Shark AZ3002 Stratos Upright Vacuum

Shark AZ3002 Stratos Upright Vacuum is a full-size upright vacuum cleaner intended as the main vacuum cleaner even in large homes and apartments, thanks to its excellent suction, thorough air filtration, versatile cleaning tools, and its convertible Powered Lift-Away design.

Shark AZ3002 Stratos Upright Vacuum features some of the latest cleaning technologies, helping users keep their homes cleaner, safer, and more pleasant to live in.

Published: November 21, 2022.

Shark AZ3002 Stratos Features and Specifications

Shark AZ3002 Stratos is a strong, tough, and durable vacuum cleaner based on the previous Shark's very successful models Shark AZ1002 APEX and Shark Vertex AZ2002.

Shark AZ3002 Stratos follows the same design philosophy, at the same time incorporating new Shark's cleaning technologies.

The unit is designed as a convertible, upright, corded, bagless vacuum cleaner and is suitable for cleaning various surfaces from the floor to the ceiling, thanks to its DuoClean PowerFins HairPro main cleaner head, Powered Lift-Away convertible construction, HEPA air filtration, strong suction, included cleaning attachments, and similar.

Shark AZ3002 Stratos is rated at 1416 Watts, ensuring excellent suction, regardless of the cleaning tool being used.

The power cord is 30 feet (~9 m) long, ensuring long cleaning reach using just a single wall power socket.

Due to its design, Shark AZ3002 Stratos doesn't feature an automatic power cord rewind system.

In the upright vacuum cleaner configuration, the unit weight ~17.2 pounds (~7.8 kg) - the unit is not the lightest vacuum on the market, but during use, most of the weight is resting on the floor, making it rather easy to push/pull over different floor types.

Shark AZ3002 Stratos is designed as a Powered Lift-Away vacuum cleaner - the Lift-Away Pod can be detached, allowing the user to carry it around, just like a small canister vacuum, while still using the powered main cleaner head (hence the "Powered") and any available cleaning attachments.

The cleaning hose is relatively short, just 3 feet (~0.9 m), but in combination with a long power cord, Lift-Away Pod, and cleaning wand, Shark AZ3002 Stratos features a very long cleaning reach, regardless if it is cleaning floors, stairs, or other elevated surfaces.

Shark AZ3002 Stratos comes with the main cleaner head, which is a feat of engineering on its own.

The main cleaner head features a very low profile, allowing the user to clean even under beds and sofas, especially in the Powered Lift-Away Mode.

For vacuuming in low-light areas, the main cleaner head comes with strong headlights, which also help spot dirt, especially on bare floors.

Shark AZ3002 Stratos also comes with a pair of different brushrolls. The first brushroll is a soft one, optimized for picking up debris from bare floors, while the second one is optimized for picking up various types of dirt from carpeted areas.

The second brushroll also features soft fins ("PowerFins") designed to improve contact with the floor, greatly improving the picking up of deeply embedded dirt, including pet and human hair ("HairPro"), lint, fibers, and similar.

Also, the main cleaner head comes with a no-hair wrap technology, greatly helping with the maintenance of the main cleaner head.

Controls of the unit are easily accessible, allowing the user to easily change the floor type using a Surface Selector, which offers three modes:

• Thick Carpet & Area Rug Cleaning
• Carpet & Low Pile Carpet Cleaning
• Hard Floor Cleaning

Note: when the unit is in an upright position, the brushrolls don't spin - the unit must be reclined backward for the brushrolls to start to spin.

Odor Neutralizer technology comes in the form of an Odor Neutralizer cartridge found on the main cleaner head, which helps neutralize pet and other odors.

People having issues with additional odor may easily remove the Odor Neutralizer cartridge - just be sure to return the Odor Neutralizer dial, which is required for the unit to operate properly.

Note: considering all its functions, Shark AZ3002 Stratos is an easy-to-use and maintain vacuum cleaner. But, when it arrives, be sure to read its manual/Owner's Guide thoroughly, just in case.

The dirt bin is translucent, allowing the user to see the type and amount of vacuumed dirt. The dirt bin capacity is 1.48 quarts, allowing the user to vacuum large areas, even the heavily soiled floors, before needing to empty the dirt bin.

However, it is recommended to empty the dirt bin after each vacuuming task.

Shart AZ3002 Stratos features an excellent air filtration system that includes washable felt and foam pre-motor filters and HEPA post-motor air filter.

Air filtration ensures capturing at least 99.9% of ultra-fine particles of dirt, dust, pollen, and other potential airborne allergens.

It is recommended to wash pre-motor air filters once a month and to wash post-motor air filter once a year. Air filters are washed using plain water with NO detergents or soaps. After washing, they must be fully air-dried for at least 24 hours before returning back into the unit.

Shart AZ3002 Stratos is intended for vacuuming dry dirt, and using the unit with no air filters or with wet air filters can even damage the unit, rendering its 5-year limited warranty void.

Note: Shart AZ3002 Stratos also comes with so-called Anti-Allergen Complete Seal technology, ensuring that no air is left out of the vacuum before being thoroughly filtered out.

Shart AZ3002 Stratos Cleaning Attachments

Shart AZ3002 Stratos comes with three very useful cleaning attachments, including:

Crevice Tool is a long and narrow cleaning tool intended for vacuuming corners, edges, and other similar surfaces that may be rather awkward to reach and clean.

Upholstery Tool is designed to gently vacuum upholstered surfaces, beds, sofas, stairs, and similar.

Pet Power Brush comes with HairPro Self-Cleaning technology and is used for vacuuming pet beds, stairs, smaller carpets and area rugs, etc. Since the Pet Power Brush is a little bit more aggressive cleaning tool, it is recommended to vacuum sensitive surfaces with the Upholstery Tool.

Shark Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuums

Shark manufactures several very similar Powered Lift-Away upright vacuum cleaners, which share many design details, but they also differ in some very important features.

The following comparison chart lists some of the most popular Shark Powered Lift-Away units with their most important features and specifications:

As one can see, Shark AZ3002 Stratos offers some features that are not found on previous models or are improved, including Odor Neutralizer, HairPro, a larger dirt bin, and similar.

If You already have a fully functioning Shark APEX AZ1002 or Shark AZ2002 Vertex, You already have an excellent upright vacuum cleaner.

However, if You are looking for a new upright vacuum cleaner, or You are offered a new vacuum (Shark AZ3002) for your older vacuum (Shark AZ1002 or AZ2002), consider the Shark AZ3002 Stratos vacuum.

For the most up-to-date offers and prices, feel free to check the Shark AZ3002 Stratos Upright Vacuum Cleaner Amazon link (link opens in the new window).