Shark W1, Handheld Vacuum, Lightweight at 1.4 Pounds with Powerful Suction, ION Charging Dock, Single Touch Empty and Detachable Dust Cup (WV201), Graphite

Price: £107.74
(as of Aug 15,2024 09:11:01 UTC – The Shark WANDVAC Cord-Free Handheld Vacuum combines lightweight portability with the incredible suction power of a high-speed brushless motor. Weighing just 1.4 lbs., this lightweight handheld vacuum boasts a tapered nozzle for easy debris pickup and two accessories for tackling pet hair, upholstery, and tight spaces. Between cleanings, return your vacuum to the charging dock for fast recharging. Fast cleaning, always ready when you need it. The Shark WANDVAC: Extraordinary power for the everyday mess. Wattage – 120.Amps: 11.1
Dust cup capacity 0.08 quarts; Unbelievable suction delivered by a high speed, brushless motor
Ultra lightweight and balanced hand vacuum at just 1.4 pounds for maneuverability and easy cleaning
Tapered nozzle for easy pickup of large debris and fine dust
Zero in on tight spaces and car cleaning with the duster crevice tool and use the multi surface tool for upholstery, carpets, and pet hair
Ion charging dock for quick access, fast charging and convenient accessory storage. Cleaning path width-3.6 inch
)

Reviewer: Arlene Jones
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Returned item.
Review: Nothing wrong with the cleaner I’ve had one before. It’s very powerful. Unfortunately it came from America with an American plug. I wasn’t prepared to pay for an adapter .

Reviewer: paul catlin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Brilliant
Review: Excellent product very useful

Reviewer: catherine
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Stopping working already
Review: Can’t claim through warranty as takes you to a Chinese site. Item already stopped working after a couple of months

Reviewer: barbara nardia bryant
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Handheld.
Review: I am very pleased with it but it came with a weird plug and needed an adaptor before I could use it.

Reviewer: Blade runner
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: No UK plug on it! 🤨
Review: Works well but need an adapter for the plug! Doesn’t tell you that in the blurb when buying it! 😠

Reviewer: Rodger Slape
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fitted with a USA plug not suitable for the UK.
Review: Fitted with a USA plug not suitable for the UK. Would it work efficiently with an adaptor using UK power supply…who knows. Ridiculous selling this into the UK market. Complete waste of time and effort. Took weeks to get here and now weeks to return and get a refund. Do not recommend. Buy something suitable for the UK market

Reviewer: alan d mirror
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title: WRONG CLEARANCE VERSION FROM USA CANNOT PLUG IN ..IN UK
Review: THE MODEL I WAS SENT WAS A DISCONTINUED MODEL FROM THE USA.IT HAD AN AMERICAN PLUG FITTED..SO I COULD NOT USE IT I HAVE RETURNED IT ..IF YOU COULD CHASE THE REFUND FOR ME I WOULD BE GRATEFULREGARDSA D ZIFF

Reviewer: Ms. L. A. Lebrun
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Sadly not able to use as American plug.
Review: I spoke to Amazon and they resolved my problem.Really light and comfy to hold.Great value.

Reviewer: Hannah M
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This vacuum SUCKS. Which is a good thing for a vacuum! It has a decent amount of power in such a small package. I love how easy it is to clean, and it is so easy for my elderly client to control/lift/clean. He was getting so frustrated with the hair balls left behind by his yellow lab that he needed something to do quick pick ups in between professional cleans. This vacuum has an awesome little charging station, and the set up is quite easy to store in a cupboard when not in use. I wouldn’t say it’s excellent at vacuuming up dog hair off of thick carpet but I know it’s not really meant for that, so I wasn’t exactly disappointed. This is the ideal vacuum for picking up crumbs and rogue dust bunnies. Would recommend to others who need a compact, yet powerful vacuum for quick tidying.

Reviewer: Claudette Raymond
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This vacuum is lightweight but is powerful enough to pick up all of the debris. It’s great in the house as well and for the vehicle. It gets into tight spots and gets the dirt up.

Reviewer: Reggie
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This vacuum is indeed nice and lightweight. Looks great and is very easy to clean. The suction power is also quite good. It’s not as powerful as other more heavy duty vacuums but one cannot expect that type of power for this sort of product (it’s just not realistic given the design). But still very good suction power. My only problem is the battery life is way too low. After no more than 5-8 mins of operating, give or take, the battery power turns to low and requires charging. So the battery life is very low. This is surprising given it’s brand new. But otherwise I’m happy overall.

Reviewer: A good customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Mother owns many shark things, stick vac and handvac, has used them and raved about the power and dust she gets cleaning with them for over 10 years, now I am onboard with same tools plus this one now. Many uses, sure its loud but I don’t care it works great and like all my other shark products it has great suction. The filter captures all dust going in and is easy to disassemble and clean with compressed air. I bought additional filters as well. One touch dumping is easy, it saves me from lugging a giant vacuum hose or larger stick vacuum around the house for crumbs and dust. IMPORTANT: Manual calls for complete discharge after first charge to condition battery this is critical don’t ignore instructions READ THEM good people. Averages about 12-15 minutes for continuous use which is more than enough for multi level spot cleaning. I still have a cheapie one for car this one is too nice to do anything but the seats in my auto I don’t want to gum it up with mud/salt too much haha. Pro tip the exhaust air doubles as a blower of dust works well for tight spaces then I suck it alll uppppp.

Reviewer: Dallas Electronics Fan
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Consumer Reports was my first stop before purchasing this. They’re a great first step before purchasing something you have no experience with. This is a CR top pick. Vacuum Wars is also good resource.Side note: Immediately after unpacking and before charging, remove the filter housing and look at the label that lies underneath. There appears to be 3-4 versions of the WV201, all advertised as the WV201 in the primary advertising. You’ll have to dig a bit to find which version. Poor marketing from Shark and/or Amazon.I have two of these. One of the hidden labels ID’s the model number as ‘WV201 14’ and the other ‘WV201 U4’. They are virtually identical in external appearance. Both were advertised as WV201. No distinction between the two in the primary advertising which is probably safe to say as far as most consumers are likely to go. The ‘WV201 14’ is rated at 10.8v and the ‘WV201 U4’ at 7.2v. Both were advertised as new, not used.The docks are likewise identical externally but have different wall warts. The ‘WV201 14’ wall wart is rated at 13.3v and 0.9a and the ‘WV201 U4’ wall wart is rated at 9.6v and 500mA.This is important for three reasons. If you have two in the same household and accidentally place one in the wrong charger, it probably won’t be dangerous but may lead to charging issues as I found out. When swapped, I got a continuous double blink from the vac’s LED and it didn’t charge.The batteries have the same form factor and are interchangeable. If you buy a replacement battery look carefully at the voltage before buying. The WV201 U4 battery is rated at 7.2v and the WV201 14 at 10.8v. When the 7.2v battery is inserted into the WV201 14 vac, it won’t power on.Lastly, the ‘WV201 14 has noticeably more suction than the ‘WV201 U4’. The review below is for the more powerful WV201 14. The ‘WV201 U4’ gets the job done but in comparison, the ‘WV201 14’ will be more effective for things like pet fur on cloth and carpet and pulling out debris from recessed areas.When used side by side, the difference is very noticeable. If you do not receive a WV201 with the higher power and with the accessory mounts in the dock, I’d suggest returning it. In my view, you’ll be justified in doing so given the muddled marketing.To differentiate the 201 variants, Shark should clearly identify these with different model numbers.Short take:Truly powerful suction for a hand held. Sophisticated external design. Ergonomically excellent. The important part: as long as the filter is removed and cleaned *frequently* and the tank is emptied more frequently than you would with a larger vac, expect reliable long term performance. The filter is very small and not as forgiving about being cleaned compared to larger vacs with larger filters. Filter removal and cleaning is easy, ~1-2 minute process. Great product. After ~15 months of usage, very happy customer.Long take.Probably stating the obvious, this is a great product in its swim lane but it won’t replace a more capable vac with a larger ingress point, larger tank and more power. This is first and foremost a supplemental cleaning device for short duration vacuuming of small, light and dry debris. That said, I’ve found that it has enough performance overlap with larger and more powerful vacs to dramatically reduce the need for a larger vac.I like that it can be staged just about anywhere without drawing attention to itself. It’s a design I’d expect from a Scandinavian or German design studio. It doesn’t look like a science project or a Fisher Price child’s toy as so many cordless hand vacs do.The motor is surprisingly powerful and more than up to the task of what this seems to be designed for. You’ll get a confidence inspiring palm slap when testing it with your hand. The suction is strong enough to hang it from your palm.Ergonomically, it’s nearly perfect. It’s long enough to reach the floor without having to stoop as much as you would with many other handheld vacs. Very comfortable to use. With the ~6 inch crevice tool attached, you’ll have additional reach for both floors and ceilings.Given the dock, it’s always ready to go. No preparation required. The dock is a tip back design which saves some vertical space. It measures 15” tall when docked. It fit easily underneath my kitchen countertop cabinets. The accessories mount single file behind the vac which keeps the front profile low. It mounts quickly and easily in the dock. No issues aligning with the charging contacts in the dock. It drops into place every time.The passageway into the collection tank measures approximately 1/4″ x 1″. Although this seems large enough for a variety of debris, my experience is that it has trouble pulling in solid objects larger and heavier than a pea.It does well with refrigerator debris, small onion skin remnants, packaging remnants, crumbs, coffee and pepper grounds, etc. It’s great for pet food crumbs and fur on hard floors, table and counter top debris, and window sills. It has the reach and slim size to work well in drawers and cabinets. It’s also great for debris on and around stove tops. It did a fair job with spider webs. Probably great for cat litter too.It’s a decent basic car vac for anything within its reach. For detailing and to remove ground in debris, a more powerful and corded hose vac with a crevice tool and other attachments is a better choice. A corded vac will also provide unlimited run time. Most cordless hand vacs seem to have run times of about 9-15 minutes at high power which won’t be enough for some to get the job done.It might be the ultimate stairs vac. Light, one hand to use, the other to brace yourself as you move up the stairs. No cord to trip on or hose to manage. Good for everyone but great for people that might be a bit unsteady on their feet. The pet hair attachment exceeded my expectations on a thinly carpeted stairway and was almost as effective as using a powered beater brush. It did a great job of removing embedded dog fur from the stairs.Good insect capture device too – confirmed once with a large slow moving gnat on a wall and later with a medium sized cockroach on my garage floor. Large cockroaches might not make it through the intake into the tank but the suction will be enough to keep it attached to the intake until you dispose of it.Good bathroom vac. Stray hairs, nail clippings, small pieces of packaging, etc. I tried vacuuming single sheets of single ply TP. It pulled one sheet in easily, two stacked sheets pretty well but with three stacked sheets I had to help push it in. If you try this, remove the TP immediately after. The TP will block the filter intake and block air flow to the motor and exhaust.Photoshop alert: The advertised picture of this pulling in a torrent of cereal from about 3 inches off of a counter top was almost certainly created in Shark’s art department. It’s more than up to the task of vacuuming the cereal but you’ll have to be closer. To be fair, vacs rapidly lose effectivity with distance. Even an inch can mean dramatically reduced suction. I’m not sure my 12 gallon, 5.5 horsepower shop vac would be able to do what the advertised picture shows.If vacuuming a lot of hair and pet fur on cloth and carpets is the primary battle, a more powerful corded vac with a hose attachment and beater brush is a better choice. Or a cordless handheld with a powered beater brush. For short duration clean ups, the WV201 and pet tool attachment works surprisingly well.Shark sells another cordless model called the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus. I purchased this for a family member and can attest to its effectiveness with pet fur, hair and general debris. Compared to the WV201 wandvac, it’s larger, doesn’t have quite as much suction and does not have a user replaceable battery. That said, it has a surprisingly powerful motorized (not suction powered) anti-tangle beater brush attachment which is highly effective at what it’s designed for.The UltraCyclone is usually about about 20 dollars less than the WV201. With the motorized anti-tangle brush doing most of the work agitating and releasing debris, having a lot of suction isn’t as important. Two others to consider based on good reviews are the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum and the Black+Decker 20V Max Dustbuster AdvancedClean+ Handheld Pet Vacuum.Frequent emptying of the tank will be required for optimal performance. I’d suggest emptying it after every use. Hold it over a trash can, release the access door and gently tap out the debris. Best to visually check the interior when doing this. Occasionally things like a small leaf or piece of plastic will hang and have to be pulled out. ~10-15 seconds from start to finish. Note that the tank door doesn’t always spring open fully. A light push or tap will be required when this happens. The tank door is removable which allows for easier cleaning.The filter should be cleaned frequently, significantly more so than larger vacs with larger tanks and filters which are more forgiving about the frequency of cleaning. I usually remove the filter and tap it out over a sink after about 4-5 uses. Doing so is quick and easy, ~1-2 minutes from start to finish. I occasionally take it outside along with another filter from another vacuum and blow out the filters and vacuums with compressed air. If you don’t have a compressor, a can of compressed air works just about as well for this filter but for larger filters, inadequate. A leaf blower works faster and is more effective. Be careful about getting too close or using too much power.The filter is easy to remove but it takes a little technique.Step one: release the tank access door so it is fully open.Step two: With interlocked or overlapping fingers, cup the vac in both hands so the open tank is facing you.Step three: use both thumbs to push the filter housing out and into the tank.Step four: remove the filter housing from the tank.Step five: remove the filter from the filter housing. When new, the filter housing can a little hard to push out but it smooths a bit with usage and becomes easier.The filter that ships with this Shark is HEPA compliant. This is unusual for cordless hand vacs. The Vacuum Wars site did roundup of 15 cordless hand vacs in 2021. Only four did well with the HEPA test. This was one of the four that did well. HEPA compliance means that it will filter 99.97% of debris down to 0.30 microns. For reference, a human hair is roughly 70.00 microns thick and there are 25,400.00 microns per inch. I consider HEPA filtration to be a baseline requirement for indoor residential vacuum cleaners. it’s good to know that the nearly invisible debris that HEPA filters catch is not passing through and going airborne. If you’re sensitive to airborne allergens and dust, HEPA filtration is important.Use caution when buying third party replacement filters within Amazon. Definitely read through the advertising and specs before purchasing. There are quite a few third party options but not all mention HEPA filtration.As of this writing, Shark charges $15.95 for one filter in its website. Unknown what the shipping charges are if any. Reference filter model # XHFWV200. Shark’s Amazon store front currently charges $24.95 for one filter. Third party suppliers sell multi-packs for far less. The least expensive I found was 8 for $15.95 or about $2.00 per. The only downside is that it’s almost impossible to know if third party filters from mystery suppliers are manufactured to the same performance/filtration specs as the original.Against Shark usage recommendations, I tried vacuuming small 13 mm steel screws but it wouldn’t pick them up. Not enough surface area for the vac to catch them I suppose. The filter’s housing completely protects the filter material from being directly hit with larger debris so it seemed reasonable to try. There’s a metal screen that acts as a 1st stage filter.Among the ‘DO NOTS’ in the manual, Shark cautions end-users that this should not be used for drywall dust, fireplace ash, screws, nails, glass shards, etc. I’d add finely ground powders such as flour, talcum powder, baby powder, etc. Finely ground powders and ash will become impacted in the filter and cut off airflow to the motor. When this happens, the motor can overheat.If finely ground powders and fireplace ash need to be vacuumed on a regular basis, an ash vac or shop vac with the appropriate filtration (HEPA bag followed by a HEPA filter to be safe) should be used. These are somewhat generic warnings given that most if not all indoor residential vacuums should not be used for these things. That said, you can probably get away with vacuuming very small amounts of powders if the filter is removed immediately after, tapped out or blown out. Maybe even washed given that the filters are washable. Regardless, not recommended for this or any indoor residential vac.I read an Amazon review that said this was loud. Compared to other vacs I’ve used over the years, this seems to be marginally quieter than others I’ve used. I’m unfairly comparing this to larger vacs for the most part. Perhaps high-end vacs from companies such as Miele offer truly quiet vacs but I can’t say from experience. Vacs are just loud. The only household vac I’ve used that was nearly silent was a whole-house model with the canister permanently mounted and isolated in the basement and a network of hose ports for an electric beater brush attachment installed around the house.Nitpick: The exhaust ports are side mounted and can stir up dust when working in tight spaces. A hose vac is a better choice for this type of cleaning. On the upside, this will reach into areas that many other hand vacs will not. Perhaps future revs of this vac will baffle or re-route the exhaust ports in such a way to mitigate this. Not an issue ~95% of the time.The instructions say to turn it on immediately after purchase and let it run until the battery is depleted. After doing so, it should be docked until it is fully charged. I didn’t find anything in the manual about having to condition the battery more than once after unpacking it. It probably wouldn’t hurt to do so once in a while but maybe not necessary. If you’re experiencing run time issues and have ruled out a clogged or highly restricted filter, it wouldn’t hurt to turn it on, let it run until depleted and then put it in the dock and try again after it’s fully charged.It should be docked at all times when not in use. Shark customer service says a charge is good for 9+ minutes. A video review I watched seems to confirm a run time of about 9.5 minutes. I haven’t measured but experience with many other battery powered devices points in the direction of advertised info being somewhat optimistic or measured in a laboratory-like environment under ideal conditions with a new battery. Maybe not tested at all and calculated based on the motor’s power draw and battery specs. Probably best to assume that a charge is good for ~90% of advertised in real-world conditions. Li batteries lose capacity over time with charge cycles so a year or two in, expect less. If the battery fails out of the warranty period, Shark sells replacements. There are also third-party options.Note that among the customer reviews in Amazon, you’ll read two types of complaints about the battery life for this vac. One has to do with battery life of only about 8-10 minutes. This is normal. Shark says this will provide 9+ minutes of run time so the estimated 8-10 minute complaint is a non-issue.Note that *all* battery powered vacs, floor and handhelds, rarely get over 15 minutes of run time *at high power*. Those that advertise more are measuring at low power or using questionably effective variable power schemes. With cordless floor vacs especially, even a modestly priced corded vac will have more power (usually), have unlimited run time and will probably have a longer service life. Until there’s a breakthrough in battery tech, cordless floor vacs are still very much niche products. Little more than an old school carpet sweeper in my experience.The other type of reviewer complaint has to do with the vac powering itself down very quickly after turning it on. I have this model and the WV403BR. It’s likely that the WV201 has a thermistor or logic circuitry that will shut it down if airflow is reduced to a point where the motor starts to overheat. This is why it’s important to empty the tank and clean the filter frequently. Doing so will keep airflow optimal.I’ll speculate that the reviewers were not cleaning the filters as frequently as needed. It could also be that they didn’t know how to remove the filters to clean them. Or maybe the filter reached the end of its service life and needs to be replaced. The filter is mounted in a small housing which slides into a recessed area. It’s not visible when installed. Very little will kill a vac motor more quickly than blocking or greatly restricting the air flow necessary to keep it within the thermal limits of it’s design.If and when the battery needs to be replaced, it’s easy to do. The battery is user replaceable but unlike the Shark WV403BR wandvac which is very similar to the WV201, this does not have a pinch-to-release battery design. Instead, it has slots which will require a small pry tool also called spudgers. I’d suggest an automotive pry tool for plastics and delicate surfaces. They won’t gouge plastics. There are two materials used for these as far as I know. ABS and nylon. ABS is harder, won’t deform or twist as easily. You can also use a flat head screwdriver but it’s likely to leave small gouges. Use it first on one side to disengage, then on the other side to complete the lift.If during your research for this vac you stumble across a video review from a guy who demonstrates how to remove the battery by gripping the top of the battery with one hand, the vac with the other and then twisting the battery to remove it, don’t do that. It wasn’t designed for this and seems likely to break something. Potentially dangerous too if the battery housing cracks.Bottom line, great product. Definitely recommended. In my experience, it’s become one of those products that I wouldn’t want to be without. Max convenience, time saving and high performing. Nice work Shark.Lastly, avoid the shameless mystery companies that were quick to copy or closely emulate the design and sell at less cost. Shark is a well established brand at this point and is backed by solid and responsive customer service.

The Shark WANDVAC Cord-Free Handheld Vacuum combines lightweight portability with the incredible suction power of a high-speed brushless motor. Weighing just 1.4 lbs., this lightweight handheld vacuum boasts a tapered nozzle for easy debris pickup and two accessories for tackling pet hair, upholstery, and tight spaces. Between cleanings, return your vacuum to the charging dock for fast recharging. Fast cleaning, always ready when you need it. The Shark WANDVAC: Extraordinary power for the everyday mess. Wattage – 120.Amps: 11.1
Dust cup capacity 0.08 quarts; Unbelievable suction delivered by a high speed, brushless motor
Ultra lightweight and balanced hand vacuum at just 1.4 pounds for maneuverability and easy cleaning
Tapered nozzle for easy pickup of large debris and fine dust
Zero in on tight spaces and car cleaning with the duster crevice tool and use the multi surface tool for upholstery, carpets, and pet hair
Ion charging dock for quick access, fast charging and convenient accessory storage. Cleaning path width-3.6 inch