Cordless Vacuums · Head-to-head
Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty vs. LG CordZero A937 Auto-Empty
Both are auto-empty cordless stick vacuums with sealed HEPA, a pet tool, and an anti-tangle brushroll, so shoppers who want hands-off dirt disposal end up weighing them against each other. The split is clean: the Shark is heavier, cheaper, and hits slightly harder in our tests, while the LG is lighter, runs twice as long on paper, and handles better. Your floors, stairs, and budget decide.
The short answer
Pick the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty (IA3241) if suction is what you are buying for — 8/10 against 7/10, and it is the cheaper of the two by $130.
Pick the LG CordZero A937 Auto-Empty if runtime is what you are buying for — 9/10 against 4/10.
Shark
PowerDetect Clean & Empty (IA3241)
Auto-empty dock and top-tier carpet cleaning at half Dyson money
Typical price
$470
5
/10 overall
LG
Our pickCordZero A937 Auto-Empty
CordZero power plus an auto-empty charging tower
Typical price
$600
7.7
/10 overall
Scores side by side
| Dimension | Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty (IA3241) | LG CordZero A937 Auto-Empty |
|---|---|---|
| Suction | ||
| Runtime | ||
| Handling | ||
| Overall |
Key specs
| Spec | Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty (IA3241) | LG CordZero A937 Auto-Empty |
|---|---|---|
| Suction (advertised) | not published | not published |
| Max runtime | 60 min | 120 min |
| Weight | 8.6 lb | 6 lb |
| Filtration | Sealed HEPA | Sealed HEPA |
| Dock | Auto-empty base station | Auto-empty base station |
| Typical street price | $470 | $600 |
Suction: ignore the box, because neither brand prints a number
Neither Shark nor LG publishes a suction figure for these models, so there is nothing to compare on paper, and that is actually normal. Even when brands do print specs, Dyson's Air Watts and the kPa most rivals quote measure different things and never cross-compare; a 'kPa beats AW' claim is meaningless. What we can compare is hands-on pickup, and there the Shark edges ahead, 8 to 7. Its PowerDetect dirt-sensing leans into that strength. The LG is no weakling, just a notch behind on raw carpet pull.
Runtime and weight: the LG's real advantage
On paper the LG runs 120 minutes to the Shark's 60, but read both numbers skeptically: advertised runtime is the lowest eco mode with a plain, non-motorized tool. Switch to Boost with the powered brushroll and both drop to a fraction of that, the LG to roughly 20-30 real minutes and the Shark to well under 20. The LG still wins the gap decisively (9/10 vs 4/10). Weight compounds it: at 6 lb the LG is 2.6 lb lighter than the 8.6 lb Shark, which feels heavy overhead and on stairs (handling 7 vs 3).
Filtration, dock, and what $130 buys
Filtration and dock are a wash: both seal HEPA (real allergy and pet value) and both self-empty at the base, so you are not touching dust either way. That leaves price to break the tie. The Shark saves you $130 at $470 and gives up little on raw suction, making it the value play if you clean mostly one level and won't carry it far. The LG's $600 buys the lighter body, the longer runtime, and the higher overall score (7.7 vs 5). For most whole-home buyers, that is money well spent.
Choose the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty (IA3241) if…
- Better suction: 8/10 against 7/10
- Costs $130 less: $470 against $600
Choose the LG CordZero A937 Auto-Empty if…
- Higher overall score: 7.7/10 against 5/10
- Better runtime: 9/10 against 4/10
- Better handling: 7/10 against 3/10
Verdict
The LG CordZero A937 is the better vacuum for most people, and our engine agrees (7.7 vs 5): buy it if you clean multiple levels, do overhead or stair work, or simply want the lightest body with the longest legs, and you are fine paying $600. Pick the Shark PowerDetect only if the $130 saving matters, your cleaning is mostly one floor, and you want its slightly stronger raw suction, knowing you are accepting an 8.6 lb vacuum and the shorter runtime of the two.
Still not sure?
Answer a few questions about your space and how you will use it, and the engine narrows the whole catalog down to the cordless vacuum that fits.
See also
Scores come from published manufacturer specs, normalized 1 to 10 across the whole catalog: suction (suctionAw, AW), runtime (runtimeMin, min), handling (weightLb, lb). The overall figure is the weighted mean of those dimensions, and the same weights apply to every model on the page.
Amazon links are affiliate links (tag: habilytics-20), at no extra cost to you. Scores and selection are computed from verified specs and never influenced by commissions.