Review · Cleaning · 1 model
Shark PowerDetect Cordless (IP1255) review: the big bin and the five-year warranty, at 8.1 pounds
Shark's sensor stick reads edges, floor type and direction and adjusts power on its own; it also has the biggest dust cup on our list at 0.7 quarts, a HEPA post-motor filter, and a five-year limited warranty where Dyson gives two. The price is weight — 8.1 lb, the heaviest stick we have on file — and a six-hour charge. This review is about whether the bin and the warranty are worth the pounds.
Verdict
What it is
the stick reviewed
Shark PowerDetect Cordless (IP1255)
- Weight
- 8.1 lb
- Run time
- up to 70 (ECO, handheld) min
- Charge time
- 6 h
- Dust cup
- 0.7 qt
- Warranty
- 5 years
Check price on Amazon
A cordless stick with a 21.6 V battery, 8.1 lb, a 0.7-quart dust cup, up to 70 minutes in eco mode at the handheld, a six-hour charge, washable pre-motor foam and felt filters plus a HEPA post-motor filter, 45.7 inches tall, and a five-year limited warranty, all from Shark’s spec sheet. The IP1255 is a color variant of the IP1251.
Strengths
- 0.7 qt dust cup, the largest in the group
- Five-year warranty — Dyson gives two
- Detects edges, floor type and direction, adjusting power
Limitations
- 8.1 lb — a two-hand lift up stairs
- Six-hour charge
- 70-minute figure is eco mode at the handheld
Good for
- a carpeted apartment
- pet hair and edges
- someone who hates emptying bins
Look elsewhere if
- a small closet — it is 45.7 in tall
- anyone who wants a light handheld
The sensors
Shark’s PowerDetect name covers three things: edge detection, which raises power at the baseboard; floor detection, which changes power between carpet and hard floor; and direction detection, which pulls harder on the back-stroke where the brush roll does less. Left in auto, the stick manages its own battery, which is the feature that matters on mixed floors — the run time stops being a setting you forget to change.
The bin
Seven-tenths of a quart. A Dyson V8’s bin is 0.14 gallons, which is a little over half a quart; Bissell’s 4052 is 0.4 litres. With a shedding dog, a half-quart bin empties every room and a 0.7-quart one every session. It is the single biggest practical difference between this stick and the lighter ones.
Filtration
Washable foam and felt before the motor and a HEPA filter after it, by the spec sheet. Shark does not use the word sealed on the page we read, which Bissell and Eureka do; for an allergy household that word is worth checking in the manual.
Weight and height
Eight point one pounds with the head, against 5.2 to 6.4 for the Dysons and the Eureka. On a flat it is pushed, not carried, and the weight helps the head stay on carpet; on stairs it is a two-hand lift. At 45.7 inches it needs a closet shelf at 48 inches or the wall dock, and the dock needs two screws.
Charge
Six hours, the longest on our list. For a vacuum used twice a week on a wall dock it does not matter; for a house cleaned in two sessions a day it does.
The warranty
Five years, limited. Dyson gives two, Samsung ten on the motor and two on the battery, Bissell and Eureka two. For a machine whose battery is the wear part, the five years are the strongest argument for the Shark over a Dyson at a similar price.
Strengths
- 0.7 qt dust cup, the largest in the group
- Five-year warranty — Dyson gives two
- Detects edges, floor type and direction, adjusting power
Limitations
- 8.1 lb — a two-hand lift up stairs
- Six-hour charge
- 70-minute figure is eco mode at the handheld
Good for
- a carpeted apartment
- pet hair and edges
- someone who hates emptying bins
Look elsewhere if
- a small closet — it is 45.7 in tall
- anyone who wants a light handheld
Who should buy it
A carpeted apartment on one floor, a pet, a wall you can drill, and a preference for emptying the bin less often. Anyone who wants the warranty in writing for five years.
Who should not
A hard-floor apartment, where a 5.2 lb Dyson V12 does the job with half the weight; a walk-up with the vacuum on the stairs daily; a closet under four feet; a renter who cannot drill — Bissell’s 4052 stands on its own.
Sources
Facts checked October 10, 2026
- SharkNinja — Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum IP1251 product page — Manufacturer documentation, checked October 10, 2026
- Amazon listing (Shark) — Retailer listing, checked October 10, 2026
What does PowerDetect actually detect?
By Shark's description: edges, so it boosts at the baseboard; floor type, so it changes power between rug and hard floor; and direction, so it pulls harder on the back-stroke. The practical effect is that you leave it in auto and it manages the battery for you.
How long does it really run?
Shark's figure is up to 70 minutes in eco mode with the handheld — no floor head. With the motorized head on carpet in auto, expect a fraction of that; Shark does not publish the high-power figure. For a 900-square-foot apartment it finishes; for a carpeted house it may not.
Is the IP1255 the same as the IP1251?
It is a color variant of the IP1251 with the same specifications, by Shark's listings. We verified the IP1255 listing.
Why the six-hour charge?
A 21.6 V battery sized for 70 minutes takes longer to fill than Dyson's four to five hours. It charges on its wall dock overnight, which for an apartment cleaned once or twice a week is irrelevant.
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