I tested the Shark Rotator Pet for 2 months to see if it can keep up with my golden retrievers — here’s what happened

If you have a large home to clean, it can be tiring to push around a heavy upright vacuum for hours. Many of the most powerful vacuum cleaners out there today are quite substantial in weight — some can weigh close to 20 pounds!  And if you’re looking for a vacuum that’s lighter but still powerful, the new Shark Rotator Pet ADV Upright Vacuum might be just what you need. 

While it looks almost identical to the brand’s popular Stratos Upright Vacuum, the Rotator Pet is smaller and lighter, and its swivel steering makes it easier to drive around your home. It also has many of the same features as the brand’s higher-end model, including dual no-tangle brushrolls, a HEPA filter with allergen seal, and an “odor neutralizing cartridge” in the base.

To see if this new model from Shark is as good as it seems, I tested it in my home for several months, using it as part of my weekly cleaning routine. Overall, I was impressed by the performance, but there are a few negatives you’ll want to keep in mind before you buy it. 

Shark Rotator Pet Lift-Away review: Price and availability

It can be a bit confusing since Shark has multiple vacuums named Rotator, but this particular model is #LA702 and comes in a purple-red color. In the U.S., it’s available at major retailers like Best Buy and Amazon for an MSRP of $379.99.  

Shark Rotator Pet Lift-Away review: Design

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When I first assembled the Rotator Pet, my first thought was that it looks just like the Shark Stratos, my current everyday vacuum. However, upon further inspection, there are a few key differences that stuck out. 

First, the Rotator is several pounds lighter, weighing around 14 pounds, and it’s a bit smaller, too. Its swivel steering makes it easy to push around the floor and navigate into corners, and its controls are located on the top of the canister. There’s a toggle switch that lets you select between hard floors or carpeting, and there’s another sliding switch on the handle of the vacuum that allows you to turn on “Max suction” mode. 

On the vacuum’s floorhead, there’s a circle spot where you can insert one of the brand’s “odor-neutralizing cartridges,” which give off a subtle fresh scent as you clean. The vacuum comes with one cartridge, and while the brand claims they last up to six months, I found that the scent wore off after two weeks of regular use.

This vacuum comes with three attachments, including a crevice tool, upholstery tool, and dusting brush, but there are only two spaces for storage on the back of the unit itself. The dustbin is also on the smaller side, holding less than a quart of debris, but overall, the vacuum is sturdy and easy to use. 

Shark Rotator Pet Lift-Away review: Performance

I used the Shark Rotator Pet to clean my home for several months, and it definitely had its work cut out for it. I have two long-hair dogs who shed constantly, so I end up vacuuming twice a week to keep tumbleweeds from forming in the corners of the rooms. 

The Rotator Pet has two brushrolls that work together to pick up debris. There’s a fluffy, soft brushroll that helps trap fine particles of dust and pollen, as well as a bigger brushroll in the back with stiff fins that dig into carpeting for a deeper clean. This two-brushroll design is extremely effective on debris of all sizes — it’s able to pick up everything from pet hair to dead leaves that fall off my houseplants, and it doesn’t send hard debris like cat litter flying across the floor. Plus, it has an extremely effective no-tangle design that prevents long hair from getting wrapped around either brushroll.  

My carpets were visibly cleaner after going over them with the Rotator Pet, and tons of pet hair ended up in the dust bin. Because the dust bin is on the smaller side, holding less than 1 quart, I often had to empty it mid-clean, as pet hair takes up a lot of space. For regular emptying, there’s a lever that hinges open the bottom of the bin, dumping the debris straight into your trash can. Over several weeks of use, I did notice that sometimes the hair gets clogged between the hose and the dustbin, but the good news is that the top of the dustbin pops open, as well, making it easier to remove the clumps of hair. 

The Rotator Pet performs just as well on hard floors as it does on rugs. The soft brushroll really shines here — during allergy season, it was able to pick up the visible layer of pollen on my hardwood floors, and because it has a HEPA filter and allergen sealed dust bin, none of the allergens escape back into the house. Upright vacuums with only stiff bristles generally aren’t as effective on small particles like this, so the dual-brushroll design is definitely a plus for allergy sufferers. 

I also regularly used the vacuum to dust my baseboards and vacuum furniture. Its three attachments are fairly basic, but I like that you’re able to detach the handle with or without the wand, depending on how much reach you need. In particular, I get a lot of use out of the anti-allergen dust brush, which has long, soft bristles that sweep up dust and a rotating neck that lets you clean at any angle. My only real complaint is that the upholstery brush is quite small, so it takes a lot of passes to clean pet hair off a big sofa.

This vacuum does have a Lift-Away design, which allows you to remove the canister from the base and carry it around, and I often used this feature when vacuuming off the stairs. Just keep in mind that regular Lift-Away and Powered Lift-Away aren’t the same thing — the latter, which is only available on higher end models, lets you operate the floorhead while the canister is detached. With the Rotator, you can only use the hand tools in Lift-Away mode.

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Shark Rotator Pet Lift-Away review: Comparison

The Shark Rotator Pet ADV Upright Vacuum is a smaller version of the popular Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum. The Rotator is a few pounds lighter and has a smaller form, making it easier to carry around and maneuver, but there are a few benefits to the larger Stratos. 

The Stratos is a bit easier to operate, as its controls are right on the handle, and it also has a larger dustbin. The Stratos also has the brand’s innovative Powered Lift-Away, which is great for cleaning under low-profile furniture and makes it notably more versatile than the Rotator. Because the two are so close in price — the Rotator is $379 and the Stratos is $399 — most people will be better off upgrading to the Stratos unless you’re specifically looking for a lighter model. 

If even the Rotator is too heavy for you, it’s worth considering a cordless stick model like the Dyson V15 Detect. While a bit pricey, this cordless vacuum weighs less than 7 pounds and is easy to wield, and it has an impressive battery life that lets you clean for up to an hour at a time. Plus, it comes with a variety of attachments for cleaning different surfaces, including a special fluffy floorhead that will deliver similar cleaning abilities to the Rotator’s dual brushrolls.  

Shark Rotator Pet Lift-Away review: Verdict

The Shark Rotator Pet ADV is a solid upright vacuum with an impressive set of features. True to its name, the design is great for pet owners, as its dual brushrolls excel at picking up hair without turning into a tangled mess. It’s also equipped with a HEPA filter to keep all that dander trapped, and it’s smaller and lighter than many other upright models, making it easier to use all around your home. 

However, the problem is that the Rotator Pet is just $20 cheaper than the Shark Stratos, the brand’s top upright vacuum. The Stratos has even more features — including the coveted Powered Lift-Away technology — which makes it more versatile. If weight isn’t an issue, I think it’s worth skipping the Rotator and just getting the Stratos to clean your home.