Shark Vertex Ultralight DuoClean Review [HZ2002]

The Shark Vertex DuoClean is a powerful stick vacuum that is a sister-unit to the Shark Vertex upright vacuum.

It can run as a corded stick vacuum or a corded handheld, with a wide assortment of tools and cleaning attachments.

Let check out the rest of the specs and features on this Shark stick vac to see if it’s right for you.

Pros

• Multiple configurations for a variety of messes
• DuoClean brushroll is ideal for both hard surfaces and carpets
• Upgraded DuoClean brushroll with rubberized cleaning paddles. Should yield better performance for hair and carpet cleaning.
• Lightweight body under 3 pounds. Total weight 9.05 pounds.

Cons

• Smaller dust bin capacity compared to traditional uprights
• Cannot stand up on its own for storage
• Corded power may restrict usability

Design

The Shark Vertex stick vacuum is a corded vacuum with a simple design, but loaded with flexibility and user-friendly features.

It is a 2-in-1 system that can run as an upright stick vacuum or a handheld vac. Either way, this unit is corded and requires continuous power to operate.

It comes with a handful of different attachments for upright or handheld cleaning.

This vacuum has the following Shark design upgrades:

• DuoClean: utilizes the DuoClean brushroll system, which is a 2-roller technique—soft roller at the front and a spiral rubberized roller in the middle (aka “PowerFins”…the name developed by Shark);
• PowerFins: provides nonstop contact on carpets and floors. These two rollers rotate in opposite directions to help pull debris into the vacuum and deposit into the dust bin.
• Self-Cleaning brushroll: updated design prevents hair from wrapping around the axel for a more effective cleaning performance

How it Cleans

This Shark uses the DuoClean brushroll to pull debris into the body of the vacuum.

As mentioned above, the DuoClean system is a two-part roller.

When the vacuum first encounters a mess, the soft roller helps to capture debris and pull it into the system. It uses soft bristles to also gently polish hard surface flooring.

Directly behind the soft roller is the secondary roller with spiral PowerFins. These rubberized paddles are semi-flexible and provide non-stop contact on carpeted floors.

These fins gently agitate debris that may be deep in carpet fibers and help to bring it up to the surface to be sucked into the dust bin.

Both of these rollers rotate opposite from each other, which increases suction and tends to pull at the debris a bit more, resulting in improved performance.

Size & Dimensions

The Shark Vertex is 45.27″ tall, 10.24″ wide, and 10.24″ deep. It cannot stand on its own and needs to lean against something when not in use.

The cleaning path is a little over 8″ wide and there’s a line of LED lights at the front of the head to illuminate the cleaning path.

The cord length reaches up to 30′ with this unit, with an extended reach when you use the wand attachment.

The Vertex Ultralight weighs 9.05 pounds as a complete stick vacuum and a little under 3 pounds when used as a handheld.

Accessories & Parts

The Shark Vertex comes with the following parts and accessories:

• Crevice tool
• Dusting brush
• Pet power brush
• Onboard storage clip

The crevicle tool, dusting brush, and pet brush are all best when using the Vertex as a handheld vacuum. The storage clip is a nice accessory when using the vacuum in stick mode.

RELATED – Read our Shark Vertex upright review here.

Cleaning Performance

With all of our vacuum performance tests it’s the ultimate goal to test each model in-house, putting it through a series of tests to see how it performs.

How do we test?

We test each vacuum on three different floor types:

• Harwoods
• Low pile carpet
• High pile carpet

And against four different debris types:

• Dry cereal
• Kitty litter
• Rice
• Granulated sugar

What’s the process?

Each of the debris types is spread across our approximately 11 square foot testing lane and we use a standard forward-back vacuum pattern to clean up the mess.

With any of our tests, it’s our main aim to be as consistent, fair, and true to the real world use as possible.

Our tests utilize the following procedure:

1. Measure the weight of the testing debris and weight of the empty vacuum debris container.
2. Spread the respective debris type evenly across the central portion of the testing lane.
3. Run the vacuum cleaner over the testing lane.
4. Measure the weight of the now filled container and take notes on the cleaning performance.

The Results

While we haven’t been able to officially test the Shark Vertex, we do know a few things based on test results from other Shark vacs that we have tested.

We’ve tested a variety of Shark vacuums, but the closest comparison seems to be the Shark IONFlex DuoClean. We’ll be looking at our IONFlex data below.

RELATED: Click here to read the full review of the Shark IONFlex DuoClean.

Between these two models, both the Vetex and IONFlex have a similar:

• Overall size
• Suction power
• DuoClean brushroll

One difference between these two models is that the IONFlex is cordless and the Vertex is corded.

Similarities and differences noted, let’s get to the results from the IONFlex:

These results are a pretty big improvement from the Shark Rotator or Navigator, which capped overall performance around the mid 80’s. It’s my suspicion that the upgraded DuoClean brushroll has a lot to do with the improved performance.

Hardwood Floor

When cleaning hardwood floors, the IONFlex DuoClean was pretty fantastic. It cleaned 100% of the rice, cereal, and kitty liter and 93% of the granulated sugar.

In the photos below you can see a bit of the white sugar that was left behind after cleaning.

It’s unclear whether or not the Vertex vacuum would have the same struggle here.

The Shark Apex DuoClean uses a Duoclean brushroll and cleaned 100% of the sugar during the hardwood test so not sure it’s a DuoClean problem across the board.

Low Pile Carpet

On low pile carpet, the results were pretty consistnet with hardwoods—fantastic results with cereal, kitty ltiter, and rice… and a little struggle with sugar.

Again, we can’t say for sure if this is a problem that would carry over from the IONFlex into the Vortex, but it feels worth mentioning.

High Pile Carpet

On high pile carpet performance was actually better than any other floor type, capturing between 98-100% of all debris types tested.

Want to see more Shark vacuum tests? See our complete review of Shark vacuums below:

• IONFlex 2x DuoClean Review
• Navigator Pro Review
• Pet Perfect 2 Review
• Rocket Pet Pro Review
• Rocket DeluxePro Review
• Rotator Lift-Away Review
• VacMop Pro Review

Usability

This Shark Vertex DuoClean is user-friendly and intuitive. It is designed to easily convert back and forth between a corded stick vac and a handheld vacuum.

All of the attachments connect or disconnect with the push of a single button and there’s an on-board tool for storing cleaning brushes directly on the stick vac itself.

Two small strikes against usability:

1. Corded power: This vacuum only runs if it’s constantly plugged into power. For a stick vac, this may not be a big deal, but when using it as a handheld this could be a little annoying for certain jobs, like vacuuming out the car.
2. Can’t stand on its own: Not only can this vacuum not stand on it’s own, but it also doesn’t include a wall mount for hanging the vacuum when not in use. This likely means that it will be leaning up in a cabinet or the wall of your garage when not in use.

Maneuverability

Maneuverability for the Shark Vertex is good, about as you’d expect from any lightweight stick vacuum—solid.

It weighs less than 3 pounds in handheld mode and under 10 pounds in stick vac mode.

Here’s a quick list of other features that may impact maneuverability:

• Weight: 9.02 lbs (as an upright); 3 lbs (as a handheld)
• Power: 30′ cord
• Hose: 5′ and 5″
• Height: 45.27″ total height
• Width: 8″ cleaning path; 10″ overall width

Maintenance

Proper maintenance of the Shark Vertex DuoClean is pretty consistent with any other lightweight stick vacuum.

Here are the three most important areas to keep an eye on:

• The brushroll: spiral paddle design is made to help prevent hair tangles or clogging debris, but remember to check for clogged debris regularly
• HEPA filter set: washable with water; sit out to air dry and reinstall
• The dust bin: empty regularly; can hold 0.32 liters of dry debris

Is the Shark Vertex a good value?

So we’ve made it this far—let’s talk value. is the Shark Vertex stick vacuum worth the cost?

Again, while we haven’t tested the exact performance of this model, overall the specs and design features look pretty nice here. It’s lightweight and easy to change up for different cleaning tasks.

The biggest disadvantage in my mind is the corded power.

For example, you can get the Dyson V7, a cordless stick vacuum with 30-minute run time, for roughly the same price.

But if you prefer the untimed performance of continuous power and don’t mind staying close to outlets, the Vertex could be a great option.

Specifications

Below is a complete list of the specifications and special features included with the Shark Vertex DuoClean:

Who Should Buy the Shark Vertex DuoClean Vacuum?

This Shark Vertex stick vacuum is a great choice if you’re looking for an all-around solid stick vac, capabale of running as a handheld, and with contnuous corded power.

I would recommend the Shark Vertex if you’re looking for the following features in an upright vacuum.

• Good for multi-floor cleaning: This Vertex is a great option for multi-floor cleaning. The DuoClean brushroll is gentle on hardwoods, but the PowerFins are able to dig down deep when needed for better suction. It also comes with a good selection of tools for handheld use or specialty cleaning tasks.
• Continuous corded power: Cord-free vacuums can be more convenient, but corded power provides the benefit of unlimited run time. In addition, no need to worry about replacing a battery in the future.
• Lightweight body: As a stick vacuum, the Vertex weighs less than 10 pounds and as a handheld, it weighs less than 3 pounds. If you’re looking for an ultralight vacuum, this one definitely checks the boxes there.

To learn more or to check the price of the Shark Vertex DuoClean, click here.

Updates

• November 4, 2020 – Initial version of the page was published. Initial version was a pre-test, meaning we have not yet personally tested the product. Our review, opinions, scores, and other factors are based on our experience with similar Shark vacuums, as well as manufacturer info, hardware, and other specs.