Shark AZ1002 Apex Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum with DuoClean & Self-Cleaning Brushroll, Crevice Tool, Upholstery Tool & Pet Power Brush, for a Deep Clean on & Above Floors, Espresso

For Apex DuroClean Powered Lift Away AZ1002 T4 For the last 6 years, our old Shark Vacuum worked well. A great use & selling point was the ability to reconfigure the machine for different vacuum tasks. This is done without tools with snap fittings and these still work perfectly on the old vac. The old vacuums power rotator floor head still works but the corrugated flex hose that attached to the power section failed. This part is not user replaceable. Shark wanted $118.00 plus shipping to replace the whole floor power head. Since the machine was 6 years old we decided to up grade to a new model. With a new warranty. The machine came on time and was undamaged and well packed. Since this Shark vacuum was similar to our old vacuum, I was easy to assemble. It has the same snap connections that we loved in the old machine. When first assembled the new vac would not start. Re connecting the components solved the problem but we had continuing issues with the power. After trouble shooting the vac, we found the snap connection from the power module to the hose wand was the issue. In less than two weeks ownership this snap connection became harder and harder to snap in. It appeared to us the issue might be the plastic fitting was warped or otherwise misformed. To get a good secure fit [and get connectivity and power], we had to exert a great amount of force, then push the rocker tab down to get the desired click. My wife did not have the strength to do so. The Shark vac had arrived less than 2 weeks ago. Called Shark/Ninja customer service. Did a video chat, allowing the tech to see the issue. Neither the agent nor us could really figure out why it was so hard to click connect nor which plastic part was the culprit. The tech stated she would send the wand handle section [this part has the on / off switch] but neither of us was sure this would fix the issue. Shark never offered to replace the machine. I agreed to accept the replacement I wanted to make sure the other part of the connection- the power module would be sent if this didnt solve the issue. Then I was told the replacement part would cost me $89.00 plus shipping. I refused to pay and after more conversation, the agent offered a 50% discount and finally offered to sent free it if I paid for the shipping. This on a vacuum that was taken out the box less than two weeks earlier. Take heed, the Limited warranty is not worth the paper it was printed on. Since we were still in the return window, Amazon has agreed to take the product back and has issued a label for shipping. They will also credit my account upon acceptance of the Shark Vacuum. Thank you Amazon.

Ive had this vacuum a couple of weeks now and used it about half a dozen times. Overall, I am very happy with it - previously I had a canister vacuum but wanted to switch to an upright as long as it still had a hose and attachments for cleaning furniture and along baseboards, etc. Suction - A+!! The first time I used this on my bedroom carpet I was APPALLED at how much dirt it picked up (and knew I wasnt wrong that the old canister vac wasnt working nearly well enough). Its very powerful. Features - Overall good, like I mentioned I like that its almost a hybrid between an upright and canister vac. I really like that it has a light - great for cleaning in darker places like closets, or in the evening when the light isnt as good. It comes with a pet hair attachment that does a fantastic job at getting up the cat hair. I like that it has a switch to go between bare floors, low pile carpet and deep pile carpet. Nitpicks - There are two dings Id give this vacuum - one, the maneuverability when using it as an upright takes some getting used to because it seems a bit top heavy, especially on carpet. Second, there are a couple of spots for on-board attachments at the vacuums base, but I find that the cord often knocks off whatever attachment is housed on the left. Third, the upholstery attachment that came with mine keeps coming apart at the slightest bump. I will likely use some super glue to keep this from happening in the future, but for a vacuum at this price point I expected something a bit sturdier. Overall, though, very good and Im happy with this purchase!

Okay, so, Ive been looking for a vacuum so that I have something when moving into my new place. I was only really hoping to have a few certain yet important features. - No bags. - Strong suction. - At least a 6ft hose (or around there). - Fully sealed (no allergens get ejected back out). This unit met all of that & more! I wont bother going over everything thats shown since you can just read about it in the descriptions or even look up a video on the unit (Id suggest doing simple research like that anyway). So instead, let me point out the features that surprised me or just plain pleased me to confirm. To note, I used this for about 40-60 minutes in 2 bedrooms & a hallway, all carpet (that tall stringy type), as well as a hard wood floor living room. For the carpeted area, I ran over everything the day before with what could only best be called a cheap simple store bought vacuum. Enough to do the job on hardwood & still sucks up plenty on carpet, but it isnt gonna win any prizes. 1: The suction power. Let me put it this way. Just having the vacuum on, you could feel it trying to pull forward. Dragging backwards was the same. If you use this on carpet, I highly suggest you leave the main body of the unit (the engine & dust bin) attached instead of separating it from the rest of the unit. Their weight will help counter this. 2: The noise. Its a vacuum, so its gonna make noise, but it was much quieter than I thought itd be, especially for the level of suction it has. I could have a conversation with someone sitting 10ft from me & barely have to raise my voice at all. 3: The versatility. Its an upright, but you can pull the main engine & dustbin unit off, turning it into a handheld that has long reach & can get under furniture with just a bit of bending over. Both the head & handle have a light to see into dark spaces. You can remove the tube running from the handle to the suction head & use it that way if you so wished. Never mind the attachments that come with it. 4: The instruction manual. I know, I know. You look at the instructions? My uncle already laughed at me for it, but I prefer to go through the manual so I can know how to put things together the first time & even find nice little tidbits. Which is EXACTLY what I found going through this one. Let me just say that not only does this show you how to put it all together, but it shows exactly how to clean everything & even perform your own maintenance. No calling the support office, no scratching your head to figure out whats wrong. Just look through the manual & itll give you guides on cleaning, troubleshooting, why it may be doing this, etc. I LOVE when a brand actually gives you the ability to properly & fully maintain & troubleshoot the product you paid for yourself. 5: The filters. Four of them total. A mesh hair filter in the collection bin, a barrel sponge-like filter & a finer cloth pad filter before the suction engine & then finally a HEPA filter before any air gets shunted back out. All of these sealed up with rubber rings. I checked the filters (all removable & washable by the way, so you can keep them for much longer if you take the extra few minutes to rinse them after each session or so) & was very impressed with how much they grabbed. Honestly, not gonna lie, I sat there for a moment looking at these filters & thought ... is that what Ive been living in?. Now, I couldnt finish this review off without mentioning the one downside I had to this vacuum. The extra attachments. Ya know, the little tool heads that come with it & sit in slots on the back of the vacuum. I got a narrow hose head for tight spaces, a furniture head & a pet brush (ya know, like a little mini suction head with its own brush roller). The first is simple & works fine. The second does its job as much as Id expect it to as well. The third however... Never mind the fact that the unit only has space for 2 of the 3 attachments, but the pet brush didnt even work. The reason why is just as simple. It felt cheaply made. Out of everything that came with the vacuum, these were the cheap parts. The first two, as I said, work fine since they dont have to do much. The pet brush however didnt even have a proper seal between the top & bottom half. In fact, it had vent slits in the back so that the moment I set it down (lightly I might add) onto fur covered furniture, the brush stopped moving because it was too much & could just pull in suction from those vent slits. I should also mention that this was done on fabric upholstered furniture, not any kind of leather or similar material. Thankfully, I did not buy this vacuum for pets. My parents have them, sure, but I wont. I dont need this vacuum to tackle pets. So, long & short is this. Besides the pet brush attachment not having anywhere to sit & being cheaply made, I dont need it so Im fine with that being the cheap part. Everything else on this vacuum has already made me decide that the $300 spent on it was very much worth it.

Bought this because I have two super-shedders. I can vacuum a room and within 5 minutes I have tumbleweeds. Purchased a robotic vacuum which is okay, but I wanted something more heavy duty to run once or twice a week that would pick up more than just surface stuff. Also I was very tired of cutting wrapped up pet hair out of the robotic vacuum. It was driving me crazy as I had to do that every time I ran the thing. Thought this would be the solution since so many pet owners loved it. Will admit the Zero-M is a total game-changer when it comes to not having to clean out the pet hair. This thing sucked the hair right up and not a single strand was clogging the brushes. Thats a flipping miracle considering that I have to take scissors to the robo vac every time I use it. I was really looking forward to getting this vacuum. What I did not expect was it size (which is only exceeded by its ugliness). However, I was willing to overlook the ugly factor if the thing worked great. It did work great but the vacuum is huge. First off it has a giant fat cannister on the front which makes it impossible to get underneath anything, unless you are willing to stop and deal with removing the cannister. I have too many pieces of furniture to do that. Sheesh. So when I was vacuuming the rooms were actually getting LESS clean than they were with the robot vacuum which was going under stuff. Secondly, the thing KILLED my shoulder to vacuum with. Yes I have a minor rotator cuff tear, and yes this thing only weighs 17 lbs, but when you are trying to push against carpeting it is clumsy at best. Especially when you cant get under anything. The handle is huge (tall) and feels like it was designed by a 63 engineer and not the average 54 woman who probably does the majority of vacuuming at most homes. Im 54 and the top of the handle was only about 2 shorter than my shoulder, making for super-awkward movements. Handle also has a weird design that prevents you from being able to pick the machine up easily unless using 2 hands. Last but not least it what I said about the ugly factor. Just about everyone who looked at the vacuum the day it arrived was like whoa whats that...??? The machine has a weird disproportionate factor where the vacuum part that meets the floor seems small in comparison to the rest of the machine making the whole thing look very weirdly top-heavy and the enormous, and very cumbersome canister simply adds to that problem. I have a lot of stairs and cant imagine trying to haul this thing up and down stairs. Ugh. Sorry Shark. How about putting Zero-M on one of the robotics that empties itself -- and mops too! Theres something pet owners actually need. Update: Exchanged this vacuum for the Zero-M DuoClean STICK vacuum which I like MUCH better. It also has a glitch in that it wont stand up on its own (falls over if you take your hands off it - the go around is to remove the canister / motor top part when you stop vacuuming, which sounds like a hassle but it actually pretty easy the way it is designed). Also it is only half as powerful as the upright above, but SO much easier to use.

I bought this new rather than saving $90 for a renewed unit because the renewed info page indicated attachments may not be original equipment. Remember this as you read on. Youll probably chuckle. I just unpacked the Shark APEX Upright Vacuum. Documentation was minimal but it was enough for me to assemble the device. One of the features that attracted me was power supplied to the handle and the end of wand. Handy as the vacuum comes with a powered pet tool. Anyway, I got it assembled then vacuumed a section of carpet. Wow! Look at all the cat hair in there! And its much quieter than the canister vacuum were replacing. Then, before putting the unit away until cleaning day, I tried to store the attachments on the indicated holders. Crevice tool; seated firmly, check. So the other attachment must go right on this holder labelled Powered Pet Tool. Nope; not that way. No, not this way, either. Check the documentation. Wait. The printed manual, such that it is, shows a different tool. Looking at the tool sent, its not even powered! The brush is moved by the air rushing through. This is for a vacuum that doesnt have power in the handle or thee wand. Glad I took photos in case I ever have to pack this up to return it. After posting this I will seek assistance from Amazon. If they correct this issue, pronto, Ill update my review. Update: Good news: I contacted Amazon and explained the issue. They shipped a replacement product, not the part, an entirely new vacuum. It arrived yesterday, June 17. Nice job Amazon. For your part in this, you get 5+ stars. Bad news: same issue; same wrong part. Clearly, this is not Amazons fault but Sharks. So I called Shark. After several but not too many minutes waiting, I got to speak to a customer service rep from Bogota, Colombia. I explained the entire story, the two separate vacuums I had received and both had the same wrong part. He is shipping me the correct part. Expected dlivery date (from California): June 24. Stay tuned.

I have a St. Bernard and bought this vacuum for the no tangle spinning brush. At first,I loved this. It has really good suction. A little to much for small area rugs so I use it on the floor setting for that. It worked fine in the beginning. I have had it for six months and only use it once a week as I have a dyson for quick pick up and a cleaning lady who does a great job. Im finding that the no clog brush stops running. Its not like the hair is entwined around the brush but I still have to stop way to often to clean it.

I used to live in a house that had all wood floors & carpeted stairs... so Ive owned 2 Shark vacuums (Rockets gen1 & gen2-major improvements over gen1), which both performed very well for my needs. I recently retired & downsized to a smaller home with carpet & tile everywhere, so I decided to upgrade to a more powerful vac. (Forgot to mention I have a shorthaired dog that SHEDS.) I picked the Apex DuoClean w/ Zero-M because I felt it might be a good cross between a Rocket & a upright. After a couple of days of use, I must say Im loving the vacuum. The construction is tight & solid feeling. The suction power is better than the Rockets, and it pulls more dog hair off both the wall to wall & throw rugs - on the first pass vs many passes with the Rockets. I contribute this to the DuoClean brush in the front. I used to empty the Rockets canister 4 times when cleaning 3 bedrms & living room, the Apex had enough storage that I was able to empty it twice. The main motor is much quieter than the Rockets which tend to scream a bit loudly. The motor in the brush housing is a tiny bit noisier than the Rockets - I attribute that to the gears & extra brush. Being able to pull the power unit off and reach under the beds with the floor power unit is wonderful - the Rockets have that canister in the way and cant get as far in. I will recommend this vacuum to my friends! Now for the drawbacks, if you call them that. - A word of caution to all - since there is no longer a shield in front of the roller brush, instead having another rolling brush, this vacuum WILL eat all cords with a fierce appetite!! Id gotten into a nasty habit of just pushing the cords out of the way with the Rockets -- OOPS - LOL. - I do wish the hose was a bit longer, you do have to lift the main unit off and carry it if you want to reach up to catch a cobweb or do the baseboards. - This unit DOES NOT come with a duster attachment... It came with a crevise tool, a air assisted brush for pet hair on furniture, and a plain Upholstery Tool. You can not clean books, car interiors etc. easily. There is what is called a Pet Multi-Tool which is a combo of the plain Upholstery Tool with a duster attachment available for $19.95 on their website (Its not listed in Accessories - you have to Google for it but Sharp sells it & says it fits -- part# 247FLI850). Honestly, this should have been included instead of the plain Upholstery Tool - Thus the markdown from 5 to 4 stars. I hope this review helps. UPDATE: Shark substituted Part# 219FLIN800 instead of above mentioned #247FLI850, and it fits perfectly.

Heavier, difficult to maneuver

I was never a fan of upright vacuums but after hearing and reading about this APEX I couldnt resist. The power nozzle on my central vac just wasnt doing the job of picking up short hair from four dogs on area rugs (I have hard wood floors) without 4 or 5 passes. After vacuuming, I had no desire to spend another half hour untangling my hair from the brush roller. So this Shark APEX Duo Clean with Zero-M caught my eye. It arrived a day after I had vacuumed my entire house so I was anxious to assemble it and use it on the rugs already vacuumed the day before to see just how much my central vac didnt pick up. Assembly was a snap as was disassembling. Didnt even need to read the directions to assemble. BUT DO READ them BEFORE you start vacuuming because youll discover, as I did, it wont turn on unless the wand is in a reclining position. I was certainly impressed with the suction power it had. Shark wasnt kidding. Its powerful. Picked up even more hair and ground in dust/dirt on the area rugs vacuumed just the day before! The self-propelled feature with swivel nozzle is a MUST because without it Atlas couldnt push it. However, found it to be top- heavy and cumbersome until I removed the Lift-Away canister from the wand and held it in my left hand as I pushed the wand and power nozzle with my right hand. That configuration felt as if I was lifting weights but you cant put the Lift-Away on floor and drag it since there are no wheels. So for all intents and purposes I used it like I would a canister vacuum. I had a real workout vacuuming this way though. Despite the Lift-Away being detached from the wand, the vacuum doesnt get under the low-to-the-ground furniture and if it does manage to, it doesnt get under very far. The vacuum is noisy as one would expect of an upright. The Lift-Away was a snap to detach from the wand and the three vacuuming modes: hard floor, carpet/low pile and thick carpet/area rug were easy to switch. 30 ft cord is convenient! And my long hair strands didnt get stuck in the brush roller! Nice feature. Bottom line, this is a powerful vacuum that I will use on my area rugs by detaching the Lift-Away canister to make it less top heavy while holding with my other hand as I get a work-out! I will respect the limitations this vacuum presents in my home and vacuum the hard wood surfaces with my central vac floor brush attachment. Still happy with my purchase as it has lots of great features!

This is probably the 15th if not more shark vacuum I’ve bought I give them as wedding presents and house warming gifts This one was for me, the belt broke so I ordered new belts and changed it For some reason this power head is not working as well as my others have I bought the stick for a friend and she loves it I bought two in September for family and they love them-I myself have tried it against my Miele and a bissle my picked up more dirt afterwards I’m just writing to let you know I’m unhappy with my latest purchase I don’t understand how all the others work well and this one that I bought for myself happens to be a dud So unhappy