THE Shark IZ320UKT is a top-of-the-range cordless vacuum with a hefty price tag.
With a higher price point, we expect high quality, so we put this vacuum cleaner through its paces to see if it delivers.
- Shark IZ320UKT cordless vacuum cleaner, £529.99 from Shark – buy here
Shark IZ320UKT cordless vacuum cleaner: Quick summary
The Shark IZ320UKT has pretty much everything you might need from a cordless vacuum cleaner – and when we say everything we mean everything.
It comes with two removable batteries that give you up to 60 minutes of runtime each on a full 4-hour charge, which means you can clean for hours without running out of power.
Compared to other models from the brand, you also get an extra anti-allergen brush plus a longer crevice tool to reach those tight spots.
The device is just as happy on hardwood and carpeted floors and you get a motorised pet tool that will really dislodge every bit of debris.
And with a 5-year guarantee plus replaceable parts, this is a vacuum cleaner that will last you for years.
Overall rating: 5/5
Pros:
- Double long-use battery
- Extra accessories
- Easy to store
- Great for carpets and hard floors
- Can clean under furniture
- Suitable for households with pets
Cons:
- Not the lightest model around
- Pretty pricey
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Shark IZ320UKT cordless vacuum cleaner: The full review
- Shark IZ320UKT cordless vacuum cleaner, £529.99 from Shark – buy here
Key features:
The Shark IZ320UKT is the next level up from the IZ300UKT.
Most of the features are the same, but you do get a couple of extra accessories.
Its main features include:
- DuoClean and PowerFin technology: The main suction head has two motorised rollers (DuoClean), with one featuring a tougher “blade” (PowerFins), which work together for a deeper clean.
- Anti-hair wrap: Like other models, this one is equipped with Shark’s special guard that stops hairs from getting tangled in the brush head.
- Suction headlights: You won’t miss a single speck of dirt thanks to lights on the main suction head.
- Flexology wand: Clean under furniture with ease thanks to this clever design – you can bend the wand up to 90 degrees and vacuum as normal.
- Dual batteries: You get two replaceable batteries instead of one and each one will last a whopping 60 minutes on a 4-hour charge. They can be recharged at the same time using the docking station that’s included.
- Anti-allergen brush: This extra accessory features felt and soft bristles to thoroughly clean spots that need a gentle touch, like your blinds or your laptop keyboard.
There are three standard attachments in the box: an extra long crevice tool (30cm but no brush), a multi-surface tool (with a removable brush), and a smaller motorised PowerFins pet tool that’s great for upholstery.
Setup:
The Shark IZ320UKT is pretty easy to set up, whatever mode you’re using it in.
For the classic upright mode, you simply click the Flexology wand into the motorised suction head and then attach the vacuum body on top.
In other modes, you just have to connect the desired attachment to the vacuum body.
Assembly and disassembly are both equally easy thanks to the click-to-connect design and the quick-release buttons.
Before first use, you’ll need to charge the batteries for at least four hours.
The quickest way to do this is to place both batteries in the included charging dock so they’re done at the same time.
With up to 60 minutes of runtime each, we reckon you’d only need to charge them about once a month, depending on how often you use your device.
Usage
The Shark IZ320UKT is seriously easy to use, and it’s powerful too.
You get three different speed settings, changeable via the handy control panel by the handle, as well as the option to swap between carpeted and hard floor settings.
We particularly liked the suction head, which is compact enough to get into tight spots that we haven’t been able to reach on other devices.
And like other Shark devices, it also had lights on the front, which made it easy to spot dirt and dust on the floor, especially in less well-lit areas.
The Flexology wand is also helpful for reaching under furniture, which means no more need to move tables and chairs out of the way.
The motorised pet tool is another useful feature.
It has “blades” (toughened fabric) that effectively beat the surface it’s used on to lift out every bit of dust and debris.
It’s not one we’d use on delicate materials like leather or silk, but on most fabric-covered sofas or even beds, it worked a treat.
The extra accessory that you get with this device is the anti-allergen brush, which has short, soft bristles and felt that dust really sticks to as you pass it over delicate surfaces like blinds and keyboards.
Although this lifted every bit of dirt when we used it, it did need a bit of cleaning afterwards as rather than being sucked into the machine, quite a bit of dirt stayed put on the brush itself.
The other downside is that this isn’t the most lightweight model around.
It’s not too heavy to use regularly, but its weight and bulk means some people might struggle to lift it for longer periods of time, or to get into tight spaces, for example when detailing a car.
On the plus side, Shark will let you buy every bit of accessory imaginable for it, and as all the parts are replaceable, it’s easy to extend the life of your device.
Maintenance:
You won’t need to do much maintenance on the Shark IZ320UKT, which is great for those with busy schedules.
The 0.7L dust tank can be removed from the vacuum body for a thorough clean, although most of the time you can just press the release button to empty the contents directly into a bin.
You’ll want to have a microfibre cloth handy though as we found the body does get pretty dusty when we do this.
There are two sets of filters on the device.
For best results, Shark suggests cleaning the pre-motor one monthly and the post-motor one annually.
To clean, you can either shake out the dirt or – for a deeper clean – rinse it under a cold tap and then allow it to air dry.
This just helps to maximise your device’s efficiency.
The brushes won’t need much cleaning because the anti-hair wrap guards should stop any hairs from getting tangled up in the rollers, but you might still want to give it a once-over every now and then.
In terms of guarantees, the device comes with a limited guarantee of up to 5 years, with the batteries having a limited guarantee of 2 years.
Shark IZ320UKT cordless vacuum cleaner: The verdict
- Shark IZ320UKT cordless vacuum cleaner, £529.99 from Shark – buy here
For us, and we reckon for most households, the Shark IZ320UKT has pretty much everything you’d need from a cordless vacuum cleaner.
We like that every bit of the design helps us to clean our home better in some way, whether it’s the light on the suction head or the Flexology wand.
Obviously, it’s pretty expensive, and there are lots of budget-friendly alternatives out there.
If you don’t have pets, for example, you could go for a cheaper model with fewer pet-specific accessories from the brand.
Although even for households without pets, we’d recommend the motorised pet tool as it lifted up dirt that we didn’t know we had from beds and sofas.
Overall, given the long guarantee, replaceable parts and all the accessories – we don’t think you need to buy anything else to extend the kit – we think the Shark IZ320UKT is good value for money as it has the potential to last you for years.
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