Shark APEX AZ1002 DuoClean with Zero-M Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum
Shark APEX AZ1002 DuoClean with Zero-M Powered Lift-Away is a versatile, bagless, corded vacuum cleaner. Shark APEX AZ1002 features several very important Shark cleaning technologies, making it suitable as the main vacuum cleaner even in large houses and apartments, with or without pets and kids.
Thanks to strong suction, good air filtration, several cleaning attachments, three cleaning modes, and other features, Shark APEX AZ1002 can be used for cleaning surfaces from the floor to the ceiling.
Updated: October 15, 2022.
Shark APEX AZ1002 Features and Specifications
Out of the box, Shark APEX AZ1002 is not the prettiest vacuum on the market - obviously, usability and functionality were in the first place.
Also, due to the many features it has, to use it fully and in the most efficient way, it is highly recommended to read the manual thoroughly before the very first use, especially if You never had to deal with an upright vacuum cleaner with an extension hose and Powered Lift-Away feature.
Shark APEX AZ1002 combines several Shark's technologies that were present in previous models, but they never appeared combined in one single unit:
- Shark DuoClean: main cleaner head features two different brushrolls working in unison to provide the best cleaning possible. As they rotate, they help pick up various types of dirt from various surfaces, providing much better cleaning when compared with systems with 'only' one brushroll.
- Shark Zero-M: to help users clean pet and human hair from different floors, the second brushroll is optimized for picking hair from bare floors and pulling deeply embedded hair from carpets and rugs. To decrease the maintenance task of cleaning brushrolls from entangled hair, the second brushroll features Zero-M technology which automatically removes hair, making the maintenance much easier and simpler.
- Advanced Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology: whole unit is designed to trap dirt, dust, pollen, and other allergens inside the vacuum - no air is released back into the cleaned room before being filtered thoroughly.
- Noise Reduction Technology: although the unit features a rather strong motor, the unit is not as loud as one would expect.
- Active-Glide Technology: main cleaner head features a pair of wheels and a swivel neck design, providing smooth maneuverability on both bare floors and carpeted areas. Also, due to the two spinning brushrolls, the unit is slightly easier to push forward than to pull backward.
- LED lights are available on the handle and on the floor nozzle. They help clean areas in low light conditions, regardless of the cleaning mode.
Powered Lift-Away technology means that the unit can be used in three different modes:
- Powered Lift-Away mode: Lift-Away pod is detached from the main cleaner head with a wand and flexible hose. This configuration allows the unit to be used as the canister vacuum with the canister (Lift-Away Pod) being carried in hand, providing extended reach and access to hard-to-clean surfaces, like under the beds, sofas, and similar.
- Upright mode: unit is used as any other 'classic' upright vacuum.
- Above-Floor mode: unit is used with the handle detached from the wand, with the cleaning being done using one of the available cleaning tools. Also, the Lift-Away pod also can be detached from the rest of the unit, extending the reach. This mode is suitable for cleaning stairs, upholstery, sofas, furniture, etc.
Shark APEX AZ1002's main controls are on the handle, easily reachable regardless of the cleaning mode.
The power button powers on the unit, just note that the brushrolls will not spin until the unit/wand is reclined.
The floor selector features three settings: Hard Floors, Carpet/Low Pile Carpets, and Thick Carpets/Area Rugs, allowing the user to choose according to the vacuumed surfaces.
Shark APEX AZ1002 weighs ~17.1 pounds (~7.75 kg), and it is far from being a light vacuum cleaner.
It is powered with a 1350 W (~11.3 Amps) motor providing plenty of suction. The power cord is 30 feet (~9.2 m) long, providing long reach using a single wall power socket.
The unit doesn't feature an automatic power cord rewind system - the power cord is manually wrapped around cord wrap hooks. Personally, for the power cord this long, an automatic rewind system would be great.
Shark APEX AZ1002 physical dimensions are (L x W x H) 12 x 11.2 x 46 inches (~30.5 x 28.5 x 117 cm).
The dirt bin is transparent, allowing the user to see the amount and type of vacuumed dirt. The dirt bin capacity is 1.5 dry quarts (~1.65 liters), allowing the unit to clean a relatively large area without emptying the dirt bin.
The dirt bin is emptied from below, allowing the user to empty it quickly and easily without making a mess.
Air filtration is good and is based on pre-motor foam and felt air filters and post-motor HEPA filter. Shark APEX AZ1002 uses an XHF650 HEPA air filter which is able to capture 99.97% of 0.3 microns or larger particles.
All filters are washable using plain water, even a pleated HEPA filter.
Under normal usage, foam and felt filters should be washed every 3 months and HEPA filters should be washed every 12 months.
Between washes, it is recommended to tap loose dirt off the filters.
Note: when washing the filters, be sure to dry the filters thoroughly before assembling them back. Also, never use your vacuum with wet/moist filters, and never use the unit with no filters. Such use may damage the unit.
Shark APEX AZ1002 Cleaning Attachments
Shark APEX AZ1002 comes with three cleaning attachments that are used for cleaning surfaces that can't be cleaned using the main cleaner head:
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- 12" (30.5 cm) Crevice Tool is designed for cleaning tight and narrow areas and places, like corners, edges, baseboards, gaps, and similar.
- Pet Multi-Tool is a 2-in-1 cleaning tool. The stiff bristle brush is designed for removing stuck-on hair and other debris from various surfaces commonly found at home. When the stiff bristle brush is detached, an upholstery tool designed for cleaning stubborn pet hair from upholstery and other similar sensitive surfaces is revealed.
- Motorized Pet Tool features a motorized V-shape brushroll for picking up pet hair and stubborn dirt from car interiors, stairs, smaller carpets, tabletops, upholstery, and other similar surfaces. Note that Motorized Pet Tool is slightly more 'aggressive' than Pet Multi-Tool, and sensitive surfaces should be cleaned using Pet Multi-Tool. Also, Motorized Pet Tool features antitangle technology, but it should be cleaned occasionally. Nonetheless, pet owners will appreciate a cleaning tool like this very much.
There are other cleaning attachments that can be used with Shark APEX AZ1002, and if/when required, they can be ordered online.
Shark APEX AZ1002 Safety Features
In order to protect the motor, Shark APEX AZ1002 features thermal protection. If or when the airflow is decreased through the unit, in order to protect the motor from overheating, thermal protection will shut off the motor. When that happens, the unit must be turned off and plugged out of the wall socket.
After cleaning the blockages, dirt bin, and tapping the air filters to remove loose dirt, let the unit cool down for at least 45 minutes in order for thermal protection to reset itself.
If everything is alright, the unit will function properly after turning it on again.
The brushroll indicator light signals the user the current condition of the brushrolls:
- Solid Green: brushrolls are spinning and working as they should.
- Solid Red: there is a blockage or jam in the brushrolls area. The unit should be turned off and unplugged, and only then should blockages be removed.
- Flashing Red: brushrolls are overheating. Turn off the unit and let it cool down - also, check for the jams in that area. Before turning the unit back on, move the surface selector to Thick Carpet/Area Rug mode.
Note: exact procedures for situations like these can be found in the manual.
Shark Lift-Away Upright Vacuum Cleaners
Shark manufactures several very similar Powered Lift-Away corded, bagless vacuum cleaners with similar features and performances.
But, as time passes by, so does the cleaning technology improves.
The following comparison chart lists some of the most popular Shark Powered-Lift Away upright vacuums with their most important features and specifications.
| Model | Shark APEX AZ1002 | Shark AZ2002 Vertex | Shark AZ3002 Stratos |
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| DuoClean Technology | Yes | Yes, PowerFins | Yes, PowerFins HairPro |
| Self-Cleaning Brushroll | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Powered Lift-Away | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Anti-Allergen Complete Seal | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HEPA Filter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Odor Neutralizer Technology | No | No | Yes |
| Weight | 17.1 lbs | 16.4 lbs | 17.2 lbs |
| Watts | 1350 W | 1344 W | 1416 W |
| Cleaning Path Width | 11 inches | 12 inches | 10.6 inches |
| Power Cord | 30 feet | 30 feet | 30 feet |
| Cleaning Hose | 5.5 feet | 5.5 feet | 3 feet |
| LEDs | On floor nozzle and handle | On floor nozzle | On floor nozzle |
| Dirt Cup | 0.88 quarts | 1 quart | 1.48 quarts |
| Crevice Tool | Yes, 12 inches | Pet Crevice, 8 inches | Yes |
| Upholstery Tool | No | No | Yes |
| Pet Power Brush | Yes, Self Cleaning | Yes, Self-Cleaning | Yes, HairPro Self-Cleaning |
| Pet Multi-Tool | Yes | No | No |
| Dusting Brush | No | Yes | No |
| Warranty | 5-Year Limited | 5-Year Limited | 5-Year Limited |
| Amazon Link | Shark APEX AZ1002 DuoClean Zero-M Anti-Hair Wrap Powered Lift-Away | Shark AZ2002 Vertex DuoClean PowerFins | Shark AZ3002 Stratos DuoClean PowerFins HairPro Upright Vacuum |
Note: Amazon links open in the new windows, feel free to check them for the most up-to-date offers and prices.
Despite being the oldest of these units, the Shark APEX AZ1002 DuoClean Zero-M vacuum cleaner is still a very popular unit that can often be found at rather acceptable prices.
When looking for the "perfect" vacuum cleaner, always choose according to your own needs and preferences.
Shark AZ1002 APEX vs. Shark AZ2002 Vertex
Shark AZ1002 APEX and Shark AZ2002 Vertex are two very similar Shark DuoClean Powered Lift-Away upright vacuum cleaners.
Shark AZ1002 APEX is a somewhat older model, but still one of the best and most popular units on the market in its class.
But, very similar Shark AZ2002 Vertex introduces several improvements over Shark AZ1002 APEX, including:
- DuoClean PowerFins: both units feature a self-cleaning DuoClean main cleaner head, but the Shark AZ2002 Vertex comes with a DuoClean head with the second brushroll featuring flexible "PowerFins" that ensures constant contact with the cleaned surface, improving the cleaning.
- Improved Suction: both units are rated at ~1350 watts (Shark AZ1002 APEX 1350 Watts vs. Shark AZ2002 Vertex 1344 Watts), but thanks to improvement in technology, Shark AZ2002 feature stronger suction (104 inches of water lift and 105 CFM of airflow at the hose, compared with the 101 inches of water and 90 CFM of airflow).
- Shark AZ2002 Vertex is a somewhat lighter vacuum cleaner (16.4 vs. 17.1 lbs) and features a larger dirt cup (1 quart vs. 0.88 quarts),
- Shark AZ2002 comes with improved cleaning tools, including an 8" Pet Crevice Tool, Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush, and Dusting Brush, while Shark AZ1002 comes with a 12" Crevice Tool, Pet Power Brush, and Pet Multi-Tool.
Note: Pet Multi-Tool (Shark AZ1002) is a more versatile tool than Upholstery Tool (Shark AZ2002), but other tools of Shark AZ2002 are slightly better than tools that come with Shark AZ1002.
- Shark AZ2002 features a wider cleaning path (12 inches vs. 11 inches), allowing the user to clean larger areas even faster, although a wider main cleaner head also means decreased maneuverability around floor objects and obstacles.
Also, the Shark AZ2002 Vertex costs more than the Shark AZ1002 APEX vacuum cleaner unless found on sale.
Shark AZ1002 APEX vs. Shark AZ3002 Stratos
Shark AZ1002 APEX is a "grandad" of the Shark AZ3002 Stratos - they both share the same design, but Shark AZ3002 Stratos offers many improvements, including:
- improved hair anti-tangle technology in both the main vacuum cleaner head and in Pet Power Brush,
- larger dirt bin (1.48 quarts vs. 0.88 quarts),
- improved suction, but somewhat narrower cleaning path width,
- AZ3002 also features Upholstery Tool, not found on AZ1002,
- AZ3002 comes with an Odor Neutralizer Technology cartridge, while AZ1002 doesn't come with this feature.
Personally, if You have a Shark AZ1002 APEX vacuum cleaner, You already have an excellent unit. If You are looking for a new upright vacuum, consider Shark AZ3002 Stratos, especially if found on sale.
Long Story Short: Shark APEX AZ1002 combines several cleaning technologies into one unit - DuoClean and Zero-M combo cleaner head picks up both small and large debris, pet and human hair, and other dirt found at homes and apartments while keeping maintenance tasks rather low.
Good suction and HEPA air filtration are very important for all people, not just people with health issues like asthma and allergies.
Air filters are washable and should last the lifetime of the vacuum. However, if required, they can be ordered from online shops easily.
Shark APEX AZ1002 comes with a 5-year limited warranty, which is a nice warranty for such a vacuum.
So, if you are looking for a versatile upright vacuum that features not just a "cleaning hose" but a Powered Lift-Away at a very reasonable price, consider this vacuum.
For more reviews and recommendations and the latest prices and offers, check Shark APEX AZ1002 Upright Vacuum Cleaner Amazon link (link opens in the new window).