Shark AX912 vs Shark QU922Q - APEX DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Speed Upright Vacuums Comparison

Shark AX912 and Shark QU922Q are very similar Shark APEX DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Speed upright vacuum cleaners. They are compact and versatile, convertible upright vacuums that can be used for cleaning surfaces from the floor to the ceiling.

They feature DuoClean main cleaner head, excellent air filtration, three main cleaning modes, several very useful cleaning attachments etc.

Published: April 9, 2019.

Shark AX912/QU922Q APEX DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Speed - Features and Specifications

Shark AX912/QU922Q feature several Shark's cleaning technologies, including:

- DuoClean Technology: Shark AX912/QU922Q come with the main cleaner head featuring two different brushrolls. A soft bristle is designed for cleaning larger particles and bare floors, while stiff bristles brushroll is designed for smaller particles and carpeted areas.

- Powered-Lift Away Technology: Shark AX912/QU922Q can be used as classic upright vacuums, in above-floor mode and in Powered Lift-Away mode.

- Advanced Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology: Shark AX912/QU922Q are designed to not allow any air to be released into the cleaned area before being filtered first.

- Active-Glide Technology: Shark AX912/QU922Q are compact and easy to maneuver over different floor types and around common floor objects and obstacles, allowing the user to quickly clean rather large area, saving both time and effort.

- Noise Reduction Technology: Shark AX912/QU922Q vacuums are relatively quiet vacuums, which are designed to soften the motor's sound pitch and to reduce the noise in general.

The main difference between Shark AX912 vacuum and Shark QU922Q vacuums are in - color. At least at the moment.

Shark AX912 vacuum and Shark QU922Q feature same motor, suction, technologies, filtration, brushrolls, cleaning attachments etc. And their only difference at the moment is in color.

Very similar Shark's models differ in both color and the cleaning attachments, but Shark AX912 and Shark QU922Q differ only in color, at the moment. Will that change over time, it remains to be seen.

Shark AX912 is available in terracotta color, while Shark QU922Q are available in five (at least at the moment of writing this article) colors:

So, choose according to your own personal needs and preferences.

Shark AX912/QU922Q vacuums are rated at 900 watts (7.5 Amps) and they weigh 14.8 pounds (~6.7 kg) without the power cord.

Although they are not the lightest uprights on the market, Shark AX912/QU922Q are very maneuverable vacuums, not requiring much force to glide around.

Their physical dimensions (L x W x H) are 10.1 x 12 x 46.5 inches (~25.6 x 30.5 x 118 cm), with 11 inches (~28 cm) wide cleaning path.

Power cord is 30 feet (~9.1 m) long, allowing the user to clean large area without interruptions, using just one wall power socket.

Shark AX912/QU922Q don't feature automatic power cord rewind system - power cord is manually wrapped around power cord wrap hooks on the sides of the units.

Shark AX912/QU922Q feature very simple, yet effective controls.

Power On/Off button is on the Lift-Away Pod, while the surface selector (Hard Floors, Low Pile Carpets, Thick Carpets and Area Rugs) is on the handle.

Note: When the unit is turned on, brushrolls don't spin. Unit must be reclined in order for the brushrolls to start to spin. Although Shark AX912/QU922Q are simple to use and maintain vacuums, they come with many very useful features, and in order to use them fully, when the units arrive, before the very first use, be sure to read the manual thoroughly. Also, main suction motor comes with the thermal protection which shuts off the motor if its temperature starts to rise, preventing any damage to the motor.

DuoClean main cleaner head features two different brushrolls, but also rather strong LED headlights, transparent brushrolls' cover and brushroll indicator light.

Brushroll indicator light signals the user current condition of the main cleaner head and its brushrolls, while transparent cover allows the user to visually check brushrolls at the moment notice.

While DuoClean main cleaner head does very good cleaning job on various surfaces, its brushrolls are not maintenance free and it is up to the user to occasionally remove entangled dirt like pet and human hair, fibers, lint and similar.

Dirt bin is transparent and it's part of the Lift-Away Pod. Dirt bin capacity is 0.9 dry quarts (~1 liter), allowing the user to clean large area without the need to stop with the vacuuming for emptying the dirt bin.

Dirt bin is detachable and features bottom-emptying system, helping the user to quickly and easily empty the dirt directly into the trash can.

Air filtration is excellent, and according to some sources, Shark AX912/QU992Q are able to filter out 99.99% of 0.3 microns and larger particles.

Units use 4 (four) air filters:

- 2 pre-motor air filters in the form of washable foam and felt filters,

- 2 post-motor air filters: washable pre-HEPA and HEPA air filters.

Note: after rinsing the filters, they must be thoroughly air dried for 24-36 hours. Never operate the unit without the air filters or with moist/wet filters. Such use can damage the vacuums and void 7-year limited warranties! For exact maintenance procedures, check the manual!

Shark AX912/QU922Q APEX DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Speed Cleaning Modes

Shark AX912/QU922Q APEX DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Speed vacuums feature three cleaning modes: upright vacuum, above-floor mode, Powered Lift-Away mode.

- as an upright vacuum cleaner: in this mode, Shark AX912/QU922Q are used as the classic upright vacuums, cleaning floors with their main cleaner head.

- above-floor mode: Shark AX912/QU922Q are parked on the level ground and the cleaning is done using flexible cleaning hose, with or without the wand and with one of the cleaning attachments available at the moment: MultiFLEX Under-Appliance Wand, Anti-Allergen Dust Brush, Pet Multi-Tool or Duster Crevice.

- Powered Lift-Away mode: in this mode, Lift-Away Pod is detached from the rest of the unit, while DuoClean main cleaner head remains connected to the wand and is used for cleaning areas that otherwise wouldn't be reachable for classic upright vacuums.

Thanks to these three cleaning modes, Shark AX912/QU922Q are able to clean both floors and elevated surfaces commonly found at homes and apartments.

Shark AX912/QU922Q APEX DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Speed Cleaning Tools and Attachments

At the moment, all Shark AX912/QU922Q APEX DuoClean models come with the same set of cleaning tools and attachments, including:

Duster Crevice cleaning tool is 2-in-1 cleaning attachment. The crevice tool is designed for cleaning small and narrow spaces, while the dusting brush helps clean various surfaces by combining brush bristles to agitate dirt particles and strong air flow for vacuuming the dirt into the vacuum cleaner.

Pet Multi-Tool is also designed as 2-in-1 cleaning tool. It uses stiff bristle brush for removing stubborn stuck-on dirt from various surfaces. Also, when bristles are detached, an upholstery tool is revealed which is used for cleaning pet and human hair, lint, fibers and other dirt from upholstery, stairs and even smaller carpets. Pet Multi-Tool requires user to 'scrub' the surface (there is no motorized brushroll), allowing this tool to be used even on relatively sensitive surfaces.

Anti-Allergen Dust Brush is used for fine dusting of hard to reach and delicate objects and in between narrow spaces. Anti-Allergen Dust Brush features very slim profile and fine dusting brush and in combination with strong air flow can clean even the smallest particles of pollen, dust and other similar dirt and potential allergens.

MultiFLEX Under-Appliance Wand features very slim profile, long wand and flexible elbow joint in order to clean under and behind appliances and furniture. MultiFLEX Under-Appliance Wand can be very useful for cleaning hard to reach areas not only in the kitchen, but around the home as well. Note: MultiFLEX Under-Appliance Wand features very narrow air pathways and can easily get clogged, especially if the areas are vacuumed for the first time after a long time - small toys' parts, socks etc are typical items that can cause cleaning issues. But, do it for the first time and every other cleaning task will be easier and faster.

 Shark Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuums Comparison

Shark Powered Lift-Away upright vacuums share many features, but they also differ in certain, often very important details.

The following table lists several Shark Powered Lift-Away upright vacuums and their main features and specifications:

Model	Shark Rotator NV752 Powered Lift-Away TruePet Upright Vacuum	Shark DuoClean NV803 Powered Lift-Away Speed Upright Vacuum	Shark APEX DuoClean AX912/QU922Q Powered Lift-Away Speed Vacuum	Shark APEX DuoClean AX951 Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum
Photo
DuoClean Technology	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Active-Glide Technology	No	No	Yes	Yes
Noise Reduction Technology	No	No	Yes	Yes
LED Lights	On Floor Nozzle and Handle	On Floor Nozzle	On Floor Nozzle	On Floor Nozzle and Handle
HEPA Vacuums	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dirt Cup Capacity	3.3 Dry Quarts	0.9 Dry Quarts	0.9 Dry Quarts	1.5 Dry Quarts
Weight	15.6 pounds (~7.1 kg)	14.5 pounds (6.56 kg)	14.8 lbs (~6.7 kg)	16 lbs (~7.25 kg)
Power Cord	30 feet (~9.1 m)	30 feet (~9.1 m)	30 feet (~9.1 m)	30 feet (~9.1 m)
Motor	1200 W	1150 W	900 W	1350 W
Cleaning Accessories and Tools	Hard Floor Hero, TruePet Mini Motorized Brush, Pet Multi-Tool, Duster Crevice, Accessory Bag	Under Appliance Wand, Pet Power Brush, Pet Multi-Tool, Duster Crevice Tool, Accessory Bag	Duster Crevice Tool, Pet Multi-Tool, Anti-Allergen Dust Brush, MultiFLEX Under-Appliance Wand	Anti-Allergen Dust Brush, Pet Multi-Tool, Duster Crevice, MultiFlex Under Appliance Wand, Accessory Bag
Amazon Link	Shark Rotator NV752 Powered Lift-Away TruePet Upright Vacuum	Shark DuoClean NV803 Powered Lift-Away Speed Upright Vacuum	Shark APEX DuoClean AX912 Powered Lift-Away Speed Vacuum	Shark APEX DuoClean AX951 Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum

Note: Amazon links open in the new windows, feel free to check them for the most up-to-date offers and prices.

Shark AX912/QU922Q vacuums are very similar to Shark NV803 vacuums, except that Shark AX912/QU922Q feature Active-Glide and Noise Reduction technology, while Shark NV803 is rated at 1150 watts (Shark AX912/QU922Q are rated at 900 watts) and Shark NV803 features one cleaning tool more - Pet Power Brush.

Also, Shark APEX DuoClean AX951 is similar in terms of available cleaning technologies to AX912/QU922Q, but Shark APEX DuoClean AX951 is larger, more powerful, heavier, featuring larger dirt cup. It is also more expensive vacuum.

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Long Story Short: Shark APEX DuoClean AX912/QU922Q Powered Lift-Away Speed Vacuums are well designed, versatile, convertible vacuum cleaners.

They feature 7-year limited warranty and are designed to have zero maintenance costs - filters and belts are designed to last the vacuums' lifetimes.

For more reviews and recommendations, check Shark APEX DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Speed AX912, QU922Q (Gray), QU922Q (Blue), and QU922Q (Red) Amazon links (links open in the new windows).