The S2001 leads more pages of this site than any other steam mop, and it is the highest-scoring steam mop on this site. It also publishes no warranty at all — while both cheaper mops in the same Shark line do.
Everyone in this category says they tested twenty vacuums. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we do instead is read the manuals, compile the published specifications, and work out what each machine costs to run for three years — the method is written out in full.
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The verdict: the S2001 is the best-specified steam mop on this site, and the Pocket Mop S3601 is closer to it than Shark's own marketing suggests. Shark publishes 1,200 watts, a 500 ml removable tank, 4.8 lb, three steam modes plus a targeted Steam Blaster burst, two pad types, and a sanitization claim of 99.9% of common household bacteria using water alone. It scores 8.6 on our rubric — tied with the Dyson V15 Detect for the highest score we have given anything, and the highest-scoring steam mop by a clear margin. What it does not publish is a heat-up time, a cord length or a warranty, all three of which the cheaper S1000 does.
What Shark publishes for the S2001
Shark's own published specification for this model, as read from its retail listing.
Figure
Published value
Power
1,200 watts
Water tank
500 ml, XL removable
Weight
4.8 lb
Steam modes
3 — Light, Normal, Deep, plus a targeted Steam Blaster burst
Stain-removal claim
Up to 50% better stuck-on stain removal versus a traditional steam mop
Sanitization claim
Removes 99.9% of common household bacteria using water alone
Pads
1 Dirt Grip pad and 1 stiffer scrub pad, both washable
Rated surfaces
All sealed hard floors
Heat-up time
Not published
Cord length
Not published
Warranty
Not published
Test standard behind the 50% claim
Not published
Every row is Shark's own published figure for this model. Where a row says "Not published", we could not find the figure on the listing and have not estimated one.
The tank is the headline, and Shark's own units hide the comparison
The 500 ml tank is the number this machine is sold on, and it is genuinely the largest in Shark's steam line. But Shark does not state tank capacity the same way twice, and that is worth doing the arithmetic on before paying for an upgrade: the Professional Pocket Mop S3601 publishes 16.9 fl oz, which is 500 ml. The same volume, in a different unit, on a model Shark positions differently.
Published tank capacity across the four Shark steam mops here, converted to a common unit.
Model
As published
In milliliters
Published weight
S2001 SteamSpot
500 ml
500 ml
4.8 lb
S3601 Professional Pocket Mop
16.9 fl oz
500 ml
4.9 lb
S1000
12.68 fl oz
375 ml
4.6 lb
S8001 Steam & Scrub
11.83 fl oz
350 ml
6.9 lb
Conversions are ours, at 29.5735 ml per US fluid ounce. The published figures are Shark's.
So the S2001 and the S3601 carry the same amount of water at within a tenth of a pound of each other, both on 1,200 watts. If you were choosing between those two on capacity, there is nothing to choose. The real differences are elsewhere, and they cut in both directions: the S2001 publishes three named steam modes, a targeted blaster, two different pad types and a sanitization claim, while the S3601 publishes a one-year warranty and the S2001 publishes none.
What it does not publish, and why each gap matters
No warranty. This is the one that bothers us. The S1000 and the S3601 both publish a one-year limited warranty, and they are cheaper machines in the same brand's same line. A buyer upgrading to the S2001 is giving up the only written commitment the cheaper models make.
No heat-up time. The S1000 publishes 30 seconds. For a mop you pull out for a spill, time-to-steam is a daily-use figure, and it is missing from exactly the model that costs more.
No cord length. The S1000 publishes 18 feet. On a corded mop the cord is the working radius, and whether you re-plug once per floor or three times is decided by this number.
No test standard behind the 50% stain claim. The Steam & Scrub S8001 states up to 2x better stuck-on stain removal per IEC/TC SC 59F, tested against the S1000 — it names both the standard and the machine it beat. The S2001 claims 50% better than "a traditional steam mop" and names neither. One of those is checkable and the other is marketing.
How it compares with the rest of the Shark steam line
Four Shark steam mops sit on this site and they are genuinely different machines rather than trim levels:
S1000 — 1,050 W, a 375 ml tank, 4.6 lb, and the most complete small-print of the four: 30-second heat-up, an 18-foot cord and a published warranty. One steam output, no modes. It is the cheapest way to stop mopping with a bucket and it is the right buy for routine dust on a small floor.
S3601 Professional Pocket Mop — the same 500 ml and the same 1,200 W as the S2001 at 4.9 lb, with Intelligent Steam Control that Shark names but never quantifies, two double-sided pads and a published warranty. If the warranty matters more to you than named steam modes, this is the better buy of the two.
S8001 Steam & Scrub — the only one here that scrubs: rotating pads at over 150 scrubs a minute, three steam modes, four pads in the box, LED headlights, and the most checkable performance claim on this site. It is 6.9 lb and carries the smallest tank at 350 ml, because mechanical scrubbing uses water faster.
The honest summary: buy the S2001 for the best combination of published numbers, the S3601 if a written warranty matters more than named modes, the S1000 for a small floor and routine cleaning, and the S8001 only if a flat pad has already failed on your floors. The S8201 versus S8001 comparison separates the two scrubbers.
#
Product
Best for
Score
Price
01
Shark SteamSpot with Steam Blaster (S2001)A 500 ml tank and three steam modes at under 5 lb — the most usable combination of numbers on this page.
Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop (S3601)1,200 W and 16.9 fl oz with Shark's Intelligent Steam Control — the Pocket Mop for people who kept running out of water.
Shark Steam Mop for Sealed Hard Floors (S1000)Under 5 lb, steam in 30 seconds, an 18-foot cord and nothing else — the cheapest way to stop mopping with a bucket.
Shark Steam & Scrub All-in-One (S8001)Rotating pads at over 150 scrubs a minute, and Shark publishes the test standard behind the 2x stain claim rather than just asserting it.
The S2001 beside the three other Shark steam mops a buyer actually cross-shops it against. Scores are our rubric applied to published specifications, not test results — we have not handled any of these machines.
01 · Best big tank under 5 lb
Shark SteamSpot with Steam Blaster (S2001)
A 500 ml tank and three steam modes at under 5 lb — the most usable combination of numbers on this page.
3 — Light, Normal, Deep, plus a targeted Steam Blaster burst
Stain-removal claim
Up to 50% better stuck-on stain removal versus a traditional steam mop
Pads
1 Dirt Grip pad and 1 stiffer scrub pad, both washable
Sanitization claim
Removes 99.9% of common household bacteria using water alone
Rated surfaces
All sealed hard floors
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+500 ml is the largest tank here and it comes in under 5 lb, which no other machine on this page manages
+Three steam modes plus the targeted blaster
+Two pad types in the box — one for maintenance, one for scrubbing
Where it stops
−Only one of each pad, so you are doing laundry sooner than with the four-pad Steam & Scrub
−No rotating scrub head, so it is 50% better rather than the Steam & Scrub's 2x
−The 50% claim does not name its test standard, unlike the S8001's
Who it is for
Anyone who wants the fewest refills and the least weight, which is most people.
Skip it if
You need mechanical scrubbing. This is steam plus a textured pad; if a flat pad has already failed on your floors, buy the S8001.
Our score: 8.6 out of 10
Steam control9.0
Tank size9.5
Weight and handling9.0
Pad system6.5
Running cost9.0
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
02 · Biggest tank in the Pocket line
Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop (S3601)
1,200 W and 16.9 fl oz with Shark's Intelligent Steam Control — the Pocket Mop for people who kept running out of water.
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+16.9 fl oz is a third more water than the S1000 at similar weight
+1,200 W heats faster and recovers steam faster between passes
+Keeps the double-sided pad system
Where it stops
−Shark publishes no heat-up time for this model, unlike the S1000 and S3501
−The steam-control feature is named but its levels are not specified
−Same 1-year warranty as the cheapest model in the line
Who it is for
Larger hard-floor homes where mid-clean refills are the annoyance.
Skip it if
You have a small apartment. The extra tank capacity is the entire upgrade, and in three rooms you will never notice it.
Our score: 8.0 out of 10
Steam control6.0
Tank size7.0
Weight and handling8.5
Pad system9.0
Running cost9.5
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
03 · Best under $60
Shark Steam Mop for Sealed Hard Floors (S1000)
Under 5 lb, steam in 30 seconds, an 18-foot cord and nothing else — the cheapest way to stop mopping with a bucket.
Sealed hard floors only — hardwood, marble, tile, stone, laminate, vinyl
Steam modes
Not published — single steam output
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+4.6 lb and steam in 30 seconds, so it gets used rather than admired in a cupboard
+Removable tank refills at the tap instead of over the sink at an angle
+Washable pads, so the running cost is detergent-free and effectively zero
+18-foot cord is longer than most in this price band
Where it stops
−12.68 fl oz is the smallest tank here — about one floor before a refill
−No steam control: one output, whatever the mess
−1-year warranty, half the Bissell's
Who it is for
Small hard-floor homes doing routine maintenance cleaning, not rescue jobs.
Skip it if
You have dried-on kitchen grime rather than everyday dust. Without variable steam or a scrubber you will go over the same spot repeatedly.
Our score: 6.8 out of 10
Steam control4.0
Tank size4.5
Weight and handling9.0
Pad system7.0
Running cost9.5
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
04 · Best rotating-pad scrubber
Shark Steam & Scrub All-in-One (S8001)
Rotating pads at over 150 scrubs a minute, and Shark publishes the test standard behind the 2x stain claim rather than just asserting it.
Up to 2x better stuck-on stain removal versus traditional steam mops, per IEC/TC SC 59F (mustard), tested against the S1000
Pads
4 machine-washable Dirt Grip pads included
Lighting
LED headlights
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+Names the test standard AND the model it was tested against — the most checkable performance claim on this site
+Three steam modes plus mechanical scrubbing, which is a genuinely different machine from a flat pad
+Four pads in the box, so you can clean the whole house before doing laundry
Where it stops
−11.83 fl oz is a smaller tank than the far cheaper S3601, and scrubbing uses water faster
−6.9 lb with rotating heads that pull the mop forward — an acquired feel
−Pads wear faster than on a static mop, because they are doing mechanical work
Who it is for
Kitchens with actual stuck-on messes, and homes where a flat pad has already failed.
Skip it if
Your floors are only ever dusty. You are buying a scrubber for stains you do not have, and the S3501 does maintenance cleaning for far less.
Our score: 7.5 out of 10
Steam control8.5
Tank size4.5
Weight and handling6.0
Pad system9.0
Running cost7.5
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
What it costs to own
This is where every steam mop beats every alternative, and the arithmetic is simple because Shark publishes the wattage. At the U.S. average residential price of 18.34 cents per kWh, running a 1,200-watt mop 30 minutes a week for three years — 78 hours, 93.6 kWh — costs about $17.17 in electricity, or $5.72 a year. The full table for every steam mop here is on the running-costs page.
Beyond electricity there is nothing. Both pads are machine-washable, the machine runs on tap water, and there is no solution to buy and no cartridge to replace. That is the entire argument against a disposable-pad system: the Swiffer PowerMop costs a fraction of this to put in a cart and then bills you for pads and solution for as long as you own it. The one thing to watch here is pad laundry rather than pad cost — the S2001 ships with one of each pad type, where the S8001 ships four.
Who should buy it
Anyone who wants the fewest refills. 500 ml is the largest tank in the line, and at 4.8 lb it does not pay for that in weight.
Mixed messes. Three steam modes plus a targeted blaster and two pad types — one for maintenance, one for scrubbing — covers more situations than a single-output mop.
Sealed hard floors of any kind. Shark rates this model for all sealed hard floors, which is the broadest surface rating of the four.
Who should not
Anyone who buys on the warranty. Shark publishes none for this model, while publishing one on both cheaper mops in the same line. If a written term is what you want, the S3601 carries the same tank and the same wattage and does publish one.
Floors with baked-on grime. This is steam plus a textured pad, not a scrubber. The S8001's rotating head is the machine for that, and it is the one with a named test standard behind its claim.
Unsealed floors, full stop. Every mop here is rated for sealed hard floors only, and your flooring manufacturer's warranty — not Shark's listing and not this page — is the authority for your specific floor. Which floors are safe for steam is the page to read first.
We have not used this machine. Everything above is read off Shark's own published specification and compared with other Shark listings and other manufacturers' published figures. A spec sheet cannot tell you how the pad attaches when it is wet, whether the blaster is genuinely useful or a button you press twice, or how the seals hold up in year three — and on that last point Shark publishes no warranty at all for this model. Our method page states exactly where our evidence stops and why we publish a score anyway.
Common questions
Is the Shark SteamSpot S2001 worth it?+−
On published specifications it is the best-documented steam mop on this site: 1,200 watts, a 500 ml removable tank, 4.8 lb, three steam modes plus a targeted Steam Blaster, two pad types and a sanitization claim. It scores 8.6 on our rubric, the highest of any steam mop on this site. The caveat is the small print — Shark publishes no warranty, no heat-up time and no cord length for this model, and publishes all three for the cheaper S1000.
What is the difference between the Shark S2001 and the S3601?+−
Less than the positioning suggests. The S2001 publishes a 500 ml tank and the S3601 publishes 16.9 fl oz, which is the same 500 ml; both run 1,200 watts and they are within a tenth of a pound of each other. The S2001 adds three named steam modes, a targeted blaster, two pad types and a sanitization claim. The S3601 publishes a one-year warranty, which the S2001 does not.
How big is the Shark SteamSpot water tank?+−
Shark publishes 500 ml, removable, which is the largest tank in its steam line. For comparison the S3601 publishes 16.9 fl oz (the same 500 ml), the S1000 publishes 12.68 fl oz (375 ml) and the Steam & Scrub S8001 publishes 11.83 fl oz (350 ml), the smallest, because scrubbing uses water faster.
Does the Shark SteamSpot sanitize floors?+−
Shark publishes a claim that it removes 99.9% of common household bacteria using water alone, and it is the only one of the four Shark steam mops here that publishes such a claim. It names no test standard and no laboratory, so we report it as a manufacturer's claim rather than a verified measurement.
How much does a Shark steam mop cost to run?+−
About $17.17 in electricity over three years for this model, or $5.72 a year — calculated from its published 1,200 watts at 30 minutes a week and the U.S. average residential price of 18.34 cents per kWh. There is nothing else to pay: both pads are machine-washable and the machine runs on tap water, with no solution and no cartridge.
Can I use the Shark SteamSpot on laminate or vinyl?+−
Shark rates this model for all sealed hard floors, which includes sealed laminate and vinyl. The decisive document is your flooring manufacturer's own warranty, though: many laminate and some luxury vinyl warranties exclude steam regardless of what the mop is rated for, and no mop's rating overrides it. Read our safe-floor-types guide before buying.
Sources
Manufacturer-published specifications — Every runtime, wattage, capacity, weight, filtration and warranty figure quoted on this page is the manufacturer's own published number for that model, retrieved September 1, 2026. Where a manufacturer publishes no figure, the page says 'Not published' rather than estimating one.
Sweep & Suction — How We Pick — Our published method, including the scoring rubric, the three-year running-cost formula and an explicit statement of what published specifications cannot tell you.
