Design and Handling
The ZU62 is a traditional corded upright in form factor. You push it rather than pull it, the motor sits low in the canister body, and the dust cup mounts at the front for easy access and emptying. At 7.3kg it is on the heavier side of the corded upright category – heavier than the Shark Stratos at around 6.4kg and heavier than the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog cylinder at under 5.5kg. The weight is concentrated in the body and the floorhead, which works well during normal floor cleaning where the wheels support the load. Carrying the unit up stairs is where the weight is felt most acutely.
The Advanced Swivel Steering is a real practical benefit. The neck pivots smoothly so you can steer the head around chair legs and tight corners with subtle wrist movements rather than dragging the whole unit. Most budget uprights are stiff and clumsy at this; the ZU62 manoeuvres more like a midrange machine.
The 1.6L bagless dust cup is reasonably sized for a corded upright in this price bracket. Shark's marketing copy on the product page references a "huge 3 litre capacity" but the confirmed specification both on the Shark product page itself and across multiple major Australian retailers is 1.6L. This is a notable inconsistency on the manufacturer page and one worth flagging for buyers comparing on capacity alone. The dust cup empties via a release latch with no-touch ejection at the base.
Suction and Performance
The 960W motor delivers strong, consistent corded suction across the full cleaning session. As with any corded upright there is no battery degradation curve and no Eco mode to manage. The two manual settings – Hard Floor and Carpet – switch the brushroll behaviour appropriately. Shark does not publish an Air Watts figure or a sealed suction figure for the ZU62, so direct comparisons with Dyson's AW-rated machines or premium upright competitors are not possible on paper.
The self-cleaning brushroll is the standout performance feature for pet households. Most upright vacuums struggle with long hair and pet hair, which winds tightly around the brush bar and requires manual cutting with scissors to remove. The ZU62's bristle guard routes hair through a different path so it ends up in the dust cup rather than wrapped around the roller. In practice this is one of the more meaningful technology features at this price tier. It does not eliminate all hair wrap entirely – nothing does – but it dramatically reduces the maintenance burden in homes with multiple shedding pets.
Filtration is the other credible strength. The Anti-Allergen Complete Seal traps air inside the vacuum and routes it through a HEPA filter rather than letting it escape around filter edges. Shark claims 99.9% of dust and allergens captured down to 1 micron under ASTM 1977 testing. This is a genuine specification rather than a marketing claim alone, though the ZU62 does not carry Sensitive Choice certification from the National Asthma Council Australia. For buyers specifically seeking that Australian credential, the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog at $879 is the alternative to consider. Shark does not publish a noise figure for the ZU62.
Cord and Reach
The 7.6m cord is generous for a corded upright at this price and reduces the frequency of power point changes meaningfully. The integrated extendable hose stretches up to 3.6m, allowing you to leave the main body parked while reaching stairs, furniture, ceilings or above-floor surfaces. The hose remains attached to the body during this work, which is convenient but does mean the full unit moves with you. For households with stair-heavy cleaning routines, this hose reach is one of the more practical features the ZU62 offers and a meaningful step up from corded uprights that require accessory attachments for above-floor work.
Accessories
In the box: dusting brush, duster crevice tool and upholstery tool. Three accessories is lean by category standards. There is no Mini TurboBrush for pet hair on upholstery (which the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog includes as STB 101) and no mattress tool. The duster crevice tool is the most versatile of the three included items, handling crevice and dusting work in one accessory. For most general cleaning the included tools cover the basics, but pet-owning households looking for a dedicated upholstery pet-hair tool will likely need to buy one separately from Shark's accessory range.
Who It Suits
The Shark Navigator Pet ZU62 is best suited to households with significant carpet area and pet hair where corded reliability and self-cleaning brushroll convenience matter more than cordless flexibility. The combination of strong 960W corded suction, the Anti-Allergen Complete Seal with HEPA filter and the active hair-wrap mitigation makes it a credible choice for budget-conscious pet families who want above-basic filtration. The 7.6m cord and 3.6m hose extend the practical cleaning radius well beyond what cordless sticks at this price offer in runtime terms. At a $249.99 sale price it is genuinely strong value for what it delivers.
Buyers with multi-storey homes should weigh the 7.3kg weight carefully. Carrying the unit up and down stairs is a meaningful daily consideration and a lighter cordless stick or canister may be a better fit despite the runtime trade-offs. The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog PowerLine at $879 is the obvious step up for buyers who can stretch the budget – Sensitive Choice certified, larger 4.5L bag capacity, Mini TurboBrush included and a longer service life. Buyers prioritising cordless flexibility should look at the Shark Cordless PowerDetect Clean & Empty System at $1,199.99 (same brand, much higher price point) or the more affordable Dyson V8 at around $499 to $599 instead.
Within Shark's own corded upright lineup, the ZU62 sits in the mid-tier. The Shark Lift-Away models offer a detachable canister for more flexible above-floor cleaning and the premium Shark Stratos adds further filtration and odour-control features. The ZU62 is the right Shark when the priority is the core combination – self-cleaning brushroll and sealed HEPA filtration – at the most accessible price the brand offers in a corded upright. At RRP it is fairly priced; at the sale price of $249.99 it is one of the strongest value pet-focused uprights on the Australian market.