🧹 Clean smarter, not harder!
The Shark ZU561 Navigator Lift-Away Speed Vacuum combines powerful suction with innovative features like a self-cleaning brushroll and HEPA filtration, making it perfect for pet owners and allergy sufferers alike. Its lightweight design and Lift-Away mode provide versatility for cleaning carpets, hard floors, and above-floor areas, while the bagless system ensures easy maintenance.
Hose Length | 6.6 Feet |
Style Name | Lift-Away w/Self-Cleaning Brushroll |
Cleaning Path Width | 12 Inches |
Number of Wheels | 4 |
Indoor Outdoor Usage | Indoor |
Portable | Yes |
Number of Power Levels | 1 |
Recommended Uses For Product | Carpet, Hard Floor, Furniture |
Color | Red Peony |
Noise Level | 80 dB |
Motor Horsepower | 1.07 horsepower |
Additional Features | bagless |
Filter Type | Washable HEPA + foam filters |
Surface Recommendation | Carpet, Hard Floor, Upholstery |
Capacity | 2.8 Quarts |
Is Product Cordless | No |
Is Electric | Yes |
Power Source | AC |
Number of Handles | 1 |
Form Factor | Upright |
Control Method | App |
Controller Type | Push Button |
Wattage | 800 watts |
Voltage | 120 Volts |
Item Dimensions L x W x H | 12"L x 9.5"W x 45.6"H |
Item Weight | 6.1 Kilograms |
P**Y
Intuitive design, thoughtful features, large cup, easy reach controls, powerful suction
UPDATE: Now 2024, and this is still going strong almost 4 years later.--------------------------------------------------------This review is worth the read if you really want to know about it. This Shark lift-away isn't totally perfect, but I am still giving it 5 stars. It has a lot going for it, and it has some features to it that tells me that someone who actually vacuums has designed it. Here are the stand out features for me--someone who vacuums every single day (I clean homes for a living, and sometimes even my own, haha). I need something that can truly grab fur off carpets, can be used on bare floors (without spitting), and have functional attachments. Also, I have never had it clog, or give me any hassles. I'm pleased.This LIFT AWAY is something I bought after one of my clients bought it for their house. I already have a couple of Shark Vacuums for use in my own house, so I totally did not need another. I kept telling myself that.. BUT, every time I used their vacuum, I just really liked the features it has over my own. I eventually couldn't resist the temptation to buy one for myself, and finally splurged. Adult toys, heheOK, here are some details:---The vacuum has excellent suction, and the suction control is on the handle. It is so easy to change it up on the fly. This is important because the suction on this vacuum is strong. So much so, that it will grab a cord if not careful. How to avoid that? Dont vacuum close the cord/dangling material, etc, or simply adjust the suction level. Keep this in mind when using vac over throw rugs.--The wand release is also very easy to take out and put back in. All within easy reach, feels intuitive. Many of the other vacuums have a hose plus a hard tube that can be pulled out for versatile vacuuming, but I find that the wand is so much quicker and easier to use on the go. No need to bend, or work it back into place. Also, since the wand narrows a bit, it is really effective for sucking stuff off the floor, corners, under stuff. Grab an ON BOARD attachment for further functionality.--ON BOARD tools. I dont know why, but not all vacuums have on board storage. It is ridiculous. I find this true of Dyson and even among some Shark models. THIS vacuum has a spot for a narrow tube tool, and a spot for a brush tool. The included stair/furniture tool does not have a spot unfortunately, so it will need to be stored separately. I imagine it would add weight otherwise. But still having the option would be nice.--EASY release cup. Here too the function of take it on or off is intuitive, quick, and easy. Some are a chore to take off and put back on. I have one older Shark where there cups have clips that need to be undone. It adds time! So this cup is just a quick, one handed pressed of a button, and it pops out. Super easy to get back in, so wrestling to get it in place just right.--LARGE capacity cup. I had used a dyson where the cup had to be emptied every 5-10 minutes, or every 1-2 rooms. In one cleaning session, I would have to stop to empty the cup 4-5 times. Every time. THIS cup is large, holds a lot, and I usually empty 1-2x per vacuuming session. IN ADDITION, the cup is large enough to stick my hand in to grab any stubborn bits of debris, hair balls, etc. After using many vacs (looking at you dyson) that has a narrow inner chamber.. this cup is a breeze to shake out into the trash. ONE MORE awesome detail-- the UPPER portion of the cup can be opened for additional access to the inner cup. Nothing is going to get clogged up, and if it does, it is a quick, easy task to take care of. In my life, time is money. I am either making mine, or people are wasting theirs (If I am fighting with a vacuum, then that is time adding up that I am not spending time on elsewhere. Or in my own home, I dont want to add time to doing a chore).--INTUITIVE design all around. Easy step paddle to get vacuum into reclined position. Similar paddle located just above (but colored, red) for engaging the LIFT AWAY mechanism. Off/hard floors/carpet option easy to adjust, easy to reach. Suction control on handle- again, easy to reach, use. Dirt cup easy to take on/off- easy to use, good placement. Simply everything is where it makes sense.. to me.--Once in Lift-Away position, you now just have the body/canister portion of the vacuum. This is nice for walking around to get into corners high and low. Also great for using the stair tool with--much easier and lighter to maneuver the canister without the added weight and bulk of the power bar. Snaps back into place when done.--Power/beat bar has lights, and a nice swivel. It moves/drives in an easy to control manner, yet adjusts to maneuver around object with ease. No fighting.--Good length cord. I have had shorter, I have had longer (dyson usually has an extra long cord).IF I had any one suggestion for improvement, and for all I know maybe there is an option out there.. that would be to have a wide floor brush tool. I would love to use the pole and put on a wider floor tool for quick vac of the hard floors, rather than always using it upright in hard floor mode. And next, a pole extender. It would just make this a total product. Even if sold as separate product for this unit. I would totally buy it.While it hasn't happened on mine, I did notice that my clients vacuum occasionally overheats. It happened a couple times during very hot, humid weather, and long duration vacuuming. SO I while I took that into consideration, it did not stop me from eventually buying one for myself. I have had mine for about a month, and I use it nearly daily (so much fur!). I love it.Few extra thoughts:I clean homes for a living. I often get asked what vacuum is best. There really isnt a "best" vacuum. It comes down to what you need, and what type of features you prefer. I used to only like canister vacuums, but they are really no longer available (I only see Miele, and I dont trust that one to be able to handle all the fur. I use them in fur free homes, and find the beater bar "ok", also they tend to need servicing). There are super cheap, lightweight vacs that are best for fur free homes, or very light cleaning. Basically, the carpets will be cleaned at a very superficial level. Not for me. I need a vac that will grab the carpet and pull up fur and debris from the surface and down deep. I have used high end, and low end. I have used so many brands and styles over the years that anything within the past ten years have been just OK. Vacuums from the 80s, 90s, early to mid 2000's have been good. Then I noticed a degrade in quality and availability ever since. With prices remaining high for quality that didn't cut it. Some vac brands folded. And some came on the scene.Shark/Ninja products helped fill a gap that was sorely lacking. Quality product at reasonable price. Some models are throw-away, some will last. I figure if I can get 3-5 years that is good. I expect at least 1 year of hard use from me. Any more is a bonus. It's joked that the Ninja blender is the poor mans Vitamix, and the Shark vacuum is the poor mans Dyson. I've had both. Funny thing, is that with my extensive experience with both, I recommend over and over Shark/Ninja products. The performance is there and the price is budget friendly. Dyson has been a throw away product for me, unfortunately. Good while it lasted, but not as intuitive as the Shark.Now, does that mean that it will last forever. Nah. Unless you vacuum just a couple times a year, no vacuum is going to last for decades. I have gone through a couple of Dysons ($500-600) in the past 3-4 years. After the second, I stopped. Having this Shark has been a joy. SO far so good. If it falls apart or I experience something else worth sharing, I will be sure to do so. I am genuinely enthused for this product, and I hope it serves me (and anyone else) well for time to come.PS. This vacuum is around 12-13lbs. Not heavy by most standards, but it may be too much for some. KNOW your limitations. An ultra lightweight vac (unless an Oreck--they have a totally different design that allows it to be super light, but super effective) vacuum usually wont have the oomph in the power bar or suction to truly grab dirt from carpets. It will clean the surface, but I find that they dont really do the job (ok if you have fur free, generally always clean home, or as an option for use in between deeper cleans--have a heavier more effective vac for deep clean 1-2x a week, then a light weight one for superficial quick daily clean up ). You can be assured of finding a lightweight superficial vacuum when you see Brands that typically fall into the $40-$80 range.
P**8
My Workhorse!
I love this vacuum! I had a Shark in the past and it lasted about 10 years before we got a puppy that chewed the cord. I could have fixed the cord but decided it was time to replace it. So of course another Shark! This is the best vacuum. Reasonably priced, I really don't think one of those expensive brands could be any better. It comes with the attachments you need, has an easy empty bin and the wand comes out easily to get the high and hard to reach places. This is my workhorse! My 2nd and would buy again!
S**Z
I like it! Very light!
I have a mix of area rugs and bare floor. It does a good job on both even with dog hair. Is way lighter than my old Eureka which is very cumbersome and a pain to grapple with…so I love how maneuverable and light this is. Yes the capacity is a lot smaller but that’s the cost of lightweight. I will definitely vacuum more often given the ease of use. I purchase “used-like new” for a $168 in it was in fact good as new with not a speck of dirt nor missing parts. The hose is rather short so reaching high spots you’d probably need an extension tube but I haven’t tried that yet. So far very happy with it and would buy again.
P**T
Impressive design, good build quality, attention to detail
This review is specifically about the “Shark Navigator Zero-M Self-Cleaning Brushroll Pet Pro (ZU62) Upright Vacuum”, or the “ZU62” as it will be referred to herein.I bought this ZU62 upright vacuum cleaner as a replacement for my rather old Hoover “TurboPower 7400 Savvy” with “WindTunnel technology”, which I always thought was a good vacuum cleaner that got the job done and holding up to normal use over the many years without much in the way of failure (I do recall having to take it to a Hoover repair shop once for some kind of malfunction). In fact, I bought this ZU62 the day after I had bought another one to replace my elderly mother’s broken Hoover upright, and was impressed enough to decide to replace my own Hoover with the same model.I will endeavor here to share some details about this ZU62 that might be more difficult to find elsewhere.First, this ZU62 is a “bagless” vacuum cleaner, meaning that it has no bag and you never need to worry about replacing a bag as the suction slowly diminishes as the bag fills up. I think “bagless” has become the normal design for domestic vacuum cleaners, and indeed my old Hoover 7400 was also bagless, although it also came with a cartridge that allowed using a bag if the owner really wanted to (I always used mine in its bagless configuration). I will say right off that this ZU62 does a noticeably better job of preventing vacuumed dust from getting back into the air….after using my old Hoover, I could always smell a certain dusty odor in the house, but after using this ZU62, I smell no such odor. Anyway, all vacuumed dirt/dust/small objects end up in a so-called “dust cup”, which is an easily and quickly removable cartridge, with a handle on its top. This dust cup actually holds quite a lot of dirt/dust, and is made from clear plastic, so you can see, by peering through the thin layer of dust that sticks to its inside surface, how full it is, and whether it needs to be emptied. Pressing a button releases the dust cup cartridge from the so-called “vacuum pod”, which means the main body of the vacuum cleaner. Then you just hold the bottom of the dust cup over a trash container, using that handle on its top, then with the other hand press a second button that releases the bottom lid of the dust cup so all the dirt drops out into the trash. Close the bottom lid (it snaps shut) then replace the dust cup cartridge onto the vacuum pod (it also snaps in place), and you are good to go again.A few words about the technology of the dust cup. The air coming in from the vacuum hose, either directly or from the “brushroller” assembly at the bottom of the vacuum pod, enters the top of the dust cup cartridge. Note that the hose does NOT need to be detached in order to remove the dust cup cartridge for emptying; the hose snaps into a receptacle on rear of the vacuum pod, and an airtight fitting docks with the rear of the dust cup cartridge. The dust laden air enters a ‘separator’ at the top of the cartridge, which is a circular chamber with a conical plastic “lint filter” inside. The motor pulls air down from the lint filter through a plastic tube that passes through the center of the dust cup and out the bottom, and this causes the incoming dusty air to rapidly swirl around inside that circular chamber. The shape of the chamber and the conical lint filter results in the dusty air swirling from the bottom of the chamber upwards towards the top, where there is an opening on the side of the chamber and the dust gets flung out through this and, robbed of velocity, falls into the dust cup itself. The air at the top of the chamber decelerates and passes through the conical lint filter, out through the aforementioned tube, and down out of the bottom of the dust cup cartridge, into the bottom part of the vacuum pod. Here, the mostly clean air gets pulled through a foam filter, followed by a felt filter, then down to cool the motor, before finally exiting the lower front of the vacuum pod through a HEPA filter. The vacuum separator, plus the three passive filters, is why the air exiting the ZU62 is so clean; SharkNinja (the designer and manufacturer) claims that this scheme removes at least 99.9% of the vacuumed dust before blowing the air back into the room.The ZU62 user’s manual states that the three filters are designed to be cleaned using cold water only (do not use hot water or add cleaners, soaps, etc). They recommend cleaning the foam and felt filters every three months of typical usage, and the HEPA filter should be cleaned once every year. All three filters need to be air dried for at least 24 hours before they are put back into the ZU62. The manual suggests actually replacing the filters about every 2.5 to 3 years (when I purchased my ZU62 I also ordered one set of replacement filters).The ZU62, as do most upright vacuum cleaners these days, uses hoses, both internal and external, to route the vacuum air to and through the machine, rather that using inflexible ducts and such. So, vacuumed dust from the “brushroller” assembly immediately passes into a flexible hose that passes under the vacuum pod and to a hose fitting at the lower rear of the vacuum pod, just above the two wheels. Here, the metal “wand” tube snaps into the fitting (a button releases it) and it passes up the entire back side of the vacuum pod to above the top of the dust cup cartridge. The top of the wand has another fitting, and normally the “handle” snaps into it (yep, another button releases it). So, the vacuumed air is now up at the top of the vacuum cleaner and passing through the bottom edge of the handle. Here another flexible hose exits the handle and hangs down the back of the vacuum cleaner, making a bit of a loop before coming back up and plugging into the aforementioned port on the rear of the vacuum pod which goes into the dust cup cartridge. There are a couple of “C” clips that hold the hose up against the rear of the vacuum cleaner, releasing the hose easily when you want to use the hose and/or the wand to do some cleaning of things besides carpeting. This is all fairly conventional, but many little details of exactly how it is designed make it nicer and more convenient to use.The ZU62 has very simple controls. At the top rear of the vacuum pod, just below where the handle usually goes, is a red rocker switch; its positions are OFF, HARD FLOOR, and CARPET. There are no pedals to push, or levers or knobs to move in order to change modes, something that many other upright vacuum cleaners require the user to do when transitioning from a hard floor to a carpeted area, or from a hard floor to a throw rug, etc. Of course, the brushroller does not run when in HARD FLOOR mode. When in CARPET mode, the brushroller runs except when the vacuum cleaner is completely vertical; you will naturally tilt it back somewhat when rolling it around on carpeting, and this starts the brushroller spinning. A large green indicator lamp on top of the brushroller assembly illuminates to show when the brushroller motor is running.I should mention that the brushroller is designed to be self-cleaning. If vacuuming on carpets that have a lot of human or pet hair, most vacuums’ brush rollers will accumulate the hair, all wound around the rollers. But on this ZU62, the roller design and the assembly into which it is housed are designed to automatically discourage the hair from wrapping, and if it does wrap it gets automatically removed. The user’s manual says that if it seems some hair has managed to wrap itself around the brushroller, just let the ZU62 run for a while longer, and in most cases that wound up hair will be removed and vacuumed into the dust cup. However, in case some uncooperative hair does manage to get on there to stay, the bottom of the brushroller assembly has a couple latches that allow the base to be removed, allowing you to go in with pointy scissors to cut that hair off the roller.One thing about this ZU62 that I don’t care for is the absence of a headlight on the front of the brushroller assembly. My old Hoover had such a headlight, and I really notice how much I miss it when using this new ZU62.Another thing about this ZU62, when being used to vacuum carpeting, is that the mechanical coupling between the ‘upright’ part (the vacuum pod) and the base (the brushroller assembly) is designed to pivot both forwards and backwards, but also sideways. SharkNinja refers to this feature as “swivel steering”, and while it seemed a bit awkward to me at first, I found that soon I began to appreciate its utility. By twisting the handle a bit to one side or the other, the brushroller will aim off to one side or the other relative to the vacuum cleaner itself, and this is indeed handy when vacuuming around furniture and objects, where otherwise you would need to pull the vacuum back a ways and approach the area to be vacuumed from a different angle.Back to using the ZU62 for vacuuming things other than carpets……because of the ZU62’s flexible design, you can mix and match the accessories, the hose and the wand/handle; all of their couplings are the same size and type. So for example, you can undock the wand/handle from the vacuum pod and use it by itself to vacuum up loose items. You can also snap on any of the accessories to the end of the wand. Note that the design of the ZU62 hose is such that the end of the wand can reach up to 12 feet away from the vacuum cleaner itself, making it handy to leave the ZU62 in one place while you use the hose end or the hose and wand to vacuum various things around the room, or to reach up to vacuum cobwebs from the top of the walls where they meet the ceiling, etc. You can detach the handle from the wand and snap on any accessory for tasks such as dusting, crevice cleaning, etc. My gripe with the ZU62 in this regard is that there are quite a lot of accessories for this machine, but it only comes with three of them; the “Duster Crevice Tool”, the “Dusting Brush”, and the “Upholstery Tool”. I like the design of the Duster Crevice Tool, since while it is mostly just the same as any other vacuum cleaner crevice tool you might have used, it has a sliding dusting tool that surrounds it and which can snap into detents up near the hose fitting (to keep it out of the way), or near the tip (where it can help loosen dust along the edge of a crevice), or it can also be easily slid past the second detent and completely off of the tool. The Dusting Brush is just like the same tool an any other vacuum cleaner; just a set of soft bristle brushes arranged in a ring through which the vacuum cleaner sucks air. The Upholstery Tool is much like the Dusting Brush but without the bristles; instead, it has a set of thin ‘grippy’ microfiber pads that are apparently supposed to grab into hairs and such that are partially stuck into furniture fabric, pulling them loose and allowing them to be vacuumed away.I was not too fond of the design of the ZU62 in regard to its storage of these accessories; it has only two fittings designed to dock with and hold various accessories, so I guess you just have to stow the third accessory somewhere else. By comparison, my old Hoover had a clever compartment on its top front into which all the smaller accessories snapped into holders; all accessories came with that vacuum, and they all stored right on the vacuum cleaner itself. I think SharkNinja might have done a bit better in this regard with this model.In addition to the included accessories, the user’s manual mentions some others that you can order. These include a wider version of the Upholstery Tool, a Hair Removal Multi-Tool (a single convertible tool for cleaning tough pet messes such as hair on carpets and upholstery and bedding), a Pet Power Brush for both pet hair and ground-in dirt from carpeted stairs and upholstery (I ordered one of these, since my Hoover had a similar one and I used it often).The ZU62 has a 24 foot long power cord, which wraps up between two hooks on the side of the vacuum pod. The top hook flips down to instantly release the power cord without needing to unwind it. The first two feet of the cord go from near where the motor is, up to where the handle and wand fit together, and this makes it easier to manage where the cord is while you move the ZU62 around vacuuming. This results in about 22 feet of useful power cord length, although you can unclip the cord from the handle’s little hook if you really need that extra 2 feet.The ZU62 is 45.5” inches tall, from floor to top of the handle. When resting fully upright on the floor for storage, it occupies exactly one square foot (12” x 12”) of space. It runs on 120VAC, 60Hz (not on 50Hz apparently). It uses 1,150 Watts, pulling about 9.6A from your wall socket. As such, it should work just fine on any household circuit (some vacuums pull well over 12A, so turning other things on that are on the same circuit (typically 15A) can cause the circuit breaker to pop); not much chance of that happening with this ZU62.This ZU62 is noticeably quieter than my older Hoover. It is also considerably lighter in weight, although it appears to be at least as ruggedly designed and constructed as the older machine.
A**R
Great for pet hair!!!
Buy this vacuum! It's so easy to use! You can switch over the settings from bare floor to carpet with a switch on top of the vacuum. To use the hose it's just a click of a button and the whole thing comes out, you don't have to change over the tube (like some models). AMAZING suction! If you have pets, get this thing! The hair doesn't clog or get stuck. I absolutely love it!
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