For years, cordless vacuum cleaners have followed a relatively simple path: more power, more autonomy and less weight. However, when almost all manufacturers promise exactly the same thing, the difference begins to lie somewhere else, intelligence. I’ve been trying the new one Shark PowerDetect Speed and that seems to be precisely the idea. It is not intended to be just a powerful vacuum cleaner, but a capable of detecting what it is cleaning and automatically modifying its behavior. It may seem like a minor function, but after several days of use one ends up understanding that this is precisely where much of its appeal lies.
The first thing that catches your attention is its design. Weighing about 3.5 kilos, it is lighter than many of the premium vacuum cleaners of previous generations, although it still conveys a feeling of robustness. Shark’s classic Flexology technology allows you to bend the tube to clean under sofas, beds or low furniture without having to bend downIn fact, the suction part is almost parallel to the ground and is still easy to control thanks to the fact that the control maintains its height. In this sense, it perfectly combines its weight with maneuverability: neither too light so that it dances in our hand, nor too heavy so that we lose control.
But the real protagonist is PowerDetect Intelligence technology. And this is when Shark has gone a step further by thinking about what was missing in the market. Most of the vacuum cleaners I have tested so far work the same on any surface, at most they adapt somewhat when they detect a carpet. And it depends on its height. Well, not the PowerDetect Speed.
Its system combines several sensors capable of detecting the type of floor, the amount of dirt, the proximity of walls or corners and even the direction of movement. If you go from parquet to carpet, the power automatically increases. If it detects accumulations of dust, it increases the suction. If you approach a corner, reinforce the cleaning in that area. And something especially curious: maintains a high collection capacity even when moving backwards. A huge advantage when it comes to taking advantage of the battery and reducing the time of use, an all-in-one that is difficult to find, but that has the same logic as suitcases with wheels: both technologies already existed, but they have been combined in this case.
And then the light came on, perhaps one of the features that I can’t say I liked the least, but it is undoubtedly the one that embarrassed me the most. When in use, this cordless vacuum cleaner projects a beam of blue light in front of the brush that increases contrast on hard floors and makes dust particles that would normally go unnoticed visible. It is the same effect as a ray of light that shines through the window at dusk and allows you to see the specks of dust floating… only in this case it shows how long we have not used it. Or how many visits we have received. The problem is that Once we get used to this “brutal hygienic honesty”, it is difficult to return to conventional ones. Note in passing: at some point the showers will also have this technology and at that moment we will be embarrassed.
Next evaluation point: pets. Two long-haired cats live together in the test and rehearsal room (read the house). And it’s summer. Those who live with pets during these times know that hair becomes a constant and floating presence.
The PowerDetect incorporates a self-cleaning brush system designed to minimize that problem. It’s not magic, some hair will end up appearing sooner or later, but it does significantly reduce regular maintenance. To this we must add that, when we return the vacuum cleaner to the charging station (it has a performance of one hour of service) the contents of the tank are automatically transferred to a sealed compartment capable of storing dirt for weeks. Shark talks about up to 45 days without needing to empty it manually. Personally I changed it every two weeks, without expecting bad smells or hair tangles and I never noticed bad smells. Charging is fast, it is not that long and if it is completely empty, it can take up to 6 hours. It’s strange to empty the load, but…
But the key question is not if it collects when reversing, if it has a light or if it recognizes surfaces and discharges automatically. The question is, how clean is it? Luckily it is not another “much ado about nothing” device: everything we mentioned so far goes in conjunction with its cleaning capacity. But noor everything is perfect. The announced autonomy reaches 60 minutes, but that figure corresponds to very specific conditions and low consumption modes. When used at maximum power the duration is considerably reduced.
Verdict
The Shark PowerDetect Speed has the advantages of a robot without its lack of human interaction: sometimes we want it to focus on certain areas or we feel the urge to press it against the floor to remove stains. This is achieved with this vacuum cleaner. It is the quick, dependent on us and effective “help” that is appreciated when we want to start cleaning the home. Mainly if there are pets.