Shark Pet Plus Cordless Stick Vacuum (IZ361H): problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-05

Summary

The IZ361H is a light cordless stick vacuum with HEPA filtration behind an Anti-Allergen Complete Seal, a removable battery and a five-year warranty, built for hard floors and low-pile carpet. The catch is suction and pet hair: two labs measured only about 93 to 94% on hard floors and 90 to 92% on low-pile carpet, one lab calls it a bad choice for pet owners, and floor time on maximum is about 14 to 15 minutes. There are no bags, so running cost is filters plus an eventual battery, and it is a good buy at $280 or below and weak at its $329.99 list price.

Common problems and fixes

Floor runtime on maximum is short — the 40-minute claim is measured at the handheld in standard mode, while GearLab measured 14 minutes on max and one owner reports closer to 15 with suction fading as the battery drains; budget about 15 minutes of floor cleaning per charge, or buy a second battery. [1][5][7]
Low measured suction — GearLab measured 75 Pa and called it remarkably low, with 58.4 inH₂O at the hose and under 1 inH₂O at the floor head at RTINGS. The result is that a low front headgate pushes larger debris around and leaves sand in carpet. [4][5]
Pet-hair performance is contested — CNET’s lab says it did not do well at removing pet hair despite the name and calls it a bad choice for pet owners, while GearLab measured 72% on low pile and 40% on high pile, and Home Depot owners are broadly positive. If pet hair is the reason for buying, read both claims. [5][7][8]
The brushroll cannot be removed — GearLab cut long hair off the roll after every pet-hair run, so the self-cleaning claim reduces wrapping but does not remove hair, and Shark’s warranty explicitly excludes damage from not removing brushroll debris. [3][5]
Small dust cup — 0.34 qt, and the three-layer filter system eats into the capacity, so it fills on longer jobs and there is no self-empty dock or mopping. [1][7]
Edge and baseboard pickup is weak — a thick front bumper stopped coffee grounds at baseboards, so the crevice tool is needed for edges and carpet debris can be left behind. [5]
Storage is disputed and no wall mount is included — GearLab had to lean the vacuum against something because it was not self-standing and no wall mount is included, while CNET calls it freestanding; the handheld clips onto the bottom of the stick. [5][6][7]
The HEPA filter is not designed to be removed for rinsing, and filtration is only rated Good — GearLab counted 260 particles and rated it Good, steering sensitive buyers elsewhere, while RTINGS found the onboard HEPA very effective at sealing in allergens; there is no ASTM rating published for this model. [4][5]

Parts and consumables

Battery (XSBT620) — a removable pack at $86.99 from SharkNinja in October 2026; a second battery is the practical way to double runtime, and the battery’s own warranty term is not published for this series. [3][5]
Pre-motor foam and felt filter kit (617FJ140) — $16.99 at SharkNinja in October 2026. [3]
HEPA post-motor filter (XHF161H) — $20.99 at SharkNinja in October 2026. [3]
PowerFin DuoClean nozzle (274FFJ361H), dust cup (275FFJ361H) and straight wand (273FFJ361H) — the model-specific parts list at $104.99, $40.99 and $33.99 from SharkNinja in October 2026. There are no bags. [3]

Yearly running cost

Not enough data for a precise figure, but it is consumables-light. There are no bags, and the routine items are the pre-motor kit at $16.99 and the HEPA filter at $20.99, with an eventual battery at $86.99 when the pack ages out; SharkNinja’s warranty excludes normal filter wear and brushroll debris as maintenance. No filter replacement interval is published for this model. [3]

When it is a good buy

Shark’s own store listed the IZ361H at $329.99 in October 2026, Home Depot listed $329.99 with a promotion of $50 off to $279.99, and CNET quoted $320 as the effective full price. [1][6][10][12] Bands: at $280 or below it is the defensible buy for hard floors and low-pile carpet; $300 to $320 is fair to good if you do not need pet-hair performance above what the tools give; at the $329.99 list price the argument weakens, because the same retailer lists newer Shark sticks at $279.99; above $330 do not buy this model. Named alternatives:

Shark PowerPro Pet (IZ373H) or PowerPro Flex Reveal Plus (IZ382H) — both listed at $279.99 on the same retailer and a better choice at or below this model’s list price. [12]
Shark Stratos — the better choice when you will spend more, since GearLab rates it as beating the IZ361H in every category. [5]