The bin can be emptied whilst still on the cleaner body or removed first, whichever you find easier. For general dust and debris, the bin’s large flap means everything falls out cleanly. To help you decide whether Shark’s approach to handling dirt, dust, and pet hair is right for you, we’ve put together this comprehensive review into the Shark Duo Clean corded vacuum with Flexology. Fully assembled, the main floorhead is quiet, dampening air-rush noise too. The result was a very peaceful 73dB when cleaning hard floors and carpets on the highest (carpet) setting. Given this is how most people will use this cleaner most of the time, that’s a great result.

It’s also worth noting that the product is a lot lighter when it’s in hand-held mode. With that in mind, you might want to avoid using the full setup unless you’re cleaning your entire home. Even with the extra weight, the Shark isn’t particularly challenging to handle. The rubberised grip means that that you can work on your carpets and hard floors with confidence. Additionally, the weight is quite well-balanced, which makes moving the machine around a lot easier. Pet hair furballs and heavier dirt were equally well catered for. There isn’t the suction to pull loose dirt in from outside the direct path of the floorhead, but it cleans within its own edges admirably. To empty your canister, just press a button when aiming it over the bin. Remember, although the process for emptying the container isn’t hard, it’s also a bit messy. Thus, make sure you’re prepared for a plume of dust. Shark’s Duo-Clean floorhead is the star of the show, with its twin roller brushes and LED lighting that will highlight fluff and debris in the darkest recesses.The Flexology tube is as mad as a box of frogs, but it absolutely works for getting under low obstacles. Unclip the catch and the tube folds with ease. Combined with the low profile of the Duo-Clean head, there’s no other cleaner on the market quite so good at cleaning under your sofa or other low furniture.

The Duo-Clean floorhead sports some very serious LED lighting, which worked admirably. Given the low power consumption of LED lights, we just can’t understand why so few brands have LED headlights. The Energy label claims the HV390UKT emits 80dB of noise. That’s fairly quiet, if a long way from super-silent models. The disadvantage of the Flexology tube is that the folding mechanism and flexible tube coupling add further weight. This is particularly noticeable when you reach for those pesky high-up cobwebs. The pistol grip is well behind the weight of the motor, too, leading to a very nose-heavy balance when you lift it ceilingward. Using a second hand for support is essential – and mind you don’t trip over that cable when looking up. Yet this Shark doesn’t offer improved suction over its cordless sibling, despite being mains-powered. Its very low-power (circa 400W) suction motor is half the EU power limit, and that shows in some of the test results. A few stray hairs were left behind when we cleaned the entire carpet, though. While the floorhead is good at drawing out entwined hairs, there isn’t the sheer suction power to pull that last 1%. Like the carpet cleaning test, however, a few more passes over these spots and all was clear.The design of the HV390UKT might be excellent, but there are other things you’ll need to think about before you decide if this is the right one for you. For instance, how comfortable are you going to feel using the vacuum? This Shark is rated at only 450W, including the floorhead motor. Around this level of suction isn’t dissimilar to the power from the best cordless cleaners, including Shark’s own battery powered models, so don’t expect a big uplift in cleaning power for the cable-connected inconvenience.