Shark Rotator Lift-Away Upright Vacuum with HEPA Filter, White/Red, NV501

I have owned many vacuum cleaners in my life, and a lot of them have been Sharks, and I have to say the classic Shark designs like this rotator, and the original Navigator Lift Away series, are easily the best shark upright vacuums. This vacuum was first introduced in 2012, the upgrade from the navigator lift away first introduced in 2010. Both of these vacuums are still available today over a decade later, and I love that. If it ain’t broke dont fix it. These older sharks are so much better than the newer ones with Duoclean and power fins, and zero M. Ive owned, a Shark powered lift away speed with duo clean, and a shark vertex with power fins and duo clean. Both broke after 4 years and were very expensive. But my shark navigators from 2013 are still going strong. I had this rotator model before as well, but I gave it to a friend. I decided to buy another one because I really feel like the rotator is a good step up from the navigators since it has headlights, a stretch hose and a better bin design and more. If you are in the market for a shark upright vacuum get this one or one of the original navigators! Since I’m reviewing the rotator I’ll note some things about it. It is very powerful, amazing suction, very lightweight, very easy to use, cleans well, and is all around a great vacuum. Another thing I like about it is how easy it is to clean, change the filters, wash the hose, clean the brushroll and it’s basically a new machine. And another thing, I have 2 dogs and this tackles pet hair, on hard floors and carpets no problem. If you want to save money get one of the shark navigator lift aways, they're all pretty much the same but the professional has a bigger dust bin. But if you don’t want to settle, get this one, and you can expect to love it for years to come.

I have never bothered to write a review before. That being said, I had to review this vacuum cleaner. I've always been loyal to Dyson. But their products changed. Then I tried different vacuums like Hoover and Eureka. I figured that those old tried and true names would have a good products. Nope. So, I started looking for any brand that got top reviews. I came across this Shark. I was impressed with the reviews. So I bought it. I took it out of the box, put it together, and immediately started vacuuming. It is fantastic. It's of solid construction. The suction is wonderful. It gets right in it. So much so, that my carpet looks nice and plush. It gets right up to the baseboards. Nothing gets left behind. It works as well on bare floors too. The lift-away aspect and and tools are great. The only thing I could possibly complain about is it's weight. I'm 68, so I find it to be a bit heavy. But, that's what you get with a solidly made product. Regardless of the weight, I would still recommend buying this Shark vacuum. It's worth every penny. You won't be disappointed.

Having grown frustrated with myself for only finding time and motivation to write a review when I'm disappointed with something, I wanted to seize this opportunity to sing the praises of this remarkable machine!!We bought this vacuum to replace an Oreck Touch which had failed . . . again. Odd thing: I've always regarded Oreck as a 'top shelf' product, and heard good things about their customer service -- while I've always perceived Shark to be a cheaply made, lower-end product... I have been proven profoundly wrong on both counts!While I have had no need to interact with Shark's customer service so far, I couldn't be more pleased with the thoughtful overall design, imaginatively useful features, and surprising feel of quality I'm experiencing with this vacuum.One of our foremost gripes with our prior vacuum had been its absurd vulnerability to clogging if you ever tried to have it pick up anything larger than an eyelash... (Yeah, okay... That's a bit of hyperbole -- but even being more careful about what we expected it to pick up than we felt we needed to be, it would clog on virtually EVERY use.) THIS vacuum is proving a wonderful contrast to that experience! Last night I was using the wand to reach some dust-bunnies behind the toilet in my girls' bathroom and inadvertently sucked up one of those protective plastic caps you need to remove from a stick of antiperspirant before use. As I heard it get sucked up, I immediately thought, "Oh, crap! How much of this machine am I going to have to dismantle in order to find the spot where this thing will become trapped?!!" Following the suction path through the hoses and 'elbows', etc, I came up empty -- until I finally noticed the cap reposing in the dust container, 'comfortably' nestled into the dust and dog hair! THAT truly impressed me!Additionally, the headlights on the base are both well placed and bright enough to be of real use! Particularly on bare floors, where they illuminate any debris or hair, etc. amazingly well. This makes it easier to discern the areas of floor still in need of attention. And, even on bare floors, it does a terrific job of picking up whatever -- from pet hair to fine dust. The easily detachable wand makes grabbing debris behind dresser legs, etc a breeze. The ability to detach the handle portion of the hose FROM the wand makes use of the brush attachment (or furniture attachment) quick and easy to wield. Lamp shades and bases etc are receiving far more frequent (and quicker!) attention because this is so much easier than I'm used to! Oh, and it's SO much quieter than I've grown to expect!The dust container is easy to remove and empty. Opening at both ends, there are no cavities where hair can get trapped. (On our previous vacuum, this would ALWAYS require getting your hands filthy, necessitating digging well up into the container with your fingers to remove large wads of hair and dust trapped by the design of the inner cone). Every time I empty this, I am so pleased with how simple, quick and relatively clean the task is!Our last vacuum's filters became clogged after nearly every use. This vacuum's filter chamber has a sticker affixed to it recommending the filters be cleaned once every three months. And based on what I'm observing so far (nearly three weeks in), it looks like that will be about right.(I ended up literally throwing away our previous vacuum with three years left on its warranty. Though we had given those dang filters FAR more attention than they should have deserved--while there was VERY little discussion in their literature given to emphasizing that priority--the repair agent informed us that this second warranty repair for the same problem (loss of suction--even when the filters had just been cleaned--and a strong ozone odor) in a very short period of time, was being denied 'because we had failed to adequately service the filters'!! Already, the Shark is proving a vastly superior design, and I'm experiencing none of the frustration with the filters that had become 'par for the course' previously.)The "Lift Away" feature is a real bonus. By pressing one button, the canister (lighter in weight than I'd have expected) lifts away from the floor base to become a 'carry-along' unit, making reaching for cobwebs high on a wall or ceiling, etc a quick and simple task. And if a 'roll-along' canister vac is your preference, there is a thoughtfully designed wheeled-base provided for such use. Some reviews have noted this unit's propensity to tip over -- and if you're using the wand for reaching things while the vacuum is still in 'upright mode', that is true. But I haven't found that to be an issue if you're using the roll-around base.So far, the only "con" I can think of is that the canister portion of the vacuum is bulky enough to prevent it from reaching very far under furniture -- like say, a bed or coffee table. Given all the other upsides there are though, that seems a pretty small downside. And there is a full-width floor attachment that can be connected to the wand making reaching far under such items quite easy.So congratulations Shark! You're really changed my mind! I never thought I'd find myself gushing with enthusiasm over one of your products. But I'm really enjoying using this. I'm very impressed! You might have gotten a boost from our bitter experience with your competitor's product -- but I sincerely think you deserve nearly all the credit. This is a terrific machine! Well done!___________________Follow-up:About nine months later, and I still couldn't be happier with this machine! It still feels solid, performs incredibly well, and has been so easy to live with! Sometimes we buy things that look good at first blush, but it doesn't take long for them to start falling apart. NOT true with this vacuum! Even the pieces that usually bind or break, such as the small rollers on the leading edge of the pick-up head, are still fully intact and have never gotten bound with dog hair, like I believe every prior vacuum we've ever owned did. I'm still very impressed, Shark! Well done!!!

Over the years I have had MANY vacuums. All have left me disappointed.I haven't asked for much, just a well made vacuum that can handle daily cleaning in a home with 4 cats, a Corgi who sheds 365, 24/7 and 2 small kids. I wanted a vacuum with multi tools, all the buttons within easy reach and powerful.Finally, I have found it!It's been a few weeks since I purchased this and couldn't be happier!It handles cleaning like a BEAST! Switches between floor and rugs/carpets at the press of a button, has adjustable suctions, is solid, not too big and best part? Was on sale for $199, so excellent value for money!I just used the lift away feature to vacuum on top of kitchen cabinets and in tricky corners like a pro. The performance and versatility on this vacuum is insane.It IS a little heavier than other vacuums I've tried but not so heavy that it's an issue, it moves along like a breeze.The amount of pet hair it sucks up is incredible, not even my dyson picked up that much and my home has never looked cleaner.Shark, you have a customer forever.

i really like this vacuum except they changed the lift-away design - you can't plug the handle directly into the base unit like i could on my old shark rotator. i miss that feature bc it was great for cleaning steps. also the cord is a bit shorter than my old shark and they cheaped out on the upholstery attachment - instead of having long bristles it basically has a felt pad around the outside. lightweight and easy to maneuver. not sure if it will last the 20+ years my old shark did (and still kicking!) but it does a *much* better job on hard floors (litter in particular - it actually picks it up instead of spitting it out the back). i *love* that i never have to cut bales of hair off the beater bar again. it has 3 sensors - a dirt sensor which handily tells you when you've vacuumed a spot well enough, an edge sensor so that it suctions from the sides, and a hard floor/carpet sensor that does a very good job of knowing what surface it's on. i have mixed feelings about the automatic mode - it ramps power up and down depending on whether it's detecting dirt so it's a little annoying to listen to. it even has a refillable air freshener on it. it cleans quite well in my experience so far and amazon had a pretty good price on it (though i still think the asking price is a bit high).

I run a small cleaning company and we are loyal to this vacuum, period. It is outstanding in every way.> The suction is insane and gets up so much dirt.> The dual mode for carpet and hard floors is simple and effective.> The wand is long and strong, easy to remove, and removing it from the base makes detail work so easy.> It’s simple to repair and maintain - from the filters to the access to remove clogs.> The price point is great and the value is significant.We have tried others, but for years now, this is what we use and recommend to our clients. 10/10

A little background. I live with two cats. I have both hardwood floors and carpet. My furniture is velour with soft cushions. I use Tidy Cats clumping litter for two litter boxes. Tidy Cats is a round pellet type litter and it gets everywhere. The cats, while short haired, shed quite a lot and I've only just been keeping up with the shed fur with regular vacuuming, grooming and sticky rolls. In short I desperately needed a new vacuum, but which one? I could take out a thirty year mortgage and buy a Dyson, but everything I've read says that there are several very good alternatives available to this. Ok, so once again, which one? After reading Micheal Flux's(thanks Michael!) review and the fact that it's almost less than half the Dyson DC41 Animal Complete I decided to purchase the Shark.This is going to be in initial review of the machine, I'm hoping to update it as I use it more and more.First of all, I was surprised at how easy it was to put together. The unpacking took more time than the actual assembly. Second, the tools it came with are not only functional, but easy to maintain. The pet tool for example has an access hatch that allows you to clean or free anything caught on the brush. Lastly, it's lighter than I expected. I know that this may seem like a small thing, but after using it to clean my entire apartment I was glad for the lighter poundage.Ok, so now it's set up and we're ready to clean. It's very quiet as compared to my other vacuum. The swivel feature takes a little getting used to, but once you do this machine is just fantastic on floors. Cleaning up errant cat litter on hard surfaces or carpet and in between every little nook and cranny this vacuum took it all up and left nothing behind. Now it's not a miracle machine. I did have to go over some of the carpet areas more than once. Next I used the flexible brush wand to "dust" a bit. Window sills, curtains and ceiling corners were all left behind clean. I was impressed. But how well will it perform on my furniture. I eased into using the pet tool by vacuuming my recliner. It's a smoother cloth and the pet tool did remarkably well. No hair left behind. Ok, onto the couch and loveseat. Both collect a ton of pet hair. I put the pet tool to work and got the seat cushions and the arms of the couch. The tool is a bit large and can be tough to negotiate, but the learning curve isn't steep and I was soon cleaning everything well. On the softer back cushions it took several passes, but I expected that seeing as how the cushions are soft like pillows. I very much doubt that even the Dyson could have picked up every hair in one pass. It took a bit of time for me to finish both and as I later looked at them there was still a bit of hair on the back cushions, but I believe that to be my fault and not the vacuums.I only emptied the canister once and while it was nearly full the vacuum never hinted that it was running out of suction. It was easy to dump and then seal back up.Ok, now for the super final test. I pulled off my shoes and socks to see if I had missed anything and to see how well my new vacuum had performed. I walked everywhere I vacuumed and didn't step on one loose piece of litter. Wow!! Ok, now I'm impressed. I figured the carpeted areas would be ok, but hard floors can be difficult. I had to use a swiffer dry just to get all of the litter out of the corners when using my old vacuum. I was really impressed with the job it did on my floors.So, if you're in the market for a powerful versatile vacuum, take a serious look at the Shark.December 16, 2012 ******UPDATE!!******So after a few weeks with the Navigator I wanted to give an update. I used it a few times during the week and it gets easier to use and cleans better each time I use it. I thought that the pet brush was going to require a learning curve to use and while it does it's definitely a short one. I have been able to clean my couch, loveseat and recliner in two or three passes at this point. Now I want to give it a real workout. I let the vacuuming go for two weeks. I would dust pan up the loose litter from my cats, but no vacuuming. It was definitely a trial for all of us. At the end of two weeks I had enough shed cat hair on my couch to have made another cat and there was practically no corner of the apartment where there wasn't litter. Ok, this is a definite work out for any vacuum. I figured that there was no way that I was going to get all the cat hair up and have the floors pass my barefoot test. So I set the navigator to the task. I did have to make extra passes on the floor to get up all the litter, but it did get every piece up and the floors did pass my barefoot test. Next onto the furniture. Again extra passes were required to get at all of the cat hair and since I did let it go I had to give them an extra cleaning, but lo and behold everything is once again fur free. I am impressed. At this point I would have to wonder how much better Dyson or Miele would have to clean in order to beat the results I've been getting with the Navigator.

Edit 10/4/19 - I have had this vacuum for 2-ish years now. I still love it. Like love, love it. Might marry it, have to check into the laws of my state. Definitely have gotten my moneys worth, and not in a weird way just in a it's-lasted-2-years-and-still-cleans-my-house way.-----------------------------I am going to review this item just for those Dyson Animal fans. We have owned a Dyson Animal with the ball for about 7 years. I have noticed the last few years that it was not sucking up as much, and if I looked closely at my carpet after vacuuming there was plenty of dog hair left. My mom has one of the old Animals, sans ball, and it seems to still be kicking ass and taking names, so I have been pretty bummed that mine died before hers.That brings me to Black Friday, 2017. I had been considering purchasing another Dyson and was searching through deals. I had seen on a local Facebook group that a bunch of moms were raving about the Shark, so I read some reviews. At a sale price of $125, I figured I'd give it a shot and if I hated it I'd sell it to some mom at a profit. Win-win.Then the vacuum showed up, and I don't think I have ever loved another piece of equipment this much. Actually, I really like my palm sander, but this is a very close second.Things I hated about my Dyson are fixed with this vacuum...they are:1. The Shark has a ridiculously long cord. I have a 1400 sq-ft house and I can vacuum almost the entire thing (minus bedrooms) from one outlet. With the Dyson, I couldn't get to the last foot of my kitchen without moving the cord, so we are all pretty excited to not have to sweep that section anymore (don't be judgmental, you're just as lazy).2. It is so damn quiet. Now mind you, I attempted to "fix" our Dyson, so for the last two months it's made this terrible grinding noise, but even before that it was a pretty loud vacuum. My husband and I had a full on conversation while we were testing out the Shark, and we didn't even have to yell at each other. That's pretty neat.3. It is very lightweight. I have a bad back and shoving the Dyson around was pretty annoying. Also, as previously mentioned, I'm pretty lazy so I like to vacuum the dog beds without having to use attachments (yes, I literally vacuum them as if they are part of the floor...just roll over those suckers). The shark is super light so getting them onto the dog beds is a cinch. You can even pick up, stick it on the couch, and BOOM, clean couch.4. It has this super awesome bright light on the front of it. The kind of light that people put in headlights and it's too bright and obnoxious and should probably be illegal, but on a vacuum it's really great. LED? I don't know or care, it's just bright, and that's helpful.5. I vacuumed my house with my Dyson prior to starting up the Shark and holy Mother of God. The amount of dog hair this thing picked up was astronomical (and we vacuum multiple times a week. Lazy doesn't mean gross, people, it just means I work smart not hard). My carpet felt fluffy, looked brand new, and everything just feels cleaner.6. Have you ever attempted to change the filter in the Dyson? Did you know there are two of them? And one of them is located inside the ball. Have you ever attempted to get that out of the ball? Well it's a doozy. Guess where the filter is on the Shark? Oh, only the most easy to reach convenient location. It's not even hidden. They make it glaringly obvious like hey, this filter is dirty, change it.7. The dust holding container lifts off of the vacuum and you can walk away with it. Pick it up in one hand, use the hand attachment in the other, vacuum your stairs, vacuum your ceiling, vacuum your dog, whatever. You don't have to haul the stupid vacuum up and down the stairs anymore, which would have been useful 1.5 years ago when I was 7 months pregnant, living in a split-level.All-in-all, even if this vacuum lasts me only 2 years, it was inexpensive compared to the $500 I spent on the Dyson.$500/7 years= $71.43 per year.$125/2 years=$62.5 per year.If it lasts longer than two years then I will have hit the jackpot. Especially considering since the Dyson has never, ever picked up dog hair like this Shark does, not even right out of the box.

Excelente aspiradora, buena potencia de aspirado, la recomiendo totalmente

Tengo 2 años con el y no he tenido ningun problema con el funcionamento. Lo que si es que hay que darle el mantenimiento de limpieza a las esponjas para que no el motor no se apague. Es un producto bastante bueno!!!! Vale la pena pagarlo!

Best vacuum I've ever owned, only thing better was the earlier model that was blue. Versatile, lots of options, powerful and easy to maneuver. Heavier then some but lighter then a Dyson. I love that it comes apart in so many places in case of a clog and a lot of the parts are relatively user friendly to replace

Excelente producto, tengo dos perros y levanta perfectamente los pelitos. Mi casa se aspira todos los días y es ligera para traerla por toda la casa, incluyendo escaleras.

So far I've been happy with it. It picks up cat litter with a lot less scattering than my old vaccuum and is pretty good at getting stuff at the edges of walls and in corners. The hand tools have good suction unlike my old vaccuum. The lift away canister feature is handy. I do find it feels a bit heavier to use than my old vaccuum because the full weight tilts forward onto the handle when vaccuming instead of the canister balancing on the base, but it does a good job.