I love my Dyson, but I vouch for these Shark stick vacuums on sale for Black Friday

If you hate the idea of manually emptying an upright vacuum, these are up your alley.
By Leah Stodart  on 
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Shark cordless vacuum and auto-empty dock on purple and pink backdrop
I've tested these two Sharks and can confirm they're better than the Dysons of the same price. Credit: Shark / Mashable composite

A quick glance at Shark's stellar Black Friday cordless vacuum deals:

Best under $300
Shark Detect Pro and Auto-Empty System
279.99 (save $170 at Amazon)
Shark white and gold cordless vacuum, auto-empty dock, and accessories

Best for carpet
Shark PowerDetect and Auto-Empty System
$349.99 at Amazon (save $150 at Amazon)
Shark PowerDetect cordless vacuum, auto-empty dock, and accessories

Shark's robot vacuums often get most of the Shark-related attention during Black Friday because they're one of the most-known Roomba alternatives.

But for anyone who isn't completely sold on the idea of their floor care being automated, a cordless stick vacuum upgrade is likely on their radar this season. Shark has strong contenders there, too, two of which I tested and loved: the Shark Detect Pro on sale for $279.99 and the Shark PowerDetect on sale for $349.99 at Amazon this Black Friday. Their auto-empty docks are reason enough to consider them before defaulting to a Dyson — and this is coming from someone whose ride or die vacuum is a Dyson.

This is because the most annoying thing about my Dyson is having to manually empty it. Dust flies up into the air every single time, often making another mess on the floor around the trash can — and often requiring me to reach my fingers up into the dustbin to grab some piece of a gray dust bunny that's stuck inside. Both of these Shark cordless vacuums deal with the dust themselves via the dock that they charge on, which also doubles as a storage stand for them (this does require more floor space than my Dyson, which hangs on the wall). Compared to similarly-priced Dysons, these Sharks also feature bright LED lights on the cleaning head, whereas Dysons have zero lights until you get to the $399.99 V12 Detect Slim.

I'll dive into the differences between these two Sharks quickly:

The cheaper option, the Shark Detect Pro, is a chic white and rose gold vacuum that I got a ton of compliments on when it was in my apartment. At $279.99 ($170 off its usual $449.99), it brings home automatic emptying for the same price as the Dyson V8's Black Friday price. The V8 is one of the older, more basic Dyson vacuums, so choosing the self-emptying Shark with more advanced cleaning technology is a no-brainer for me.

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If your budget is a little more flexible, the Shark PowerDetect is still a relatively budget-friendly option that happens to be Shark's smartest, most powerful cordless vacuum. At $349.99 ($150 off its usual $499.99), the PowerDetect is currently $50 cheaper than the $399.99 Dyson Outsize, which only adjusts suction based on floor type — not based on the actual level of dirt or debris detected, like the PowerDetect does. I can physically feel the oomph this vacuum dishes out when I use it on my living room and bedroom rugs, which is appreciated considering they're constantly covered in cat hair.

Hand cleaning hardwood floor and rug with Shark PowerDetect cordless vacuum
The PowerDetect's extender wand can also bend, making it much easier to get low and clean under furniture. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable
Shark PowerDetect and Auto-Empty System
$349.99 at Amazon
$499.99 Save $150.00
Leah Stodart
Leah Stodart
Senior Shopping Reporter

Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers essential home tech like vacuums and TVs as well as sustainable swaps and travel. Her ever-growing experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.

The robot vacuum beat in particular has cemented itself as Leah's main ~thing~ across the past few years. Since 2019, her expertise has been perpetually bolstered by the meticulous eye she keeps on robot vacuum deals and new releases, but more importantly, her hands-on experience with more than 25 robot vacuums tested in her own home. (This number has probably gone up by the time you're reading this.) That at-home testing is standardized through Mashable's robot testing guide — a granular scoring rubric for assessing all aspects of owning and using a robot vacuum on the daily — that Leah created herself.

Leah graduated from Penn State University in 2016 with dual degrees in Sociology and Media Studies. When she's not writing about shopping (or shopping online for herself), she's almost definitely watching a horror movie, "RuPaul's Drag Race," or "The Office." You can follow her on X at @notleah or email her at [email protected].

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