The Shark Navigator Swivel is another popular model in the long line of vacuums from this famous manufacturer. It boasts Shark’s “never loses suction” technology and comes with a wide variety of tools for pet hair and reaching into small or tight spaces or simply for dusting your bookcases or furniture.
It has two settings – one for bare floors like hardwood and one for carpets. Our and consumer evaluations say it does an excellent job on both. While it doesn’t have separate height settings for different depths of the carpet pile, most users say that’s not needed, and it works fine on all types.
Shark Navigator Swivel & Swivel Plus Bagless Review
The Shark Navigator (NV26) Red
The Shark Navigator (NV26) Red is the perfect vacuum for hardwood floors, upholstery, and more. This powerful vacuum has been designed with your convenience in mind.
Its infinity technology traps dust and dirt effectively, while the bagless dirt cup and washable filters make it great. The swivel steering makes moving around obstacles a breeze, while the two-motor system never loses suction. Brush roll turns on and off to protect carpets and floors from accidental messes.
Like the Navigator Deluxe, it’s essentially very much like the Navigator Lift-Away Professional, except it doesn’t have the built-in canister vac. If you don’t need that extra feature, then this model is an excellent deal for the price.
The Shark NV46 Navigator Swivel Plus
This Shark Navigator Swivel Plus upright vacuum cleaner is perfect for bigger spaces. The never-loses suction technology and a HEPA filter ensure that your carpets, furniture, and floors stay clean. The large bagless dust cup lets you accumulate less dirt while keeping your house clean. The ultra-lightweight design means you can quickly move this vacuum from room to room.
Navigator Swivel NV26 vs Swivel Plus NV46
| Navigator Swivel NV26 | Navigator Swivel Plus NV46 |
| Brand: SharkNinja | Brand: Shark |
| 11.73L X 11.42W X 44.57H inc | 29.8L X 15.1W X 13.2H inc |
| Color: Red | Color: Blue |
| 15.9 pounds | 20.4 pounds |
Daily Use
As far as cleaning and maintaining the Swivel bagless upright, the company has kept this pretty simple. Like most bagless vacuums, you push a latch to remove the dirt container, hold it over the trash can and push another to open it, so it empties.
As with most vacs designed like this, occasionally, a wad of hair or other debris gets stuck in the canister, and you need to reach in to remove it. However, user reviews agree this is a small price to pay for the convenience and saving the added expense and hassle of buying bags over and over again.
Pet Hair Pickup
While it’s not advertised as a pet vacuum cleaner, the Navigator Swivel and Swivel Plus models both seem to do more than a good job getting up pet hair. In one review, a woman says she’s very picky about cleaning, and it does a thorough job cleaning up after her two Beagles. Another reviewer says she uses it to clean up in her hair salon, which also does a great job on human hair.
Since it comes with a turbo brush, this also works well on getting animal fur off upholstered furniture like sofas and chairs. So for a low-priced budget vacuum, it does do an excellent job on dog and cat hair.
While these two vacs are very similar, there are a few key differences. They come with the same attachments and have the same motor. However, the cord on the Plus model is a bit shorter at only 25 feet. The Plus is also taller at 47”, so it’s better if you are a tall person. So you won’t need to stoop over when cleaning.
As you can see, these two are essential. Those are the same machine with just a few variances but none that affect its cleaning power. The Plus also costs nearly $$$ more, so unless you need to have it, the basic version is just fine.
Accessories & Tools Included
- Crevice tool
- Dusting brush
- Turbo brush for pet hair
Specs
- Model number: NV26 or NV46 (Swivel Plus)
- Dimensions: 34.45” x 11.61” x 13.39”
- Weight: 15.8 lbs.
- Color: Red (13)
- Cleaning path width: 9.25”
- Motor: 1200 watts (10 amps) (14)
- Cord length: 30’
- Extension hose length: 11’
- Filters: Washable
Pros
- Brush roll-on/off feature
- Does well on carpets & bare floors
- It comes with good tools and a long extension hose
Cons
- Some users are not like flashing the red light.
While most users say they are pleased with the Swivel, some wish it had a sealed HEPA system like some more expensive upright vacuums. While most people won’t miss this, you may if you or someone in your home suffers from severe allergies.
A sealed HEPA system ensures that small particles like pollen, dust, mold, and pet dander won’t get released into the air as you vacuum. If this is important to you, you may want to look at one of the best Shark models like the Rotator Lift-Away or Navigator Professional (both also have a canister vac that lifts off the central unit, so it’s like having two vacuums in one).
If you need a step even above that, all the Dyson models are certified by the Asthma & Allergy Institute and work great even on pet hair. The DC50 is an excellent compact model, and the DC65 is a full size that excels at this.
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for an excellent basic cleaner with some handy tools, the Shark Navigator Swivel is a good option. At the same time, it doesn’t have some of the fancier features of other upright bagless models. It also doesn’t have a price tag.
What it does have is the ability to clean both bare floors and carpet with a brush roll. That turns off and a nice long extension hose and tools to clean stairs, furniture, or other hard-to-reach places. Overall, it’s an excellent value backed by the Shark name and warranty; it’s a worthy investment.