Still Thinking “Vacuum = Dyson”? You’re Missing Out If You Haven’t Tried Shark
For years, when it came to cordless vacuums, I was a Dyson guy.
Plenty of suction, great design. I just kind of assumed my next one would be a Dyson too.
Official site: https://www.sharkninja.jp/
Where to buy: See on Amazon Japan
Then I started using Shark’s EVOPOWER SYSTEM NEO II+ (LC501JGY), and that changed.
No exaggeration — I might never go back to Dyson.
It feels lighter than the specs say
The LC501JGY weighs about 1.6 kg. Dyson’s lightweight Micro Plus is actually 1.54 kg, so on paper, the Dyson is about 60 g lighter.
But actually cleaning around the house, the Shark just feels nimble.
At our place, a robot vacuum handles most of the floors. So what I want from a cordless is to grab it quickly when the robot missed something or one spot is bugging me.
The LC501JGY’s nimbleness fits that perfectly.
Shark vs. Dyson’s lightweight model
The Shark is about 1.6 kg and runs up to about 50 minutes in stick mode with both batteries. The Dyson Micro Plus is 1.54 kg and runs up to about 25 minutes.
Not emptying the bin changed how often I clean
When you’re done and put the vacuum back, it automatically moves the dirt into the dock. According to Shark, it holds up to about 30 days of debris, so you basically don’t have to empty it every time.
That sounds like a small thing.
But just removing the “now I have to empty the dust cup” step made it so much easier to grab the vacuum in the first place.
As a result, I clean more often than before.
No switching suction modes yourself
It detects dirt and helps adjust while you clean, so you can basically just let the vacuum handle it.
With my old Dyson, I’d switch modes myself depending on the situation. With the Shark, I just pick it up and go.
Even more than raw cleaning power, I love this “you don’t have to think” design.
A dead battery doesn’t stop you
That turned out to be a big deal for me.
My biggest annoyance with cordless vacuums has always been the battery dying mid-clean.
“I was almost done…” and now you’re waiting for it to charge.
With the LC501JGY, you just swap in the spare and keep going.
Batteries run out on cordless vacuums — that’s life. But if the design lets you just swap them, it’s a different story.
Easy maintenance, too
The LC501JGY does well here too.
The dust cup area comes apart easily for washing and dries quickly. The brush roll comes off for cleaning as well.
Looking inside the dock’s tank, you can see it picks up really fine dust.
What I’d like improved is the LED on the front of the head.
It works, but personally, I want it brighter.
Dyson’s Fluffy Optic head puts a lot into lighting the floor so you can spot fine dust, and I preferred Dyson there.
If Shark made the LED about three times brighter, I’d have nothing left to complain about.
A vacuum isn’t just about suction
But using the LC501JGY changed my thinking a bit.
Light enough to grab in a second. Helps adjust to the mess. Just dock it and it empties itself. Swap the battery when it dies. Easy to take apart and wash.
In other words, from start to cleanup, there’s very little you have to do yourself.
For me, “cordless vacuum = Dyson” used to be a pretty strong image.
But after using the LC501JGY, I don’t see myself switching back.
If you’re like I was and think “for vacuums, just get a Dyson,” try a Shark at least once.
I know I wish I’d tried one sooner.
As an Amazon Associate, Hidenori Kimura earns from qualifying purchases.
This story was originally published (in Japanese) on Yahoo! News Japan Expert.
