Shark Stratos vs Dyson V15: Which is the best cordless vacuum range?

We’ve put the Shark Stratos up against Dyson V15 to see which cordless vacuum range comes out top. 

If you’re in the market for one of the best vacuum cleaners, Shark and Dyson offer excellent choices. Both companies have expanded their cordless vacuum cleaner range in recent years to provide ergonomic designs for pet owners, allergy sufferers, and simply anyone who just wants a convenient way to clean. The designs are flexible, easy to manoeuvre and can be used as handheld vacuums too. 

But with both brands selling attractive cordless designs with powerful suctions, decent battery lives, and automatic anti-hair cleaning heads, it can be hard to know whether to choose Shark or Dyson. To help refine your search for the ideal cordless vacuum for your home, we’ve compared two popular brand ranges below. 

Both the Shark Stratos and Dyson V15 lines enjoy a lofty reputation in the vacuum world, with the Shark Stratos being among the best Shark vacuums on the market. So we compared them here to see which cordless vacuum range comes out top. And while Shark offers both cordless and corded models in its Stratos range, here we’ve focussed on the cordless designs. Read on to find out which design suits you and your home best.  

Shark Stratos vs Dyson V15: Specifications

Before we pinpoint the general differences between the two ranges, here’s a glance at two specific designs in the Shark Stratos and Dyson V15 collections. We’ve compared two popular models here: 

Shark Stratos vs Dyson V15: Price

There’s quite a big difference in price between the entry level cordless Shark Stratos model and the cordless Dyson V15 designs. How many accessories and batteries included in the kit, how advanced the vacuum technology, and the design and finish all play a part in the pricings too.

In the US, you can buy the Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum for $499.99 at Shark. This comes with one battery that can run up to 60 minutes. At the time of writing, you can also find Shark Stratos cordless vacuum for $399 at Walmart. Meanwhile, both the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute and Dyson V15 Detect cost around $749.99. 

Dyson has also launched the V15s Detect Submarine with technology that means it can double up as a mop and costs $949.99 / AU $1,649.

In the UK, an entry level Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Cordless Vacuum IZ400UK with a single battery costs from £399.99 / AU $999.99 direct on the Shark website, for example. Meanwhile, the more premium Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro Cordless Vacuum IZ420UKT costs £499. 

Meanwhile, the Dyson V15 Total Clean Vacuum that features a Fluffy Optic cleaner head, a Digital Motorbar cleaner and a Hair screw tool costs £699.99. The Dyson V15 Detect Absolute that has a Piezo sensor that adapts suction when more dust is identified and has add ons such as a combination tool and crevice tool also costs £699.99 / AU $1,449. If you opt for the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute + Gold edition, you get extra tools and a super stylish gold finish. 

• Winner: Shark

Shark Stratos vs Dyson V15: Design

Both the Shark Stratos and Dyson V15 cordless models come packed with useful design features that are ergonomic and make it easy to glide over hard floors and carpet. 

In terms of frame, the Dyson V15 designs appear slightly slimmer than the average Stratos model and weighs less overall too – the Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro Cordless Vacuum IZ420UKT is 9.03 lbs (4.1 kg), for example, while the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute is 6.61 lbs (3 kg). If you’re using the vacuum over an extended period of time, each pound or kilo can count. 

That said, both the Stratos range and V15 are comfortable in hand and have flexible heads that drive around the floor smoothly. The Stratos designs work particularly well under furniture as they have flexible wands that can be bent at a right angle with a click of a button. 

Storage is easy with these sleek models too. Dyson designs are sold with a bracket so they can be neatly stored up against the wall, while the flexible wands of the Stratos designs mean they can be folded for easy space-saving storing in the cupboard or corner of a room. 

Both come with removable batteries that are easy to recharge, although Dyson V15’s wall bracket doubles up as a charger too. The wand on the Dyson may not bend, but we think its head is slightly less cumbersome than the Stratos designs, which makes getting into narrow spaces easier. 

Both the Stratos and Dyson V15 ranges come with flexible cleaning heads to suit carpets and hard floors, but the amount of flexibility you get to clean rooms, upholstery, curtains or your car all depends on which model you choose and how many accessories in the set. 

Both ranges have cordless bodies that can be used in handheld mode with specific tools. The Shark Deluxe Black Anti Hair Wrap Pet Cordless Vacuum IZ202UKTDB comes with four attachments including a crevice tool, upholstery tool, and anti-hair wrap pet tool that is specifically designed to remove pet hair from upholstery. There’s also a Car Detail Kit for valeting your motor. Dyson models are equally efficient around the home with the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute offering a combination tool, crevice tool,  and hair screw tool on top of the two floor cleaner heads, for example. 

Both brands are bagless designs, and while Shark designs tend to have a slightly smaller bin capacity than the Dyson models, the difference is minimal. 

• Winner: Dyson, only by a narrow margin

Shark Stratos vs Dyson V15: Performance

Clever technology built into both ranges ensures dirt pick up is easy here. Both brands offer vacuums that offer anti-allergy benefits, and have been designed so that hair stays off the main brush bar and sucks up to the bin effectively so you don’t have to worry about removing it from the brush head yourself. Shark’s DuoClean floorhead includes two motorised brush rolls that work together across carpets and hard floors, while Dyson’s designs have a Digital Motorbar cleaner head and a secondary Fibre Optic cleaner head that is particularly effective on hard floors. 

Both Dyson and Shark sell vacuum designs with illuminated heads to show up the dirt, but we think the Fluffy Optic cleaner head on Dyson designs work particularly well to illuminate microscopic dust and dirt on hard floor, which makes cleaning easier. Meanwhile, a stand-out feature in the Shark Stratos range is Anti-Odour technology, which protects against bad odours inside the vacuum. 

Something the Dyson also sells is the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Absolute, which is a cordless vacuum that doubles up as a mop, which is unique in its offer.

The Shark Stratos models have LED Smart Displays that show the battery level and suction status, while Dyson has its own specific version of this. Shark has ‘Clean Sense IQ technology’ inside that automatically picks up the dirt you can’t see and adjust the cleaning power to suit the task in hand. Likewise, Dyson’s ‘piezo sensor’ continuously sizes and counts dust particles and automatically increases suction power to suit the cleaning power needed. 

The control panels on both Shark and Dyson models are similar in that they offer up information on which mode is being used and how much battery power is left. There are also boost buttons on offer that are conveniently positioned. While Shark offers a simple on/off button that you press on and off when needed, Dyson models do need continuous holding on the trigger button, which could be tiring if you’re using it for extended periods. 

• Winner: Tie

Shark Stratos vs Dyson V15: Battery life

While you can buy extra batteries separately, Dyson V15 vacuums come with one battery included as standard. These offer up to 60 minutes continuous use on a single charge, but this can vary considerably depending on floor type, which setting you’re using and how much mess there is to pick up. 

Shark on the other hand also sells options for both 60 minutes battery life and 120 minutes battery life – the latter which comes with a double battery pack included in the price. Again, however, battery life varies greatly depending on which setting you opt for and how demanding the task in hand. 

•  Winner: Depending on the model

Shark Stratos vs Dyson V15: Which one to buy?

General performance is equally impressive in both the Dyson and Shark Stratos ranges, so which model you choose all comes down to overall design preference, weight, controls, storage and whether you have hard floor, carpet, a car and pets to think about. Now we’ve given you a general insight into the best features of both, it’s worth taking advantage of the Black Friday sales to find the best deals and buy a cordless vacuum to suit your needs.  

You might also like

• Robot vacuum vs cordless vacuum
• How to buy a cordless vacuum
• How to fix a vacuum cleaner with no suction