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Shark APEX DuoClean Zero-M Review

Wonderful handling matched with superior performance makes this a great vacuum for everyone
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Shark APEX DuoClean Zero-M Review
Credit: Amazon
Price:  $399 List
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Manufacturer:   Shark
By David Wise and Austin Palmer  ⋅  Jul 26, 2022
85
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Carpet Cleaning - 35% 8.1
  • Ease of Use - 25% 8.6
  • Handling - 20% 8.4
  • Hard Surface - 10% 9.8
  • Pet Hair - 10% 9.0

Our Verdict

The Shark APEX DuoClean Zero-M superbly cleans carpet and pet hair with ease. This vacuum did exceptionally well in all of our performance and feature tests and evaluations, lifting cereal off hard surfaces and flour from between carpet fibers. The Lift-Away feature, which allows you to remove the canister to more easily reach tricky places, further enhances the overall usability of this vacuum cleaner. It makes cleaning otherwise challenging stairs, reaching under furniture, and hard-to-access places a breeze. If you want the best when it comes to floor cleaning solutions, then the APEX should be on your shortlist of the best upright vacuum models to consider.
REASONS TO BUY
Fantastic cleaning performance
Excellent at picking up pet hair
REASONS TO AVOID
Not the best for stairs
Slightly short reach

Our Analysis and Test Results

The APEX DuoClean finished at the top of our test group, excelling and outperforming almost every other model across most of our tests. In some of our most difficult tests, it earned exceptionally high marks, including ones that proved too difficult or even impossible for many other models.

Performance Comparison


shark apex duoclean zero-m - the shark apex duoclean with zero-m.
The Shark APEX DuoClean with Zero-M.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Carpet Cleaning


Comprised of our most important set of assessments, our carpet cleaning metric accounts for 35% of the final score for each vacuum. We used four different types of messes — rice, oats, Cheerios, and flour — to score the cleaning performance of each vacuum, testing them out on flat, low-pile carpet and fluffier, medium-pile carpet. The Shark APEX delivered a stellar performance.

The APEX did an absolutely phenomenal job with the rice on low-pile carpet, getting the majority of the rice with a single pass and getting the remainder on the second, leaving absolutely nothing behind. However, it did a little worse on fluffier carpet, taking three passes to suitably clean it, and we still found a few grains lodged deep within the carpet fibers. It performed very similarly in our flour test, getting practically all of it with two passes over the low-pile carpet and only leaving trace amounts behind on the fluffy carpet.

shark apex duoclean zero-m - the apex made quick work of our simulated dust test.
The APEX made quick work of our simulated dust test.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The APEX finished out this metric with two more stellar results. It did a great job sucking up Cheerios from both types of carpet, leaving none behind largely due to its front roller, part of Shark's very effective dual brush technology. It did almost as well cleaning oats from a low-pile carpet, although it did leave a few fragments behind. The APEX cleaned about the same on a medium-pile carpet, though it took a few more passes to get to the same point.

Ease of Use


Ease of use is responsible for a quarter of the overall score, and we focused in particular on how easy it was to clean under furniture, along the walls, and in the corners of a room, including the maximum reach of each appliance. Additionally, we evaluated the loudness of each model. We also checked the ease of switching the vacuum between different floor types.

There is a slider switch right on the handle that lets you switch between flat, fluffy, and hard floors. The rotating brush doesn't stop completely on the hard floor setting, but it does rotate much slower.

shark apex duoclean zero-m - the light up surface selector is easy to read.
The light up surface selector is easy to read.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The APEX does an excellent job at cleaning right up to an edge, but it does struggle a tiny bit in corners. It would usually leave behind a handful of rice right in front of the vacuum when it approached head-on.

shark apex duoclean zero-m - the apex does great at clearing debris from the edges, but only...
The Apex does great at clearing debris from the edges, but only so-so at picking up debris head-on along a wall.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

However, its Lift-Away feature makes it exceptionally easy to clean under furniture, earning it top marks in that test. This vacuum reached slightly farther than average under our simulated sofa without using the Lift-Away feature. It can reach under even the largest pieces of furniture, like a large bed or corner sofa, with ease when using the Lift-Away feature.

shark apex duoclean zero-m - the lift-away feature greatly increases the apex's reach underneath...
The Lift-Away feature greatly increases the APEX's reach underneath furniture.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The APEX is also relatively quiet for an upright vacuum, registering one of the lower dBa readings on our SPL meter across all the models we tested. That means this vacuum is less likely to petrify your cats, but no guarantees. It also has a maximum reach from an outlet of more than 30 feet, which is on par with the best models we handled.

Handling


In this round of tests, we ranked and scored each vacuum on how easy it was to push or pull the device, maneuverability, and the amount of effort required to clean a flight of stairs. This trio of evaluations accounted for 20% of the final score.

The APEX weighs 17 pounds, which is normal for the average vacuum. This makes it fairly easy to clean a flight of stairs, helped by the fact that you can usually reach 6-7 steps with the hose.

You can always use the vacuum in Lift-Away mode, which makes handling even easier — especially when it comes to weight. The APEX also has a swivel head that makes it highly maneuverable, gliding over carpet and hard floors, as well as around tight corners and obstacles smoothly, and with little to no effort at all.

shark apex duoclean zero-m - being able to use lift-away on the apex makes vacuuming stairs less...
Being able to use Lift-Away on the APEX makes vacuuming stairs less cumbersome.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Hard Surface Cleaning


Similar to our carpet cleaning metric, we used the same four types of messes in our hard floor cleaning metric; rice, oats, flour, and cereal. Together, these four tests on different debris were weighted at 10% of the overall score, as hard surface cleaning is typically a job for other tools, like a mop or broom. The APEX delivered a fantastic set of results for its exceptional performance.

This vacuum did an essentially perfect job when it came to cleaning flour and rice off of our sample of laminate flooring. It didn't fling the rice around at all and even cleaned flour out of the tiny cracks between boards. It continued its perfect performance in our cereal and oatmeal tests, collecting all of the Cheerios and oats without any issues at all. The APEX DuoClean proved to be a phenomenal hard floor cleaning machine.

shark apex duoclean zero-m - the duoclean brush makes quick work of vacuuming hard surfaces.
The DuoClean brush makes quick work of vacuuming hard surfaces.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Pet Hair


Weighing only 10% of the final score, we measured the amount of pet hair each vacuum picked up. To do this, we distributed five grams of pet hair on a section of medium-pile carpet, then scored each vacuum on the percentage of hair successfully picked up.

The APEX sucked up 96% of the hair we dropped on the floor. Although, there were some clumps left behind on the carpet left on one side. Still, the clumps were easily swept up with just one more pass.

shark apex duoclean zero-m - the zero-m brush helps make cleaning hair out of the brush a thing...
The Zero-M brush helps make cleaning hair out of the brush a thing of the past.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Should You Buy the Shark APEX DuoClean Zero-M?


If you want the best upright vacuum on the market, and your budget allows it, then you need to look no further than the Shark APEX DuoClean Zero-M. You cannot get a better balance of performance, features, handling, or a more user-friendly experience from any other model available to date.

What Other Upright Vacuums Should You Consider?


The Shark APEX DuoClean Zero-M narrowly beat out the Shark Vertex for its better maneuverability and slightly better hard surface cleaning. However, if you want a slightly larger canister capacity and marginally better carpet cleaning performance, then take a serious look at the Shark Vertex. If either model is a little too pricey, then consider yet another Shark product, the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional. It offers great performance but at a significantly more affordable price point.

David Wise and Austin Palmer