If you are looking for a good, budget-friendly vacuum cleaner to buy, you generally cannot go wrong choosing a Shark vacuum. Shark’s products are renowned for all of the values they offer in spite of their affordable price tags.

A while ago, we had the opportunity to examine one of the company’s most popular stick vacuums for ourselves at our testing lab: the Shark APEX UpLight.

If you’re interested in this vacuum, our in-depth review has all of the information that you need to know about this model.

How Well Does It Perform?

The Shark APEX UpLight vacuum excelled in all of our performance tests.

On Bare Floors

On bare floors such as hardwood, the Shark APEX UpLight performed very well. In-house testers recorded nearly 100% pick-up rate of dirt and small debris. The vacuum left behind a few morsels of large debris here and there, but nothing serious.

The reasons behind its high performance on bare floors are two fold.

First, the vacuum comes with a 700-watt motor, which can produce more than enough suction.

Second, there is a soft motorized brush roll inside of the cleaning head. Its job is to crush up small, brittle debris and make it easier for the suction to sweep up the pieces. The soft bristles of the brush mean it doesn’t damage the wood surface, either.

On Carpeting

The Shark Apex Uplight managed to do an amazing job at cleaning carpeting. As a matter of fact, it cleaned carpets and rugs better than many premium vacuums that are much more expensive.

Low-pile carpet performance is the best. We recorded nearly 100% pick-up rate for dirt particles and pet hair. The Shark APEX UpLight also did well against large debris, picking up nearly ¾ of all the test articles we strewn on our low-pile carpets.

As for small debris like baking soda, the Shark APEX UpLight left quite a bit behind (about 75%). But it still picked up a good majority that it won’t be a very large issue.

Performance is visibly reduced on high-pile carpets. Instead of picking up 100% of pet hair and dirt, the vacuum left a few stray bits behind.

Debris cleaning performance on high-pile is a bit more complicated. The vacuum picked up about ¾ of all large debris. For small debris, it only managed to scoop up around half of the total amount.

Despite some of its shortcomings, for a vacuum that retails for about $200 - $250, that’s not too shabby. Plus, if you’re wondering How Long Does Carpet Last - How Often Should Carpet Be Replaced after being cleaned with the UpLight, thanks to its gentle suction, you’re at no risk of damaging your carpet.

Design

Aesthetic & Weight

Shark did a good job designing the Shark APEX UpLight. It has a modern, aesthetically-pleasing design. You have the option to choose between three different colors. There is a “Forest Mist Blue” (cyan), “Terracotta” (orange), and a “Magenta” (purple) version.

The overall form of the stick vacuum is sleek, which can make cleaning cramped corners and tight spaces easier.

Unfortunately, although the vacuum truly is sleek, it is quite heavy. On our scale, the vacuum weighs around 11.2 pounds fully-assembled. The average stick vacuum on the market these days weighs between 3 to 7 pounds.

If the full weight of the vacuum is a bit too much, you have the option to remove the suction wand. With it removed, the vacuum becomes significantly lighter (down to only 7 to 8 pounds).

Ergonomics

According to our testers, the vacuum feels quite good to use thanks to the ergonomic carrying handle. It’s been reported to be able to do a good job at offsetting the weight of the vacuum from the user’s wrist. This effectively reduces fatigue felt by the user after a long period of cleaning.

Power Cord & Hose Length

The Shark APEX UpLight corded Lift Away has a decent 30 feet power cord. With it, you will be able to clean medium to large spaces.

But the problem we ran into while conducting our Shark APEX UpLight review isn’t the power cord, but the suction hose’s length. The 4 feet hose is very short. Additionally, Shark has made it so that you can only use the suction hose when the vacuum is in handheld mode.

Dust Cup Design

The Shark APEX UpLight Lift-Away DuoClean has a pretty good dust cup. It has a capacity of approximately 0.6 dry quarts. Though it may sound small, this is adequate for a stick vacuum.

The top of the dust cup can open up for emptying. It can be a little bit messy, so be extra cautious if you’re allergic.

✲✲✲ Selected For You: Shark Apex Uplight duoclean lift-away with self-cleaning brushroll

HEPA Air Filtration

We’re most impressed with the Shark APEX UpLight’s air filtering system. The system consists of two conventional pre-motor filters and a HEPA post-motor filter.

The pre-motor filtering stage consists of a white foam filter and a black felt filter. They will take out most of the large-size debris and particles flowing through the vacuum.

Anything small enough to slip by the two conventional filters will be dealt with by the HEPA filter. HEPA filters are capable of filtering particles as small as 0.3 microns. That doesn’t just include fine dust particles, but bacteria and viruses, as well.

Besides the three filters, the Shark APEX UpLight vacuum also comes with Shark’s patented Anti-Allergen Complete Seal technology. It seals off the inside of the vacuum from the outside. As a result, dangerous particles won’t be able to leak through the vacuum’s body back out and into your home.

Filter Maintenance

The three air filters found inside of the Shark APEX UpLight are all washable. According to the manual, the two conventional filters (foam and felt filters) must be washed once a month using cold water.

The HEPA filter is tougher, able to go for up to a year before needing a rinse.

In any case, there’s one thing that you need to keep in mind once you rinse off the filters: never use them when they’re still wet. Give the filters at least 24 hours to air dry before you replace them back into the vacuum.

Accessories

The Shark Apex Uplight comes with a number of accessories. However, the type will depend on the model number.

All in all, there are three different model numbers for the APEX UpLight: LZ600, LZ601, and LZ602.

You can differentiate them by their coloring. The LZ600 is painted purple (Magenta), the LZ601 cyan blue (Forest Mist Blue), and the LZ602’s paint is an orange hue (Terracotta).

LZ600

If you get the LZ600, you will get two accessories: the 8-inch crevice tool and the pet multi-tool.

The crevice tool will make it easier for you to clean cramped spaces. Its length is adjustable and can reach out to a maximum of 8 inches.

The pet multi-tool, it is a convertible 2-in-1 accessory. You get a stiff bristle brush for dislodging stubborn debris on hard surfaces. When you have to clean up pet hair on delicate surfaces like upholstery or draperies, you can flip out the upholstery tool.

LZ601

With the LZ601, you get a pet multi-tool and a duster crevice tool.

The duster crevice tool, like the pet multi-tool, is also a convertible 2-in-1 accessory. It is a combination between a soft brush and a crevice tool. You can use the soft brush to clean up debris on sensitive surfaces like hardwood. The crevice tool is self-explanatory.

LZ602

Lastly, for the LZ602, you receive three tools: a self-cleaning pet power brush, an 8-inch crevice tool, and a dusting brush.

The self-cleaning pet power brush is special. It is an air-driven tool that’s specifically designed to pick up pet hair on different surfaces. If you intend to use your Shark APEX UpLight as a pet vacuum, we highly recommend picking this version just for this tool.

Conclusion

For the price, the Shark APEX UpLight Lift-Away DuoClean is most definitely a great vacuum. If you were to give a chance, we have little doubts that it would satisfy your needs and expectations.

Give it a shot!