Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus Review: Big Suction, Low Head

Easy to haul upstairs, the Shark HV322 is still top-heavy enough to topple the moment it is let go. Most of its weight rides up top, in a hand unit that holds the motor, dust cup and filters. Below it sits a low floor head with strong suction for carpet and bare floors. The hand unit also lifts off quickly for handheld work.

Its faults are the everyday kind, felt mostly in the handling. They weigh far less than what it does to a floor.

Strong on carpet and bare floors

Suction is where it shines. Carpet and rugs that looked clean still give up dirt, dust and hair. Long-neglected carpet comes clean on a first pass. Fine dust goes up as easily as crumbs. Bare floors come up clean, whether hardwood, tile, laminate or vinyl. The same floor head handles both, with no change of attachment between a rug and the boards around it.

Two brush settings sit on the hand unit, within reach of the thumb. The slower one is for bare floors, while the faster one is for rugs and carpet. The roll still turns on both, only more slowly on the bare-floor setting. There, it helps sweep debris into the head.

Even the slower setting has plenty of pull on a rug. Deep pile gets the faster setting, and the head digs well into it. Area rugs, large ones included, take that setting well and come up looking fresh. It suits a home that mixes hard floors with rugs especially well.

Around dogs and cats, the Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus pulls hair well out of carpet and rugs. It also lifts hair that other vacuums left in a rug. Long coats and short ones both come up, even with several heavy shedders at home. Long human hair goes up just as readily.

Scattered cat litter is no trouble either, which makes it handy to keep near a litter box. It isn't flawless with pet hair, though: a pass can leave some behind.

Thin, light rugs are a surface to watch. The suction can pull them up into the head.

Low and nimble around furniture

The floor head lies almost flat. That lets it slide under most beds, dressers and low shelves. Dust under a bed comes out easily, and it makes short work of dust bunnies. Not every low couch clears it, though.

The Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus also swivels sharply, turning tightly around chair and table legs. It steers with very little effort, even through narrow gaps between furniture. A crowded room is no trouble for it. Its narrow head helps there, although it covers a small strip on each pass.

LED headlights on the floor head show up dust, crumbs and hair that would otherwise go unseen. Their low angle is what makes the mess stand out. At first they look like a gimmick, yet they do real work.

They also show where the head has been and what it still has to reach. They are bright enough to vacuum by with the room lights off. A second light on the hand unit keeps working once the floor head comes off. Of its smaller features, I'd rank the lights first.

Quick to turn into a handheld

The hand unit comes off in seconds. Next, a lever at the head frees the wand with a press of the foot, with no bending down. The stick then becomes a long nozzle for corners and cracks. Switching between the three setups takes no tools and no fuss.

Both tools in the box fit the wand or the hand unit directly. With the wand attached, the hand unit reaches cobwebs in ceiling corners, molding and baseboards. On its own, it handles carpeted stairs, upholstery and the inside of a car. Its suction holds up in the hand, which makes stair carpet an easy job. Held alone, the hand unit is easy to manage.

It comes out of a closet and into use in moments. The Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus suits a daily once-over as well as a full clean. A spill of crumbs takes a minute to clear.

It ends up in use most days, often more than once. It is light enough to carry between houses for cleaning work.

Free of batteries and charging

There is no battery to run flat. It is ready the moment it is plugged in, with nothing to charge first. It keeps going for as long as a clean takes. Nor is there a battery pack to wear out and replace as the years pass.

The cord is long enough to cover an apartment or a small house from one or two outlets. Winding it back onto its two hooks is the chore that comes with that length. The hooks sit on the machine itself, so the cord stays with it in the closet. A few more feet would still help now and then. In a small home, though, the cord is seldom what limits a clean.

Setting it up takes minutes, since the parts slide together and lock with a click. Each piece releases with a button, just as easily. After that, running it is simple, and the chore becomes close to pleasant.

Unable to stand unaided

Fully assembled, it will not stand up. Of all its faults, this is the one to plan around. Leaned against a wall, the Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus can slide down and fall, and when it goes over, it lands hard. Propped with care against a piece of furniture, though, it can stay put. Otherwise, a pause to move something out of the way means laying it flat on the floor, a habit that comes quickly.

Storing it, however, is easier. With the hand unit lifted off and clipped to a hook at the base of the wand, the machine stands by itself. The listing describes that stowed position, yet it is not obvious at first. Stowed that way, it takes up little room in a closet.

A narrow closet can hold it upright fully assembled, leaning in a corner. A wall mount, sold separately, lets it hang fully assembled, ready to use. For the two tools, a holder is sold separately, too.

A heavy, whining handle

Its heft in the hand takes some getting used to. The whole machine weighs 8.6 pounds, yet it can feel heavier than that. On a sore shoulder or a weak wrist, the handle can feel heavy and awkward to steer. Holding the hand unit up for long is harder still.

For a bad back, though, its light weight helps, and its 47.5-inch length means little stooping. Later in life, too, the light weight is welcome, although the top-heavy balance can feel clumsy.

The Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus is loud, too, with a high-pitched whine. Because the motor rides in the hand, that whine sits close to the ear. The pitch is what bothers sensitive ears most. For a quick daily pass, both the weight and the noise are easy to put up with. Over a long clean, however, they grow tiresome.

Hair on the roll, dust in a small cup

Hair wraps itself around the brush roll. Pet fur tangles there too, and clearing it is regular upkeep. The roll wants checking after every clean or two.

The dust cup fills fast around pets, too. Shark lists it at 0.68 quarts and calls it XL. With a heavy shedder, or on a first pass over neglected carpet, however, it can need emptying more than once in a single clean. Emptying it after each clean keeps it ready for the next.

The cup lifts off the hand unit on its own, so only the cup has to travel to the bin. It empties with little mess, and it rinses out easily. Because it empties so quickly, the extra trips to the bin cost little. The filters sit in the top of the hand unit and are just as easy to wash. Still, they wear out in time and need replacing.

The working life of a Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus

Its build and its working life pull in opposite directions. It feels thin and flimsy in places. Out of the box, it can look cheaper than it cleans. Yet it survives rough handling well. A hard-used unit can look worn and still keep cleaning.

A unit can keep going for five years and more. Some Shark HV322 Rocket Pet Plus units do develop a fault within the first year or two. Those faults tend to show in the motor.

Pros: What we liked

• Pro: Strong suction lifts a startling load of dirt and hair from carpet and rugs
• Pro: Two brush settings suit bare floors and carpet, and the roll turns on both
• Pro: The low, swiveling head slides under most beds and dressers, lit by LED headlights
• Pro: The hand unit lifts off for stairs, upholstery and the car, and a foot lever frees the wand
• Pro: A long cord covers a small home from one or two outlets, with no battery to run flat
• Pro: The cup lifts off to empty and rinse, and the filters are washable

Cons: What could be better

• Con: Top-heavy: fully assembled, it can't stand unaided and can slide off a wall
• Con: Loud, with a high-pitched whine close to the ear
• Con: The handle can feel heavy on a sore shoulder or a weak wrist
• Con: Thin, light rugs get pulled into the head, and hair wraps the brush roll
• Con: The 0.68-quart cup can need emptying mid-clean with a heavy shedder

Specification	Details
Model	HV322
Type	Corded stick vacuum with a detachable hand vac
Weight	8.6 lb
Dimensions	47.5 x 10.25 x 13 in (height x width x length)
Dust cup	0.68 quart, bagless
Lights	LED headlights
Included tools	Crevice tool and an upholstery tool (the listing also calls it a Pet Multi-Tool)
Storage	Freestanding, with the hand vac clipped to the base of the wand
Color	Bordeaux/Silver

Final Verdict

Its running costs are small: no bags to buy, and washable filters. It is good value, too. On the floor, the suction, the low head and the lights do their work. Its tendency to topple comes from the same design that makes the hand unit strong. The thin build is the last thing on the scale, and years of service outweigh it. The floors it leaves behind weigh more than its awkwardness in the hand.