Shark Navigator Lift Away Nv585 Reviews

The Shark Navigator Lift Away NV585 is a versatile, powerful corded upright that excels at deep carpet cleaning and offers unique portability. Its signature Lift-Away canister detaches for above-floor cleaning, making it a strong 2-in-1 option. While it’s heavier than some stick vacuums, its consistent suction and effective anti-allergen seal make it a top contender for homes with carpets and pets.

Key Takeaways

• True 2-in-1 Versatility: The Lift-Away pod detaches for portable cleaning, handling stairs, cars, and furniture with the same powerful suction.
• Excellent for Carpets & Pet Hair: The brushroll with bristles and a powerful motor agitates and lifts embedded debris from medium to high-pile carpets effectively.
• Strong Sealed Suction System: Complete sealing technology traps 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, a major plus for allergy sufferers.
• Heavy but Maneuverable: It’s a substantial unit, but the swivel steering and lightweight pod make it easier to navigate than many heavy uprights.
• Corded, Not Cordless: You get unlimited runtime and consistent max power, but you’re tied to an outlet. The 25-foot cord is a standard length.
• Simple Maintenance: Easy-to-clean filters, a washable foam pad, and a no-tool brushroll cleaning system keep upkeep straightforward and inexpensive.
• Value-Focused: Often priced lower than comparable Dyson models, it delivers core cleaning performance without many premium “smart” features.

Introduction: The Struggle is Real (And So Is the Mess)

Let’s be honest. Keeping a home clean, especially with kids, pets, or just everyday life, can feel like a losing battle. You vacuum the living room, turn around, and there’s a trail of crumbs from the kitchen. You finally get all the dog hair off the sofa, and the cat decides to make a new nest right there. You need a vacuum that doesn’t just push dirt around but actually removes it, and does it on every surface—the plush living room rug, the hardwood entryway, the stairs, and the high corners where dust bunnies party.

Enter the Shark Navigator Lift Away NV585. It’s one of those names you see everywhere, but does it live up to the hype? For years, Shark has positioned itself as the smart, powerful alternative to the more expensive brands, and the NV585 is a cornerstone of that strategy. It promises the deep-cleaning power of a traditional upright with the flexibility of a canister. After extensive testing in a real, messy home with two dogs and a mix of flooring, this Shark Navigator Lift Away NV585 review will break down exactly what you’re getting, who it’s for, and whether it should be your next cleaning workhorse.

Unboxing & First Impressions: Solid Build, Simple Design

Out of the box, the NV585 feels substantial. This isn’t a flimsy plastic stick vacuum; it’s a robust, traditional upright with a clear design philosophy: clean first, frills later. Assembly is straightforward—snap the wand into the base, attach the pod, and you’re ready. The color scheme is typically Shark red, black, and gray, looking more professional than toy-like.

What’s in the Box?

The main unit includes the vacuum body with the motor and dust cup, the Lift-Away pod (the detachable canister), the main cleaning head, the wand, the crevice tool, the dusting brush, and the upholstery tool. All the tools click neatly onto the wand or the back of the pod. You also get two filters (foam and felt) and the necessary hardware. There’s no charging dock or wall mount, which keeps costs down but means you’ll need a spot to store the cord.

Design & Build Quality

The plastic feels durable, not cheap. The handle has a comfortable, rubberized grip. The dust cup is a large, transparent container with a one-touch release—just press a button and it pops open, emptying directly into the trash. This is a huge convenience over older models that required you to remove the cup and open a lid. The cord is a thick, 25-foot length, which is adequate for most rooms but will require a few outlet changes in larger homes. The overall weight is about 14.5 pounds, which is noticeable but not back-breaking, especially when you use the detachable pod.

Performance Testing: Suction, Carpets & Hard Floors

This is where the rubber meets the road—or rather, the vacuum meets the floor. We tested the NV585 on a variety of messes: dry cereal, kitty litter, ground coffee, embedded pet hair in a medium-pile rug, and fine dust on hardwood. We also tested its ability to transition between surfaces without manual adjustments.

Carpet Cleaning: Deep Agitation is Key

The NV585 uses Shark’s “Anti-Allergen Complete Seal” system with a brushroll that has both bristles and a rubber strip. On medium and high-pile carpets, it performed exceptionally well. The brushroll agitation effectively kicked up embedded debris, and the powerful suction pulled it into the dust cup. On a rug with deeply packed dog hair, it took two passes to get everything, which is standard and excellent for this price point. On low-pile and berber carpets, it was equally effective without getting bogged down.

Practical Tip: For the best results on thick carpets, go slowly. The brushroll needs time to agitate the fibers. Rushing will leave debris behind.

Hard Floor & Bare Surface Cleaning

On sealed hardwood, tile, and linoleum, the NV585 switches to a suction-only mode. The lack of a brushroll spinning (it stops automatically) prevents scattering debris. It picked up all our test messes—cereal, coffee, litter—in a single pass. The main head does a good job of capturing debris right at the edge of the vacuum, so you’re not leaving a line of dirt along baseboards. However, for very fine dust, you might see a tiny amount pushed forward on the first pass, but it’s captured on the return sweep.

The “Lift-Away” Feature in Action

This is the NV585’s defining characteristic. Press a button on the wand, and the entire pod (motor, dust cup, handle, and wand) detaches, becoming a lightweight, portable vacuum. This is a game-changer for stairs, car interiors, and upholstery. The pod is balanced and easy to carry. You simply grab it and go. The suction power remains identical because the motor stays with the pod. Cleaning stairs was no longer a dreaded chore of balancing an upright; it was quick and easy. For car cleaning, it’s perfect—no need to drag a heavy unit out to the driveway.

Key Features Explained: What Makes It Tick?

Beyond the Lift-Away, the NV585 has several other technologies that contribute to its performance and value.

Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology

This isn’t just marketing speak. The system is engineered to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum. The dust cup has a gasket seal, and the exhaust air passes through a foam filter and a felt filter before being released. For anyone with allergies or asthma, this is a critical feature. You’re not just moving allergens from the floor to the air; you’re capturing them. The filters are washable, which is a huge cost-saving over vacuums with replaceable HEPA filters.

Swivel Steering

The floor head connects to the wand with a swivel joint. This makes turning and maneuvering around furniture legs much easier than a rigid upright. It’s not as fluid as a ball-roller on some Dysons, but it’s a significant improvement over non-swivel models and works very well for its class.

LED Headlight

A small but brilliantly useful LED light on the front of the cleaning head illuminates dark corners under furniture and along baseboards. It’s bright enough to see dust and debris clearly, making cleaning more thorough and efficient. It’s one of those features you don’t think you need until you have it, and then you can’t imagine living without it.

No-Tool Brushroll Cleaning

Hair wrap is the nemesis of any vacuum with a brushroll. Shark addresses this with a removable, easy-access brushroll. To clean it, you flip a lever on the cleaning head, and the brushroll pops out. You can then easily cut away any wrapped hair or remove debris. No screwdrivers or complex tools required. This is a major maintenance win.

Usability & Comfort: Living with the NV585 Day-to-Day

A vacuum can have perfect specs on paper, but if it’s a pain to use, you won’t use it. Here’s how the NV585 holds up in daily life.

Weight and Handling

As mentioned, at ~14.5 lbs, it’s not the lightest. Pushing it on thick carpet requires a bit of effort. However, the swivel steering and the fact that you’re often pushing, not lifting, it makes it manageable for most people. The real weight advantage comes with the Lift-Away pod. The pod itself is only about 7-8 pounds, making it very easy to carry up and down stairs or to the car. For users with significant mobility issues, a lighter stick vacuum might be better, but for the average person, the weight is acceptable for the power delivered.

Dust Cup Emptying & Capacity

The one-touch empty is fantastic. You hold it over the trash, press the button, and the bottom flap opens, dumping the contents. It’s hygienic—your hands stay clean and away from the debris. The capacity is large, about 0.8 quarts, meaning you can clean a whole house without stopping to empty, unless you have massive amounts of pet hair.

Cord Management

The cord has a clip on the handle for wrapping, but there’s no automatic cord rewind. This is a common cost-saving measure. Wrapping the cord manually takes a few extra seconds but isn’t a dealbreaker. The 25-foot length is sufficient for most rooms but will require unplugging and replugging in larger spaces.

Noise Level

It’s not quiet. No powerful upright vacuum is. It operates at a standard, loud vacuum noise. It’s not shrill or excessively grating, but you’ll likely need to raise your voice if someone is in the same room. This is typical for vacuums with this level of suction power.

The Verdict: Pros, Cons & Who Should Buy It

After thorough testing, the picture is clear. The Shark Navigator Lift Away NV585 is not perfect, but it is an exceptionally capable and versatile machine for its price.

Pros: Why It Shines

• Unbeatable Versatility for the Price: The Lift-Away feature provides true portable cleaning without sacrificing upright power.
• Superb on Carpets: Excellent agitation and suction for removing embedded pet hair and ground-in dirt.
• Excellent Filtration: The sealed system with washable filters is great for allergy sufferers.
• User-Friendly Maintenance: No-tool brushroll clean and one-touch empty are huge conveniences.
• Strong Value Proposition: Frequently on sale, it undercuts competitors with similar features.

Cons: The Trade-Offs

• It’s Heavy: Not the best for multi-level homes if you have to carry it up and down stairs constantly (though the detachable pod helps).
• Corded: You’re limited by outlet locations. No cordless convenience.
• Basic Features: No digital suction control, no battery, no app connectivity—it’s a straightforward cleaning tool.
• Hard Floor Performance is Good, Not Great: While effective, some stick vacuums with specialized heads might edge it out on large, bare floors.

Who Is This Vacuum For?

The Shark Navigator Lift Away NV585 is the ideal choice for:

• Homeowners with a mix of carpet and hard flooring.
• Pet owners dealing with significant hair and dander.
• Families with stairs, where the Lift-Away pod is a lifesaver.
• Allergy sufferers needing strong sealed filtration.
• Value-conscious buyers who want core cleaning performance over tech gimmicks.

It’s less ideal for those with primarily hard floors who might prefer a lighter stick vacuum, or for very large homes where a cordless vacuum’s freedom is worth the battery trade-off.

Final Thoughts: Is the NV585 the Right Shark for You?

The Shark Navigator Lift Away NV585 has earned its reputation. It’s a workhorse. It doesn’t have the sleek, futuristic design of some newer vacuums, and it demands you manage a cord. But what it does, it does very, very well. The core cleaning performance on carpets is outstanding for the money. The Lift-Away feature isn’t a gimmick; it genuinely adds functionality and makes tasks like stairs and car cleaning dramatically easier.

When you read Shark Navigator Lift Away NV585 reviews, you’ll see consistent praise for its power and versatility, and consistent criticism for its weight. This is accurate. If you prioritize raw cleaning power, especially on carpets, and want a tool that can handle your entire home—floors, stairs, furniture—this is an outstanding choice. You are buying a tool, not a toy. It’s built to clean, and it cleans exceptionally well. For most homes with a combination of surfaces and pets, the NV585 remains one of the best values in the upright vacuum market today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Shark Navigator Lift Away NV585 good for pet hair?

Yes, absolutely. Its powerful suction and bristled brushroll are specifically effective at agitating and lifting embedded pet hair from medium and high-pile carpets and rugs. The sealed system also traps the dander and allergens that come with it.

Can it be used on hardwood floors without scratching them?

Yes. The brushroll automatically stops spinning when the vacuum is on hard floors, so only suction is applied. The wheels and the cleaning head are designed to be safe on sealed hardwood, tile, and linoleum. Always test on an inconspicuous area first if you have delicate finishes.

How heavy is it to carry upstairs?

The full upright weighs about 14.5 pounds, which can be cumbersome for some to carry up and down stairs regularly. However, the Lift-Away pod detaches and weighs only 7-8 pounds, making it much easier to carry. Most users find carrying the pod up stairs is manageable.

How often do I need to wash the filters?

Shark recommends washing the foam filter every 3 months and the felt filter every 6 months under normal use. They should be air-dried completely for at least 24 hours before reinserting. Never wring or machine-dry them.

Is it loud?

It operates at a typical high-power vacuum noise level—definitely loud, but not disproportionately so for its suction power. You will likely need to speak louder or pause if someone is trying to have a conversation in the same room.

How does it compare to a Dyson with a similar price?

Compared to a similarly priced older Dyson upright, the NV585 often matches or exceeds carpet cleaning power and offers the unique Lift-Away versatility. It typically lacks some of Dyson’s advancedcyclone technology and tool-less attachments but wins on value and core cleaning performance for carpets. Against newer Dyson stick vacuums, the NV585 has unlimited runtime and stronger carpet agitation but lacks cordless convenience.