The Shark Rules a Sea of Vacuums

The Shark Apex is the best upright vacuum I’ve ever owned and used.

Its suction is reminiscent of the intake of an Airbus 380 engine, but its motor maintains a tolerable decibel thanks to Shark’s Noise Reduction Technology which has been scientifically tuned to reduce noise and soften what would otherwise be the annoyingly high pitch most vacuums are known for.

DuoClean^® Technology

It works great on carpets, furniture, tile and hardwood floors. It will pick up everything from popcorn seeds to kitty litter. Its dual brush system includes one soft brush for polishing and another larger bristle brush for lifting embedded dirt from carpets, along with three settings tackle deep-pile carpets, where the dual brushes spin rapidly, to relatively flat rugs like those used in corporate offices. The hardwood and tile mode is designed so that it won’t scratch floors; the brush spins very slowly and the rubber roller acts as a buffer for a professionally polished shine.

I have owned multiple Hoovers and expensive over-hyped Dysons, and even a Roomba, but none worked as well as the Shark model AZ 1002 ($450 on Amazon).

The half-life of the Hoovers and Dysons I’ve owned is about 18 months. My last Dyson, the Dyson Ball Animal 2, lost its suction after two years – something the company says will never happen. At $500, it’s hardly a bargain, especially when its performance on both carpets and bare floors is mediocre.

The roller belts on my Hoover would last 45 days, if I was lucky. And the first-generation Roomba, which set me back $500, had a pathetically small dust bin that almost never was full. It was fun to watch as it bumped like a pinball around the room until its short battery life stranded it under the couch. Many times, I had to move the sofa to retrieve it and place it on its charging pod.

There are so many features to like about the Shark AZ 1002, it’s difficult to list them in order of its wow-factors, but here goes:

Self-cleaning brushroll technology

If you’ve ever cleaned a vacuum brush, you’ve probably been tempted to let it go until the brush stops rotating. The Shark brush cleans itself. It has two brush rolls and gets right down and dirty on hard floors. The vacuum comes with crevice and upholstery tools and a pet hair removal power brush. I don’t have a pet, but my adult children bring their cats and dogs around and it gets rid of pet hair efficiently.

Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology

The AZ 1002 has a HEPA filter for allergens inside the vacuum and two efficient filters that can be cleaned. I clean those filters when they get dark with crud.  Cleaning just involves removing the filters and washing them with soap. If you want to have even more assurances that the Shark cleans itself, try squeezing the wet filters – the water turns a nasty black. Replacement roller brushes and filters are sold on Amazon for under $30. The result is highly filtered exhaust air from the motor.

If emptying the bagless dust bin on other vacuums leaves you gasping for air because dirt flies up from the garbage bag, you’ll be delighted with the dust bin on the Shark. Lift it off the vacuum by pressing a button, taking the bin to the garbage can, pressing another button, and the dust drops in a straight line into the garbage.

Powered-Lift Away^®

There are many canister vacuums – ones that have long hoses and heavy motor cases that drag behind. I’ve never been a fan of canisters, even if they’re handy for cleaning carpeted stairs and hard-to -get-at corners. Most will do their dirty work under sofas and chairs, but only if you’re patient enough to swipe the hose and handle in straight lines. The Shark looks like an upright vacuum – and it is – but thanks to Powered-Lift Away^® technology it’s also a sort of canister vacuum. The motor snaps off the base of the Shark, a hose is attached, and the long handle gets into carpet corners, spider-webbed walls, popcorn that’s homesteaded in the corners of chairs, and of course, stairs. The canister part is rather heavy, and it has to be held while cleaning – a definite minus — since it includes the motor, but its suction around corners and stairs is as strong as the upright part.

It’s impressive and reassuring when you release the hose and wand – the “click” is audible and the connection is tight. Return them to the base, and they fit perfectly. But don’t run over the power cord — it’s not called a Shark for nothing.

You’d expect an upright vacuum cleaner to have lights on the base, but the LED lights are bright enough that your neighbors might complain. When you take the wand off the base, the lights switch to the wand, definitely a plus.

Active Glide^™ Technology

I was a fan of Dyson’s ball vacuum until I tried Shark’s fluid, movable base. It responds like a sports car when you touch the handle.

Shark has other models, including a new class of vacuums on their website: www.sharkninja.com. They offer generous discounts on the website. Shark also offers a robot vacuum, cordless stick models and even cordless mops for hard floors and a cordless power hand-held vacuum for $149 that comes in handy for cleaning the car. They even offer a canister model. Except for the robot vacuum, most of the models cost less than $500.

Summary
The Shark Apex AZ 1002 does everything a vacuum should do, as an upright and a canister all in one.

Tech Specs
Shark Apex Upright AZ 1002