Shark DuoClean Cordless Upright Vacuum IC160UK + IC160UKT Review

I love a good Shark vacuum cleaner; they are just such a strong and reliable brand. What do I love most about them though? It’s the fact that they listen to their customers.

Over the years, they have amended their designs according to customer feedback, and it’s so good to see in any company. Just waiting for that removable bristle brush now, guys!  

With corded and cordless vacuum cleaners, I have always been torn, mostly because many of the older cordless models just didn’t last as long as I wanted or needed them to.

So, when the Shark Duoclean IC160UK/T was introduced to me, I certainly approached it with caution. When have I ever turned down a Shark though? Exactly, never, and so I made sure to test it out just as well as I do all of my vacuum cleaners to see if it passed the test.   

It has a few niggles that I can’t quite look past, but other than that it exceeded expectations. How? We will cover this in more detail later on in my Shark IC160UK review

It’s a common question, and it has a very simple answer; there is only one. The IC160UK is the standard version of this vacuum cleaner, while the IC160UKT is the pet version.

The latter of these has the exact same specs as the former, but it comes with a pet tool so that you can get a deeper clean and better results. ( You can buy these separately for around £70)

The floorhead was still easy to access, however, and that was good to see. Sadly, the bristle brush still cannot be removed, but it can be cleaned really easily so that you can get rid of stuck hairs. 

The soft brush roll can be taken out though, and this is a good thing because it will need to have all the fine dust and dirt cleaned off it regularly. Of course, the floorhead also has the usual LED headlights.  

The main head can also be attached directly to the hose, turning it into a handheld vacuum, which is part of the powered lift away feature. 

I do enjoy the lift away feature because it means that you can detach the main body from the frame and turn it into something more portable that can reach areas of the home that an upright vacuum cannot.

The hose is really flexible, and the wand is slim, creating an effective cleaning machine.  

It only measures in at 70-8db, depending on the setting you are using.

Not only does this comply with EU laws regarding volume, but it also means you have an exceptionally quiet vacuum cleaner that you can use without wanting to cover your ears. I’ve not known anything like it.  

The charge period is 3.5 hours, which isn’t too bad in the scheme of things. The vacuum itself has a light indicator to let you know how much charge is remaining and when you need to place it on charge.

To do this, you can take the battery out and place it in the charging cradle, or you can plug it in while it remains in the machine, which gives you more flexibility.  

Also Read: Shark cordless IFK250UKT

Weight and Handling

The Shark IC160UKT weighs 5.7kg, which is actually pretty good for a cordless upright, and it feels really light even when the battery is in it.

I was really pleased with how easy it felt in my hands, and as someone who doesn’t have amazing arm strength, I was comfortable using this for all my cleaning.  

The handle has a really comfortable grip due to the padding, which does help to make the vacuuming process a little easier and more bearable; especially if you have wrist or hand pain. The flexible neck made moving around furniture and the home, in general, a much simpler task.  

It did a great job on hard floors, both with attachments and the main floorhead. There was no snowploughing, which I loved, and after one pass pretty much everything had been collected.

As it is a cordless, I do expect to need a couple of passes, and so this wasn’t something that bothered me. It offers no resistance, and works quickly to suck everything up.  

The Shark IC160UKT provided carpets with a fantastic surface clean. The finer stuff did get left behind, and it required a few more passes than I am used to as a corded vacuum owner, but it didn’t take very much time to grab all of the rooted debris.  

Powered Lift-away mode made the stairs so easy, and I was able to carry the body up the stairs as I cleaned. It did a good job, and worked faster than I expected it to as well.

The powered lift away also meant I had flexible access to under my furniture and other tight places because the main floorhead could be used while in this particular format.  

Floor to ceiling cleaning was absolutely effortless thanks to the lift away mode. The slimmer wand meant that it felt lighter, and my tools of choice allowed me to reach right up and grab those pesky cobwebs as well as rid my home of dust that had been missed.

It was just so quick and easy, which is something I value in any vacuum cleaner.  

The pet tool, however, fixed this pretty quick. It was able to remove all of the hair left behind from the main floorhead, and it did so quickly. So, after it fixed the carpets, I took it to the dog beds and let it work its magic. 

It did very well, and I also used it on my stairs to get rid of the really awful pet hair clumps left by my dog on his favourite step. It was a really impressive tool, and probably my favourite version.   

I really liked that there was a little bag for the tools and accessories because it keeps everything together, but it also adds a little something extra to the presentation.

I have already gone through the pet tool in the above section, but I also feel it is important to note that it has a new design; it looks really smart and modern.  

The upholstery tool also has a new design, and this includes a wider head for better coverage when you are cleaning your furniture or car interior. It remains excellent at picking everything up, and clips easily into place when needed.  

Here are some other, similar, models of vacuum cleaner for you to consider, just in case you want to look at other options before you commit to a Shark IC160UK or IC160UKT.