Both the Shark HV322 vs HV302 are great-for-money vacuums from a famous brand, but the first one is better for a good reason.
The Shark HV322 has a simple and slim design, but don’t let its looks fool you. It is a real workhorse that deserves its triple-digit price tag. If you are hunting for a good but compact vacuum to use not only on carpet but on your wood floors, this model is the way to go.
Lightweight, powerful suction, easy to use, a long power cord, a great accessory collection, and excellent performance on hard floors are all pros of the Shark HV302. But its not-good performance on my carpets and smaller dust cup made it the runner-up.
Shark HV322 vs HV302: Comparison Chart
Shark HV322 vs HV302: Differences
The Shark HV322 wins 2-0 and ties twice against the HV302. The winner has better overall performance on carpets and is great on bare floors. In addition, it is equipped with LED headlights and a larger dust cup.
Cleaning Performance
Winner: Shark HV322
The Shark HV322 is the better option for hard floors. Of course, its brush and suction are not incredibly powerful like a full-size upright, but it did the job well enough on my floor. It’s vacuumed a ton of dirt and debris, and I was unsure if it left anything after the first pass. Even if it did, it was so small that it wouldn’t be detectable to the naked eye. Like many other vacuums, I switched a slider to slow its brush roller. Everything is effective and easy peasy lemon squeezy.
On the carpet, I put the cleaning setting on the highest level, and the HV322 proved to work adequately on many types of rugs and carpets. It has left my carpets feeling extremely fluffy and clean after only two passes. It exceeded my expectations for a portable device. The only small problem is that pushing it on my dense carpet is something like pushing a bulldozer through mud, but I’m okay since it’s something that I have to pay for a great cleaning performance on dense carpets.
The Shark HV302 also had a decent performance on hard floors. Its dust cup was quickly filled with dust, dirt, debris, hair, and many other disgusting things without scratching my floor. In this array, it and HV32 were neck and neck.
However, it didn’t work well enough on my carpet, especially the high-pile ones, which is the only reason why it didn’t win the cleaning performance category. It still had great suction, but I had to run it over my carpet several times before it picked everything up. No problem! It’s cheaper!
Both the Shark HV322 vs HV302 did a good job picking up hair on both my hard floors and carpets, but a decent amount of hair stayed on the roller at the end of the day. If it is not removed in time, the roller will slow down and may stop one day. That’s not necessarily what has to happen. As for such models without self-cleaning rollers, all you need to do is check on and untangle the brush head after each vacuuming session. Don’t let your laziness cost you a lot of money!
Design and Usability
Winner: Tie
Dimensions and Storage
As stick vacuums, both the Shark HV322 vs HV302 obviously won’t require much storage space.
The problem is that they can’t stand on their own, mainly due to the heavy weight of the dust cup on top. The wall hanger wasn’t included with the purchase, so I had no way to store them other than by having the machine lined up against something, such as a wall or closet, and hoping it didn’t fall over.
Another minor inconvenience is that there is no way to carry/store the attachments, which I often use. So I couldn’t carry all the attachments with me or go through rooms multiple times with different attachments based on whatever I wanted to clean.
Weight and Maneuverability
The weights of the Shark HV322 vs HV302 are 8.6 pounds and 8 pounds, respectively. They’re not the lightest stick vacuums available out there, but they’re light enough that anyone can lug them around without breaking a sweat, regardless of age or gender. They are even significantly lighter if used as handheld vacuums.
I also was glad they were equipped with swivel steering, which allows me to turn the machine left and right smoothly by twisting my wrist left and right. This nifty feature changed the feel of pushing a bulky and heavy block to something like controlling an RC car. It could be awkward at first, but you’ll soon realize how useful it is for maneuvering around tight, unwieldy places like between table legs.
On the downside, almost all the weight is at the top, where the motor is located. It can make people with tiny arms feel tired after a while. Moreover, this can make it difficult to get the unit to stay on the floor properly. It was almost impossible for me to stand the vacuum upright and leave it there during vacuuming.
Dust Cup Capacity
Winner: Shark HV322
The Shark HV322 dust cup has a capacity of 0.68 quarts, while the HV302 comes with a 0.42-quart dust canister. These cups are not large, but this isn’t too surprising given the compact size of the stick vacuum.
Emptying these cups is a breeze, and they should be emptied once the content inside reaches the maximum fill line. The difference is that the HV322’s cup is detachable, while the HV322’s cup is attached to the handheld unit. Anyway, this doesn’t matter. When the cup collected all the dust and debris in my house, I simply took the machine outside, detached the dust cup/handheld unit, and pushed the release button on the dirt bin. Then, all the stuff would fall straight into the trash can below.
The smaller the dust cup, the more often you have to empty it. So I gave the Shark HV322 the winning ticket this round.
Attachments
Winner: Tie
Both the Shark HV322 vs HV302 have a great collection of attachments that do a decent job, to my mind. These including:
| Shark HV322 | Shark HV302 |
| A 12-inch crevice tool. An upholstery tool. A dusting brush. A TruePet motorized brush. A Dust-Away attachment. | A 12-inch crevice tool. A dusting brush. A pet upholstery tool. A Dust-Away attachment. |
Above are all the attachments and tools that will be included with each machine. Some users reported that their purchases missed attachments. If that happens to you in the future, just get in touch with Amazon, and everything will be resolved right away.
As mentioned above, there isn’t space to store the attachments on board. This is a minor inconvenience, but it’s a trade-off for a light and slim unit.
Special Features
Winner: Shark HV322
The special feature the Shark HV322 has while the HV302 doesn’t is some LED bulbs on the floorhead. The HV322 has 10 LED headlights on the floor base. So I could see all the minor dirt and debris on the ground and even vacuum effectively in the dark. Trust me, it’s a must-have feature instead of a nice-to-have one.
Shark HV322 vs HV302: Similarities
Cord Length
The duo has a 30-foot power cord. They didn’t lose power over time as I vacuumed, but they didn’t give me unlimited movement like the cordless models. Anyway, with such a long cord, the vacuum and I could cover a very large area without using extension cords or switching many outlets. In fact, I could vacuum my bedroom, living room, kitchen, and entryway from a single outlet.
Better yet, it is possible to wind the cord without bending, which is a good thing for those with bad backs.
Filters
Both the Shark HV322 vs HV302 lack a HEPA filter, making them less than ideal for people with severe allergies and asthma. Instead, Shark has equipped these models with a felt filter and a foam filter, which are stacked on top of each other and easy to access once the cover is removed.
These filters are washed with tap water and must be completely dry before reattaching to the machine (the felt filter must go in first, followed by the foam one). They are recommended to be washed thoroughly about every three months, but you may need to rinse more often because this is key to maintaining the quality of suction.
Alternate Configuration
You can remove the wand part of both these machines to turn them into handheld vacuums, which is great for cleaning stairs, hard-to-reach areas, tight places, on top of the couch, etc.
Quick Rundown of Shark HV322
- Versatile Floor to Ceiling Cleaning
- LED Lights
- Easy to Empty Dust Cup with Easy Storage
- Advanced Steering
- Never Loses Suction or Power
Quick Rundown of Shark HV302
- ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT: The slim and ultra-lightweight Shark Rocket Corded Bagless Vacuum is the perfect tool for cleaning all the surfaces from cleans bare floors and deep cleans carpets
- CONTROL: Thanks to the fingertip controls, you can easily switch from hard floor to carpet cleaning
- SWIVEL STEERING: The advanced swivel steering offers excellent control for maneuvering around furniture
- CONVERSION: This vacuum cleaner can be converted into a hand vac for versatile floor-to-ceiling cleaning
- This is a Certified Refurbished product backed by a 90-day warranty
Product Videos
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References:
- Shark HV322: https://support.sharkclean.com/hc/en-us/sections/360005914480-HV320-Series
- Shark HV301: https://support.sharkclean.com/hc/en-us/sections/360005914440-HV300-QS300-Series
Victor K. Giles is a leading consultant and expert in vacuum cleaner technology with over a decade of experience. As a mechanical engineering graduate in the University of Michigan, he specializes in product development, design optimization, and performance analysis. Victor collaborates with manufacturers and educates consumers, making her a sought-after guest speaker at industry events. His work has been featured in renowned publications, and he shares his expertise on his blog, “The Vacuum Teria”. Victor’s passion for cleaner, healthier living spaces drives his to help clients choose the best vacuum solutions for their needs.