The Shark Vertex HZ2002 is the latest corded stick vacuum out of Shark’s lineup. With a fancy name like “Vertex,” you might have versions of a futuristic vacuum cleaner. While this Shark vacuum won’t revolutionize the vacuum world, it provides a pretty solid corded experience.
Shark promises a vacuum that deep cleans all carpet levels and has an anti-tangling process. It uses a solid two brush roll system to do this. Meanwhile, it is as light as a feather, able to move around a household environment with the most incredible ease.
The vacuum promises some high claims, but does it deliver? In this review, we plan on digging into the features, testing, and total consideration of the Shark HZ2002. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to answer the question: Is the Shark Vertex HZ2002 Corded Ultralight Vacuum for me?
Table of Contents
- Who Should Buy The Shark Vertex Ultralight Corded Stick Vacuum?
- Shark HZ2002 Vertex Corded Stick Vacuum: Feature & Functions
- What We Liked About Shark HZ2002 Vertex Vacuum
- Easy To Maneuver Around Furniture & Tight Spaces
- Getting Underneath Furniture, Beds, and Kitchen Cabinets is Effortless
- Converts to a Lightweight Handheld Vacuum
- Two Suction Settings For Hard Floors and Carpets
- Fade-Free Powerful Suction Unlike Cordless Vacuum Cleaners
- Easy to Access Controls with LED Display
- What We Don’t Like or Missing
- What Is The Shark HZ2002 Vertex Like to Use?
- How Does The Shark Vertex Corded Ultralight Compare With Similar Models?
- Is The Shark HZ2002 Vertex Ultralight Worth Investing?
Who Should Buy The Shark Vertex Ultralight Corded Stick Vacuum?
As a corded stick vacuum with an above-average price tag, this product is best for buyers with a bit of wiggle room in their budget. However, this isn’t what you would call premium pricing, staying within reasonable levels below $300.
As far as who the vacuum is made for, here’s a roundup of qualities:
- Ideally, for smaller spaces (1200 square feet or less)
- Not great for medium to high-pile carpets
- Suitable for pet owners
- Not bad if you have a kid in the home
The Shark Vertex doesn’t have the power demands for large, busy households. However, this model is a beast in smaller homes with low-pile carpets and hard flooring. Below, we will explore the details behind this decision.
When looking at the main features of the Shark HZ2002, we found three areas of importance Shark likes to mention. While most of these remind us that Shark likes their buzzwords, they refer to essential aspects of a vacuum. Here’s what we saw:
Hypervelocity Accelerated Suction
When you see “hypervelocity-acceleration,” you might think of a spacecraft. In vacuums, it refers to the enhanced suction capabilities of the device. In some models, you’ll see it referred to as “Hyperveloctiy suction.” The suction power behind this is bolstered by the motor, sitting at 680 watts.
An airtight package further enhances this suction power, bolstered by a recent Shark system redesign. This means that you can expect powerful motors inside small vacuum cleaners. So, to restate the oldest joke in vacuum reviewing history: yes, this vacuum sucks.
DuoClean Technology
DuoClean technology is Shark’s central selling point, providing a combination of two different brushes in a single cleaning head. The dual brushes offer two crucial advantages:
- Two brushes provide better coverage of different debris sizes
- It is harder to tangle hair in combined brushes
Ideally, you would like a vacuum to handle dust and significant bits of unwanted ground cereal. The Shark HZ2002 Vacuum Cleaner provides this advantage.
Self-Cleaning Brushroll With Silicone Fins
The Shark lives up to its namesake by having “fins” on its brushes. These fins aren’t quite as deadly looking, instead offering a better alternative to brushes when catching large debris.
The fins also provide the added benefit of constant contact with floors. Combined with the front-facing soft roller means, your brush combo works to gather multiple types of debris, and this can be exceptionally handy on hard flooring.
Astute eyes will also find smaller brushes on each of these brushes, preventing tangles from long-haired animals. Even if the animals are fellow people, you’ll find that the vacuum doesn’t clog with hair of any kind.
What We Liked About Shark HZ2002 Vertex Vacuum
Features aside, several things worked towards the vacuum’s favor in practice. Below, we will talk about how this vacuum navigates under challenging situations effectively.
Easy To Maneuver Around Furniture & Tight Spaces
The vacuum has two crucial things going for it when it comes to moving around tight spaces:
- The swivel-head design makes it ideal for twisting around tight corners
- It only weighs nine pounds, making it easy to lift
The combination of these two features makes the Shark Vertex a dream experience. With standard upright vacuums, you’ll find yourself struggling to get around tight corners.
Its ability to convert to a handheld model also allows it to fit into vehicles. However, you’ll need an extension cable that reaches out to the car (despite the 30-foot cord).
Getting Underneath Furniture, Beds, and Kitchen Cabinets is Effortless
The standard head nozzle is about 3″ high, much smaller than the comparable Uplight. The result makes it easy to fit under most surfaces.
The vacuum lays flat on the floor to push this ease further. So regardless of how low your furniture is, the profile would have to be non-existent for you to need to move furniture.
This feature provides you the benefit of saved time, meaning you won’t have to move your furniture to clean your apartment. It’s also ideal for those who live with mobility issues, making this an excellent vacuum for all groups.
Converts to a Lightweight Handheld Vacuum
Lugging an upright vacuum upstairs isn’t fun if you have a multi-floor dwelling. The nine pounds of weight behind this vacuum isn’t light, but the handheld mode is only about three pounds.
Outside of being a lousy paperweight, this thing weighs next to nothing. So if you struggle to lift objects of any weight or have issues related to age or old injuries, this lightweight vacuum is ideal for your needs.
Two Suction Settings For Hard Floors and Carpets
Having two suction settings for hard floors and carpets provides you with solid power control. This enables you to save energy, increasing the motor’s longevity for mixed flooring homes.
There is a noticeable power increase available when switching to the carpet mode. You’ll feel the vacuum pull you forward and drive you towards stains.
Switching between settings also has a bit of an “excited adulting” moment, as the cold display makes it pretty clear what setting you are on.
Fade-Free Powerful Suction Unlike Cordless Vacuum Cleaners
If you’ve ever compared the longevity of a corded vs. cordless vacuum, you’ll notice cordless vacuums fade. Cordless vacuums are great for moving around, but they fade quickly because batteries die out under the best conditions.
With a 30-foot power cord, you get a good deal of maneuverability regardless. It also means you don’t have to suffer from the natural fade of cordless vacuums. Because of this, long corded vacuums win almost every time.
Easy to Access Controls with LED Display
While it’s easy to miss, the LED display makes the vacuum incredibly easy to use. It’s one of those features you didn’t think would be helpful until you saw it in action.
LEDs enable you to see the current vacuum setting easily. It also illuminates your current settings and the handle, reminding you where to press to switch between different cleaning modes.
Since it has a rubber stopper and fits into most average hands, switching can be done with one hand. You won’t need to fumble to switch off awkwardly.
What We Don’t Like or Missing
Of course, the machine has some significant pitfalls that might not make it ideal.
Small Dust Cup
The dust cup is about 0.32 quarts, making it pretty small compared to many vacuum models out there. The smaller container makes it less ideal for large to medium spaces, as you’ll likely have to empty it (even with smaller jobs).
High Pitched & Loud Noise
The latest generation of Shark vacuums (as we found with the Apex Uplight) seems to be a bit. A lot of this comes from their high wattage motors, putting a lot of suction power into a small package.
While it won’t destroy your eardrums, you will want to avoid vacuuming at 3 a.m. You might also want to avoid vacuuming during naptime, making it less than ideal for young families.
No HEPA Filtration
The biggest issue with this vacuum is the lack of HEPA filtration. These filters should come standard in all vacuums about a specific dollar amount, so there’s no excuse for this one.
If you have allergies or hate dust, this vacuum is likely not going to be your best choice. A missing HEPA filter can be a real deal-breaker, so check out alternative vacuums if HEPA filtration is a must-have.
What Is The Shark HZ2002 Vertex Like to Use?
With all the features in mind, it’s good to know how they work. Below, we will let you know more about your expected cleaning experience upon buying this vacuum.
Cleaning Performance on Carpet
When looking at the cleaning performance on carpets, it’s essential to be aware of three different levels:
- Low-pile carpet (thinnest, typically an inch or less)
- Medium-pile carpet (might be a few inches)
- High-pile carpet (tickets carpet)
Stick vacuums have classically struggled with medium and high-thickness rugs, and the HZ2002 is no exception. However, it has no issue vacuuming up significant bits of things on any level carpet. So if little Johnny spills the Cheerios, this vacuum won’t struggle.
However, the soft brush is where the struggle comes in, as small particles on both medium and high-pile carpets are a real struggle. While Shark will perform better than bargain vacuums in this regard, other vacuums perform better with those carpet levels.
The struggle disappears on low-pile carpets, as the suction power can easily handle any deep cleaning efforts here. In these cases, you will only require one pass with low-pile mats, while high or medium carpets will need two, three, and sometimes more.
You will also have to put extra force into moving on medium and high carpets. So while you can do it, expect extra effort to be necessary.
Cleaning Performance on Bare Floors
Bare floors are where the Vertex excels; there are no issues when using this vacuum on hardwood, laminate floors, or even floors with grooves.
The combination of deep suction power and a soft brush also reduces any chance of damage. Even the fins are made of soft silicone, making them ideal for hard surfaces.
The soft brush is also ideal for any level of small debris. The vacuum is perfect as a duster or sand removal tool. So if you have a family member who works in a dirty environment, this vacuum will save your kitchen.
With nearly 700 watts of suction power, cheaper vacuums’ “scatter” effects are also avoided. Thankfully, you aren’t buying a plow.
How effective is it at picking up long hair without getting tangled?
The “self-cleaning” part of your brush roll comes in silicone PowerFins. The fins are adept at preventing any nasty hair wraps, making ample suction of hair.
Even if a pet or human hair were to make its way around the roll, it’s easy to remove, and it is much easier than other Shark models that do not include silicone fins.
It also outperforms other competing vacuums (like the Dyson sticks), making it great for small apartments with long-haired dogs. When it comes to self-cleaning, it does meet and often exceeds expectations.
Versatility
Two cleaning modes come with the HZ2002: hard floors and carpets. The carpet mode comes with greater suction power, and you will need to use it to effectively clean medium-pile carpets. But, it struggles a bit more with high-pile carpets, often requiring multiple passes.
It does not have an extendable hose, which does come with comparable vacuums we will mention below. However, its lighter three-pound handheld configuration does make it easy to lift above your head.
As you’ll see in the attachments, it comes with a dusting brush, making it suitable for cleaning difficult-to-reach places. Given the dust cup is small, you won’t struggle with reaching them, but a bit more reach would be excellent. With this in mind, it’s easier to clean shelves and vents. The dust brush is best for use in cleaning ceiling fans.
Tools & Attachments
The Vertex you receive will come with these tools:
- A dusting brush ideal for use with the handled mode in cleaning shelves, AC vents, and other smaller places.
- A crevice tool that is only a few inches long for getting between couch cushions and furniture’s back corners.
- You can use the self-cleaning pet power brush to remove pet hair from the furniture with ease alongside a pet-multi tool for more stubborn spots.
- An anti-allergen dust brush is ideal for removing dust without kicking it up.
- An accessory bag and an onboard storage kit (clips for holding up your attachments)
Given the many attachments, you will have to go through regular cleaning with all of them. However, these are also reasonably easy to use across multiple surfaces.
The regular dusting brush is suitable for covering larger surface areas.
Emptying The Dust Cup
Emptying the dust cup involves pressing a single button from the top of your vacuum cleaner, and you will need to pry it open and potentially kick up some dust.
Knowing where it opens from enables you to avoid dust from being kicked up. You might also need to manually remove some stuck on the large plastic funnel leading into the cup.
Maintenance
Because there is no HEPA filter, maintenance for the dust cup is relatively easy. You also aren’t likely to need to remove hair from the brush heads often, but it is also just as simple given the self-cleaning elements.
Removing the brushes is possible, and you will have to handle many attachments. However, managing these attachments is no different than cleaning other vacuums. So maintenance among all of the typically involves a bit of dusting or soapy water for cleaning. Overall, this vacuum is pretty easy to manage.
How Does The Shark Vertex Corded Ultralight Compare With Similar Models?
Despite how convenient the Vertex vacuum cleaner can be, it does have some significant drawbacks. To address those drawbacks, check out these alternatives:
The Shark LZ602 (better known as the Uplight) is the big brother of the Vertex. Its dust cup is twice the Vertex size, making the Apex better suited for later cleaning jobs.
However, it is more inconvenient when cleaning pet hair. The self-cleaning “Zero-M” cleaning head is not removable and doesn’t have silicone fins. So expect to put in a bit more manual effort.
You also cannot leave the Vertex to stand up on its own. Instead, you must prop it up and use the rubber stopper to prevent wall scratching. The Uplight is top-heavy but stands up better than almost any stick vacuum.
The Uplight also has a lift-away setting to separate a pod from the main canister. This, combined with the extendable hose, makes it ideal for cleaning difficult-to-reach locations above your head. However, the Vertex is far lighter in handheld mode, making it suitable for cleaning second-floor spaces.
Read our review of Shark Apex LZ602 here.
You can look at the Shark ZS362 Corded Stick Vacuum for a closer resemblance to the Vertex. Being one of Shark’s older models, it doesn’t have the same suction power as the Uplight or the Vertex.
However, it does have more suitable features for larger high-pile spaces. The dust cup is double the size, and the ZS362 has the Zero-M cleaner head (like the LZ602). However, you might find yourself missing the Powerfins.
Both come with a wide array of tool options, but the ZS362 doesn’t have a self-cleaning pet power brush (it does have the multi-tool). The crevice tool of the ZS362 is also notably weaker.
The budget option for vacuum cleaners goes to the ZS351 Rocket Corded Vacuum. The budget option is closer to what you might expect from stick vacuums. As a result, expect weaker suction power compared to the Vertex.
It’s also a bit more of a pain to clean with the single brush roll (it gets long-hair tangles often). The Zero-M brush roll is somewhat decent at preventing the tangles compared to other vacuums, but not as good as the dual brush roll with silicone fins.
You can also expect less reach, as the power cord is 25 feet (instead of the Vertex’s 30). However, you will save a couple of bucks for the inconvenience.
Is The Shark HZ2002 Vertex Ultralight Worth Investing?
Overall, the Shark HZ2002 Vertex Ultralight is worth buying in these scenarios:
- You don’t have allergies
- You have a small living space
- You have low-pile carpet and hard floors
- You have a long-hair pet or kids
There’s a lot of power behind the Vertex, making it better than the average stick vacuum. However, its lack of a HEPA filter is baffling at this price point, making it a deal-breaker for so many people who have to tolerate high dust levels.
If you have a larger living space, there are way more suitable vacuums. The Uplight, for example, is great for combining tremendous suction power with something that can better handle medium-pile carpets. You don’t have to jump straight to an upright vacuum yet; you can still pick lightweight options.
The HZ2002 is also not bad for those looking for a wide range of attachments. If you’ve got a pet and don’t need allergy protection, you might be able to justify the price tag better. There’s nothing wrong with the seal; Shark just gave up the HEPA filter to account for the smaller space.
Always choose a vacuum based on what your family needs. We hope that this article helps you better decide on the best vacuum. Thanks for reading!