Yesterday SWMBO & I were out picking up this and that. Stopped at a Sears store to try to buy a new filter for my "legacy" (I guess) Craftsman Shopvac, and ran across the Shark Rocket HV301 they had on display there. $160.

At this point it might help to know that, since retirement, litter box scooping and sweeping up the litter that gets tracked out of the boxes has become my job. The full-size canister vacuum that's downstairs is more hassle than it's worth, so I've been using broom + dust pan.

Did a quick search on the thing from the phone. Reviews looked promising. But, at $160, thought I'd sleep on it.

Stopped by Walmart to pick up a copy of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (and, it turned out, a couple boxes of Remington 9mm 115 gr. FMJ brass, on sale ). Lo and behold: There was the same, or substantially the same vacuum on clearance for $120! Sold!

Initial Impressions

Seems solidly-built. Comes with a nice, long cord (30') and nearly all the attachments you'd need. (I do wish they'd included the bare floor attachment.) Bits and pieces click on and off both easily and firmly. It comes with a wall hanger, but I don't know as I'll bother with it. It stands nicely against the wall, with no apparent inclination to move.

Range Report

Ran it over parts of a couple carpeted areas, much of the kitchen floor (vinyl), the entryway landing from the garage, and some of the carpeted stairs going to the basement. Let us just say I'm now suspecting our upstairs full-size canister vacuum, that originally cost hundreds of dollars more, isn't Getting The Job Done. The amount of hair, fur and dust this thing picked up was simply astonishing. (I'd just thoroughly vacuumed the whole place, Wednesday.)

It did litter pick-up duty on the stairs and basement indoor/outdoor carpeting this morning nicely.

Cons

It's a bit noisy. The motor being up top might make it tiring for whole-house duty. You have to haul the entire upper unit, cord and all, to the dust bin to empty it. The filtration isn't HEPA.

Some may find the cord a minus. Personally: I regard it a plus. I've fallen out of love with cordless power tools. Cords don't die

Bottom Line

If you have need for a small, manoeuvrable, easily-deployed and easily-stowed stick vacuum and can find one of these on clearance at Walmart for $120, it's well worth the price.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Cords don't die

Ain’t that the truth! Full power all the time, and no worries about having to charge a tool up to do a three-minute job.
What irritates me these days is how often there are such restricted options for some corded tools.

I have the same vacuum. My SIL bought it for me when she heard I was still using a vacuum that takes bags

My old vacuum felt like it could suck a bowling ball through the hose so I never replaced it. I assumed that was the overriding factor for vacuum performance. Apparently not. I couldn’t believe how much dust the Shark pulled out of the area rugs. I had vacuumed the house a few days before trying the Shark so I wasn’t expecting much debris in the canister. As I went through the house, I had to empty the container a few times. It’s much lighter and more maneuverable as well.

I'm happy with it and I’d recommend them also.