Shark also has a new vacuum/mop combo called the HydroVac, and it's cheaper than the Dyson

If you want a new floor washer Shark's HydroVac will wash and vacuum at half the price of Dyson's (but without all the features).

A man sitting on stairs with the Shark HydroVac

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I always find it interesting how brands tend to release similar products at the same time. Last week, for example Dyson launched its WashG1 and Roborock unveiled the Flexi Pro series.

Also hitting my inbox was the arrival of the new Shark HydroVac, yet another hard floor cleaner than both vacuums and mops simultaneously.

While I'll dive into specs and features in a second, I want to point out that this model costs less than half the price of the Dyson and Roborock, and according to Shark, will also work on rugs or carpet (though I might look more closely at that claim).

So what does the HydroVac do?

Like the Tineco Floor One S6 Pro Extreme, the Shark HydroVac offers a clean and dirty water tank to ensure that your floors are washed with clean water, while collecting the dirty water for disposal.

The HydroVac has a filtration system for solid debris as well, which promises easy tank maintenance, though just how easy it is to clean is something not immediately apparent.

The HydroVac will vacuum, mop and clean itself in its charging station. It uses an antimicrobial brush roll to help resist bacteria and smells on the brush roller itself.

It's smaller than the Dyson and the Roborock models, though. Shark promises about 20 minutes of battery life, with a 500 ml clean water tank and a 360 ml dirty water tank, which could mean more frequent emptying.

But one of the key differences is that Shark says that the HydroVac is suitable to use on "low pile area rugs", as well as hard floor surfaces like tiles, wood and vinyl.

It offers dedicated settings for those two surfaces, so it will be interesting to see how it handles carpets, and whether they are dry enough to walk on after being cleaned.

Shark HydroVac pricing and availability

The Shark HydroVac is available now for an RRP of $449.99. You can pick it up at Shark's online store, The Good Guys, Myer, JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman.