Shark AZ2002 Vertex Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum with DuoClean PowerFins, Self-Cleaning Brushroll, Large Dust Cup, Pet Crevice Tool, Dusting Brush & Power Brush, Silver/Rose Gold

I researched this vacuum heavily before buying it and honestly I was not sure it was going to be as good as everyone said. I was wrong. The vacuum is stellar. I can tell that it's cleaning the carpet in a way that it was not cleaned by my old Shark vacuum because of what I see in the dust cup as they call it.. it's hardly a cup it's huge. The one thing they don't tell you in all the reviews and videos that I watched is that the motorized brush rollers are really powerful. I'm 72 but fairly strong very physically active/fit and this thing just about ran away with me. It was a workout to use it. Not in a bad way but still a workout. The forward is easy..but on the backstroke you've got to really pull against those brushes that want to go forward. Very impressive results so far. I might update this after three or four months of using it. I have a low pile ribbed carpet and I've been using it on the medium setting which seems to be appropriate for this carpet. I've not tried it on my hardwood floors yet. All I can say is the suction is very strong and puts my older.Shark Navigator and classic Miele cannister vacuum to shame. Completely worth the slightly higher price, very easy to put together right out of the box,. I couldn't be more satisfied.

This is by far the best vacuum I have ever owned! Is it a bit on the heavy side, yes, however it is very easy to turn and navigate. Shark has light on all the attachment ends, making it easier to see what you’re trying to get at- the mini self powered attachment head is amazing! You can completely remove the power unit and hose for doing stair which is awesome! The auto cycle is ok- I do find myself flipping through the modes ( just a touch button ) more often than not- It works on everything I’ve noticed so far, a little to well?! It has more power than you think! If you have low profile rugs ( thin runners ) this thing will inhale them. It doesn’t do any damage- it makes it a little annoying. 10/10 recommend this vacuum and yes get the extra refresh tablets for it! You’ll thank me later!

I LOVE this vacuum! I researched several as we were willing to spend a decent amount if the vacuum was worth it. I compared this to several others and eventually decided on this one. I am so glad I did! I have had other Shark vacuums so I was mostly looking at them. The suction on this one is fabulous. We have 3 dogs that shed constantly and this gets all the hair on the first pass. It was easy to assemble and easy to use. The buttons are pretty self explanatory. The best feature is the odor neutralizer. This is the first one we've had and it is amazing! It makes the room smell fresh but isn't overpowering. The vacuum is a little heavy but when it's on, it moves like a dream almost effortlessly! I think it is well worth every penny!

Good vacuum. Still better than Dyson, in my opinion. This beast is heavy tho. The roll seems a little stiff, which may be due to the weight. The tools still fall off all over the place, seems like no brand has figured out the solution to that. Improvements needed: the light turns off when you pull the wand off. It would be great if it would stay on so you can still see when in dark corners and hallways. I have to fight with the dust cup to put it back on. It just doesnt seem to align well. Or engage properly. My previous sharks didnt have this problem. Maybe mine is flawed. Speaking of dust cup, there is a plastic lip that partially surrounds the dust cup. When you are winding the cord back up when the dust cup is not in place, the cord slips into the area normally occupied by the dust cup. It gets caught up on this little lip of plastic. Putting the cup back on can be even harder than normal if youre not paying attention. Pretty minor one, but has gotten me a couple times now. Shark is still my go-to brand. This particular model didnt seem particularly different than their other higher tier models I've bought in the past. The suction is stronger though, which is the point. Overall a good vacuum, but I did get spoiled by my cordless stick version when it comes to the weight and ease of movement. But that broke 6 mos after purchase (different brand), so here I am back to a standard vacuum.

I waited a couple months to do a review so that I had a good sample size on utilization. We have had a Shark Navigator for many years. It still runs and does a really nice job, but this Stratos is an upgrade in performance. The new Shark also has not clogged up with hair (so far) which was my primary pain point with our old Navigator. The Stratos cord length is about perfect for me, and the pickup on multiple surfaces is terrific. The Stratos weighs a bit more than the old Navigator, but I have no issue with lift away use. I will add that I am a pretty strong man, so the weight may be a concern for some users. The only downside is that it comes packaged with few attachments. My old Navigator came with an entire bag of extra attachments. Unfortunately, the Navigator attachments are not compatible with the Stratos vacuum. I love the Shark products. In my experience, they are better than more expensive machines from others (Dyson).

I was super excited for this vacuum because of all the raving reviews, but I hate it and am returning it. Cons: - Heavy - This thing is heavy! I am fit, 5'7, and lift regularly. I found myself sweating from pushing and pulling this thing in my two story carpeted house. - Cannot Handle Thicker Carpet - Like some reviews pointed out, the head pulls very strongly on thick carpet (which is unfortunately the majority of my home), and when using it the entire vacuum pulls forward. So much so that pulling it back was like doing a rows. If you take off the bin and hold it, the motorhead runs away on you. The vacuum is strong but works entirely against you. - Overheats - Using the power detect feature, I did 3 bedrooms and a loft of carpet floor, totaling maybe 1000 sf, and the motorhead overheated 3 times as indicated by flashing red lights and interrupted function. It would overhead basically after every room. The manual says you're supposed to let it cool down for at least 60 minutes--by that logic it would take me more than 3 hours to complete vacuuming 3 bedrooms. - Unbalanced - The head swivels, but it's so weirdly balanced that you have to strain your wrist and body to turn the vacuum and swivel the head to get in corners. Sure you can detach the motor but it's heavy, awkward, and the hose is short and stiff--which leads to my next point. - Stiff Short Hose - I get that it's meant to be convenient and allow you to detach the motor from the head, but the hose is incredibly stiff and just short enough to be impractical. I found if I leave the motor and body on the floor, the second I reach for anything with the hose I pull the whole thing over because the hose is so short. It's also incredibly stiff and gets tauter with the suction on, so even if you hold the motor in one hand and the head in the other, you're fighting the tension of the tight hose the entire time you're using it for crevices and corners. Just horribly designed and incredibly difficult to use. - Long coarse and stiff cable - the power cable is incredibly long and very stiff unlike other vacuums I've used. This makes it tangle like crazy since it holds the shape of the folds it came with and difficult to work with since it's also very rough and stiff. - From what I can see, there's 2 spots to stick your hose attachments on the base of the bin/motor assembly. However, depending on the attachment, like the air powered upholstery brush, it will prevent pulling off the removable bin/motor. - Dust Bin / Filter - Finally, with all the cyclone vacuums on the market, it's pretty disappointing to see a lack of dust separation here. Sure there the bin catches most things but the cheap little foam pad filter right before the motor got pretty nasty from one round of use around the house. I would imagine you need to wash that thing after every use to keep it clean, and it'd be just another extra cost for replacements. For the high end vacuum this tries to be, it's a pretty disappointing and half-cocked design and execution. - Power Detect - Just another automated gimmick. Realistically, you have to wait a full second for it to detect edges and floor type and if you're counting on the edge detection to boost suction on that side, you'll have to wait for that pause before you start vacuuming along the edge. Not convenient enough to warrant the hype and extra cost at all. Overall, it has the power but almost every aspect of it is brutal to use and does NOT feel like a $550 "premium" vacuum. I've been disappointed by the quality and design of Shark vacuums in the past and this one is unfortunately no different. It's a brutish product with lots of power but design and ergonomics just go out the window with its flaws and lacking ease-of-use. Would not recommend this at all for the price.

I wasn’t planning to get a new vacuum cleaner, but I changed my mind after I noticed a significant defect in our old one. I do the overall floor vacuuming and mopping in our house each week. For the last 6 or 7 years I’ve been using my Bissell, “lift-off” vacuum. I’ve been pleased with it and would’ve given it a “4 Star” rating. My only complaint was that I had to secure my brush attachment with a bungy cord, otherwise—if I hit a bump—the brush would just fall off. I also had to hold the electric cord in place with a clothespin. But other than that, I was quite satisfied with the performance. I recently bought an Oreck, “Orbiter,” floor polisher from Amazon, so I could better clean our hardwood floors. However, I also learned the unit could be used on carpets as well. For that you spread a cleaning powder over the carpet surface and then work it into the material with the Orbiter. After that you vacuum up the powder—which captures the dirt—and the job is done. That’s how it’s supposed to work. However, once I started vacuuming with my Bissell, I noticed there was a fine mist of powder leaking from a variety of areas on my unit. I could see white powder going into my dust cup, but it was also circulating into the air around me. I had watched videos online showing the Orbiter being used like this and then being vacuumed up with no problem. What was wrong here? I won’t go into my struggles looking for an answer, but eventually I decided to try using another vacuum we have. A few years ago, my wife bought a Shark, “Navigator,” vacuum cleaner, because she thought the Bissell was too heavy and noisy. I do most of the vacuuming, but she likes to touch up areas when necessary. My wife bought this after getting rave reviews from her mom and sister. I actually never used it because I had my routine down with the Bissell. Anyway, I decided to get the Shark and try my luck. I was pleasantly surprised when the Shark sucked up the powder and kept all of it in the dust cup. Problem solved. I was very impressed with the Navigator and started using it to do the whole house. However, I made the mistake ($) of checking out the Shark website and saw what upgrades were available. I actually did a lot of research via YouTube on Shark Vacuums and decided I really wanted a Vertex. I monitored the Shark website for possible sales and finally saw a good value on the Vertex model. I checked Amazon and noted they had the same “limited time deal” on the Vertex, so I ordered one immediately. By the way—when I checked the next day—the sale was already over. I know this is a long story, but I wanted to emphasize the importance of getting a superior filtering system. One of the videos I saw on YouTube was titled, “Don’t Buy a Cheap Vacuum.” One of the major points made was that everybody should spend enough money to get a “sealed” filtration system. Now I realized my Bissell must’ve been releasing invisible dust all these years. Yuck. Now I didn’t like my old vacuum very much at all. Anyway, I received my Vertex and used it yesterday and today (5/7/21). You know…I’m embarrassed to admit how much I like this machine and how excited I was to be getting it. The first day I worked on three bedrooms with carpets, two bathrooms with tile, and a hard floor hallway. For the record, I vacuum at least once a week and I’ve been using the Navigator for the past two weeks. However, after a normal run-through with the Vertex, the dust cup was full of crud—most of which—must have come from the carpets. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve never seen that much dirt come out of one vacuuming session and I had only done about one half of the house. It must’ve been pulled out of the carpets, because I know the floors can’t get that dirty. I know this review is too long, so I’ll just say that I really appreciate everything about this vacuum. The suction power is great. It handles easily and although I always wear ear plugs—my wife says it’s not too loud. There are plenty of informative videos about Shark vacuums on YouTube. If you’re considering getting a Vertex, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Update: Oct. 13, 2024 I ordered a Shark, Vertex, upright vacuum cleaner, model # AZ2002 on May 2, 2021. I had read and watched several reviews on this item and they were all positive. However, about 7 or 8 months ago the “Power Head” unit—which is the part that houses the motor and rolls along the floor--would no longer stay secured in the upright position when I lifted the vacuum off the ground. I could still stand the vacuum upright, but as soon as I moved or lifted it, the power head would flop down into operating mode. The vacuum still worked normally, but it was inconvenient to use it this way. I looked on YouTube to see if I could find out what it would take to repair this problem and I learned repair technicians are very critical of Shark vacuums in general. For example, one of the first videos I watched is titled, “Why Can’t You Repair Your Shark Vacuum?” Another critical video is titled, “Everything Wrong with Shark Vacuums.” I won’t go into all the problems listed, but overall, the technicians complained that they couldn’t just order new parts to fix things, because Shark requires large portions of the machines to be ordered as complete units that can’t be pieced together with separate parts. I called “Hokemas”—the Vacuum and Sewing center I use in Redding, CA to inquire about getting this problem fixed. The employee answering told me that if the repair just required adjustments to the vacuum, they might be able to resolve the issue. However, if it required new parts, they wouldn’t be able to help. I asked why that was and he told me that their shop couldn’t get parts from Shark. This didn’t make sense to me, but I didn’t ask for an explanation at that time. Instead, I asked if they could check my vacuum for free—which is their policy—and let me know what I would need to do next. So, I dropped the vacuum off. There was a man and a young woman behind the counter. I explained the situation to the man and he took the vacuum and walked away. I heard him talking to the woman—who was walking with him—and I heard him say, “These Shark vacuums are good for about 2 or 3 years and then they implode.” That didn’t sound very encouraging. However, I noticed the shop had a full line of Shark vacuums in their display area. The employee phoned me later and said they couldn’t fix the problem and I would need to order a new power head from Shark myself, because they couldn’t get parts themselves. I wish I would’ve asked for more details about why this was true. When I got home and inspected the vacuum, I noticed a new problem. There’s a spongy front roller on the Vertex model which can be removed for washing by pressing a blue, thumb-size, round button on the left, bottom side of the vacuum. The button has a thin “lip” on the side which is what you push to disengage the roller. But when I tried to push the button to the side, it wouldn’t move. When I checked, I saw that the repair person had installed the button with the lip facing the wrong way and it wouldn’t move at all. I phoned Hokemas and explained the problem. I was told to bring the vacuum back and they would fix it. I drove back to the shop and spoke with the man who had disparaged Shark vacuums previously. I showed him the button and explained how it was reversed in position and that it wouldn’t release the front roller anymore. He noted this issue and took the vacuum. I later received a call letting me know the vacuum was repaired. However, when I went back to Hokemas, I saw the button was still misplaced and the roller was still stuck. The man said he could take it back for repairs again. I didn’t know if these people were incompetent or if they were just screwing with me. But I was so tired of dealing with Hokemas that I decided to just take the vacuum home and order a new power head myself from Shark—which I did. It cost approximately $90. The vacuum works fine again—for now. But there are now many things I don’t like about this model. Even before I found out why repairmen don’t like Shark, I didn’t like the idea that I couldn’t take this power head apart and replace the secondary roller myself. I also couldn’t dissemble it and clean the upper portion of the power head. Early on I noticed that dirt continues to collect inside the power head. You need to have a special tool to remove any screws and it’s not advised anyway, because there are a lot of electric wires spread around inside there. That issue was enough for me to decide not to buy this model again. But now I wouldn’t buy another Shark product at all. I still appreciate the power and performance of the Vertex and I'll keep using this one until it finally "implodes" for good.

Great vacuum! Has a LOT of suction power. It is large and a little heavy but maneuvers well. Attachments have a holder on the vacuum, which is convenient. The cord is long but is stiff and not as flexible as cords on other sharks I’ve had. The only negative I have is the size of the dust cup. It is much smaller than expected especially since the vacuum itself is so large.