Shark CarpetXpert HairPro (EX301) Review

Analysis

A step by step breakdown of the EX301's performance.

The Shark EX301 was tested to have significantly higher than average suction at the base and the hose. It was also tested to have higher than average suction at the nozzle.

The EX301 was the most expensive Shark we tested. The other two cheaper models – the EX151 and EX201 – had lower tested suction at the base and hose but higher tested suction at the nozzle.

Despite having the lowest measured suction at the nozzle (where the cleaner head makes contact with the carpet to extract moisture) of the three Sharks we tested, the EX301 performed the best in our upright stain test.

The table above lists the number of passes it took the EX301 to clean each stain.

The total number of passes for the EX301 was 45 (the average for all of the carpet cleaners we tested was also 45). The total for the EX151 and EX201 was 49.

The EX301 was an especially impressive performer cleaning the urine stain and the syrup stains – specifically, the caramel syrup stain and the chocolate syrup stain. It cleaned these stains faster than other Sharks and faster than average.

On the negative side of things, all Sharks, including the EX301, struggled cleaning the peanut butter stain. You can see the large discrepancy between the EX301’s result (12) and the average result (8.5) in the table above.

After our stain test we measured the moisture level of the section of carpet that was cleaned during the test.

The reading for the EX301 was 26% which is slightly drier than average (27%) and slightly drier than the other two Sharks we tested (both of which were also measured at 27%).

After taking this reading, we pushed and pulled the EX301 over the same section of carpet three more times on dry only mode (normally the cleaner would wash and extract but on dry mode it only extracts). We then took another measurement.

The reading for the EX301 after three dry passes was 23%. This was also drier than average (25%) and drier than what was measured for other Sharks (24% and 25%).

The bottom line – the EX301 leaves carpet drier than other Sharks and drier than average after cleaning, and it leaves carpet exceptionally dry if you run it on dry only mode.

Like other Sharks, the EX301 has very small water tanks, and so it can cover only a small area before you need to refill its clean water tank (with soap and water) and empty its dirty water tank (of dirty water).

Cleaning and maintaining the EX301 itself is relatively easy and straightforward.

You can remove its nozzle and pop open the compartment that covers its brushroll to easily access its brushroll. And you can pop out the brushroll itself to rinse it under a tap.

You can also very easily rinse the dirty water tank – you simply open it up to clean it. The tank does have two filters you have to clean while most competitors only have one filter you have to clean.

This is another strong point for the EX301.

Like other Sharks, its hose stores itself, and its hose features an integrated spot cleaning tool.

Most competitors require that you store the spot cleaning hose in a separate included bag, and don’t feature an integrated tool (you have to manually attach all tools).

The EX301’s hose was measured to be 7.5 ft. long, which is slightly shorter than average (8 ft.) but longer than hoses included with other Sharks (6 ft.).

The EX301 also includes more spot cleaning tools than average and more tools than other Sharks. You can attach these tools by fitting them over (or you could say on top of) the integrated tool. The EX301 we bought for review included a stain eliminator tool, pet mess extractor tool, and hair extractor tool in addition to the integrated mini stain eliminator tool.

Overall, the EX301 performed better than average in our spot cleaning test, though it did not perform as well as the EX201.

It’s unclear why the EX201 performed better in our spot cleaning test. The EX201 has a very similar design to the EX301 and it actually has less measured suction at the hose (at the end of the integrated spot cleaning tool). Regardless, the EX201 still performed slightly better than the EX301 in our spot cleaning test.

Other Notes and Features

Like other Sharks, the EX301 automatically dispenses soap and water on the forward push and maximizes extraction on the backward pull.

Most competitors from other brands require that you hold down a trigger (near the handle of the cleaner) to dispense soap and water and release the trigger to maximize extraction.

Verdict

Our bottom line recommendations.

The EX301 compared to other Sharks

The EX301 is a better upright cleaner than any other Shark we tested. It performed better in our upright stain test, and it left carpet drier after testing than other Sharks.

It didn’t spot clean quite as well as the EX201 in our spot cleaning test, but it has a longer hose and it includes more spot cleaning tools.

If you’re looking to buy the best Shark carpet cleaner on the market, we do think the EX301 is a better cleaner, overall, than the EX201 (and the cheaper EX151).

The EX301 compared to cleaners from other brands

If you’re looking to buy a premium carpet cleaner we highly recommend the Bissell Big Green Machine over the Shark EX301.

The Big Green Machine cleans carpet significantly better and leaves carpet even drier than the EX301 after cleaning. It also has much larger water tanks, so it can cover a much larger area before you need to refill and empty its tanks.

The only reason to buy the EX301 over the Big Green Machine is if you want a more versatile cleaner that can easily transition between upright cleaning and spot cleaning.

But, if you want a cleaner primarily for upright cleaning the Big Green Machine is the much better option overall.

If you’re looking to buy more of a midrange carpet cleaner, we recommend the Hoover PowerScrub over the EX301.

The PowerScrub cleans stains at a similar rate of speed to the EX301, but spreads the stains much less as it cleans. It also leaves carpet drier after testing and can cover a much larger area of coverage before you need to refill or empty its water tanks.

Bottom line – we recommend the EX301 as the best Shark carpet cleaner on the market. Otherwise, compared to options from other brands, we recommend the Bissell Big Green Machine as a better though more expensive premium option, and we recommend the Hoover PowerScrub as a better and cheaper midrange option.