Shark Navigator Lift-Away Speed Review (2024)

Vacuum Type

This vacuum has okay build quality, with mainly plastic construction, though its wand is metal. It doesn't feel especially sturdy overall, particularly its fragile dirt compartment. Thankfully, the vacuum is easy to assemble and disassemble, with plenty of easy-clip mechanisms that allow you to click various components together. However, decoupling its canister from its main body can be hard.

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Bag Part Number No bag

Filter Part Number XFFK560

HEPA Filter Part Number XHEPA560

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Height

Width

Depth

Cord Storing

On-Board Tool Storage

Vacuum Rack/Station

This vacuum is pretty easy to store. It's taller than a comparable canister vacuum like the Miele Classic C1 when not in use but has a smaller horizontal footprint. There's also onboard storage for its included crevice tool and soft bristle brush attachments. Unfortunately, you'll need to wind its power cord back up manually.

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Bagless

Volume

Full Indicator

Bag Included

This vacuum's dirt compartment is good. It's larger than alternatives like the Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV, and since it's made of clear plastic and has a max fill line, you can tell how close it is to being filled at a glance.

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Cordless

Cord Length

Hose Length

Minimum Wand Length

Maximum Wand Length

Total Range

This vacuum has a disappointing range. Its power cord is decently long, but its hose is considerably shorter than alternatives like the Hoover WindTunnel 2 Whole House Rewind, making it hard to clean out-of-reach areas when using it in its semi-handheld configuration.

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Total Weight

Weight In Hand

Carrying handle

This is a fairly portable vacuum. It's heavier than most cordless vacuums, even upright models like the Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away. On the upside, there's a carrying handle that makes it easier to move between rooms.

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Minimum Battery Life

Maximum Battery Life

Recharge Time

Recharge Dock

Battery Life Indicator

Removable Batteries

The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Speed is a corded vacuum and doesn't have a battery.

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Rotating Head

Power Adjustment

Self-Propelled

Headlights

Easy On/Off

Head Surface Type Adjustment

The vacuum has a couple of quality-of-life features. There are two levels of surface type adjustment: "I Hard Floor" and "II Carpet", though these settings only change the speed of the brushroll and not its height. You can also slightly adjust the suction power with a slider on the vacuum handle. Opening the slider decreases suction power, making maneuvering on carpeted surfaces easier.

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Brushroll

Brushroll On/Off

Removable Brushroll

Turbo Brush

Crevice Tool

Upholstery Tool

Soft Bristle Brush

Hard Bristle Brush

Extension Wand

Ceiling Fan Tool

Pet Grooming Tool

This ZU560C variant of the Shark Navigator vacuum comes with several attachments. There's a combination hard bristle brush/upholstery tool and a combination crevice tool/slide-on soft-bristle dusting brush, though be aware that it can be hard to fully remove the dusting brush from the crevice tool. There's also an extension wand to give you more reach. The ZU560 model only comes with an upholstery tool and crevice tool. Meanwhile, the ZU561 and UV725 models come with the same attachments as the ZU560C but with the addition of a wider upholstery nozzle (in the case of the ZU561) or a miniature motorized turbo brush (in the case of the UV725).

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Blower Mode

You can use the Shark Navigator Lift-Away as a semi-handheld vacuum by detaching its motor unit from its floorhead, which allows you to clean hard-to-reach areas with its wand. However, it's still fairly bulky when used as a semi-handheld vacuum.

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Setting Used "I Hard Floor", Suction Control on "Max"

Large Debris at 0 gal (0L) 96%

Large Debris at 0.07 gal (0.25L) 95%

Large Debris at 0.2 gal (0.75L) 93%

Large Debris at 0.4 gal (1.5L) N/A

Large Debris at 0.8 gal (3L) N/A

Large Debris at 1.6 gal (6L) N/A

Small Debris at 0 gal (0L) 100%

Small Debris at 0.07 gal (0.25L) 100%

Small Debris at 0.2 gal (0.75L) 100%

Small Debris at 0.4 gal (1.5L) N/A

Small Debris at 0.8 gal (3L) N/A

Small Debris at 1.6 gal (6L) N/A

The Shark Navigator vacuum has superb performance on bare floors. It has no problem clearing small debris like rice or bulkier debris like cereal. Its performance remains consistent as the dirt compartment fills, which is great if you have several large messes to deal with. However, it's worth noting that some small debris can get stuck underneath the floorhead, while its brushroll can scatter a very small amount of debris around. If you're looking for a comparable vacuum with even better performance on this kind of surface, you may want to consider the Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV, which has a secondary soft brushroll.

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Setting Used "II Carpet", Suction Control on "Max"

Large Debris at 0 gal (0L) 88%

Large Debris at 0.07 gal (0.25L) 87%

Large Debris at 0.2 gal (0.75L) 84%

Large Debris at 0.4 gal (1.5L) N/A

Large Debris at 0.8 gal (3L) N/A

Large Debris at 1.6 gal (6L) N/A

Small Debris at 0 gal (0L) 85%

Small Debris at 0.07 gal (0.25L) 86%

Small Debris at 0.2 gal (0.75L) 87%

Small Debris at 0.4 gal (1.5L) N/A

Small Debris at 0.8 gal (3L) N/A

Small Debris at 1.6 gal (6L) N/A

The Shark Navigator Lift-Away has excellent performance on low-pile carpet. It clears large and fine debris like sand and baking soda without too much trouble. Its performance remains consistent as the dirt compartment fills, too.

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Setting Used "II Carpet", Suction Control on "Max"

Large Debris at 0 gal (0L) 74%

Large Debris at 0.07 gal (0.25L) 71%

Large Debris at 0.2 gal (0.75L) 65%

Large Debris at 0.4 gal (1.5L) N/A

Large Debris at 0.8 gal (3L) N/A

Large Debris at 1.6 gal (6L) N/A

Small Debris at 0 gal (0L) 72%

Small Debris at 0.07 gal (0.25L) 70%

Small Debris at 0.2 gal (0.75L) 67%

Small Debris at 0.4 gal (1.5L) N/A

Small Debris at 0.8 gal (3L) N/A

Small Debris at 1.6 gal (6L) N/A

This vacuum has impressive performance on high-pile carpet. It can suck up most fine and large debris like baking soda or sand on this surface type, though you may need to make another pass to clear all of it.

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Bare Floor

Low-Pile Carpet

High-Pile Carpet

This vacuum does a fantastic job of handling pet hair on a variety of surfaces. It can easily tackle pet hair on bare floors as well as low and high-pile carpet. While the manufacturer advertises its brushroll as self-cleaning, longer strands can still get wrapped around it; the newer Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away has a more effective anti-tangle floorhead. Since the Navigator's brushroll can't be removed from the floorhead, it can be tricky to clear away tangled hair.

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Maximum Hose Suction

Maximum Head Suction

Normal Head Suction

Setting Used For Normal "Switch 1. Floor", (Brushroll Head)

Hose Diameter

This vacuum has terrible suction power in its floorhead. Its suction inlet is positioned too high above the contact surface to generate a tight seal. If you want to exert the maximum amount of suction force, you should use the vacuum in its semi-handheld configuration with its crevice tool, which generates a maximum of 73.58 inH₂O (18.31 kPa) of suction, which is more than sufficient for deep cleaning. However, when used in this configuration, the vacuum is ill-suited to cleaning bigger areas.

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Maximum Hose Airflow

This vacuum has good overall airflow performance. It's less powerful than the newer, pricier Shark Stratos Upright, but it'll still generate enough air movement to lift away medium and heavyweight debris without much effort.

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Bare Floor

Low-Pile Carpet

This vacuum isn't too loud. It's quieter than most other uprights with more powerful motors, like the Dyson Ball Animal 3. Still, it's best to vacuum in an enclosed room with the door partially or completely closed to avoid disturbing anybody nearby.

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This vacuum has alright maneuverability. Its rotating head makes it easier to navigate between obstacles, but the bulky shape of the floorhead and dirt compartment makes it hard to clean tight spaces or underneath furniture. Its floorhead can also get caught on rug tassels and very dense carpets, forcing you to turn it off to pull it free. Its somewhat heavy weight can be a nuisance when lifting it over obstructions like electrical cords. Thankfully, its crevice tool/soft bristle brush attachment is within easy reach, thanks to the onboard tool storage slot.

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When used with its upholstery tool, the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Speed does an excellent job handling pet hair across a wide range of surface types. While there's no mini turbo brush for better surface agitation, the straight suction attachment is effective in collecting long and short strands of hair on fabric surfaces.

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Anti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)

This vacuum does a good job of filtering out fine allergens. Its foam and felt pre-motor filters, combined with its HEPA exhaust filter, allow it to capture a good amount of airborne particles. If you're especially sensitive to allergens, it's worth seeking out a bagged vacuum with a HEPA filter, like the Kenmore Intuition Bagged, which has an added layer of filtration in the form of its dirtbag. Removing a self-sealing dirtbag is far more hygienic than shaking out a plastic dustbin, which can release a large plume of dust and other fine particles.

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This vacuum does a mediocre job of handling debris on crevices. It lacks the necessary suction force to draw debris out from cracks as it moves, so you'll have to park it in place to clear away debris. If you want better crevice-cleaning performance, you can use its crevice tool.

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The Shark Navigator Lift-Away has virtually no impact on dried-on stains, even in the 'II Carpet' setting, which speeds up its brushroll.

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Wet Compatible

This vacuum can't clear away liquid spills.

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Automatic Recharging

Automatic Bag Emptying

Pathing Algorithm

Physical Boundary Markers

Scheduled Start Buttons

Cycle Control Buttons

Navigation Control Buttons

There are no automation features for this vacuum.

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App Name

iOS Availability

Android Availability

Software Boundary Markers (No Go Zones)

App Scheduled Start

App Cycle Control

Navigation Control within App

This vacuum doesn't have a companion app.

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