Shark HydroVac Pro XL WD210 – cordless, one-pass vacuum/mop (cleaning review)

The Shark HydroVac Pro XL WD210 is an entry-level cordless, one-pass vacuum/mop that makes hard floor cleaning easy. It is also a super keen price at $399.99.

It seems everyone hates vacuuming and mopping, yet modern homes have sizeable hard floor areas that attract copious dust, lint, hair, and dirt. The result is a new category of powered combo vacuum/mops – so much so that we wrote a guide Five tips for choosing a cordless power mop.

So, we have a great set of benchmarks against which to judge the Shark HydroVac Pro XL.

What is a power vacuum/mop?

At its basic level, it has a clean water tank (which uses a diluted cleaning solution) that wets a powered roller mop and a vacuum suction motor that picks up detritus and water from the roller and places them in a wastewater tank.

The category has grown with models several times the price with various enhancements – the things that cost more – include:

• Additional squeegees to ensure clean water gets to the floor and dirty water is taken away. This stops the roller from mopping with ‘dirty’ water.
• Variable suction based on how dirty the water return is.
• Self-propulsion, especially both forward and rear, to assist carpal tunnel and arthritis sufferers.
• Different vacuum pressure modes (usually Off, Eco, Standard and Maximum)
• Different water levels for water-sensitive floors.
• Dual edge cleaning down to 1cm
• Colour readouts to show battery life and modes.
• Voice prompts and Apps for firmware upgrades
• Sensors to identify empty, clean and wastewater tanks
• Headlights
• Electrolysed water (makes Ozone to naturally disinfect rather than using floor cleaning solution)
• Self-cleaning modes, including centrifugal hot air drying of the mop after self-cleaning to avoid mould or odour between uses.
• Some models have steam as well.

And therein lies the rub. The Shark HydroVac Pro XL is basic and does an impressive cleaning job. It is hard to beat at its price point—in fact, you would have to spend double to get just some of the above enhancements.

We don’t comment on price, but if you investigate it, you will likely spend more – not for a better clean.

Australian Review: Shark HydroVac Pro XL Model WD210ANZ – cordless, one-pass vacuum/mop

Website	Shark Clean Company site Product page Manual
Price	Charcoal Grey & Rose Gold ANZ Model RRP $399.99, but use WELCOME10 to 31 December 2024 for a 10% discount.
From	Shark Online, Harvey Norman, Bing Lee and Good Guys
Warranty	Two years
Company	SharkNinja is a pioneer in small household appliances and cleaning. Its headquarters are in Needham, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. Mann&Noble is the exclusive distributor for SharkNinja in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia.
More	CyberShack cleaning appliances news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impression – Pass

It is well-made and of the quality I expect from Shark (and Ninja). I guess the ‘Pass’ is due to having reviewed many combo vacuum/mops from Tineco, Eufy Mach 1, Karcher, HiZero, Dyson, LG, Samsung, and more. This is basic, but at $399.99—half the price of the competition—it is entitled to be.

I could instantly tell that the 500ml water tank was small and the 360ml wastewater tank even smaller. This is for smaller areas before you run self-clean, recharge for four hours and start again.

It is 28.09 L x 24.92 W x 111.1cm H x 3.9kg plus .5kg water.

Assembly – Breeze

Slot in the handle (equally easy to remove), fill the clean water tank (450ml water and 50ml cleaning solution) and charge using the charging dock for about four hours.

There are no apps, firmware updates, or a colour LCD readout (just a three-bar battery indicator).

Shark HydroVac WDCM30 Multi-Surface Concentrate – Pass

A 355ml tester is provided, which is enough for seven refills. However, the concentrate is also required for brush cleaning, so it is not as efficient as it appears.

There is no ingredient list, so our Engineer Panellist can comment on efficacy or environmental credentials. The warranty is voided if you use other fluids.

 It is $29.99 per litre (about 19 refills) with free shipping from Shark AU.

Using the Shark HydroVac Pro XL – Pass

Angle the handle down (place your foot on the right side and lower the handle from upright), press start, and the rotating brush (speed unknown but 400-500RPM) pulls the unit forward. It has two unpowered rear wheels and two smaller front rollers to keep it a few mm off the floor.

It is relatively light, at around 4.4kg, and relatively manoeuvrable. However, its body prevents it from lowering to go under low tables.

Edge Clean – Passable on the right

The vacuum/mop head is 60mm high, which is ideal for under cupboard overhangs. The roller is 235mm wide, leaving a gap of 30mm on the left side and 15mm on the right side. This design issue has long been fixed in more expensive machines that can achieve <10mm left and right edge cleaning.

Floor vacuum and mop – Pass

We have no data on suction, air watts, etc. The open design makes it impossible to measure same.

We can tell you that it appears competent on a range of hard floor types, picking up as much detritus and dirt as the others we have tested using the default mode.

It does not have different modes or automatic suction adjustments to cope with dirtier floors. In this case, you must repeat mopping over dirty areas until they are visually clean.

One panellist commented that it left dirty streaks on her white porcelain tiles.  Our take is that the water delivery and extraction system is less efficient than the more costly units with at least double the squeegees. Either avoid white tiles or buy a more sophisticated device.

Reviewers note: We further tested this compared to the Tineco S7 Pro and its patented MHCBS water system. Essentially, Tineco delivers clean water to the floor and prevents dirty water from being reused (via extra squeegee blades). We hand-washed both brands’ rollers after self-clean cycles, and the Tineco was visibly cleaner. Again, that is a device for which you pay nearly three times as much.

Area rug mode – ???

There is an Area Rug switch, but the manual does not tell you what it does. The fine print reads, ‘If you encounter a difficult stain, use Area Rug Mode for improved stain cleaning.’

We tried on a short pile feature rug, but it left it damp. We expect it should turn off the water and vacuum only, but elsewhere, we read that it does not have a vacuum-only mode.

Battery Life – Pass

Battery life is up to 20 minutes (we typically get about 15 minutes), roughly equating to about 50m2 cleaning and 500ml of clean water.

As with all combos, it has about a four-hour recharge before you can use it again.

Noise – quite, not quiet – Passable

It averages 77 dB and has a high-pitched whine like a hand vacuum or dust buster. More expensive brands are 70 dB or less.

Self-Clean – Pass

It is fairly quick and flushes about 250ml of clean water (plus cleaning solution) to clean the roller. The roller remains wet, which can cause mould and odour (see maintenance).

Maintenance – Messy but no more so that most

One of our panellists has the $749 Tineco S5, which is functionally like the Shark with only right edge clean and a limited number of squeegee blades (fixed in the S6 and later models). His biggest complaint is that while it cleans the floors well, the manual cleaning of the wastewater tank, roller brush and squeegee blades is very messy.

You must regard the basic self-clean mode as a precursor to thorough hand cleaning and air drying of the filter, roller, and squeegee areas. Air drying is vital to prevent mould and odour that can occur within a few days of use.

From a reviewer’s perspective, manual cleaning is vital no matter what brand or model, although some now feature hot air roller drying.

Shark recommends you replace the filter and brush roll every six months. The website has no prices, but eBay has ‘generics’ for <$30 for a roller and two filters.

CyberShack’s view – Shark HydroVac Pro XL WD210ANZ – you get more than you pay for

If you only have $399.99, then this is for you. You will not be disappointed at the vacuum/mop efficacy; and we have pointed out things you need to know.

My cognitive dissonance (and my budget), however, is sorely tested when I know just how far this tech has evolved in a short time, and to get the best, you are looking at least 2-3 times as much.

Rating 75/100

For 2024 reviews, we use a pass mark of 70/100, allowing us more headroom to reward excellence or class-leading attributes. The older reviews used 80/100, so deduct 10 points for parity.

• Feature: 70 – it is an entry-level device with no added features
• Value: 80 – it is exceptionally well priced for the cleaning quality
• Performance: 75 – Even though it does a great job later, tech can do even better with automated suction and water controls, better edge cleaning, etc.
• Ease of Use: 75 – extremely easy to use, limited edge cleaning, and mandatory manual maintenance after use.
• Design: 75 – it is well made, and the specifications are fit for purpose. Note the design limits of 15-20 minutes and 40-50m2 area.

Note the video below uses an international version with different colourways.

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