Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away NV501 Review

By
Jeneva Aaron
Jeneva is the founder and CEO of thehousewire.com where she provides honest and objective reviews on home and cleaning products. She is a cleaning enthusiast. She got inspired to build her own cleaning blog when she realized how cleaning can make an impact on our lives and how a cleaner home can affect a person's mood.
Learn more about The Housewire’s Editorial Process
Updated October 27, 2023

A Compact Model That’s Perfect for Eliminating Allergens

The Shark Rotator Professional Upright Vacuum is a fantastic device that works to ensure your living space stays clean. The Shark vacuum is a compact option that can quickly pick up allergens and other messes. Its canister has an XL dust cup so it can hold plenty of debris. The vacuum also has a handheld feature so you can clean off furniture and small spaces.

In this article, you’ll discover in-depth information about this vacuum. Some important information you’ll find include:

  • The Shark Rotator Professional Lift’s unique features.
  • The different types of messes it can clean.
  • How well it compares to its other models.

If you’re interested in learning more, keep reading!

The Shark Rotator Upright Vacuum is a lightweight option equipped with a variety of features.
It’s one of the many Shark vacuums designed to be an easy model to move around and to collect a lot of debris. It is especially true with pet hair and other allergens.
Below you’ll learn more about the numerous features this model offers.

Unboxing and Setup – Simple and Quick

You’ll find unboxing this device is somewhat simple. While you need to set-up most pieces yourself, they are mainly large ones you just need to connect together.

Once you receive the vacuum, you’ll need to attach the vacuum’s pod into its floor nozzle. To do so, simply put the pod on a flat surface and insert the nozzle into its top until it clicks in place.

After you do this, put its wand into the hose nozzle. Once this has been fastened, insert the wand into the vacuum’s pod. This is situated on the back of the vacuum. Make sure this also clicks in place, so you know it’s secure. If you’re sure the wand is tight, you can then insert the hose into it.

If you prefer to vacuum with the tools, you can link them together on the back of this canister vacuum thanks to the built-in accessory clips.

When you’re ready to turn the vacuum on, plug its 25-foot cord into an outlet. Then, press the power button to start the engine.

Design and Maneuverability – Lightweight and Easy to Move

Featuring a white and red design, this vacuum is undoubtedly one of the more stylish options in the market. Because it’s so lightweight, the Shark Rotator Upright Vacuum is extremely easy to maneuver. Its narrow cleaning path also helps it to get into small crevices. This can be very helpful if you need to clean beneath furniture or in corners. As you move it around, you’ll find that the vacuum swivels quite easily. This helps you to have better control over how it moves.

If you need to vacuum a staircase, you can unfasten its canister caddy and lift it with you up the stairs. The canister attaches to the vacuum’s hose so you can easily pick up debris with it. While this is a helpful design feature, the handle can be small, so it might be challenging to grip.
This vacuum is also equipped with a HEPA filter. This makes it perfect for those who suffer from allergies to use. Once the vacuum draws in particles, they will immediately go through this filter and then get stored in the dust bin.

To help you better see where problem areas might be, the vacuum has bright headlights. As the vacuum runs, the lights will illuminate the carpet and hard floors. This allows you to see where hidden debris might be and ensure the vacuum completely removes it.
The Shark Rotator Upright Vacuum runs on ten amps so you’ll get plenty of suction. This strong design ensures that its bristles can get deep into a carpet’s fibers to remove hidden particles.

Read Also: Best Vacuum for High Pile Carpet

Purpose and Results – Works Quickly and Efficiently

This Shark device is meant to help pick up particles from hardwood floors, area rugs, and a pile carpet. Many similar vacuums claim to pick up allergens or safely use them on both surfaces, but most of the time, this isn’t true.
A majority of homeowners find that this vacuum picks up quite a bit of debris. Sometimes, the amount it picks up shocks people because they didn’t realize how coating their floors were.
For the best results, you’ll want to use it consistently. This will help to ensure your floors stay clean.

Stain Removal – Not Applicable

The Shark Rotator Pro Lift is designed to remove debris, not stains. While it does have a power brush attachment, this is just to loosen up particles inside a carpet. The brush won’t rub out stains. Because of this, you’ll find that the vacuum won’t remove spills or lingering pet odors.

Accessories/Compatible Products – Plenty to Use

If you’re like me, having extra cleaning accessories is a must. Thankfully, the Professional Lift-Away NV501 comes with quite a few of them. You’ll find a handful of pet tools, like brushes, that use thick bristles to get into fibers to remove pesky fur and dander. There is also a dusting brush and upholstery tool that you can use to clean off furniture and curtains.

For those who need to clean high areas, like over cabinets, you’ll appreciate its telescopic handle tool. You can attach this tool to the vacuum’s hose and set it to the length you need it to reach. You can keep the handle with its wide opening or attach one of the other ones, like the crevice tool.

Storage and Maintenance – Compact and Uncomplicated

Thanks to its small size, the Shark Rotator Upright Vacuum won’t take up much space when in storage.
Keeping the vacuum maintained is pretty simple. Most of the time, you don’t need to do much, but you should always empty the dust cup. Every so often, you might also want to wash this dust cup out. You can do this by rinsing it under warm water and then let it air dry.

Once a month, you should also make sure to rinse out the canister. This will remove any invisible particles that could cause clogs. To wash out the canister, remove it from the vacuum and wipe it out with a damp cloth. You should make sure to rinse the metal grate at the top as well as it can collect a lot of dust.

Overall, the storage and maintenance needs of the Shark Rotator Professional Upright Vacuum are pretty small. This makes it an exceptional device to use if you don’t want to put much effort into these areas.

Price and Warranty

This model is about $220, which is pretty impressive. Many vacuums that have numerous features and a built-in HEPA filter tend to have a significantly higher price.
The Shark Rotator Professional Upright Vacuum comes with a five-year warranty. If you need to use this to replace a part or the entire vacuum, you can contact the company. However, keep in mind that the warranty does have some limits. This includes not covering normal wear-and-tear and defects caused by a repair not done by the company.

What About the Competition?

The main competition to the Shark Rotator Upright Vacuum is the Dyson Ball Upright Vacuum. While the Shark Rotator does have strong suction, the Dyson Ball model is slightly more powerful.
The Dyson vacuum comes with an impressive set of tools that you can use to clean up pet dander and other allergens. One crucial tool is its articulating hardwood one. This utensil is specifically designed for the bare floor. As you run it across the floor, it will suck up dirt and dust. It pivots so you can push it around hard-to-reach areas. There’s also a mattress tool that works to remove allergens from coating it. To keep this abundance of tools in one place, the vacuum comes with a storage bag.

One of the most apparent differences of the Dyson Ball Upright Vacuum is the large ball at the bottom. This connects the floor pad to the rest of the device. This ball contains air filters that quickly sort through the particles before they move to the canister. In addition to this, the ball helps you to steer the vacuum with ease.
The cord is slightly longer than the Shark Rotator (it’s 35-feet), so you have a bit more room to move around with it.

Just like the Shark Rotator model, this device comes with a HEPA filter. It uses its root cyclone technology to pull particles from the floor and send it through the filter.
At 17 pounds, the Dyson Ball Upright Vacuum is bulkier than the Shark Rotator Professional Upright Vacuum. This could make it difficult to maneuver and lift.

What I Like About the Shark Rotator Professional Upright

iamge icon

There was a lot about this product that I liked.

  • Its compactness is its main highlight. Despite being somewhat small, it’s still a well-built vacuum that can handle heavy-duty work.
  • The rotator technology encourages better swiveling. This means you can move it beneath low areas and in tight corners with ease. By doing so, you’ll be able to pick up debris that usually gets left behind. It can also speed up the cleaning process.
  • Its strong HEPA filter picks up allergens and prevents them from escaping. Once the particles enter the vacuum, they will stay inside its canister. This encourages it to have a better cleaning performance.
  • It’s versatile. You can use this vacuum on both carpets and hard floors. You can switch between the two by turning the device’s brush roll on or off. If you forget to do this, don’t worry. The bristles are tough, but won’t cause damage to your flooring.
  • The Shark Rotator Upright Vacuum runs quietly. Despite having a well-built engine, it won’t create loud noises, which is common in many vacuums.

What I Don’t Like About the Shark Rotator Professional Upright

iamge icon

The Shark Rotator Upright Vacuum is one of the top models of its kind on the market. However, there were a few things I was disappointed in.

  • The main thing I wasn’t thrilled about is the hose. While it’s a great feature, it can be difficult to use in some areas. The handle is also a bit small, so it might be hard to hold.
  • Over time, this vacuum can start to heat up. You might need to turn it off for a few minutes so it doesn’t overheat.
  • The bristles can sometimes get tangled with the debris it picks up. You’ll need to monitor them before you clean to ensure they’re picking up particles. If you do find they are tangled, you can take scissors and carefully cut the stuff out.
    Unfortunately, if you don’t keep a close eye on this, it could damage the vacuum. It will stop the brush roll from working, which can drastically affect how well it picks up stuff on the floor.
  • Many of its vacuum cleaner reviews have commented on its cord holder. While this cord clip can be helpful, it’s very flimsy. This is because it’s made of thin plastic. One wrong move and it could snap off. You’ll need to be careful when you wrap the cord around it, or you risk it breaking. This piece often can’t be replaced, so once it’s broken, it’s gone.

Specs

Product NameShark Rotator Professional Upright
Product BrandShark
SKUNV501
Price219.99
Weight15.5 pounds
Product Dimensions45.7 x 12.1 x 12.2 inches
Warrantyfive-year (5) limited warranty.

Related Reading

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *