AliceShag carpets and heavy pile rugs are some of the toughest flooring types to keep clean. They may be soft, plush, and luxurious, but they’re a magnet for dust, dirt, and pet dander. There’s nothing worse than investing in a shiny new vacuum, only to find that it’s not capable of keeping your beautiful shag carpet clean. But which vacuum cleaners can you count on? Which is the best vacuum for shag carpet and high-pile rugs?
We’ve looked at thousands of vacuum cleaners to find you the best vacuum for shag carpet. These powerful cleaners have all been evaluated against the criteria that matter to you: suction power, value for money, design features, and cleaning performance. So, let’s go through our top 5 list of the best vacuums for shag carpet.
Product Comparison Table: Best Vacuum for Shag Carpet
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | Vistefy V15 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Robot | Amazon |
 | Eureka Airspeed Ultra-Lightweight Vacuum | $ | 4.5 stars | Best Value | Amazon |
 | Dyson Ball Animal 2 Total Clean Upright Vacuum Cleaner | $$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best for Pet Hair | Amazon |
 | Shark IZ682H Vertex Pro Cordless Stick Vacuum | $$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Stick Vacuum | Amazon |
 | Shark AZ2002 Vertex Powered Lift-Away Vacuum | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Overall | Amazon |
Vistefy V15 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
The Vistefy V15 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is a 5-in-1 vacuum cleaning machine. That means it can convert into five different types of vacuum, all suited to different purposes: mini vacuum, stick vacuum, crevice cleaner, surface cleaner, and upright stick vacuum. The brush’s smart sensor automatically adjusts the suction power according to the amount of dirt or the surface being cleaned (from 11 KPa to 33 KPa).
Furthermore, it has a 6-layer filtration system that captures 99.99% of particles in the collection container, ensuring clean air. The rechargeable lithium ion battery offers up to 60 mins cleaning per charge, off of a 3.5 hours fast charging time. Plus, it’s all controlled via an LED touch display that keeps you updated on the suction and battery levels.
Pros
- Strong suction power and HEPA filter
- 5-in-1 sensor-led versatility
- Long battery life, fast charging
- Comes with extra brushes and attachments
Cons
- Not designed for pet hair
Verdict
The Vistefy V15 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is our most versatile vacuum cleaner for shag carpet. The 5-in-1 design and huge number of included attachments make this cleaner perfect for any purpose. Of course, it’s not a pet vacuum; this means the sensor can get clogged by large amounts of hair and dander. In this case, you won’t be able to experience the intelligent sensor-led adaptive functions. However, if you want a vacuum for shag carpet you can use for other areas too, this one’s ideal.
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Eureka Airspeed Ultra-Lightweight Vacuum
The Eureka Airspeed Ultra-Lightweight Vacuum is extremely light, weighing in at only only 7.7 pounds. This means you can store it anywhere, and carry it anywhere to clean even the most awkward spots. Plus, the box includes a crevice tool and dusting brush, which snap onto the vacuum for even more adaptability. Simply attach the crevice tool or dusting brush to the end of the handle, and you can clean upholstery, windows and other hard to reach places.
The powerful all-floor suction extracts dirt and hair from hard floors and carpets with ease – including shag carpet. On top of this, a 10.5″ wide cleaning path allows you to clean a large rug in just a few swipes. The most unique feature of the Eureka, however, is the design of its filter. It uses removable, reusable filters; you can just rinse out the included filter and use it again to save costs. You can purchase one from the rug district.
Pros
- Lightweight and compact
- Wide cleaning path and powerful suction
- Includes accessories
Cons
- Awkward washable filter
Verdict
If you want a vacuum cleaner for shag carpet at a very low cost, the Eureka Airspeed Ultra-Lightweight Vacuum is the perfect choice. This neat green machine can easily clean shag and heavy-pile carpets, along with other spots all around the home. At first, it might seem like the washable filter is a convenient way to save money. However, take it from us – swap it out for a disposable one. Nobody wants a dirty damp vacuum filter drying on their radiator.
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Dyson Ball Animal 2 Total Clean Upright Vacuum Cleaner
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 Total Clean Upright Vacuum Cleaner has the strongest suction out of any vacuum currently on the market. The Animal 2 Total Clean builds on the strength of the original Dyson Animal 2 – having stronger suction at the cleaner head than any other, but with even more tools for a total cleaning solution. It comes with six powerful tools: a tangle-free turbine, articulating hard floor tool, combi tool, carbon fiber soft dusting brush, multi-angle brush, reach under tool, mattress tool, stair tool and a tool storage bag.
The advanced self-adjusting cleaner head automatically adjusts between carpets and hard floors. Even when you’re cleaning a dusty shag carpet, the suction seal will hold everything in so you don’t release clouds of dander, allergens, and pet smell. Lastly, with hygienic bin emptying, there’s no need to get your hands dirty – just push the button to release the dirt.
Pros
- Strongest suction on the market
- Scientifically proven to trap allergens
- Comes with extra attachments
- Easy empty dirty tank
Cons
- Very expensive
Verdict
When you’re cleaning shag carpets, the biggest priority is strong suction. The same is true for cleaning pet hair. So, as you can imagine, cleaning pet hair out of shag carpet needs some heavy-duty suction power. The Dyson Ball Animal 2 Total Clean Upright Vacuum Cleaner has been tested to ASTM F558, making it the ultimate best shag carpet vacuum cleaner for pet owners. The only downside is it’s very expensive, but sometimes you pay for quality.
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Shark IZ682H Vertex Pro Cordless Stick Vacuum
The Shark IZ682H Vertex Pro Cordless Stick Vacuum is small and lightweight, but has the power and cleaning performance of a full-size vacuum. Two removable batteries offer a combined total of up to 120 minutes of runtime, which is enough to clean your whole house as well as your shag carpet. While a soft front roller pulls in particles, duoclean PowerFins deliver nonstop contact to pick up more dust in every pass. Plus, the brush roll is self-cleaning, for not pet hair wrap.
Although it’s a stick vacuum, the Shark Vertex transforms to a hand vac for lightweight above-floor cleaning. Meanwhile, the HEPA filtration and anti-allergen complete seal captures and traps dust, allergens, dander, and more, keeping them out of the air you breathe. Lastly, it has an IQ display that offers real-time readouts on runtime, suction power, and battery life.
Pros:
- 120 minutes runtime per charge
- LED display
- Lightweight, portable construction
- HEPA filtration and anti-allergen seal
Cons:
- Small tank
Verdict
The Shark IZ682H Vertex Pro Cordless Stick Vacuum is our best stick vacuum cleaner for shag carpet. It offers a powerful cleaning experience, without the bulky build and heavy tank you’d expect from a machine with this kind of capability. The anti-allergen seal and HEPA filter even make it a great choice for pet owners who prefer a stick style. Of course, being so lightweight does have one downside – the tank is smaller than others on this list.
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Shark AZ2002 Vertex Powered Lift-Away Vacuum
The Shark AZ2002 Vertex Powered Lift-Away Vacuum is an ultra-powerful vacuum, with incredible suction and innovative cleaning technologies. The self-cleaning brushroll is engineered for more pet hair pickup with no hair wrap – a common pitfall for Shark machines. Like the stick Vertex, it has duoclean PowerFins which offer continuous cleaning contact. They dig deep into carpets, directly engage floors, and pick up more in every pass.
It also has a powered lift-away, with a detachable pod for motorized cleaning under furniture. Plus, you can detach the nozzle to clean above the floor, on upholstery, furniture, stairs, and more. There’s even a Pet Power Brush for deep cleaning, and a Pet Crevice Tool to remove pet hair from hard-to-reach spaces like corners, ceilings, and between couch cushions. Finally, there’s the classic Shark anti-allergen HEPA filter and seal to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens.
Pros
- Anti-allergen HEPA seal technology
- Multi-surface powerful suction
- Lift-away functionality
- Comes with extra tools
Cons
- Quite heavy (16.39 pounds)
Verdict
The Shark AZ2002 Vertex Powered Lift-Away Vacuum is our overall best vacuum cleaner for shag carpet. It has everything all the others offer, plus some extra features that take it above and beyond its competitors. For example, it has the same pet hair cleaning power as the Shark Vertex stick, but with added anti-hair wrap technology. It has powerful suction too, and comes with a plethora of extra tools. This is our ultimate vacuum cleaner for shag carpet and high-pile rugs.
