myrnapap's Full Review: Euro-Pro NV22 Shark Navigator Bagless Upright Vacu...
I purchased the Shark Navigator NV22L about a month ago after shopping for about a year.
I had been using a small Dirt Devil bagless canister that worked ok but was constantly breaking. After that experience I didn't want another Dirt Devil. So I started shopping and reading reviews.
I mainly needed this vacuum for tile floors (kitchen and bathrooms) and for a carpeted stairway. I also wanted something with attachments to do upholstery and drapes. I have a large upright for the wall to wall carpet and for the 'oriental' rugs. The issue became the stairway because I needed something that wasn't too big and that would still have the power to clean.
I also preferred a bagless model because I don't like being a slave to bag buying. Also some of the bags are hard to find according to reviewers.
I read a huge number of reviews and became convinced that there was nothing out there to suit my needs. Each time I found something that seemed like it would do the trick, a reviewer would describe how poorly the machine was made or how impossible it is to get parts. It was very discouraging. Since I've had vacuums break and need repairs, I knew this was true pretty much across all makes.
I finally decided I would have to buy something and see for myself. I also decided to try to purchase something at Bed Bath and Beyond because they have a wonderful return policy. Salespeople in several of their stores told me not to worry and to just bring it back if the machine didn't please me in any way. They need the sales receipt which I always save and the original carton which I save too. Their 20% off coupons are a great bonus. The unit sells for $199. I paid $159 with the 20% coupon.
I found the Shark Navigator on one of my trips and I debated for a while about whether to purchase it. There was a cheaper Shark that I considered but it didn't seem to come with any attachments so I took the more expensive of the two.
It turns out that the boxes don't give the full story on attachments. This vacuum has more attachments than I was aware of. More later on this.
The vacuum has to be assembled and it comes with a very good booklet with diagrams and instructions. It took me less than a half hour to put it together and try it out.
The vacuum has a bare floors setting and a carpet setting. These settings are controlled by a switch at the top of the canister. When the bare floor setting is used, the brush does not roll. This protects the floors from scratching. On carpet the brush rolls and actually propels the vacuum forward making it very easy to push which is a plus.
The vacuum has a long hose and a cleaning wand that detaches from the body of the vacuum. This was not at all obvious to me when I bought it. The small tools attach to this wand. There is a tiny crevice tool and a small dusting brush that are stored on the vacuum's body. The hose stretches to reach high areas and corners. In addition there is a 24 inch crevice tool that is quite handy and a Pet Hair Power Brush. This brush is designed for pet hair removal but I use it on my stairs. The one thing I don't like is that there is no on-board storage for the Pet Hair Brush and the 24 inch crevice tool and I often need to use them which means dragging them along.
Another model comes with an extra 10 foot hose which would make the tools even more useful.
The Shark Navigator dust cup is somewhat small. Since I don't use it for large expanses of carpeting, this isn't a problem for me. I empty the cup at least once a week which is what I did with my last vacuum. The assembly deattaches from the vacuum with the push of a button. I insert the assembly into a trash bag and push another button which releases the dust cup cover. All the dust and debris drops into the bag. The cover snaps closed. The container could also be emptied outside.
For cleaning the dust cup, it can be wiped out with a paper towel but I haven't seen the need for that.
For proper care of the vacuum, there are 3 areas: the Cyclonic chamber, the foam filter, and the felt filter.
The Cyclonic Chamber is the assemby unit that contains the dust cup. This comes apart and the assembly is inserted into a trash bag and emptied. I haven't done this yet but it doesn't seem difficult. It is supposed to be done every 3 months.
The foam filter is supposed to be washed every 3 months. The unit comes with 2 spare filters so the vacuuming doesn't have to stop while one of the filters is drying. On the box, they indicate that this unit has a "lifetime filter". I thought they were suggesting that the filter would last forever and yet that seemed hard to believe. But providing 3 does make it possible to go a long time without buying new ones.
The felt filter is supposed to be washed every 12 months. It's going to be a while before I have to do this.
This unit has powerful cleaning ability. It sucks up a lot of dust and does a nice job on the stairs too. I do have to take the unit up the stairs and it is light enough to be manageable. The only better design for the stairs would be a canister since they are more easily balanced on the stairs. But then I'd need yet another vacuum.
I've been using this vacuum on the oriental rugs since it's small and more easily maneuvered than the large upright. On the throw rugs, I use the bare floor setting to avoid the vacuum trying to eat the throw rugs.
The Shark vacuums have a safety that shuts the unit off if it gets too hot. I have been waiting for this to happen but so far it hasn't. It might be an issue if I tried to do the entire house but that's not what my intent was for this vacuum.
I also don't have any pets. This is important to mention because the unit has the pet hair attachment and it's supposed to make light work of that. I can't make any suggestions on whether this unit works well for this.
One thing that I didn't get with this vacuum is an attachment for furniture. I can use the pet hair attachment and it's probably fine. But I would have liked to have a different attachment that would allow me to 'dust' the upholstery.
The Navigator is an upright and it stands almost 4 feet tall which is a little tall for storage but it's acceptable. The floor piece that contains the brush is about 12 inches wide. Compared to the standard uprights, this one is a junior. In my house I don't have a closet for cleaning tools so I keep this in a coat closet. Its smaller size makes this tolerable.
One more note is that the vacuum isn't ear-splitting like some vacuums I've owned. This wasn't a big reuirement but it's a nice plus.
Overall, I like the ease of use of this vacuum and its power. It satisfies my needs with the exception of the upholstery dusting.
The jury is out on the durability issue and on the cleaning of the assembly and filters. I'll plan to come back and do some more reviewing in another 3 months or so.
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Features: NEVER LOSES SUCTION. Most vacuums lose suction over time but our Infinity Technology pulls 99% of dirt away from the filter ensuring years...More at Newegg.com
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