Shark Stratos Upright [AZ3000, AZ3002] Vacuum Review

The build quality is decent. It's similar in construction to the older Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV, with a plastic body, a metal wand, and wheels with rubber treads. It feels pretty sturdy for the most part, though its main canister body is fragile, most notably the grab handle on top of the canister and the thin clear plastic used for its dirt compartment. Overall, the vacuum is easy to set up and use, though winding the cord back up manually is a bit of a hassle, and it's easy to confuse the 'Lift-Away' button for the dustbin release button.

This vacuum is fairly easy to maintain, though there are a couple of parts that need regular servicing.

• Dirt compartment: The dirt compartment can be removed by pressing a release button on its handle and pulling upwards. You can then easily empty it by opening the bottom door. You can also lift the top cover to clean the lint screen, which you'll need to do pretty often, as a lot of hair tends to make its way there.
• Brushroll: The brushroll isn't removable. To access it, you need to remove 12 screws. Thankfully, it is self-cleaning, and few long strands of hair will get wrapped around it. You can remove two separate plastic screws with a coin to remove the hatch cover to the brushroll intake compartment to clear any trapped debris.
• Soft Roller: The soft roller can be easily removed by pressing the access button on the side of the vacuum head. You should wash it under cold water if you notice an accumulation of debris.
• Pre-motor filters: The foam and felt pre-motor filters are under the dust cup. You should clean them under cold water once a month.
• Post-motor HEPA filter: You can access the HEPA filter via a tab on the filter door and then by pulling it out sideways. You should wash this part under cold water once a year.

You must air dry any part that's washed with water for at least 24 hours before using it again.

This vacuum incurs low recurring costs.

• Pre-motor filters: The pre-motor filter kit isn't currently listed on Shark's website. That said, as per the user guide, you should replace the foam and felt pre-motor filters every two and a half years, which lines up with the replacement interval for the filters in similar Shark vacuums.
• Post-motor HEPA filter: No replacement HEPA filter is currently listed on the manufacturer's website. However, the manufacturer recommends replacing it after three years.
• Odor neutralizer cartridge: A single cartridge should work for six months. A replacement can be purchased here.

This vacuum is decently easy to store. Its overall dimensions are similar to those of the Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV, and you can place it in most closets. You'll need to wind its cord back manually, which is a bit of a hassle as it's pretty long, and though there's storage onboard for its crevice and upholstery tool, you'll need to stow away its turbo brush elsewhere.

The Shark Stratos Upright has a spacious dirt compartment. It's made of clear plastic and has a max fill line, so you'll easily know how close it is to full.

• Vacuum body
• Hose with handle
• Wand
• Odor Neutralizer Technology cartridge
• Dirt compartment
• Crevice tool
• Upholstery tool
• Self-cleaning Pet Power brush
• Soft roller
• Head/floor nozzle
• Pre-motor filters
• Post-motor filter
• Post-motor filter cover
• Owner's guide

The range is good. The vacuum's power cord is fairly long, allowing you to clean large or far-off areas without swapping outlets. Unfortunately, its hose is on the shorter end of the scale, which is inconvenient when cleaning high-placed shelves or tight spots in your car.

This vacuum isn't very portable. It weighs considerably more than corded stick models like the Shark APEX UpLight, making it a hassle to carry around, especially when climbing or descending stairs. Its redesigned handle also places more weight in your hand compared to older Shark Uprights like the Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV.

This vacuum has a few quality-of-life features. Compared to the smaller Shark Stratos UltraLight, it has three surface settings to the stick model's two. There's "Hard Floor", in which the brushroll spins slowly to avoid scattering around debris, "Carpet/Low-Pile", and "Thick Carpet/Area Rug", which speeds up the brushroll's rotation to improve surface agitation on rugs and carpets. Unfortunately, neither of these settings adjusts the brushroll height, so the vacuum can still get bogged down in thick carpeting. Thankfully, there's a suction release slider that you can use to make the vacuum easier to push and pull around on carpets and rugs. 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 overwhelming unless you use the vacuum multiple times per day with the dial turned to its highest intensity.

The AZ3002 variant of this vacuum 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 your furniture. If you opt for the cheaper AZ3000 variant, you'll only get the crevice and upholstery tools.

You can configure the Shark Stratos Upright in two alternate ways from its default upright mode by detaching its canister from its floorhead. Its 'Powered Lift-Away Mode' lets you clean under tables and chairs with its wand and powered floorhead (top photo). When using the 'Above-Floor Mode', you can clean on top of counters and other furniture by detaching the wand and floorhead (bottom photo).

Bare floor performance is fantastic with the vacuum set to its 'Hard Floor' surface mode. It easily clears away small debris like rice and bulkier debris like cereal.

Debris pickup on low-pile carpet is great with the vacuum set to its 'Carpet/Low-Pile' setting. It does an impressive job of clearing away fine debris like baking soda and collects most larger debris like sand, though you might need to make an extra pass to get everything.

Performance on high-pile carpet is remarkable when using the vacuum in its 'Carpet/Low-Pile' setting, which actually renders the vacuum easier to use on this surface compared to its "Thick Carpet/Area Rug' setting. It clears away the vast majority of fine debris like baking soda and larger material like sand within two or three passes.

This vacuum is incredibly effective in dealing with pet hair on bare floors as well as low and high-pile carpet. While you can't remove its primary brushroll to clear away tangled hair, the so-called HairPro design makes it pretty effective in resisting hair wraps.

This vacuum's real-world suction performance is adequate. It performs very similarly to the older Shark APEX Upright in this regard, which comes as no surprise given their similar design and market positioning as the brand's flagship upright. It has enough suction power to lift away debris from carpets or cracks and crevices.

This vacuum has fantastic airflow performance, comparable to premium bagless uprights like the Dyson Ball Animal 3. It won't have any trouble lifting away heavy debris.

This vacuum isn't too loud. It makes more noise than a premium model like the Miele Complete C3. However, it won't be too disruptive for people nearby if you vacuum in a partially enclosed room.

Maneuverability is okay. You can easily switch between the vacuum's different configurations or attach and detach different tools, which is facilitated by the two onboard storage racks for its crevice and upholstery tools. Despite the vacuum's size and weight, it's pretty easy to navigate around furniture and other obstructions, thanks in part to its swiveling head. Its bulky, low-mounted dirt compartment can get in the way when trying to clean under some low-lying tables and chairs. The lack of a dedicated brushroll off switch and brushroll height adjustment means that it can also get bogged down on really thick carpeting. Its handle is pretty comfortable to hold onto when the vacuum is used in its upright configuration. However, the angle of the grip makes it unwieldy to use when used in its handheld configuration.

This vacuum does an excellent job of cleaning pet hair from furniture with its turbo brush tool. The attachment is somewhat bulky, but it's effective in lifting away hair, and the lint strip at the back of the tool gathers most remaining short strands. The straight suction upholstery tool is similarly effective for this kind of use. However, the vacuum handle is somewhat bulky and can be a bit uncomfortable to hold with only one hand, and you might need to use the other to support it when cleaning furniture.

This vacuum is very effective in trapping fine allergens. The manufacturer advertises it as having an allergen-sealed construction, along with a separate HEPA filter, so you won't need to worry too much about fine particles when cleaning. That said, a cloud of dust and debris can still escape from the dustbin when emptying it out, which is a problem endemic to most bagless vacuums and is something to watch out for if you have allergies.

The Shark Stratos Upright does an excellent job of cleaning crevices in its 'Hard Floor' setting. Its secondary soft roller helps dig into shallow and medium-depth cracks and dig out any lightweight debris. Still, use the crevice tool to clear out really deep cracks.

This vacuum has no impact on stains.