Shark HV301 vs. HV302 – Comparison review
Shark HV301
Shark HV302
Shark HV301
- Size (LxWxH) 10.5"L x 9.8"W x 46"H
- Weight 7.6 pounds
- Type Residential
- Cleaning path 8.5”
- Wattage 500 watts
- Mopping performance No
- Amperage 4.2 A
- Noise level 80 dB
- Recommended floor surfaces Carpet, hard floor, tiles
- Above-floor cleaning Yes
- Bag Type Bagless
- Cord length 25 ft
- Number of attachments 4
- Warranty 5-years limited
Shark HV302
- Size (LxWxH) 10.5"L x 9.8"W x 46"H
- Weight 8.2 pounds
- Type Residential
- Cleaning path 8.5”
- Wattage 500 watts
- Mopping performance No
- Amperage 4.2 A
- Noise level 80 dB
- Recommended floor surfaces Carpet, hard floor, tiles
- Above-floor cleaning Yes
- Bag Type Bagless
- Cord length 25 ft
- Number of attachments 4
- Warranty 5-years limited
Lightweight stick vacuums become extremely popular for the possibility of cleaning floors quickly, transferring to hand vacuums to clean furniture and many additional tools to access remote areas. They can combine vacuuming and mopping features and can be bagless or specially designed for cleaning carpets. All owners additionally highlight their energy efficiency and versatility.
On the market, you can purchase stick vacuums starting from $50 depending on the functionality, suction power, battery life and available features. You can buy vacuum cleaners produced by Bissell, Dyson, Shark, Kenmore, Samsung, and Tineco. Even though these cleaners require humans for cleaners, they can’t do autonomous cleaning like robotic vacuum cleaners; these models occupy a significant part of the vacuum cleaner market.
In this article, we will compare two bestsellers, Shark HV301 vs. HV302. These budget minimalistic cleaners have more than 18.000 reviews on Amazon and are worth being considered as perfect helpers for average apartments and houses with pets and kids.
Shark HV301 vs. HV302 – Face-to-Face comparison
Shark HV301 is a stick vacuum cleaner with a grey body and orange accents. It looks slightly different from other vacuum cleaners by its modern “rocket” design.
Unfortunately, it does not stand on its own on the floor because of the heavy dust cup, battery and large grip handle at the top part of the cleaner. But you can leave it near the wall, which will protect it from falling.
You may forget about ruining white wallpapers as it has rubber pads on the dustbin. There is a power switch button with three positions to control the vacuum on the top of the handle. Several wands can be used for better mobility – an under-appliance wand (purchased separately) and a standard wand.
Shark HV302 is a multi-colored stick vacuum with a light grey and orange body. This powerful corded model consists of a handheld vacuum, a motorized floor nozzle and a wand.
The handheld vacuum has a transparent plastic dust cup, motor, ergonomic handle for convenient vacuuming, and an orange power switch. On the bottom side of this vacuum, there is a rubber pad for keeping the cleaner in the upright position and a hole for the hook.
The upper part of the handheld vacuum has an orange lid that you may open to access the pre-motor filter kit. The motor should be connected to electric power, as this model does not have batteries, so you will never use the suction power, and the cleaner is ready all the time for a new cycle.
There are no differences found in the comparison of Shark HV301 vs. HV302 in design and dimensions. The HV302 model is slightly heavier because of the different motorized floor nozzle. There is no winner.
Shark HV301 can be easily transferred in the hand small vacuum for cleaning furniture, stairs, curtains and more.
You can attach all tools and brushes without a wand. The wand is secured by a wand release button in the upper part; the main brush is secured with a nozzle release button.
So, there are 2 cleaning modes – a stick vacuum and a hand vacuum. Such construction is ideal for reaching hard-to-get places.
Shark HV302 can be not only a stick vacuum in assembly with a handheld vacuum and a wand, but it is also transferable from this mode to a hand vacuum.
All accessories and the main nozzle can be attached to the handheld vacuum directly. You can clean pet hair from the furniture, stairs, cabinets and other places.
To detach the wand and the nozzle, you need to push the orange release buttons.
In this part of the comparison, these Shark models do not differ as well. They transfer both from a stick vacuum for upright cleaning in a small hand vacuum. There is no winner.
Shark HV301 has a 2-speed power slider switch for vacuuming carpets and bare floors. The brush roll spins quicker for cleaning high pile rugs, and slower for cleaning bare floors.
The second cleaning mode can also be used for cleaning embedded dirt and deep cleaning of bare floors.
For all accessories (additional tools), only the mode for bare floor should be used.
The owner of Shark HV302 can have dedicated settings for cleaning the bare floors and area rugs or for cleaning high-pile carpets.
For deep cleaning, you may also use the settings for cleaning high-pile carpets. In this mode, the bristles in the motorized floor nozzle spin faster to pick up the debris and higher more efficiently.
If you are not sure about the selection of the setting, please refer to the recommended manufacturer instructions.
Only two dedicated settings are available for owners of Shark HV301&HV302 – for cleaning bare floors and high-pile carpets. There is no difference, correspondingly no winner.
Shark HV301 has a washable foam filter that is located under the top orange lid of a dust cup. The felt filter is located under the foam filter. These pre-motor filters are removable for proper cleaning. There is also one additional post-motor filter on the air exhaust to keep all allergens in the dust cup.
Shark HV302 has a pre-motor filter kit consisting of a felt filter and a washable foam filter. The filters are located on the dust way from the wand (or inlet) to the dust cup. The cleaner also has a post-motor filter on the air exhaust to keep all allergens and dust inside the dust cup.
Both models are equipped with the same filter kits; there is no difference. We have no winner in this part of the comparison.
The standard package of Shark HV301 includes a motorized floor nozzle with plastic bristles, a 5.5” crevice tool, an upholstery tool and an anti-allergen dust brush.
The motorized nozzle has a low-profile design, a swivel steering wheel, and two wheels to clean all surfaces around and under the furniture with ease.
You can purchase additional tools available for this model – a 12” crevice tool, a wide upholstery tool, a home and car detail kit, a microfiber pad with a hard floor attachment, and a hard floor hero.
In the Shark HV302 package, 3 additional tools are included: a pet multi-tool, a crevice tool, and a precision duster.
These tools are normally used for above-floor cleaning of upholstery, stairs, sofas, and more. The pet multi-tool picks up stubborn pet hair from all surfaces, and a crevice tool is used for hard-to-reach areas.
The precision duster consists of a flexible tube and a micro crevice tool on the end to clean keyboards, delicate furniture, cars and more. The main brush – motorized floor nozzle – has two wheels for swivel steering and powerful deep cleaning.
The main brush (motorized floor nozzle) is identical for the two models, Shark HV301 and HV302. Also, a crevice tool goes with the two models. But HV302 and HV301 differ in two other tools. There is no winner in this part of the comparison, as you need to choose based on your needs.
Shark HV301 has a transparent, non-removable dustbin on the top part of the plastic wand where all debris and dirt are collected. To empty the bin, you need to press the “empty” button on the bottom of the dust cup.
There is a hands-free cleaning system; your hands will be clean. You need to clean the dust cup when the dirt reaches the maximum level.
Shark HV302 collects all dust, debris, and dirt into a plastic dust cup with a capacity of 0.29 L. The cup is attached to the motor and a hand and can’t be cleaned separately.
The filters are located at the entrance of the cup. To empty the cup, you need to press the orange button on the cup. The lid will open the cup on the bottom, and all dust goes to the trash bin.
There is no difference in the easy-empty dust cup of HV301 and HV302. You can empty it with one button, and the cup will have the same capacity. There is no winner.
Shark HV301 has one push button on the handle that is used to change cleaning modes. The first position is used to turn off the cleaner; the second one (I mode) is used to clean bare floors and area rugs, and the third (II mode) is used for cleaning high-pile carpets.
The cleaner does not clean in the upright position; you need to place your foot gently on the nozzle and tilt the handle back.
Control features of Shark HV302 are only in one slide button on the handheld part near the handle. It is a three-position slider – position O (turn off the power), position I (bare floors and area rugs) and position II (high pile carpets).
The cleaner is protected from accidental start, and turn on the power; you need to bend it slightly.
HV301 and HV302 do not have any automation or remote control features. All control is performed with one three-positioned slider near the handle. Again, there is no winner.
The Shark HV301 comes with:
- Handheld vacuum
- 25 ft. cord
- Wand
- Motorized floor nozzle
- Upholstery tool
- Dusting brush
- Crevice tool
- Wall mount
The Shark HV302 comes with:
- Handheld vacuum
- 25 ft. cord
- Wand
- Motorized floor nozzle
- Precision duster
- Pet multi-tool
- Crevice tool
- Wall mount
In this part of the comparison we again see that Shark HV302 differs from HV301 in the composition of the additional tools. The quantity of accessories and main parts is the same. There is no winner.
Setting up the stick vacuums
Shark HV301 and HV302 are supplied disassembled. A handheld vacuum with a cable, floor nozzle, and additional tools are supplied separately.
- The wand and nozzle should be inserted in the connectors until you hear the click.
- After that, the handheld vacuum should be attached to the top of the wand; you also should hear the click.
- You can also use the vacuum not in an upright position but in a handheld mode without the wand. All desired accessories should be attached directly to the handheld part with a click.
To start cleaning, you need to insert the plug of a power cable into the working electrical socket. Without a connection to the electricity, the cleaner is not working.
verdictTwo stick vacuum cleaners are set up identically. We can’t call any of the cleaners the winner, the better one.
Storage
Shark HV301&HV302 have several hooks for the storage of the cleaner and two storage options. For the first option, you need to release the handheld vacuum from the wand and hang it on the hook at the bottom of the wand. The cord should be wrapped around two cord hooks – on the top of the wand and the top of the nozzle.
For the second option, a wall-mount plastic attachment is included in the package. You need to drill two 5/16” holes for connecting the attachment using two plastic anchors and screws (should be purchased separately). The attachment has a plastic hook on which you should hand the handheld part. At the back side of this part, there is a special hole (also used for the onboard hook). The electric cord is wrapped in the same position as for onboard storage.
verdictThere is no winner, as again, there are no differences in storage options for both models.
Maintenance
Shark HV301 should be properly maintained for long service. The frequency of cleaning is indicated in the table below. All parts should be cleaned only with tap water, without chemicals. All parts should be completely air-dried until you insert them back into the vacuum cleaner.
Cleaning tests
Performance on Bare Floors
Performance on Bare Floors
- Raw popcorns
- 98
- 98
- Pet hair
- 99
- 99
- Flour
- 98
- 98
- Rice
- 98
- 98
- Sugar
- 97
- 97
- Kitty litter
- 98
- 98
- Cheerios
- 99
- 99
- Saw dust
- 98
- 98
- Sand pebbles
- 99
- 99
Vacuuming performance on Carpets
We have tested both vacuums with the main motorized floor nozzle on bare floors and carpets. The results are presented in two separate tables.
Vacuuming performance on Carpets
- Raw popcorns
- 96
- 96
- Pet hair
- 95
- 95
- Flour
- 96
- 96
- Rice
- 95
- 95
- Sugar
- 96
- 96
- Kitty litter
- 97
- 97
- Cheerios
- 96
- 96
- Saw dust
- 97
- 97
- Sand pebbles
- 98
- 98
The performance of the two vacuums is the same, as they differ only with additional tools. But if we use a pet multi-tool on carpets and carpets, the pickup rate reaches 100%, especially for large debris and pet hair. So, Shark HV302 is the winner for complicated cases.
Which stick vacuum cleaner is better: Shark HV301 or HV302?
Our comparison has clearly shown that there are not many differences between Shark HV301 vs. Shark HS302. Both models are lightweight and easily transferred in a hand vacuum. Each model, in addition to the main floor motorized nozzle, has three additional accessories, but different ones. HV301 is designed for standard cleaning cycles, while HV302 has special pet tools. Both vacuum cleaners have a crevice tool, but HV301 has an upholstery tool and a dusting brush, while HV302 has a precision duster and a pet multi-tool instead.
The other technical characteristics, such as a cleaning path, length of the wand, suction power, filters, and dustbin size, are the same. For the pet tools, you need to pay about a third of the price, so if you do not have pets or have a problem with a lot of dust, HV301 is a better solution. Shark HV301 and HV302 are excellent, powerful cleaners with many accessories, convenient storage, easy-empty dust and versatility. Unfortunately, they are both corded models, but they are always ready for cleaning. You may be sure that these stick vacuums are a good replacement for popular cordless cleaners, such as Dyson.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is an LED indicator on the floor nozzle of Shark HV301. What do red and green lights mean?
