will be unable to reach. I found it particularly useful to vacuum the detailing around the side of the stair case, although a microfiber cloth would do a good job.

The Multi-Surface Tool is essentially a 2-in-1 tool. It can have the brushes removed so you can easily switch from dusting hard surfaces without the brushes to sweeping up crumbs from the sofa with the brushes.

Design

The Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT is styled in a beautiful black gloss finish with rose gold ascents. The cord neatly wrapped around the hooks on the side and the attachments are neatly stowed behind the vac (aside from the Pet tool) so everything you need is kept neat and tidy.

It features Sharks signature DuoClean floorhead which means that two motorised brush rolls work together. The bristle brush-roll cleans deep in to carpets whereas the soft front roller drawers in debris and lifts dust from hard floors.

The vac has been designed to provide an extra level of assurance for households with allergies. The Anti-Allergen Complete Seal captures and traps 99.9% of dust and allergens, not releasing them back into the air making it even more ideal for homes with pets where pet dander could very much be a thing.

Cleaning, maintenance and storage

One of the most obvious of cleaning tasks which you'll need to do on the Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT is to regularly empty the 1.1L dust cup at the end of each clean. To remove it is just a simple pull on the release button. It's a bagless cup so ensure that you are correctly over the bin, to avoid the debris from going everywhere.

If you've got a lot of hair in your house to vacuum then you're going to notice that the floor head and pet tool will need a de-tangle. This is not an Anti Hair Wrap vacuum cleaner so after every use, or when you notice it, I'd suggest cutting away any hair which may have got wrapped around the brushbars.

The cover to the brush rolls on the main floor head can be removed to free any debris intake, too. There are two locks which will need to be turned clockwise to release the brush bars. The soft roller can also be hand washed in water as needed - just ensure it's completely dry before reinserting.

To avoid any bad odours and maintain your vacuum cleaners suction power you'll need to be also regularly rinsing the filters with water. Shark suggest that the pre-motor (foam and felt) filters are rinsed every month, and the post motor filter is rinsed once a year.

In terms of other maintenance you'll need to check for blockages in the nozzle, dust cup, wand, hose and handle. All of these can be detached for easy set up and maintenance. And if there's a jam in the brush-roll area or the floor nozzle is overheating then you'll see a red light on the floorhead for your attention.

The Shark NV702UKT is best stored in an upright position with the cable wrapped around the cable hooks. We kept it under the stairs. The onboard storage for the attachments is useful, although it had no space for the pet tool.

How does it rate online?

Looking at the reviews on the Shark website, the Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT has received 4.6-out-of-5 stars. There's a lot of love out there for this Shark vac. Customers share how impressed they are with the power and suction, and the lights on the floor head are leaving good first impressions, too. There are a few remarks about how heavy this vacuum cleaner is which could be an issue for anyone with arthritis or those after something that is easy to move around without any effort.

Over on Currys PC World this Shark vac has scored 9.2-out-of-10. It's scored particularly highly on performance, especially on pet hair. There's also comments about how easy and lightweight it is to use which does contradict what we've read on the Shark vacuum but I would take this as a case-by-case basis - it's not too heavy if you are comfortable lifting some weight. The only negatives that I could see is that it is 'a bit bulky' and the Anti Hair Wrap feature would be useful.

How does it compare with other vacuum cleaners?

At the same time as I was reviewing the NV702UKT I was also using the Shark XL Anti Hair Wrap Upright Pet Vacuum PZ1000UKT. This is a much larger vac but comes with a couple of major features which the NV702UKT is lacking.

A noticeable difference between the two is that that PZ1000UKT is a chunkier design and has a 0.5L larger dust cup. It also features the Anti Hair Wrap Technology which is really useful to have in a home where long and short hair needs regularly taming. You can also use the Powered Lift-Away to easily vacuum underneath furniture such as the bed and sofa with the floorhead.

Both the NV702UKT and PZ1000UKT are available in the rather beautiful rose-gold colour, and they are equally as robust as one another. The PZ1000UKT just comes packed with more useful features, although it does come at a price which is (almost) double that of the NV702UKT.

Should you buy the Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT?

If you're after a versatile, robust and really good vacuum cleaner then you should buy the Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT. We were really impressed with the quick assembly time, suction power and versatility to clean various surfaces throughout the home. It's also not as heavy as some of the other Shark upright vacuum cleaners and comes with a very appealing price tag of £189.

We also liked that the dustcup can pack-away plenty of dirt, dust and debris which meant that it could (almost) clean the entire house without having to empty it. The Powered Lift-Away is also a handy addition to tackling additional surfaces in the home, just don't expect to be able to thoroughly vacuum under the bed - unless you're prepared to move furniture. 

If you want an upright vac which can vacuum under furniture and requires less maintenance such as de-tangling the floorhead then I suggest that you take a look at the Shark XL Anti Hair Wrap Upright Pet Vacuum PZ1000UKT. It is more expensive at £399 but you get all the great features of the Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT, and more. 

Alternatively, check out the best cordless vacuum cleaners if you don't want to be tethered by a power cord.

About this review – and our reviewer

Jennifer (Jen) Oksien is Homes Editor on TechRadar. Previously she has written for Ideal Home as our Appliances Editor. She's tested lots of vacuums in order to tell our readers exactly what's great about them (or not so great) and to guide you through all of their varied features, especially in the case of Shark.

Jen was sent the Shark DuoClean Upright Pet Vacuum NV702UKT to review at home, and use in a real-life setting. From delivery and set up to using it to clean the various levels in the home, Jen has challenged this vac with cereal, hair, dust, dirt and debris so she can share her experience with you.

We are not given any compensation for our reviews, but we may be gifted the product meaning that we can test it over a greater length of time, and update our reviews if required.