I review vacuum cleaners and the Shark Stratos is the one I use in my own home - here's why

It’s hard to beat the sheer cleaning power of upright vacuums, which is why so many people prefer these models as their main cleaning tool. However, when it comes time to clean under furniture or in tight corners, these vacuum cleaners often fall flat, as they’re generally quite bulky and not the easiest to maneuver. 

I have a fairly large home that I vacuum twice a week, and I was tired of having to shift around furniture and pull out the crevice tool to clean in tight areas. When I discovered the Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum, I immediately knew it was going to be a game-changer. The Stratos stands apart from the brand’s other upright models thanks to a unique feature called “Powered Lift-Away,” which allows you to detach the canister from the vacuum’s wand without cutting power to the floorhead. This essentially transforms it into a canister vacuum, allowing you to easily clean under low-profile furniture and other hard-to-reach areas. 

I was eager to try out this innovative vacuum, and I tested it for several months in my multi-pet home. Not only did I love its design, but I was wowed by its cleaning power — in fact, it ended up being one of the best vacuum cleaners I’ve ever used. 

Shark Stratos AZ3002 review: Price and availability

The Shark Stratos is available in the U.S. from the brand’s website for $399 or from retailers like Walmart. The standard version of the vacuum is red, but there’s also a slightly more expensive blue version that includes the “TruePet Upgrade” and comes with a few additional accessories. The TruePet model retails for $429 and is also available on Amazon.  

Shark Stratos AZ3002 review: Design

The Shark Stratos was easy to assemble, with just a few main pieces that clicked together. It also comes with an “odor-neutralizing cartridge” that pops into the vacuum’s floorhead. When I twisted it into place, I could immediately smell a light, fresh scent coming from the little pod. The vacuum also comes with a crevice tool and upholstery-cleaning brush, and there are storage slots for both attachments on the back of the vacuum. 

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While the Stratos is roughly the same size as other upright vacuums I’ve used, I did find it to be a bit heavier than most, definitely when it comes to stick vacuums. It weighs around 17 pounds, so it’s definitely a bit cumbersome if you have to carry it up and down stairs. However, I love that its controls are right on the handle, making it quick and easy to turn the vacuum on and adjust the suction without having to bend over. 

There are three suction settings to choose from — hard floors, low-pile carpeting, and high-pile carpeting — and while it doesn’t have height-adjustment for the floorhead, the vacuum has a unique design with two brushrolls, including a fussy one for fine particles and a more traditional one with fins that dig into carpeting to agitate dirt. Other features include LED headlights on the floorhead, as well as a bagless dust bin and HEPA filter. 

Shark Stratos AZ3002 review: Performance

I used the Stratos to clean my house for several months, and it’s one of the most powerful vacuums I’ve ever tried. Not only does it have strong, consistent suction, but its dual brushrolls are a truly useful feature. The soft brushroll in front makes it highly effective at picking up dust on hard floors, while the second brushroll with fins is ideal for cleaning thick carpets. The brushrolls also have an effective no-tangle design — I have two long-haired dogs, and I never had any problems with their fur getting wrapped around the brushrolls. 

On carpeting, I typically turn the Stratos up to its highest suction level, and you can audibly hear it increase the power. I’m consistently impressed at how much dirt, dust, and dog hair the vacuum is able to pull out of seemingly clean rugs, and when there’s a new cartridge in the floorhead, the vacuum leaves a light, fresh scent behind. However, I did find that the cartridge’s scent starts to wane within a week or two, so you’ll end up replacing it frequently if you want to keep up with its maintenance.

The Stratos is equally effective on hard floors — an area where some upright vacuums struggle. It does a much better job than other vacuums at capturing fine dust and pollen during allergy season, and when I used it to vacuum up debris like cat litter or uncooked rice, it didn't send any pieces shooting across the floor. It’s even able to pull debris up from the cracks between the floorboards in my old farmhouse. 

My favorite feature on the Shark Stratos is the Powered Lift-Away. There’s a button on top of the canister that you can press to lift the whole body off the vacuum’s wand, and unlike other lift-away vacuums, the Stratos doesn’t cut power to the floorhead. With the floorhead still running, I’m able to vacuum underneath low-profile furniture and in hard-to-reach corners, and then it’s just a matter of popping the canister back onto the wand when I’m done. It’s been a total game-changer for my cleaning routine, shaving quite a bit of time off my bi-weekly vacuuming sessions. 

When it comes to using the vacuum’s attachments, I like that you can detach the handle with or without the wand attached. The two tools are basic but effective, but I do wish the vacuum came with a dusting brush for baseboards and window blinds. If you like to use your vacuum for dusting, it’s worth upgrading to the TruePet version, which includes both a multi-angle dusting brush and combo duster-crevice tool. 

This vacuum has a bagless design and the bin holds just under 1.5 quarts of debris. It fills up quite quickly with dog hair, so I usually have to empty it once or twice while cleaning. There’s a button on top of the bin that lets you pop it off, and a lever on the back allows you to shoot it into the trash can. In the event that hair or debris gets stuck at the top of the bin, you can actually open that end, too, so you don’t have to go digging around in it with your hand. When the dust bin is removed, you can also see the vacuum’s washable foam filter, which you’ll want to clean once a month or so for maximum efficiency. 

Shark Stratos AZ3002 review: Comparison

Shark’s latest model is the Rotator Upright Vacuum, which looks almost identical to the Stratos, and which I also enjoyed when I wrote my Shark Rotator review, but there are a few key differences to keep in mind. The Rotator has a Lift-Away feature, but not Powered Lift-Away. This means that the brushroll won’t have power with the canister detached. The Rotator does have many of the same features as the Stratos, including a dual brushroll, odor-neutralizing cartridge, and LED headlights, but it’s only marginally cheaper — it retails for around $380, and I think it’s worth the extra $20 to upgrade to the Stratos. 

The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is another popular upright vacuum that boasts extremely powerful suction, and which I enjoyed when testing. It’s roughly the same size and weight as the Stratos, and it’s highly effective at pulling dirt and hair out of thick carpeting. It has a height-adjustable floorhead and tangle-free brushroll, but it’s not nearly as versatile as the Stratos and can be hard to maneuver into tight areas.  

Shark Stratos AZ3002 review: Verdict

If you’re looking for a powerful and versatile upright vacuum to deep clean your home, the Shark Stratos is worth the investment. It’s reasonably priced at around $400, and it boasts several unique features that make it easier to use than many other similar models. Its Powered Lift-Away lets you vacuum under low-profile furniture easily, and its dual brushrolls offer impressive cleaning abilities on all types of debris and flooring. Plus, if you want to use it for other tasks like dusting, you can upgrade to the TruePet version, which comes with a few additional accessories. 

The main downside of this vacuum is that it’s on the heavier side, especially if you’ll be carrying it up and down stairs, so it may not be ideal for those with mobility limitations. Overall, the Shark Stratos is one of the best vacuums I’ve ever used, and it’s my go-to tool for cleaning all around the house.