Shark APEX Powered Lift-Away – It’s Compact But Is It Capable?

The Shark APEX Speed is a lighter and more compact vacuum than the full sized uprights in their lineup. It’s designed to provide the cleaning ability of the larger models combined with easier maneuverability, making it ideal for smaller homes or tight spaces. Even though it is on the lighter side it sill comes with some of the features that have made Shark the most innovative brand today like DuoClean, Lift-Away, and Active Glide (more on those in a bit). While it is on the pricier side of their lineup there are many reasons for that. Let’s take a look at what this vacuum has to offer to see if it is indeed one of the best compact vacuums you can find today.

Before we start it’s important to mention if you aren’t familiar with Shark that while they haven’t been around as long as other brands they have quickly become one of the main players in the residential vacuum cleaner industry. They started in the late 1990’s under the SharkNinja brand with a focus on cutting edge technology. You will see some unique features in their vacuums that aren’t found on others but they have built a good reputation for quality as well. You can read more about their story by clicking here.

Good Power And Great Filtration

Suction power is strong and what you would expect from an upright that is designed for all types of floors including carpeting. You need to have a strong motor to pull dust mites from the depths of the carpet’s fibers and the APEX Speed is well equipped for that. However, it won’t do any good if the tiny particles aren’t fully trapped inside the filter or collection bin. This is a problem with many bagless vacuums but not with this Shark. It comes with what they call their Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology but what exactly is that?

This is a combination of quality air filtration and a tightly sealed system that provides no way for air to escape during operation. The only way out is through the exhaust ports but that is after all impurities have been filtered out. This is especially important for those who suffer from indoor allergies or asthma as they can be more susceptive to allergens. When buying a vacuum for whole household cleaning this is a must so it’s great to see Shark putting their innovation to use here.

DuoClean Brushroll – Built For Multiple Floor Types

The APEX Speed comes with their DuoClean™ technology for seemlessly vacuuming all types of floors. DuoClean consists of two different brushrolls, one for carpets and the other for hard floors. The hard floor bristle works like a typical upright brushroll to agitate embedded dirt particles that tend to hide deep inside the fibers. This is a necessary step as they need to be loosened up before the suction can take over and pull them up.

The second brushroll is more unique in that it is a soft brush which attracts dust on tile, laminate, and hardwood while leaving the surface buffered. The front of the head is open as well to allow large objects like stones or clumps of mud to travel under the vacuum. The soft brushroll then moves them under so they can be sucked up. Normal upright vacuums tend to push larger debris around but the DuoClean head was designed to mitigate this problem. With an open front the debris just goes right under.

Here’s a nice demonstration video of DuoClean and the other features found on the APEX Speed:

Powered Lift-Away – Get Those Hard To Reach Places

Powered Lift-Away is definitely one of the best features found on this compact vacuum cleaner. The canister pod detaches from the body to allow you to reach the fully motorized floor nozzle under tables and into tight corners that a typical upright simply cannot. The reason it is called ‘Powered’ is because you can still operate it at maximum power. It’s like having a second cleaning machine with you, one that is portable but still capable of pulling up quite a bit of dirt. You can even jump on a ladder with the canister and an attachment to reach way up near your ceilings. No other manufacturer has perfected this feature quite like Shark has.

Available Models With Zero-M

While the compact APEX Speed does not come with Shark’s Zero-M™ technology they do have a larger model that does. Their full sized APEX with DuoClean does come with this feature but what exactly is it? Zero-M technology is a newly designed head that eliminates hair wrap on the brush roll. The head comes with bristle guards and a comb that work in unison to pull any hair from the brush as it is spinning. They claim you don’t need scissors or any other means to deal with this any more as the vacuum does the work for you. This would be great for homes with dogs that have longer hair. Again, this compact Speed model does not have this but if you want to look at the larger version with it, click here to learn more.

Other Features

• Noise Reduction Technology has the motor specially tuned to reduce excessive noise and soften the pitch of what is left.
• Active-Glide™ System helps the vacuum glide smoothly over carpets while still maintaining the maximum suction power.
• LED Lights on the front of the APEX really light up dark spaces in front so you can see what needs to be cleaned.
• Light Overall Weight of 16 Pounds lets you easily maneuver it around and carry it up flights of stairs.

 

Where can you learn more about this compact vacuum cleaner and check current pricing? Click here to visit our recommended online supplier for more information including customer reviews and detailed specifications.