| Shark Navigator Lift Away Vacuum | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|||
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
  |
|||
 |
|||
The Shark Navigator Lift Away vacuum cleaner is Europro’s follow-up to the extremely popular and effective Navigator Upright. Continuing in the success of it’s predicessor, the Lift Away by Shark is one of the top vacuum cleaners under $200 on the market today. With great suction power, a new light-weight design, and a completely sealed system, Shark really did an excellent job with this vacuum cleaner.
As such, this is one of our highest rated / recommended vacuums at any price range – it’s just an added bonus that you can buy one for less than $200.
Our Shark Navigator Lift Away Vacuum Review:
Suction:
The suction power on the Shark Lift Away is as good as the Navigator Upright, which means it does a great job. We were a little worried about how this one would do with suction, given it’s smaller motor (10 AMPs) and much smaller size (just 13 lbs!). However, it’s pretty easy to see that Europro did not sacrifice any suction power in going smaller. In fact, in seeing customers reactions, the most common reaction is surprise at how powerful this lighter-weight vacuum is, and how well it cleans carpets.
For solid floors, however, we were not as impressed. We do like (a lot) how you can easily turn the beater brush off, we just didn’t feel the suction power was as good as the Dyson DC25 All Floors. However, the Dyson does a fabulous job, so this isn’t really that big of a knock to the Navigator Upright Model.
Ease of Use -
Ease of Use is another area where the Shark Lift Away does a tremendous job. We love the following:
- Light Weight Design. At only 13 lbs, this is one of the lightest vacuums on the market that still has that much suction power
- “Swivel Neck”. The vacuum is designed to swivel, much as the Dyson Ball technology does, making it very easy to steer the vacuum.
- Great Attachments. The Lift Away comes with basically all the attachments the average person will need, including a pet hair rotary brush tool that works on upholstery and stairs very effectively.
- Good cord length. No, it is not a self-retracting cord, but I typically don’t like that kind of cord – it just seems to be a problem down the road will everything but the top-of-the line vacuum cleaners.
- Canister Detach-ability! This might be the coolest upgrade from the Upright version. Cleaning stairs, cars, corners in the house, etc. are all very easy since you can simply lift the canister off the vacuum and use it literally as a canister vacuum cleaner.
So what don’t we like about the Shark Navigator Liftaway? The main issue we have with the machine is that it’s a little top heavy. You will need to be a little careful when using the suction hose so you don’t knock this over. In addition, because of the design of the vacuum, when you are vacuuming most of the weight is directly on the handle (instead of the base of the vacuum like many other models). However, because the vacuum is only 13 lbs, that doesn’t matter that much at all.
Durability:
This is where it always get a little tricky with the Shark. As far as actual durability of the vacuum goes, Shark vacuum cleaners have traditionally done an exceptional job. They are designed and built well, and do a great job. However, our questions lay with the warranty. Yes, the vacuum comes with a 5-year warranty (10 year if you purchase direct from them), but actually working with Europro on warranty issues can be a hassle. This fact actually drives us crazy, since we love the Shark vacuums so much. We would expect the Shark Navigator Lift Away to last 5+ years, but just remember – if you do have a problem expect to deal with a little more red tape and call-center help than you would from Dyson.
Does this affect our recommendation – not really. Frankly, any vacuum that you pay less than $200 for is going to be a hassle to deal with a warranty issue, and we think you are better off buying a quality vacuum based mainly on the merit of the actual machine instead of the fact that it has a longer warranty. I’ve recommended the Shark to many in my family who didn’t want to spend more than $200 (it’s the one I would recommend to anyone in that situation), and just warn them before hand of Europro’s issues (fortunately, everyone I have recommended it to have loved it and have had no problems 
).
Filtration:
This is another area where you get a bonus when you compare the Navigator Upright vs the Navigator Lift Away – the LiftAway is a completely sealed system, trapping 99.99% of all dust/debris inside the cannister. Where this particular model gets tricky is with the HEPA filter part – some models have the HEPA filter, some don’t.
Basically, all models come with the sealed system – which is good. However, their are different model numbers according to where you buy them. What’s important to remember, is that Shark Navigator Lift Away NV350 is the only model # that comes with a HEPA filter, and must be ordered directly through Europro.
So if you care about HEPA filtration, I would recommend the following: Purchase the vacuum from Amazon because it’s $90 cheaper (after shipping). Then purchase the HEPA filter from Europro for $24.99. Yes, it’s a little bit of a hassle, but I like how you don’t pay shipping with Amazon, and I like dealing with Amazon.
Customer Reviews:
This is where the Shark really shines – it is consistently one of the highest rated vacuums by customers at all stores. At Amazon, this models current rating is 4.4/5 (with NO reviews below a 3 star), and at Walmart out of 112 reviews, there is only 1 below a 4-star (one 2-star rating)!
Our Review:
We highly recommend the Shark Navigator Lift Away (and the Upright for that matter). We love the suction power, how light and easy to use the machine is, and we do like how it is a sealed system (and upgradable to a HEPA filter). This vacuum is perfect for someone who:
- Wants to spend less than $200
- Wants a powerful vacuum (pet hair, lots of carpets, etc.)
- Needs a lightweight machine
- Has stairs that are carpeted
- Likes to vacuum hard floors
Bottom line – it’s a great vacuum cleaner. Not quite as good as the Dyson DC25 All Floors or Animal models, but it does cost about 1/3 of the price.
Where to Buy the Shark Lift Away:
One of the best places we have found to buy the Shark is through Amazon:
| Shark Navigator Lift-Away Vacuum | |
|
 
|
No, you don’t get the HEPA model, but you do get to work with Amazon and you save $90 (Europro charges about $40 for shipping), which I think is more than worth the hassle of ordering the HEPA filter afterwards. Yes, you can find a shark navigator lift way promo code online sometimes, but even with the promo code you will typically save money going through Amazon.
