Shark’s Newest Stick Vacuum Makes Me Actually Look Forward to Cleaning
I’ve often spoken about my love of vacuuming (yes, I am very fun at parties). As far as chores go, vacuuming is, in my opinion, the most fun and definitely the most satisfying. All that dirt and dust and hair in the container is tangible proof that you are a productive human being with a (temporarily) clean floor. It’s a real rush.
My favorite vacuum is the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe, which I’ve had for about a year now and even wrote about a few months ago. Similar to Dyson vacuums, which I’ve also owned, Shark models are powerful and user-friendly, but way less expensive. I love my Shark Navigator, but I will say that I have missed the compact size and light weight of the Dyson stick vacuum I used to have. If only… I could have both.
Shark answered my very specific vacuum prayers with a brand new model, available now for pre-order on Amazon: the Shark APEX UpLight Lift-Away DuoClean. I got to test it out myself these past few weeks and I have a lot to say.
It’s lightweight. As I said before, my only qualm with the Shark Navigator is the bulkiness. It’s not huge, but it’s not as slender as I’d like for my tiny apartment and single storage closet. The APEX UpLight is much slimmer—it’s a stick vacuum with a Lift Away pod that gives you more freedom to clean hard-to-reach areas. It’s also kind of funny looking, with retractable wheels that my roommate describes as “cute bug eyes,” but that only adds to the charm.
It reaches all the weird places. Thanks to that Lift Away pod, I’ve been able to clean the area behind my headboard for the first time, well… ever (shhh). My bedroom is tiny, with walls touching either side of my bed and my headboard pushed against the single window. It’s tight quarters, and things get a tad dusty. I’ve been debating investing in a small hand vacuum, but didn’t want to accumulate yet another item in my already cramped home. This is a long-winded way of saying that I was finally able to clean many months’ worth of dust on my windowsill, around my AC unit, and even on the sides of my bed (who knew dust would accumulate there?), and I feel like a new woman.
It gives my floors the deepest clean ever. The “hypervelocity accelerated” suction is no joke. I thought my Shark Navigator was powerful (and it definitely is), but the APEX UpLight is on another level. After using it in my bedroom (on the floors and behind my bed), I was stunned by how much nasty stuff was sucked up. And I’m a clean person! I vacuum all the time! This feeling was escalated when I moved onto the living area and had to empty out the canister. I was, as the youths say, shook.
It’s a great price. At $269.99, it’s more expensive than the Navigator, but way less than premium brands like Dyson (the newest Dyson stick model is $499). I like Shark vacuums because they’re unfussy and reliable, and I feel pretty confident that I’ll be using my bug-eyed sidekick for many years to come.
The Shark APEX UpLight Lift-Away DuoClean is available now for pre-order on Amazon, with the official release on Sunday, August 25.