Wired has reviewed the Shark PowerDetect Speed, a new cordless vacuum cleaner that improves on the acclaimed original PowerDetect by being lighter, slimmer and cheaper, while offering an optional self-emptying and charging base station. The reviewer names it their new top pick for the best cordless vacuum, praising its strong performance on carpets and rugs and noting it outperforms several pricier rivals, though it lacks a dedicated hard-floor cleaning head.

In side-by-side testing against Dyson's current lineup across five categories (sand, Cheerios, litter, stairs and general carpet cleaning), the PowerDetect Speed scored 15 out of 20, trailing only the considerably more expensive Dyson Gen5Detect ($800) and Dyson V16 Piston Animal ($980), while beating the Dyson V10 Konical, V15 Detect and V8 Cyclone. Its 350-watt motor, slightly weaker than the original's 380 watts, still achieved perfect scores on sand and Cheerios rug tests and proved easier to push than several Dyson models. The vacuum starts at $430 alone from Shark, or $400 (reduced from $500) on Amazon with the Clean & Empty base station included.