Customer Ratings & Reviews

Works as advertised. I like it very much. It is very handy.

One part missing but finally got a month after calling shark

Love Shark, but this was a little disappointing in terms of power. Works ok on wood and tile, however It didn't handle the carpet well. We brought it back and exchanged for a Shark Power Lift corded.

As a point of reference, I’ve owned an earlier version of the stick vacuum companies currently tend to measure themselves against. Right off the bat, this is a hefty unit. Total weight with brush bar, extension tube, and power head is 8.8 pounds. That’s 4 pounds heavier than what I have been using. Interestingly, though the power head only accounts for .5 pounds. The bulk of the extra weight is in the brush bar. From a design standpoint, it’s understandable though as you can tell the brush bar is a more involved beast. From a design standpoint, I’m neutral on this. It’s kind of interesting but it’s definitely not a fully clean/polished look. I like the headlights on the brush bar. The low angle light allows you to see the dirt better. I noticed the corded versions of this vacuum also have a light on the power head, this one does not. It’s great that you can fold this down and it’ll stand up on it’s own. The removable battery is great and allows for flexibility of charging. I still do wish you could just pop the whole unit into a wall charger though like my other vacuum. That way it’s always topped off, without having to deliberately plug it in. The dust cup is easy to empty. I do have pets though so like my other vacuum, I still have to reach in and pull the debris off the mesh filter. You do have to remove the power head from the tube though to dump the bin. Otherwise the tube makes it harder to dump directly into the trash. Operation wise, it cleans well. It does a much better job of picking up larger debris. Think leaves, beads, dislodged carpet fibers that land on the bare floor (from a cat tree), bugs, etc. I did notice though on my low pile utility rugs, it doesn’t clean the litter well on the bare floor setting. I had to change to the carpet setting to get the litter up in a single pass. The instructions give the impression you only need to change to the carpet setting for higher pile. Because of the suction, this does tend to just suck to door mats, litter mats and the corners/edges of lighter area rugs you have to pull the two apart or turn the vacuum off. Because of the power in this vacuum, it is slightly an unwieldly beast. When I get it on carpets the brush head pulls itself forward. Which is probably one of the reasons it doesn’t do well with litter on the carpet on the bare floor setting. On the bare floor setting the brushes rotate slower. So, it’s moving forward too fast to really suck up the debris. I’ve found it best, when on carpets, to put your free hand on top of the power head to give you a little more control and move at a slower pace. I’ll give it credit though, you can see where the brush bar has whipped up those carpet fibers to clean. Something I don’t get with the other handheld vacuum. The bend feature is an awesome ability. It allows me to get under low objects. My robot vacuum does great for the living room so I utilize this vacuum in the bedrooms to get under beds and dressers. There’s also a power button instead of a trigger so you don’t have to worry about finger fatigue. The brush bar disengages when the tube is almost perpendicular to the brush bar, which makes maneuvering in short/tight spaces a bit of a pain as you’ll think you’re vacuuming and then notice the green light on the brush bar is off. At least that green light acts as an indicator. I used an uncalibrated sound meter and both vacuums registered about the same dB’s in normal and max suction. The Shark sound profile is a little different though and gives me the impression it’s actually quieter. Run time on one battery is comparable with my other vacuum. Keep in mind I do have an earlier version. The second battery I’m sure helps you contend with today’s version. It would have been nice if they had just figured out how to pack more juice into the batteries since the other guys is doing it with only minor growth in size. Overall, I really do like the vacuum. Between this, my other handheld and the robot vacuum, we haven’t touched our upright in months. It comes with a number of accessories I haven’t really used yet. Eventually I’ll get me the powered mini bar to make it easier to clean the stairs. Because of not being able to wall mount this and the performance with litter on low pile rugs, I did dock it a star. I am comparing that low pile performance versus my other vacuum in normal suction (not max), hence the desire for it to have done better.

Having used corded vacuums all my life, there were three main concerns when it came to a cordless vacuum: power/effectiveness, runtime, and weight. All of these are directly related to the fact that you are working off of a battery, as opposed to constant electrical power. The Shark IONFlex 2X DuoClean IF251 Cord-Free Ultra-Light aims to address all three of these concerns head on. First, it advertises more suction power than what I assume is their primary competitor in this space. The DuoClean part of the name refers to its ability to pick up both fine dust and large debris on carpets and floors. Second, it again advertises a longer runtime against the same competitor, and achieves it by including a second battery and a separate charging dock. This is a smart design choice in my opinion because it gives you the longer (combined) runtime, if needed, but reducing the amount of battery weight that needs to be moved at one time. Which touches on the third concern of weight. The design of the IONFlex seems to balance the overall weight so you don't notice it as much. And again, by providing two batteries you don't have the penalty of moving around twice as much battery when you need the longer runtime. In practice, I found that the IONFlex works as well as advertised and successfully addressed the concerns I had. The vacuum seems powerful enough to get the job done; in fact, it practically pulls itself along with you simply steering it or slowing it down to concentrate on specific areas. Little touches like multiple LEDs make for easy vacuuming within dimly lit (or unlit) areas. It maneuvers very easily and can get underneath most low pieces of furniture without any issues. Similar to our corded Shark Navigator, you'll want to empty the dust cup container often for best results. I also like the ability to use the IONFlex as a handvac for the cars. Overall, the freedom provided by the cordless IONFlex is refreshing. It's nice to be able to just pick it up and go, and not have to worry about holding a power cord and relocating it multiple times. The separate outboard charger means I always have a battery charged up and ready to go, although each battery seems to last longer than I expected. A 5-year warranty (2-years for the battery) is great piece of mind, as well. For anyone wondering, the main difference between the IF251 (this model) and the IF252 is an additional cleaning accessory.

Good vacuum, suction not so great but that's with all cordless vacs. The motor head with two brushes is a great idea, but the motor head is too large compared to a Dyson.

The shark products are awesome, but the battery doesn’t last as long as I need it to. Would not recommend if you have multiple animals or children. Doesn’t have enough power

Presentation The Shark - IONFlex DuoClean IF251 is packaged in a slender box with clear instructions on how to set things up. The unit feels solid when removing it from the box and has an overall clean but not too flashy presentation to go up against the competition. The gross weight of the vacuum leans a little to the heavy side – compared to a Dyson – but considering the size and robustness of the brush unit, I would still qualify the entire system as relatively light weight. Initial Setup Setup was simple and straightforward. Assembling the few pieces were simple and required little effort. The unit comes with 2 battery packs which we fully charged prior to using. This initial battery charge cycle took about 2 hours for each battery. Being the ‘pet version’, this system comes with a full array of attachments which should please most consumers and makes the IONFlex extremely versatile. Performance The electronic controls on the handle assembly are easy to read and easy to use. Multi-speed and carpet vs. solid surface flooring settings at the touch of a button are properly placed – as is the on/off control. The unit is a bit loud in operation – but about as loud as we expected. The dust/dirt collection compartment is properly sized and easy to remove/reinstall. Having two batteries included in this kit is appropriate. At full speed and in carpet mode, we were able to clean two entire rooms – mostly with carpeted flooring – before depleting an entire battery. At the slower speed it can tackle another full room of cleaning – essentially covering our entire 1st floor. The brush/polisher head does drive forward with authority and takes some getting accustomed to but after a few days it felt completely natural in the hand. The flex action of the wand is a really smart feature and another demonstration of Shark ingenuity. It’s nice to have that ‘flexibility’. One important note worth mentioning - the L-ion batteries need to be allowed to cool down prior to charging them back up. You may notice that the two outer LED charging indicators (blue) will flash in unison. This is because the system is warning you that the charging process isn’t going to start and that the battery pack is still too hot internally. Similar products behave the same way but do not have a visual status to the charging state – so kudos to the Shark engineers. Let the batteries sit for 30 minutes before charging if you run them hard to empty and always have the second battery fully charged and ready to go – for big jobs. Summary Pros: Ease of setup. Does a really nice job of cleaning compared to the competition. A great option for anyone with solid flooring.. Plenty of reserve battery power with the addition of the second battery pack but runs long enough on a single battery to clean our entire downstairs comprised of tile and carpeted floors. Relatively small, elegant profile with unobtrusive lighting, easy to use controls. Cons: May be too loud for some folks. May be too heavy for some as well. We can recommend this product as a good way to maintain a healthy and clean home for those with & without pets – especially those with mainly tiled, hardwood or manufactured material flooring. The polishing action of the cleaning head is an ingenious facet to the design. The integrated electronic controls are also well engineered. This Shark product exceeded our expectations.

The Shark IONFlex rep[aces an older cordless vacuum by another manufacturer that I've been using for quite some time and have really loved. The Shark blows the old one away in terms of power and versatility. It is substantially quieter than my old one, the powerhead is smaller (which has its pros and cons depending on your use case), and it is light enough to move around with ease. The vacuum comes with two batteries, which is needed as the advertised life is 11 minutes on max cleaning and 23 minutes on battery saver. In my real world use, these times are pretty close to spot on. As the batteries get some age on them, I expect these numbers to decrease somewhat. I mainly use this machine downstairs in my home which has floor coverings ranging from tile, hardwood and area rugs. It has no trouble transitioning from one to the other. Maneuverability is easy and with the low-profile head, it easily goes under couches, entertainment centers, recliners and kitchen cabinet overhangs. The ability to "flex" the wand lets you get all the way to the wall when going under furniture. The only complaint here is that there is no positive stop or lock with the flex...its either locked straight or freely flexing. I'd like to have seen a mid-way or "all-the-way" lock, but after a couple of uses you can adjust and it works decently well. The handle is relatively long, so if you've got shorter arms, expect the machine to be a good distance in front of you. The seemingly incomplete wand design is why I knocked a star off my rating. Converting to a hand vac takes only a quick press of a button and adding one of the three attachments included in the box--a crevice tool, a dusting wand or a small nozzle (which can be used with or without the brush head as it easily detaches for use on hard surfaces). Emptying the dust bin requires you to remove the hand vac portion and pressing another button. Very simple and intuitive. The bottom of the bin drops open and the dust falls into the can. No muss, no fuss. As I said before, the powerhead is smaller than what I've been used to so cleaning large areas may take a bit longer as you aren't covering as much with each pass. However, the size lets it easily pass between chair legs that otherwise would have to be moved out of the way. That's a plus for me as I'm typically vacuuming around a dining table with 8 chairs, a kitchen table with 4, and several other random chairs placed throughout the various rooms. Not having to move and replace them is a big time saver for me. Finally, I've been impressed by the power of this little guy. It easily pulls dirt, pet and human hair, and whatever else ends up on your floor. It has two rotating heads, one is the standard hard roller with stiff bristles and the other is a softer, dusting-type head. In combination, dirt and debris don't stand a chance.

It works alright as long as you don’t have to vacuum for more then two or three minutes I constantly clean it out with little pickup.

I really liked this Shark vacuum. It was fairly intuitive to put together out of the box. I wished that it would have had a place to store all of the attachments on the unit itself, but it's not a dealbreaker for me. This unit comes with two batteries. If I were designing this unit, I would have either, (a) included two power cords, so that I could plug the vacuum in to charge one battery while the other was on the enclosed charger, or (b) designed the charger to fit both batteries on it simultaneously to charge. As it is, it comes with one charger, one power cord (for use on the charger or vacuum), and two power packs. Having the extra battery is great and now that I have this feature, I'm not sure I'd buy another cordless unit without that feature. I get very geeky about displays on electronics. This vacuum has a super-cool display on the top of the vacuum. There's a large power button in the middle that lights up when activated, then you have visuals telling you when you are on hard floor or carpet modes, and when you are using the different strength settings. Very easy to control while using. The vacuum is self-propelled. It was very easy to push, as it seemed to glide smoothly, almost like it knew where it wanted to go. The unit is quite top heavy, though. This is because the main part of the vacuum is in the part that you hold,. This is also the part you disconnect to get the couch, stairs, etc. Once you get used to it, it's fine, but it took me a moment to acclimate to it. Overall, I think this is one of the best models from Shark. I would order again.

After using this vacuum for a couple of weeks, I can safely say that, while this vacuum has an incredible amount of usable flexibility, the so-so suction power means that I'll still rely primarily on my Dyson for most vacuuming duties. Shark has included a lot of extras in this pack. The best of these included extras has to be the extra battery. Battery life is always an issue with handheld, battery powered vacuums, but this issue is largely mitigated by the fact that you can always have one battery charging while using the unit. Great work, Shark. Additionally, the included attachments cover a wide array of uses and is definitely appreciated. Shark has done a great job making this little vacuum flexible. The wand flexes in both directions, allowing you to reach far under furniture when flexing one way, and stowing the vacuum in a compact state when flexing the other way. To go along with this, the hand held function works really well and is easy to configure. There are quite a few attachments that serve a wide number of purposes, but I primarily use the typical wand attachment or the full size head attachment. The handheld configuration using the full size head is a life savor for doing stairs; you get the full suction power of the vacuum in a form factor that's remarkably easy to use. Speaking of suction power, this is an area where the vacuum left me a bit underwhelmed. There are two suction levels on the handle; power saver and full power. Honestly, I found very little use for the power saver mode, save for quick hard floor dustings. Full power mode works well enough, but at the end of the day, this vacuum doesn't have the kind of suction power akin to my yellow Dyson, and as a result, will more than likely be relegated to stairs duty and car cleanup. The vacuum is incredibly flexible and handles a wide number of scenarios, but in the end, the underwhelming suction power leaves this as a secondary vacuum in my household.

i love having this vacuum. I like that it is battery and that it even comes with 2 batteries. has a few tools that it came with as well. I give it 4.5 stars for a couple reasons. would still be nice to have a long cord to plug in and vacuum. this would be nice in case later on the batteries go bad. my other reason is that it would be nice to have a bag for the tools to store in. but overall I am surprised at how well the vacuum is. it goes on its own when on so it makes it easy to vacuum. if you have beds that are off the ground, the handle folds so you can get under beds and things much easier. you can take it apart in a couple different sections. one to have a much longer wand section to reach higher ceilings and things, or you can leave that part in and just take the top part off and have a much smaller section for like going out to your car maybe just the couch or something. and its not to loud either. and again no cords so very nice to push around and not have to hold a cord. it has 2 options, one for hard floors and one for carpet, and then with each option you can pick to do a basic vacuum suction, or select to allow more power. I also like the color scheme. if you want a great vacuum that is battery operated, this vacuum is the right one for the job then.

First, I have to say that coming with an extra battery is a really great bonus. Having one always charged and ready is fantastic. Very lightweight, Gets into every crevice and quite powerful. Easily cleaned my entire apartment on one charge. The folding ability to be able to get all the way under furniture and the beds is fantastic. Comes right apart and lightweight enough to clean up the whole interior of my car too!! Was even able to suck up some beach sand left behind in the trunk. I have 2 cats so fur is everywhere. Has enough attachments to clean it all up no matter where it is especially in their sleeping spots like the back of the couch. I highly recommend this

We have a Newfoundland. He's big and hairy. We need to vacuum up his shedded hair frequently during the week. The Shark - IONFlex works great for those quick jobs you need to do before company is coming. Extremely easy to put together and operate. Didn't have the need to open instruction booklet at all. Great for doing stairs as you can just detach base and use the pole on wooden stairs. Several attachments are available but haven't had the need to use them yet. Surprisingly, the batteries weren't anywhere near fully charged when they arrived. Had to charge them before doing initial product test. There doesn't appear to be a way to check the power level w/o plugging the battery in. Very maneuverable when using the base. And when you can't get into a tight corner or behind some furniture, just use the want. Dirt receptacle could have been larger but then not as easy to work with. Definitely not the primary vacuum if you have a large hairy dog. However, holds up well with big clumps of hair when you frequently need to do a quick cleanup. I can imagine this as your primary vacuum if you have a MUCH smaller dog that isn't so hairy and you live in an apartment/condo that isn't so large.

The Shark - IONFlex DuoClean IF251 Bagless Cordless Pet Stick Vacuum’s 2X ION Power Pack System Technology Provides more than enough run-time to vacuum a three-bedroom dwelling. The 2X ION Power Pack System includes 2 removable, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and a separate charging dock so you can always have a spare charged battery. The MultiFLEX Technology provides under furniture vacuuming. The MultiFLEX design also allows for freestanding, compact storage – no wall hanger needed. The DuoClean Technology has a bristle brush for deep cleaning carpets, and an additional soft brush roll to suck up larger particles and directly brushes floors for a polished look. It provides floor-to-ceiling flexibility by converting to a handheld vacuum for above floor cleaning, car cleaning, etc. while the Smart Response Technology provides a range of performance-enhancing power settings tailored to your cleaning needs on carpets and hard floors. The vacuum almost feels like it is self-propelled. It is a very nice well-made unit for its price range.

So this is my first cordless/stick vacuum. I must say, I'm really impressed and this will make it much easier to vacuum the stairs and the furniture. The suction/power is very good and the options for hardwood and carpet and to extend battery life are very good as well. I will say that its capacity is minimal so this won't replace your normal upright unless you're ok with removing pet hair 2 or 3 times per house cleaning. (2 bed/2 bath) Additionally, it loses some marks because there is nowhere to attach the attachments on the vacuum. You must find your own storage for them and they're oddly shaped so it may be frustrating in a small closet/pantry. (I know, first world problems right?) In any event, 4 out of 5 stars, would recommend to a friend...if it's on sale.

So far we really like this. Pros: - lights on the front - propels when on carpet mode to help you as you vacuum - has 2 batteries - good carpet suction on area rug compared to a dyson stick vacuum Cons - not equal to a corded vacuum on carpet - the hard to use some of the attachments with the long stick and the dust attachment doesn't angle so you could use above s ceiling fan - when using an attachment they do not click in place so you are not sure if they are on fully or not. Overall this has a good weight and picks up really well On hard floors and area rugs. Decent on carpets. Battery life is pretty good but you get 2 batteries so that is a huge plus.

One of the best stick vacuums I have ever owned. We purchased a Shark stick vacuum for my mother-in-law and I own a Shark rotator lift away; they are great and we love Shark vacuums. Add the IF251 to the list. This is not a replacement for a standard vacuum as the holding capacity for stick vacuums are always less due to the lightweight design and portability. There are different suction settings for max power or extended battery run time. I really love the MultiFLEX design which allows the vacuum to fold over for reaching under harder to reach areas like under beds and cabinets and the folding option is excellent for storage purposes. Comes with 2 batteries, Charger, Charging Dock, Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi Tool, Anti-Allergen Dust Brush. The 2 lithium ion rechargeable batteries allows for one battery to always be charging so that there is no vacuuming downtime. We have cats at home and the IF251 does a solid job of picking up all their loose hair, litter and cat food remains on the floor and carpet. This stick vacuum does a surprisingly good job of picking up larger items off too. I used it on our wood and tile floors as well as the walls and ceilings and it does an amazing job picking up everything considering it is a stick vacuum essentially. It is definitely one of the more pricier stick vacuums but it is seriously is an outstanding value compared to more expensive options like Dyson among some of the elite brands. Again we have owned Shark cleaning products and also a Ninja blender and they have performed beyond our expectations. I highly recommend this IF251 vacuum.

Let me start off my saying that I and the rest of my family have owned a large number of the Dyson handheld vacuums, This is the first handheld since a dustbuster in college that I've owned that isn't a Dyson. Overall I was pretty impressed. Biggest reason that this gets 4 in stead of 5 stars is by comparison to the Dyson V6 Absolute. That vacuum is running cheaper currently than this one with a few elements that are better designed. The V6 Absolute doesn't have the battery power to do your whole house though. Likes: It has two batteries Very powerful suction Like the multiplex for getting under furniture Like the powerhead for carpets. Works very well Like the extend runtime and power max carpet vs hardwood floors etc. Like the duo clean floor nozzle Like the dust brush Cover to rollers comes off easily Dislike That I can't take the brushroll out. And that hair and string need to be cut off the roll. Don't like that I cannot hang it on the wall and that batteries need to be charged on a flat surface which means that batteries will be forever sitting on my counter. And vacuum will need to be stored in a closet. Much easier to hang and charge at the same time.