Apex Duo Clean with Zero-M Powered Lift-Away

I have an old Shark Apex AZ1002 that has done amazingly for five years, and it's still running strong. I get Shark probably make them a bitch to service/repair, however for the price, performance, and quality. I'm extremely happy with it and nothing is broken on it. Reddit likes to hate. They hate the vacuum wars guy a lot, but he does seem to be a by-the-numbers guy. If you know you like Miele then there's no reason to watch him. Ultimately, what matters if you're happy with the vacuum and that you want to use it regularly.

Shark Apex does really great with pet hair. It has a metal comb like piece in front to the roller brush. It moves well, has great auction, can be used to go under beds and furniture. If you ever need parts and filters grab them on eBay they’re cheaper. It’s like 300-350 full retail but I bet you can get a used on or open box on eBay much cheaper. Like $100-150. I was very satisfied with this vac and I’ve had it like six years without issue. It’s the first vacuum I purchased in 40 years. I’ve always just repaired shit I find on the curb lol.

I purchased the stratos after I had my previous version for years (apex). Only replaced because after a certain period of time, no cleaning will remove that dog smell. But again, we are talking 6+ years with one permanent dog and several rover dogs in the mix. I like the stratos but my big gripe is the wand doesn’t have a light on it like the apex. Also, I could take the vacuum head completely apart and clean it out in the apex, but the stratos only lets me open the very front part. I have carpets, rugs, and hardwood. I liked the apex because I could take the beater out, can’t do that with the stratos, so I had to buy a mighty mite for my Persian rug.

I prefer canister ( i also clean my filters, canister, and brushroll weekly- im anal i know.) but i was told the power detect is too strong for area rugs. I want the shark apex bc it has best of all worlds but ofc the discontinued it

Yup, I went through 3 to 4 different Sharks vacuums in the past 6 to 7 years. The last one was their top of the line Duo Apex thing, it was great for about a year. Then, every time I used it, I would get an asthma attack. New HEPA filter, new filter errr filter, new pre filter even a new canister. Nothing fixed it. Per this subreddit, I got a Kenmore Pop N Go and never breathed better.

My humble Roborock Q5 runs daily over the entire floor where corgo resides, occasionally doing a turbo-double-mode routine over the carpeted area at night, and has lasted just over two years with no real signs of slowing down. It is supplemented with a Shark Apex that we use when we want to do some manual vacuuming/don’t want to wait for the robot vac to do its thing. The Shark is something like 7 years old and again is almost entirely fine (I chipped off a piece of plastic by hitting it against a couch foot but that is user error!).

Shark Apex has been my favorite vacuum. I asked for it as a birthday gift 7 years ago, barely maintain the thing, and it still does a fantastic job. I love its microfiber roller for hard surfaces, really rubs the floor clean and it doesnt kick back a lot of the dirt at my feet. Handles thick debris like fruit loops really well. My dog shed terribly too, but her fur was no match for it. We ended up buying a Shark robo vacuum too, and it did a lot better than I thought it would, honestly. Definitely need to empty it after every run, and I've been surprised at the things it has picked up when I empty it. Found a toy traffic cone, a short charging cable, and a scrunchie in it before. Always alongside a mass of fur. I also recommend setting it to go off when you arent home if you buy a model without the mapping. The bumping drove me crazy some days. Dog ran from it constantly, toddler chased it and would force it to take new paths... it was entertaining at least. The Apex was definitely still expensive at $600, but cheaper than the comparable Dyson. I settled on it after watching a YouTube channel called Vacuum Wars (I think thats the name).