I test cleaning products for a living: This 4-pound Shark vacuum is my ride or die

As a shopping writer who gets paid to test home and cleaning products, there's a lot I consider when I'm choosing a new vacuum. Should I opt for a stick, handheld, upright or robot model? Cordless or plug-in? And then there's the question of accessories, runtime and capacity. But, if I'm being honest, there's one factor I tend to place above the rest: weight.

Since I'm 5 feet tall and prefer biking to weight-lifting (read: my upper body strength leaves something to be desired), I'd rather not lug a heavy appliance around my house. So when I came across the Shark Ultracyclone System, a stick/handheld vacuum combo that clocks in at just 4 pounds, I was intrigued. I went ahead and bought it, and, spoiler alert: It's made me enjoy cleaning so much more.

Once it arrived, my first impression of the Shark was that it was, indeed, lightweight enough for my small frame. In fact, it was so easy to lift that I worried it wouldn't be powerful enough to do a thorough job cleaning. I decided to take it for a test drive in my kitchen, which has hard cork flooring and crumbs aplenty.

Operating this vacuum is a snap, as it only has an on/off button. That might be a deterrent for anyone who likes controlling the suction power, but I prefer my appliances to be as low-maintenance as possible. Speaking of simplicity: Because it's a stick vacuum, there are no bags to deal with — just a canister (this one's got a .52-quart capacity).

The vacuum came partially charged, so I got to work right away. It made quick work of small crumbs and a few dust bunnies that had been hiding in the corners of the room. Speaking of corners, one of the Shark's best features is how easily its flexible head swivels.

Once I was through in the kitchen, I did have to charge it. I set it on its dock and waited about an hour. When it had enough power, I brought it into my living room, where I have a fairly thick, shaggy area rug. (Feels great under the feet, but such a pain to clean.) The Shark was able to grab small bits of fuzz and crumbs towards the top of the rug, but I wouldn't say this is the ideal tool for giving thicker-pile carpeting a deep clean. That said, it had zero issues cleaning the hardwood flooring around the rug — and as far as getting under furniture is concerned, it essentially lies flat when needed.

Next, I wanted to test the hand vac. It easily snapped out of its little cubby toward the top of the stick vacuum with the press of a button. Because the hand vac has a wider opening, I wanted to see how well it would perform on larger food remnants, so I sprinkled some peanuts over my kitchen floor. As you can see, it sucked them up like a champ.

The Shark comes with two attachments: a crevice tool and a scrub brush. While I don't have pets, I do have long hair that sheds constantly, so I decided to see how well the latter performed with matted hair and lint on my shag rug. To my surprise, it fared pretty well with a couple of passes. The crevice tool also did a good job of getting into smaller edges and corners.

Now that I've had this vacuum for over a year, I can confidently, wholeheartedly recommend it for light, everyday cleaning. I never dread pulling it out because it's cordless and so light, and the 20- to 25-minute runtime is sufficient for covering my small home (admittedly, it might not be long enough for larger abodes). Also, if you have more carpeting than hard floors, you might want to look for a more heavy-duty model.

It's not the flashiest vacuum on the market, but what it lacks in extra features like LED lights and HEPA filters, it makes up for in ease of use. I had this thing out of its packaging and was cleaning floors in minutes. Emptying the collection bin is also a piece of cake; just press a button to open it and dump everything into the trash. Because it's so user-friendly, I recommended it to my mom, who promptly bought one and has no regrets.

One more note: When the vacuum is on its dock, it stays perfectly upright. That said, I wish it would stand upright on its own, as I've leaned it against the counter too many times, only for it to fall to the floor. Hasn't affected its performance, though!

This Shark's swimming in a sea of perfect ratings from Amazon shoppers — more than 2,700, in fact.

"Super duper lightweight and easy to clean," wrote one fellow fan. "It is easy to store as it is very slim, and the stand that comes with it is convenient, especially while it’s charging!"

"This is a fantastic little vac," raved another enraptured reviewer. "I needed a small cordless vacuum to have in the kitchen. This works perfectly for my needs. I love the slim vac head, as it glides easily under the front of the refrigerator and the stove to get all of those crumbs. I also like the option to convert it to a handheld."

"It is light and doesn’t feel very substantial," admitted a cleaning convert. "I assure you, it is! It is so easy to grab [for] a quick cleanup, but once I have it going, I often just do the whole house because it is so easy. I’ve never enjoyed vacuuming until [my wife] bought this."

"I bought this vacuum for dog hair, and only dog hair," shared a pleased pet parent. "It is a total lifesaver. This vacuum was worth every penny. My home is 100% hard floor, and this thing doesn't leave a hair behind." That said, they did heed: "If you're trying to clean up anything larger than dust and dog hair, you may want to go with something else, because the suction is good, but not good enough to pick up anything bigger than some dust, hair or maybe just a little dirt. I just take five minutes a day, and the kitchen and living room are dog hair-free."

"[I] wanted a brushless, cordless vacuum for quick pickup of dog hair around the place," echoed a final buyer. "The battery life is a little on the short side, and it does need to be emptied multiple times per use, as it will stop sucking stuff up if it gets too much hair in there. But super easy to use, clean out and charge. If you need a budget vacuum for carpet-less floors, mostly for quick pickups of dirt and hair, this is perfect."

P.S. Here's another cleaning gizmo I can't live without:

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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.