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

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.

We have two long hair Siberian cats who are drop-dead gorgeous, but the down side is that they have thick, silky, fine, MAGNETIC hair that they shed non-stop. We have two Roombas (which we still run daily to pick up the surface hair), but they just cannot pick up all of this kind of cat hair, which embeds itself in even the finest weave carpets. We bought the the Shark AZ1002 Apex in April 2020, and wow, what a difference. It did a truly amazing job on that cat hair. But. This cat hair embeds in the brushes on the brush roller, and it takes hours to pick it all out (and we cant get it all out!). Other than that, we have been super happy with it. Shark recently introduced the Stratos, which doesnt have the little brushes on the roller like the Apex does. Instead, it has fins. So, we bought it direct from Shark because it wasnt available yet on Amazon. It just arrived, and we used it for the first time. Stratos Trial: vacuum ONE 5x8 area rug. The rug was vacuumed approximately 47 hours prior to this trial. There was no visible cat hair on the top of the rug before using the vacuum. Photos show the results of using a brand new Stratos for the first time on just this one rug. I was dumbfounded at the amount of hair and litter dust it picked up. One photo shows the underside of the Stratos so you can see just how much hair got caught on the bottom of the rollers. Its not perfect, but compared to the Apex, its vastly superior. The Stratos certainly costs more than does the Apex. The Apex is a wonderful vacuum cleaner, and I can highly recommend it for most applications. But if you have pets that shed a lot, I recommend spending the extra $$ and getting the Stratos. Note: Im adding this comparative review here because Amazon wont let me put a review on the Stratos because I didnt purchase it through Amazon. Heres the Stratos link: https://www.amazon.com/Shark-AZ3002-Self-Cleaning-Neutralizer-Technology/dp/B0B2VTZ432/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2KXOIL36AU9OW&keywords=shark+stratos&qid=1660406393&s=home-garden&sprefix=shark+stratos%2Cgarden%2C69&sr=1-2

Unfortunately very heavy and difficult to maneuver while vacuuming. Otherwise it’s a good machine that will last a while like my previous one. I’ll need to decide whether to get another model or tough it out for the next 5 or more years with this heavyweight.

I love shark products but this one is not any improvement from the last model. Holding dirt capacity is half of what the one I bought in 2018 Features are very similar, the quality in my book has changed. Not east to vacuum with. It won’t go straight it cuts to the right. I recommended one to a friend and they have the same complaints

This is my second Ninja. The first was a Ninja Rotator I bought in 2018. It failed in 2020. Beyond any repair I could perform. The problem was not one noted in the 5 or 6 troubleshooting tips in their manual. Couldnt find a solution anywhere on Youtube either. It just lost suction. I just accepted my fate ($400 worth) and ordered a new vacuum. As mentioned when these work..theyve got superior suction. When they work there is a WHOLE lot to like about these. So, I bought a new model of the Ninja from Amazon. Another $400 . The Apex, which is advertised as having self-cleaning rollers (dont believe it..they still need cleaned) and all sorts of other little technologies that sounded pretty cool. This was purchased at the end of December this year. Last week it failed. Thats less than 3 months. This time it was really strange. I smelled a little burn..instantly turned off the vacuum (even though these are supposed to shut themselves down when hot to avoid damage). I went through all the trouble-shooting tips. The roller was wrapped in hair. Cleaned out. The hose was full of debris..was able to blow this out. Ive always kept the filters clean so these were not even in the equation. I will say, this vacuum is very easy to get into ANY possible trouble spot..thats the good news. The bad news is, it doesnt matter once you hit the point of no return. Tried to turn it back on. When upright, where you can typically pull out the hose and use it to spot clean, it wouldnt even turn on. When I engaged the floor cleaner it did turn on, but had no power and a very high-pitched whirl. I knew it was fried. Again, there was nothing on the internet that even mentioned this behavior. This time ($800 plus into Ninja products) I took a shot with Amazon perhaps helping me out. And they did. Amazon sent me another unit. Im hoping it will last. If it doesnt last at least 3 or 4 years I will never-ever buy another Ninja. The only reason I gave this 2 stars is based on Amazons integrity and motivation to help out a long time customer like myself. I may not always do business with Ninja, but I will always shop AMAZON!. ****update****. The 2nd replacement(3rd in all) I got is still going strong. Now, Ive replaced all carpet in my home with wood besides a couple area rugs. Undoubtedly that puts less stress on a vacuum cleaner. However, I did add a star to my original review because this 3rd Shark is working like a champ..Love It!

Now that Ive had this vacuum for a year and a half, I feel like I can review it fairly. Yes, the honeymoon stage is over and now were having our problems, albeit small. When I first got this vacuum, I was in love. It was a beast: insane suction power, amazing swivel, and every part of it can easily be separated by a push of a button. My only complaints when I first got it: its size and no retractable cord. The retractable cord thing really got me. How do you make a vacuum this nice and not either have a cordless option or push button retraction? That answer is still beyond me. Its a great vacuum, dont get me wrong, but after owning it for this long, these are my problems: 1. It loses suction power. It will tell you to regularly clean the filter (reusable which is great) regularly, or it will lose suction power. However, even if you do this, you will still lose it. 2. The hose. Its great this thing can come apart for tasks like the stairs, furniture, etc. But the super scrunched up hose can only reach so far. How far? Not really far at all. Maybe a foot before the super slinky wants the nozzle back. Im sure you could get hose attachments, but for the pricetag, I barely feel like I should have to vacuum at all. When we first got it, it was a fight for who gets to vacuum. Now the first five minutes are vacuuming the tears of whomever is doing the vacuuming. Honestly, these 2 things, along with the bulky size and non retractable cord water my only gripes with it. It still works, just nowhere near as good as it once did, and lugging the dust compartment because the hose can only stretch so far (which isnt far at all) can be a real pain.

For the past fifteen or more years I have used a Bissell Pet something or other vacuum. I have replaced it three times and each time I always thought about going with a different brand, but just decided to keep going forward with the Bissell. I use our vacuum a lot. Sometimes three times per day. I have severe allergies and we have two huge dogs and we dog sit. I vacuum constantly. Last month our last Bissell started to lose suction. The hand tools had long ago stopped working and I knew I was going to need to start shopping for a new vacuum soon, I was just procrastinating because I hate vacuum shopping. Everyone thinks their brand is the best. My parents have both a Miele and a Shark. My brother has a Hoover. The Internet has Dyson. Ugh. I spent hours and hours watching videos and reading reviews and I finally settled on this Shark Apex because Bob Villa said it was probably the best bet. A lot of other people also said it was a solid choice, but I like Bob and I trust him. Shark has so many different models and features that it was confusing as heck deciding which vacuum I needed. For those of you wondering, our house is mostly hardwood and tile with a few rugs. This vacuum has a switch for hardwood, short carpet and shag carpet. The brushes move on all three settings. We paid the extra money to get the hand tools because we have dog beds that need daily attention. First off, I love this stupid vacuum. I had no idea how poorly my Bissell was actually working until I swept my house with the Shark. I was disgusted and amazed all at once. The swivel head was super annoying and I just finally am getting adjusted to it after a full week of daily use. If you only vacuum once per week, give the swivel some time, you will grow to like it. The suction on this vacuum is crazy. If our Aussies fluffy rugs would fit in the canister I would have sucked them up at least ten times over now. The hand wand - not the long wand, but the short tool that comes off the top of the handle - is the best vacuum shortcut Ive ever used. Most vacuums you need to take the hose out from the side, while this one has a button and it just comes from the top. It is so easy. If you need a taller wand, simply disconnect from further down. As we paid extra for the tools, I can connect the upholstery tool to easily vacuum the dogs beds and rugs. Its a snap. Everything comes apart and goes back together so easily. Our last vacuum did not have lights and my husband always complained about this and I never understood why. Now I understand why. Having lights on this vacuum is amazing. I can see when Im trying to get all the little crevices of our senior girls bed clean or when Im trying to clean behind the fridge. Having a light on the front of the main vacuum illuminates any white dog hairs on our wood floors, so I dont miss anything. I seriously love it. I hesitated on a Shark vacuum for years because I was skeptical of the brand. If this vacuum holds up I will be a convert. As of now, I love this vacuum.

I LOVE this vacuum. It’s design and quality are amazing. But the older I get, the more impossible it is to do anything with the hose detached without the entire vacuum falling onto my feet. Ouch! The hose is too short and too rigid. The Liftaway feature is ok but ‘gets heavier’ with every passing year. They DID NOT include a round brush, which is critical to doing baseboards and surfaces higher than the floor. No other vacuum’s round brush fits this Shark model, and no adapter seems to exist on the market (I keep trying). But it’s otherwise the BEST vacuum I’ve ever owned, and I’ve had Kirby, Electrolux, Oxygen, two Orecks, and two Dysons. It’s a workhorse picking up anything on any surface, gets close to edges, actually dusts the floor, eats pet and human hair for breakfast, does a fab job under beds, is extremely versatile, seemingly emits nothing out (filters and holds well), doesn’t mar furniture, and is easily dump-outable, which I zip out to the garage garbage can to do. I’ve cleaned and replaced the filters and roller over time and bought spares for the future, with no problem.

I started with a Shark Professional and loved it. My favorite thing was that I could take it apart and wash everything, except the motor, of course. It was a hard choice to find our new vacuum. I was open to trying other brands so we went to all of the box stores, pulled vacuums off the shelves, handled them all, pushed them around, read what attachments were included, and read every negative 1 and 2 star review online. I settled on the Shark Apex because it seemed to fit our familys needs and ignored the negatives. I am happy to say the positives outweighed the negatives on this Shark! We have 6 cats and a dog and a commercial laundry, linen business at our home and have to vacuum everyday to control the hair and lint. This vacuum is heavier than any other I have used because it has the biggest motor. Suction is unbelievable, the lift away makes it possible to get under beds, sofas, and shelving. The 2 brushes work together and are so much better on my concrete & wood floors than any other vacuum I have used. It definitely pulls in any spilled cat litter, sand, and fine particles where other vacuums, including my Shark Professional would scatter it unless you used a broom first. The self-clean brush does keep the pet hair from tangling around the brush 97% of the time, we know nothing is 100%. The best news is in that 3% when something gets sucked in, did I say this has great suction power, it is easy to get to the bushes and clean them. The ease of taking apart of the entire vacuum and cleaning the brushes, hoses, canister, and attachments cant be found in any other vacuum we tried out. The ability to wash the vacuum parts was one of our top priorities with pets since no one really wants the animal smell or the nasty to linger or be spread to other areas of your home or business. The ease of disinfecting a vacuum was never a consideration or something I thought was possible until I got my first Shark. You will need to get used to the pivot of the vacuum, it doesnt turn like those uprights that everyone is used to. This one is heavier than others but it has the highest suction and will pick up almost anything. It is also a pretty quiet machine, it doesnt scream and you can actually hear whats going on around you when youre working. The pet attachment wasnt what I expected, it appeared on the ad that it was electric and plugged into the handle. It isnt, it runs by air, the same as the rest of the brushes. There are no belts to ever replace in a Shark, when you use the attachments the handle also has a light to help you see what needs cleaned. I definitely recommend the Shark Apex. After I purchased, it appears that it is also in a recommendation of consumer reports.

I gave it 4/5 because it is heavy. It has great suction and its transformer abilities work great for different applications. We have a 70lb husky who sheds a lot. It does a great job with all his hair. I have been overall very happy but it is a heavy vacuum. I think my 75 year old mom would struggle with it. Just something to keep in mind.