With all the fuss about smart home technologies like robot vacuum cleaners, traditional designs like upright models seem to have passed their popularity peak. But the reality is a high-quality upright is still an essential cleaning tool for most households, especially those with pets.
Robot vacuums can't reach high places like an upright with proper attachments. When you need to do a thorough weekly cleaning, a full-sized vacuum also is also more suitable for the task.
However, one of the biggest hurdles of upright vacuum cleaners is that high-end models are often cumbersome and bulky.
Known for the quality vacuum cleaners with affordable price tags, Shark claims that it can solve this problem with the Apex Uplight vacuum. It's advertised as a lightweight and easy-to-maneuver full-sized upright vacuum.
We have tested it out to see whether this vacuum can live up to our expectations. Here are our impressions.
Unboxing
When we opened the box of the Shark Apex Uplight vacuum , there was a pod housing the motor, dust cup, and filtration system.
The hose was also already attached to this main pod. Additionally, Shark provided a raft of accessories, including a pet multitool, a crevice tool, a holder for accessories, a wand that connects the floor nozzle and the pod, and a floor nozzle with two brushrolls. The vacuum carries a five-year warranty from Shark.
It was simple and intuitive to assemble this vacuum, a process that took us less than five minutes. Once completely assembled, the Apex Uplight weighed just around 10.7 pounds, making it easy to maneuver between surfaces and rooms.
Design
The DuoClean technology of Shark consists of two brushroll. One for cleaning carpets and a softer brush for cleaning and polishing hard flooring, making it the best way to clean vinyl floors - how to clean vinyl floors.
The soft brushroll does an amazing job picking small particles from bare floors, while its counterpart, which is a self-cleaning brushroll, can pull pet hair from carpets with ease.
This self-cleaning brushroll has a comb-like mechanism. While you're vacuuming carpets, it will go over the brushroll and remove debris and pet hair stuck on it, while the four metal wires moving along the brushroll prevent the hair from tangling up.
This upright machine is equipped with LED lights. Placed on the front of the nozzle, they can illuminate dirt, dust, and pet hair on the floor, allowing users to vacuum with the Shark Apex Uplight corded Lift-Away pretty much in any lighting condition. Even in a bright room, you can clear dirt, pet hair, and tiny crumbs under furniture easier with those lights.
Users will appreciate how much thought Shark has put into this vacuum when they get used to it. There are so many well-designed features that make the Shark Apex Uplight stand out from the rest of the pack.
For example, there are two wheels below the floor nozzle. This small but brilliant addition makes it possible for the Shark Apex Uplight DuoClean to stand upright securely on its own when not in use.
And if you start vacuuming by angling it, the dual brushroll will start to spin, and the wheel will retract automatically. This level of smart convenience is usually not expected at this price point. But somehow, Shark has managed it.
With the existence of the Lift-Away feature, you can also take off the main pod and carry it and the hose in two hands when you need to clean stairs, curtains, or furniture. The floor nozzle can also be removed if necessary.
While the pod is lightweight to carry and the hose is certainly helpful on stairs and furniture, you can't use it when the Shark Uplight Apex is fully assembled. It's a small disappointment for many, and it's a little tricky to put back the hose as well.
All the accessories can be attached conveniently to the wand for easier access. These additional tools are also well-designed. The 8-inch crevice tool, for example, comes with a brush tool that you can slide along the shaft. If you need to use this brush tool, just snap it into the crevice tool, and when it's no longer necessary, slide it back.
You can use the pet multitool with either the brush or the upholstery tool. For picking up stubborn hairs from an area rug, just snap the brush off and use the upholstery tool alone.
All the parts of the Shark Apex Uplight Lift-Away DuoClean are well-made and feel sturdy. It should last for a long time with proper care and maintenance. And you can rely on reliable Shark customer service when an issue emerges.
Many users grumble at the location of the power button, however. Shark has put it at an odd spot - at the end of the handle, just below where people usually place their hands. This position makes many people press the button accidentally while vacuuming.
Pet owners would love to know that the Apex Uplight comes with a HEPA filter that can trap most allergens, dirt, and dirt. Based on the ASTM F1977 standard of determining filtration efficiency, this Shark upright is an allergy-friendly vacuum.
Performance
One of the first things we put this upright through was pet hair on the front entryway area rug, which is our dog's favorite spot. We often use a robot vacuum to clean this area on a regular basis.
But when we ran the Apex Uplight over it in one pass, the amount of pet hair it picked up really surprised us. It had to be the hair that had been deeply embedded in the fibers, as we didn't see any hair before that.
The Hypervelocity technology accelerated suction power during the vacuuming, allowing for a direct air path. Thanks to the clear plastic housing, we could see the pet hair circling around before it got sucked up into the dust cup after each push.
Shark Apex Uplight Review: Verdict
So should you buy the Apex Uplight? If you're in need of a lightweight upright that works well on furniture, area rugs, carpeted stairs, and bare floors, it's definitely a good buy.
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