If you're in the market for a new Shark vacuum, you might well find yourself trying to decide between the Shark Detect Pro vs Stratos. These are two of the best Shark vacuums in the current lineup, and it can be tricky at a glance to discern the differences between them. This article is here to help with that, and make sure you choose the right option for your needs and budget.
Detect Pro and Stratos are the names of ranges rather than individual vacuums. We'll get into the specifics in the Range & Price section below, but for the purposes of this article, we're going to assume you're mostly interested in the cordless stick vacuums. To read about each one individually, head to our Shark Stratos Cordless Stick vacuum review or Shark Detect Pro Cordless Stick vacuum review.
Both appear in our best cordless vacuum ranking, so neither is a bad choice. It's also worth pointing out that the Shark PowerDetect range, added in Fall 2024, theoretically combines the best bits of the Detect Pro and Stratos ranges, and is also worth considering. Read about how we got on with that one in our Shark PowerDetect Cordless vacuum review.
Back to the Stratos vs Detect Pro. The short version is that the Detect Pro cordless stick vacuum is the lighter and more feature-rich of the two, while the Stratos is heavier but more powerful. We'd recommend the Detect Pro if you have a mix of floor types or a complex layout to navigate, while the Stratos will be a better choice if you have mostly carpet in your home. The Detect Pro is often (but not always) cheaper, but the Stratos line also contains a corded stick vacuum that's very budget-friendly. Read on for a more detailed look at the differences between these two popular vacuums...
Shark Detect Pro vs Stratos: range & price
The Shark vacuum range is huge, confusing and unwieldy, and there are a number of different models within both the Detect Pro and the Stratos ranges. Exactly which are available varies by country, and the naming conventions and product codes also differ by country.
For self-preservation reasons, we'll just focus on just what's available direct from Shark here – there may be other, slightly different models floating around at third party retailers, but you'll need to figure those out for yourself.
Shark Detect Pro range
The Detect Pro range is the simpler of the two. There's just one cordless vacuum, which you can read about in our Shark Detect Pro Cordless review. It's available as a vacuum on its own or with an optional auto-empty base. Actually, in some places there's also a robot vacuum, but we'll assume you're interested in the manual vacuums here.
In the US it's called the Shark Detect Pro Cordless Stick Vacuum with QuadClean Multi-Surface Brushroll, which really rolls off the tongue. There's a version with just the vacuum (IW1111) for $379.99 or with an auto-empty base (IW3511) for $449.99.
In the UK, it's called the Shark Detect Pro Cordless Vacuum Cleaner. Originally, you could pick up just the vacuum for an RRP of £349.99, but now if you go direct to Shark, you have to get an auto-empty base. You can choose between a 1.3L base (IW3510UK) for £399.99 reduced to £299.99 at time of writing, or a 2L base (IW3611UKT) for £449.99 down to £349.99.
In Australia it's the Shark Cordless Detect Pro, available as just the vacuum (IW1611) for AU$599.99 down to AU$499.99, or with an auto-empty system (IW3611) for AU$799.99 down to AU$699.99 at time of writing.
Shark Stratos range
The Stratos range is a little more complex. There's a cordless stick vacuum (read about that in our Shark Stratos Cordless vacuum review), a corded stick vacuum (head to our Shark Stratos Corded Stick review for that one – we rate it amongst the best cheap vacuums you can buy) and an upright vacuum, or if you're in the UK, and whole bunch of upright vacuums (consult our Shark Stratos NZ860UKT Pet Pro Upright Vacuum review to see how we got on with one of those). Let's take a look at pricing and availability.
In the US there's the cordless stick (IZ862H) for $499.99, the corded stick (HZ3002) for $299.99 or one upright (AZ3002) for $449.99.
In the UK the Stratos cordless stick vacuum is available with a single battery (IZ400UK) for £349.99, two batteries (IZ400UKT) for £429.99 down to £229.99, or with upgraded anti-hair wrap capabilities and two batteries (IZ420UKT) for £449.99. The corded stick vacuum (HZ3000UKT) costs £249.99. There are a number of upright models. We'll leave you to explore the Stratos upright range at your leisure – prices range from £299.99 to £429.99.
In Australia, there are two cordless stick vacuums, and we're not entirely sure about the difference between them. The IZ400 is $799.99 down to $599.99, while the IZ420 costs AU$1,299.99 down to $999.99. There's an upright (AZ913) for AU$649.99. There is no corded stick vacuum.
Here's a summary table of pricing for just the most basic cordless stick vacuum option:
- Summary: Stratos has the wider range, but the cordless stick vacuum is typically more expensive than the Detect Pro cordless stick vacuum. There's also a cheap corded stick vac in the Stratos range, if you're on a budget.
Shark Detect Pro vs Stratos: design & features
Here, we'll focus on the standard cordless stick vacuum in each range. If you want a corded stick vacuum or an upright, your decision is easy as you'll only find these in the Stratos range; there are no Detect Pro options here.
The headline difference is that the Stratos vacuums are designed to offer most in the way of outright suction power, and are a bit more basic in terms of features and a little heavier than the Detect Pro vacuums. In contrast, the Detect Pro vacuums have slightly less power but are lighter and smarter.
Because Shark doesn't publish suction specs, it's extremely difficult to quantify or objectively compare that bit, but we can explore the design/feature differences. You will probably find our Shark vacuum technologies guide useful to refer to, as there are some features that appear across both models.
Detection capabilities
Both the Shark Stratos Cordless stick vacuum and the Shark Detect Pro Cordless vacuum are able to detect how dirty the floor is, and adjust suction in response when used in auto mode. In the Stratos, this is called Clean Sense IQ.
In the Detect Pro, it becomes 'DirtDetect', and that's because that vacuum can detect a whole bunch of other things besides just dirt. It also has EdgeDetect (where it amps up suction on the relevant side of the floorhead when it's near the edge of a room), FloorDetect (where it increases suction on carpet compared to hard floors) and LightDetect (where the LED headlamps get brighter in dingy areas).
Floorhead
The Stratos has a DuoClean floorhead, which means it contains two brushrolls: a soft one designed specifically to clean and polish hard floors, and one for carpet, with rubbery 'PowerFins' that dig in and pull up embedded dirt and hair.
In contrast, the Detect Pro has a QuadClean floorhead, which means it has... just the one brushroll, but with different bits to tackle different kinds of tasks, from large debris, to embedded dirt and hair, to fine dust. QuadClean rollers are mostly made from fluffy microfiber, but they have inbuilt PowerFins, as well as firmer bristles, and ribs.
Both are designed to prevent hair from tangling around the rollers. In the UK this is called 'anti hair wrap technology' while in the US it's a 'self-cleaning brushroll'.
Special features
Those are the basics, let's get into the fun extras. Both have a wand that can bend forward, enabling you to clean under furniture without having to get down on your hands and knees. It's the one thing that people seem to consistently love about Shark's vacuums.
The Stratos also has an odor-neutralizing puck in the floorhead. Officially (as implied by the name) this neutralizes potential bad smells rather than creating new, better ones, but reviewers tend to rave about how fresh-smelling it leaves their home after vacuuming.
The Detect Pro does have this, but not on the vacuum itself. Instead, it appears on the auto-empty base, an optional extra that Shark is increasingly offering with its new vacuums. Dock your Shark cordless vac here and it'll suck all the dust and debris out and into a larger dustbin in the stand. It'll also recharge the vacuum. It'll cost you more to go for this option, but there are benefits for allergy-sufferers in particular because it means you won't have to empty the bin nearly as often.
- Summary: The Detect Pro cordless stick vacuum is smarter, with more advanced detection and auto-adjustment capabilities. The Stratos has more outright suction, and is a little heavier. You can opt to add an auto-empty dock to the Detect Pro.
