Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H review

One-minute review

The Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H is the new best choice in the Shark cordless vacuum lineup thanks to its Clean Sense IQ technology, which automatically adjusts the suction to pick up dirt and debris that you may not be able to see, and tells you when the floor is clean.

In our testing we were greatly impressed with the suction capabilities, especially the vacuum’s ability to remove hair from our couch when used in handheld and Boost mode. The MultiFLEX wand makes it easy to vacuum under furniture, and the flexible rotating head proved effective at picking up dirt in corners and around award pieces of furniture such as chairs.

The Stratos is reasonably priced for a high-performance cordless vacuum, and it’s more affordable than some models with similar dust-detection technology like the Dyson V15 Detect. While the dust brush attachment isn’t the best at picking up dust, it’s a minor drawback that it’s easy to overlook.  

Keep scrolling to find out more then, head to our best cordless vacuum guide to see where we rank the Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H in our ratings.

Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H price and availability

•  US list price: from $499 
•  UK list price: from £549.99 

The Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H - or Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Cordless Vacuum [1 Battery] IZ400UK as it's known as in the UK - is the most expensive cordless vacuum that Shark offers; that said, it’s only $20/£20 more than the Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum with DuoClean PowerFins, and we were agreeably surprised that for just a small premium you’re getting a notable upgrade in terms of features. In addition to the aforementioned Clean Sense IQ technology, another feature of the Stratos that the Shark Vertex Pro lacks is Odor Neutralizer Technology, to keep the vacuum head smelling good.

The Vertex does come with an additional Pet Multi-Tool attachment for removing pet hair, and has a larger dust canister at 1qt / 0.95L compared to 0.72qt / 0.68L, but if you don’t need the pet hair tool we can’t see the smaller canister being a deal-breaker for many people.

In the US, you can find the Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H on the Shark US website, and at stores like Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and Wal-Mart. If you live in the UK, it can be bought direct from the Shark UK website, and stores such as Argos and Currys.

Take a look at what Shark promo codes are available to help you save on your purchase.

Price & availability score: 5 out of 5

Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H design

• MultiFLEX wand makes it easy to clean awkward spaces 
• Can be used in handheld mode with two additional tools 
• Self-cleaning brushroll prevents hair from wrapping around it 

At 8.9lb / 4kg, the Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H is fairly lightweight as cordless vacuums go. A vacuum head, Duster Crevice Tool (which can be used as a crevice tool or a brush), and a flat Anti-Allergen Dusting Brush is included in the packaging.

Upright, the vacuum is 51 inches / 130cm tall, but rather than an extendable wand it has a flexible wand featuring Shark’s MultiFLEX technology. Releasing a catch on the back of the wand enables you to fold it forward for compact, freestanding storage, or for cleaning under furniture. The vacuum head swivels, and can effectively turn at a 90-degree angle with just a simple twist of the handle. Between this swivel action and the flexible wand, you can clean pretty much any place that the head can fit.

An Odor Neutralizer Technology pod is inserted into the top of the vacuum head to keep it smelling fresh, and an LED headlight lets you see dirt and dust in dark corners. But the most significant aspect of the vacuum head design is the Clean Sense IQ indicator. When you’re vacuuming, a strip of light becomes illuminated on the top of the vacuum head. The longer the strip of light, the dirtier the floor. When the strip of light recedes, it means the floor is clean. 

Those with carpet will appreciate the Duo Clean PowerFins HairPro twin brushroll system, particularly if they have pets. The two brushrolls pick up hair and debris that are stuck in carpet, and are designed so that hair doesn’t get tangled around it. 

To empty the 0.72qt / 0.68L dust cup, which is fitted with a seal to prevent dust and allergens escaping into the air, you detach the main unit from the wand, and release a catch on the cup to deposit the contents into a bin.

At the top of the handle is a LED display screen that displays the selected power mode and the remaining battery life. Built into this are buttons for turning the vacuum on and off and switching between Eco, Clean Sense IQ, and Boost mode. The vacuum doesn't have a charging station or base, making it easy to store it away in a closet or other space between uses.

Design score: 5 out of 5

Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H performance

• Automatically boosts power when Clean Sense IQ senses dirt 
• MultiFLEX wand makes it easy to bend and reach under furniture
• Can be easily converted to a smaller handheld vacuum for cleaning upholstery 

The Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H performed impressively during our testing. We used the vacuum in both stick and handheld mode on various surfaces including hardwood floors, vinyl floors, thick low-pile rugs, baseboards, a couch, and window treatments.

The vacuum doesn’t have a charging station or base, making it easy to store in a closet or other space between uses.

While we tested the Eco and Boost power modes, we generally used the vacuum in Clean Sense IQ mode as we wanted to get a good feel for how the Clean Sense IQ technology worked. When there was lots of dirt or debris on the floor, the suction was increased automatically and then returned to normal when the area was clean. The suctioning capability of this vacuum was superb, and we never had to run over the same area more than twice.

Because we live in a period home with lots of nooks and crannies, it can be difficult to vacuum in certain corners or tight spaces. The vacuum head has a 10-inch cleaning path width and its low profile makes it easy to push it under cabinets. We appreciated that the floorhead has a LED headlight and could twist at a 90-degree angle with just a slight twist of the handle. This allows you to more easily clean corners, under dining room chairs, and around stands, in a way that we’ve not been able to do with other vacuums.

We had never used a Shark cordless vacuum before, and we found the MultiFLEX wand to be incredibly innovative. With a click of the button on the back of the wand, it bends in half, so you don’t have to squat down or lean over to vacuum under a bed or couch. When bent, the vacuum isn’t as controllable as it is when it’s locked into a straight position, but it’s still easy enough to steer.

We cleaned our floorboards with the duster brush tool, and when we needed to get into tight corners we changed the brush Tool into a crevice tool. The vacuum was light enough to use the crevice tool to clean the corners of our 10-foot ceilings and atop door frames. We were excited to use the Anti-Allergen Dusting Brush on our window blinds as they get very dusty if, however, it didn’t clean the blinds as well as we’d hoped.  

The Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H vacuum converts easily to handheld for cleaning furniture and upholstery. In boost power mode, it seemed to pick up hair from furniture much more effectively than a similar vacuum we tested recently, the LG CordZero All in One Auto Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum.

Thanks to the self-cleaning dual brushroll, hair never wrapped around the brush. The 0.72qt / 0.68L dust cup is large enough to hold quite a bit of dust and debris – we didn’t manage to fill it even after vacuuming our entire house three times.

Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H battery life

• Up to 60 minutes of runtime on ECO mode
• Battery recharges in three hours
• LED display shows remaining battery life

The vacuum’s battery is housed in the back of the handle. You don’t need to remove it from the vacuum to charge it, but you can do so if you find that more convenient.

It takes three hours for the battery to charge, and on a full charge you can get up to 60 minutes of runtime on ECO mode. As we’ve mentioned, in Clean Sense IQ mode, the vacuum senses how much dirt is on the floor and boosts the suction power as necessary to pick up dirt and debris, so the battery level might run down faster based on how often the vacuum needs to ‘boost.’ 

When testing the vacuum, we never came close to running down the battery when vacuuming our 1,600sq ft / 150sq m home, and we’d often end a vacuuming session with about 40% of battery left.

The only time we got close to running down the battery was when we vacuumed the whole house on Clean Sense IQ mode, and then followed it up by using the Anti-Allergen Dusting Brush to clean the dust off four large window blinds, before using the duster crevice tool to clean floorboards in two rooms; even then we still had 20% left in the tank.

Battery life score: 4 out of 5

Shark Stratos Cordless with Clean Sense IQ IZ862H score card

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