Quick Answer: The Shark StainStriker HairPro PX251 is a $169.99 portable spot cleaner built specifically for pet-hair households — its HairPro technology and dedicated Hair Extractor tool are designed to pull embedded hair without clogging, in place of the base PX201’s wide-path tool. It carries a 5-out-of-5 customer rating on Shark’s own product page, and Consumer Reports independently scores it “very good” for cleaning and “excellent” for dryness in its portable carpet cleaner testing. At $30 more than the PX201, it’s worth the upgrade only if pet hair — not just stains — is the problem you’re solving.
Shark sells two StainStriker portables, and the difference isn’t just price. The base PX201 (reviewed separately on this site) is built for stains and open stretches of carpet. This HairPro variant, the PX251, is the pet-specific step-up mentioned in this site’s Shark brand roundup but never given its own deep-dive — here’s what Shark’s own spec sheet and Consumer Reports’ independent testing actually say about it.
Last updated October 2026: confirmed Shark.com’s $169.99 price and 5-out-of-5 rating are unchanged, and added a new find — Target carries this same machine under its own SKU, PX251TGT, with a separate 4.6-out-of-5 rating across 135 reviews.
StainStriker HairPro PX251, by the numbers
- 5 out of 5 stars — the customer rating shown on Shark’s own PX251 product page, a full 1.4 points above the base StainStriker PX201’s 3.6-out-of-5 rating documented on this site’s PX201 review.
- “Very good” cleaning, “excellent” dryness — Consumer Reports’ independent lab scores for the PX251 in its portable carpet cleaner test group, which also rates the machine’s noise as “good” (hearing protection recommended) and notes an 8-square-foot calculated coverage area from its 56-inch hose.
- 8.51 lbs — the unboxed weight Shark lists directly on the PX251’s own product page, notably not inflated by shipping-box weight the way the base PX201’s listed 13.23 lbs is.
- 3-year limited warranty — matches the PX201 and the Bissell Little Green Max Pet, a year longer than the Hoover CleanSlate Pet’s 2-year term.
What’s good
| Strength | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| HairPro technology + Hair Extractor tool | Built specifically to pull embedded pet hair without clogging the hose, clumping, or tangling — a targeted fix the base PX201 doesn't ship with |
| 5-out-of-5 customer rating | Shark's own published figure, well above the base PX201's 3.6 out of 5 |
| Consumer Reports "very good" cleaning / "excellent" dryness | Independently verified lab scores, not just brand marketing |
| 3-year limited warranty | Matches the Little Green Max Pet, beats the Hoover CleanSlate Pet's 2-year term |
| 8.51 lbs | Shark's own listed weight for this model is the actual unboxed figure, unlike the PX201's inflated shipping-weight spec |
What’s not
- No Wide Path tool. The base PX201’s 7-inch Wide Path tool is gone from the PX251’s box, traded for the Hair Extractor — open stretches of low-pile carpet take more passes with this model.
- $30 more than the PX201. At $169.99, it’s a real premium over the base model, worth paying only if pet hair specifically is the problem.
- Not a whole-room machine. Like every portable in this class, it’s built for spots, stairs, and upholstery — not a substitute for a full-size upright on wall-to-wall carpet.
- Confusing branding. “StainStriker” also names a hose accessory built into Shark’s CarpetXpert upright, so shoppers can land on the wrong product page searching for this standalone portable.
Full specs
| Spec | Shark StainStriker HairPro (PX251) |
|---|---|
| Price (Shark.com) | $169.99 |
| Weight | 8.51 lbs |
| Hose length | 4.5 ft |
| Included tools | Mini Stain Eliminator, 3.5" Stain Eliminator (reversible bristles), Hair Extractor, crevice tool insert |
| Included formula | 6 oz Deep Clean Pet Formula, 12 oz OXY Multiplier Formula |
| Warranty | 3-year limited |
| Customer rating | 5/5 (Shark.com) |
| Consumer Reports scores | Cleaning: very good · Dryness: excellent · Noise: good |
Shark StainStriker HairPro Portable Spot & Stain Cleaner (PX251)
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Who should buy it
Buy the StainStriker HairPro PX251 if pet hair, not just stains, is the recurring problem — the dedicated Hair Extractor tool and anti-clog path are a more targeted fix than a bigger tank, and Consumer Reports’ independent “excellent” dryness score backs up Shark’s own marketing claims here. The 5-out-of-5 customer rating on Shark’s own site is also a genuinely stronger track record than the base PX201’s 3.6 out of 5.
Skip it if you mostly deal with spot stains on open carpet — the base Shark StainStriker PX201 is $30 cheaper and ships the 7-inch Wide Path tool this model leaves out. If tank capacity matters more than hair-specific tooling, compare against the Bissell Little Green Max Pet and its matched 32-oz tanks. For the full lineup context, see this site’s best Shark carpet cleaner roundup.
The bottom line
The Shark StainStriker HairPro PX251 earns its $30 premium over the base PX201 with a genuinely pet-specific toolset and a 5-out-of-5 customer rating that trounces the base model’s 3.6 out of 5 — and Consumer Reports’ independent “very good” cleaning and “excellent” dryness scores back up the marketing rather than contradicting it. The catch is the missing Wide Path tool, so this is a buy for shedding-pet households specifically, not a blanket upgrade over the PX201. See the Shark carpet cleaner lineup for how it stacks up against the CarpetXpert uprights, or the best portable carpet cleaner roundup to see it against Bissell and Hoover head to head.