The Shark Stratos UltraLight is the flagship corded stick vacuum in Shark's extensive product lineup, effectively replacing the Shark Vertex UltraLight Corded. It differs from its predecessor with the introduction of a slightly updated brushroll design featuring the company's PowerFins HairPro technology and an odor-neutralizing cartridge that plugs into its floorhead. It's a great alternative to one of the company's corded uprights if you're looking for something more maneuverable or a solid alternative to a cordless stick vacuum if you don't want to worry about keeping a battery topped up.
Our Verdict
The Shark Stratos Corded is very good on bare floors. It easily clears away small and bulky debris on this surface type, and it does a fantastic job of clearing out debris from shallow cracks and crevices, like grout lines on tile floors. It's also reasonably lightweight and quite maneuverable. However, while it incurs low ownership costs, there are still quite a few parts in this vacuum that need regular cleaning.
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Superb performance on bare floors.
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Maneuverable design.
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Easily tackles pet hair on a variety of surfaces.
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Has many parts that need frequent cleaning.
The Shark Stratos UltraLight corded stick vacuum is a very good option for low-pile carpet. It's effective in handling pet hair as well as solid debris on this floor type. It's also portable enough to be maneuvered easily in cluttered environments. Unfortunately, there's no brushroll off switch, so it's likely to get stuck on obstructions like rug tassels.
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Excellent debris pickup on carpets.
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Maneuverable design.
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Easily tackles pet hair on a variety of surfaces.
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No brushroll height adjustment.
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Has many parts that need frequent cleaning.
The Shark Stratos Corded is great for cleaning high-pile carpet. It does a fantastic job handling solid debris and pet hair on this surface type. It's also pretty maneuverable, has an easy-to-use design, and a fairly long range. However, there's no floorhead height adjustment, meaning the vacuum can get bogged down on plush carpeting. It also has quite a few parts that need regular cleaning.
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Excellent debris pickup on carpets.
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Maneuverable design.
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Easily tackles pet hair on a variety of surfaces.
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No brushroll height adjustment.
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Has many parts that need frequent cleaning.
The Shark Stratos Corded is a good choice for dealing with pet hair. Its twin roller floorhead is fantastically well-suited to dealing with hair on bare floors and carpeting, while the included miniature turbo brush does a great job of cleaning strands of hair on upholstered surfaces. Its odor-neutralizing cartridge is a pretty uncommon feature for a vacuum of this type and helps to minimize any unpleasant scents you might encounter while vacuuming. It also has an allergen-trapping HEPA filter. However, it's worth noting that its primary brushroll isn't removable, making removing any tangled hair a hassle, even if the manufacturer advertises the roller as self-cleaning.
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Comes with a turbo brush tool.
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Odor neutralizing cartridge feature.
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Easily tackles pet hair on a variety of surfaces.
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Onboard HEPA filter.
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Primary brushroll is non-removable.
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Can't be used to handle liquid spills.
The Shark Stratos UltraLight corded stick vacuum is great for vacuuming stairs. While it's heavier than a lot of cordless stick vacuums, it's still lighter than most corded models, and it doesn't take much effort to pick it up and carry it down long flights of stairs. Its nearly 30-foot power cord is also long enough to clean all but the tallest staircases. You can quickly reconfigure it into a handheld vacuum to clean any tight spots.
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Superb performance on bare floors.
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Maneuverable design.
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Comes with a turbo brush tool.
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Good range.
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No brushroll height adjustment.
The Shark Stratos UltraLight is a good fit for cleaning the inside of your car. Its range of more than 30 feet is fairly long for a corded model, though you might still need to use an extension cord if you don't have any nearby power outlets to plug into. It can be quickly converted into a handheld vacuum and comes with a handy array of attachments, including a miniature turbo brush tool for cleaning floormats, a crevice tool for tackling debris in tight corners, and an upholstery nozzle to help clear away debris on seats. Unfortunately, there are no hard or soft-bristle brushes to dislodge stubborn dirt or to clean any delicate plastic surfaces.
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Comes with a turbo brush tool.
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Good range.
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No soft or hard-bristle brushes are included.
The Shark Stratos UltraLight is a poor fit for workshop cleaning. It can't deal with liquid spills, and it isn't designed to tackle heavy-duty debris like metal or wood shavings. That said, it does a fantastic job with lighter household debris on hard surfaces.
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Superb performance on bare floors.
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Has many parts that need frequent cleaning.
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Can't be used to handle liquid spills.
- 7.3 Bare Floor
- 6.8 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.3 High-Pile Carpet
- 7.3 Pets
- 7.8 Stairs
- 7.2 Cars
- 4.6 Workshop
- Updated Jul 02, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3. We've overhauled our floor performance tests and added new 'Hard Floor Pick-Up,' 'High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' 'Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' and 'Pet-Hair Pick-Up' tests. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Dec 14, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update builds on our previous 'Suction' test with a new 'Airflow' test that more accurately measures a vacuum's ability to generate air movement. If you'd like to see an in-depth look at the reasoning and methodology behind this change, you can see our full changelog here..
- Updated Feb 16, 2023: Added link to the Shark Stratos Cordless review in the 'Maneuverability' box to provide an alternative with a flexible folding wand.
- Updated Feb 10, 2023: Review published.
- Updated Feb 08, 2023: Early access published.
- Updated Feb 01, 2023: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jan 27, 2023: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jan 13, 2023: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Jan 12, 2023: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Shark Stratos UltraLight is only available as a single variant, referred to as HZ3002. You can see the label for our test unit here.
Let us know in the discussions if you come across another variant of this vacuum, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Shark Stratos UltraLight corded stick vacuum represents a marked upgrade over its immediate predecessor, the Shark Vertex UltraLight Corded. It does a better job handling debris on most surface types, has a HEPA filter, and features a convenient, though not necessarily essential, odor-neutralizing system. That said, unlike its predecessor, it lacks a set of brush attachments for cleaning delicate surfaces or dealing with stubborn debris.
If you're looking for an alternative, see our recommendations for the best corded vacuums, the best lightweight vacuums, and the best bagless vacuums.
Despite their similar names, the Shark Stratos UltraLight and Shark Stratos Cordless target slightly different audiences. The UltraLight is a corded model that represents a good portable substitute for a mid-range conventional upright, while the Stratos Cordless is an upper mid-range cordless stick vacuum. Both vacuums feature Shark's new odor-neutralizing cartridge and upgraded PowerFins floorhead. However, the cordless model also has an automatic power adjustment system, better build quality, and a flexible wand.
The Shark Stratos Upright and the Shark Stratos UltraLight are part of the same product lineup but have different intended uses. The Upright is a bulkier machine with a higher-capacity dustbin, an additional surface setting, and a suction release switch. It also delivers slightly better performance on carpeted floors. Meanwhile, the UltraLight is a more compact corded stick vacuum that's much easier to maneuver.
The Shark Stratos UltraLight is better than the Shark Vertex UltraLight Corded. The Stratos has a HEPA filter, weighs a little less, and has an odor-neutralizing system. Its redesigned floorhead also results in better overall debris pickup performance. Meanwhile, the Vertex does come with a pair of brush attachments.
The Shark Stratos UltraLight is better than the Shark Rocket Corded. The Stratos feels sturdier, takes up less room when not in use, is fitted with an onboard HEPA filter, has a longer range, and has a more powerful suction motor, resulting in better performance on most surfaces. However, the Rocket is a little lighter.
The Shark APEX UpLight and Shark Stratos UltraLight each have strengths. The APEX has a higher-capacity dustbin and a wider array of attachments, and it exerts a slightly stronger suction force, resulting in better debris pickup in cracks and crevices. Conversely, the Stratos is lighter and more compact. It also features an odor-neutralizing system to help tamp down on unpleasant scents.
Test Results
Build quality is decent. The vacuum is mainly made from plastic, though its wand is lightweight, nonmagnetic metal. It feels reasonably sturdy for the most part, though like many other Shark vacuums, the thin clear plastic dirt compartment is a weak point.
Out-of-the-box setup isn't too hard, requiring only that you clip the wand to the floorhead.
User maintenance is somewhat demanding. Its parts are easy to access for the most part, but many require routine servicing.
- Dirt compartment: The dirt compartment is pretty easy to remove, but its design isn't ideal for handling large amounts of debris, as debris can spill out past the max fill line in the rear dustbin compartment and out of the wand.
- Brushroll: Like a lot of other Shark vacuums, the floorhead features twin brushrolls. Unfortunately, the primary brushroll is non-removable, and despite the advertised claim of it being self-cleaning, pet hair can still get stuck in the mechanism, though a portion of it will start to clear away as you use the vacuum. Regardless, cleaning it manually can take a bit of time, and some small solid debris can accumulate within the floorhead.
- Soft roller: You can easily remove the soft roller by sliding the roller release switch on the side of the vacuum. Its smooth surface makes it easy to clean. You should wash it with cold water when needed.
- Pre-motor filters: The foam and felt pre-motor filters are inside a housing in the dirt compartment. You can pull out this housing via the two "Filter Access" tabs. You should wash these filters with cold water twice a month.
- Post-motor filter: To access the post-motor filter, just remove its cover on the body near the Shark logo. You should clean it under cold water once every nine months.
Any part that you wash with water must be left to dry for at least 24 hours before reinstalling it.
Note: While there are no specific maintenance instruction requirements for the odor-neutralizing cartridge, it's important to note that you should only use the vacuum if a cartridge is inserted in the floorhead, even if it's completely depleted.
This vacuum incurs few recurring costs.
- Pre-motor filters: You should replace the foam and felt pre-motor filters every two and a half years. No replacement components are currently listed on Shark's website, though it's likely that they'll be priced similarly to the XFFKHZ2000 filter set used on the Shark Vertex UltraLight.
- Post-motor filter: The post-motor filter has an expected service life of three years. No replacement interval is listed on the company's website.
- Odor neutralizer cartridge: A single cartridge should work for six months. A replacement can be purchased here.
This vacuum is pretty easy to store. You'll need to wrap its cord manually, which is a bit of a hassle, but the vacuum itself doesn't take up that much space. You can mount its motor unit further down the wand to reduce its vertical footprint. There are also onboard storage slots for its included attachments.
This vacuum's dirt compartment is adequate. It looks like a dual-chamber system, but in reality, only the rear chamber is suitable for holding debris. Once debris fills past that point, which is little more than half the capacity of an alternative like the Samsung Jet 75, it starts to pile into the main cyclone chamber and back out of the wand. Thankfully, the entire dustbin is made of clear plastic, so you can tell how full it is at a glance.
- Shark Stratos UltraLight corded stick vacuum body
- Wand
- Vacuum head/Floor nozzle
- Dirt compartment
- Soft roller
- Upholstery tool
- Crevice tool
- Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush tool
- On-board storage clip
- Pre-motor foam filter
- Pre-motor felt filter
- Pre-motor filter housing
- HEPA filter
- Owner guide
The Shark Stratos UltraLight has a good range. Its power cord is quite long, allowing you to clean large spaces without needing to swap outlets.
This vacuum is pretty portable. While it's heavier than most cordless stick vacuums like the Dyson V8, it feels light in your hand in day-to-day use. It also happens to be slightly lighter than its predecessor, the Shark Vertex UltraLight Corded.
The Shark Stratos UltraLight has a few quality-of-life features. There are two floor settings: "Bare Floor", in which the brushroll spins slowly for dealing with debris on hard, flat surfaces to avoid scattering around debris and "Carpet", which speeds up the brushroll's rotation to improve surface agitation on rugs and carpets. Unfortunately, neither of these settings adjusts the brushroll height or suction power. There's also a headlight mounted inside the vacuum head to illuminate dark areas. The odor-neutralizing cartridge mounted in the floorhead does leave behind a fairly pleasant scent while cleaning that isn't too cloying.
The Shark HZ3002 comes with a couple of tools and accessories. There's a Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush tool, which is handy for cleaning pet hair from cloth surfaces. There's also a crevice tool for dealing with messes in far-off or tight spots as well as a straight-suction upholstery nozzle for cleaning furniture. Unlike the Shark Vertex UltraLight Corded, there are no hard or soft-bristle brushes included.
You can use this vacuum as a handheld by removing its wand and floorhead.
This vacuum's real-world suction performance is poor. Its floorhead sits a little too high off the ground to create a tight seal. However, this doesn't prevent it from lifting away debris from carpets or within cracks and crevices.
This vacuum isn't too loud. It makes more noise than a comparably-priced cordless model like the Samsung Jet 75, but it won't be too disruptive for people nearby if you vacuum in a partially enclosed room.
Maneuverability is good. It's lightweight enough to be maneuvered easily in cluttered rooms. Its wand can be laid almost flat without the floorhead lifting from the ground, making it easier to clean under furniture. The integrated LED headlight makes it easy to see what you're cleaning in dark corners. It's also simple to reconfigure into a handheld to clean furniture and attach its turbo brush, crevice tool, or upholstery nozzle. Unfortunately, there's no brushroll off switch, meaning it can get stuck on rug tassels and plush carpeting. Its power cord also tends to get stuck on furniture. You'll also need to wind it back manually, which is a bit of an annoyance, especially after the cord has been unwound to its maximum length. In addition, unlike the Shark Stratos Cordless, it doesn't have a folding wand, which would enable you to clean under tables and chairs without having to crouch too deeply.
This vacuum does a good job of dealing with pet hair on furniture with its turbo brush tool. The attachment is somewhat bulky, but it's effective in lifting away hair, and most remaining short strands are gathered up by the lint strip at the back of the tool.
This vacuum is mostly effective in trapping fine allergens. While its onboard HEPA filter ensures most fine particles won't escape from the dustbin while cleaning, a small amount of lightweight allergens can be blown forwards from its floorhead.
The Shark Stratos UltraLight corded stick vacuum does a great job of cleaning crevices. Its secondary soft roller helps dig into shallow and medium-depth cracks and dig out any lightweight debris. Still, you should use the crevice tool to clear out any deeper cracks.
