One minute review
Shark is a brand that’s known for designing vacuum cleaners packed with innovative features, such as flexible wands for better reach under furniture and Anti Hair Wrap technology. And it isn’t all gimmicks; the brand’s cleaners regularly make it onto our best vacuum cleaners list, being one of Dyson’s biggest rivals.
However, unlike Dyson, the company hasn’t abandoned plug-in vacuums in favor of battery-powered models, still making a decent range of corded vacuums for those who prefer a mains-powered cleaner.
The range includes canister vacuums, which you might know as cylinder or barrel vacuums, depending on where in the world you’re located.
In the UK, this vacuum is called the Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ500UKT. However, the same model in the US goes under the name Shark Vertex Bagless Corded Canister Vacuum with DuoClean Powerfins. Meanwhile, in Australia, it’s called the Shark Bagless Barrel Pet Vacuum with Multi-flex CZ500. Despite Shark’s penchant for a different name in every territory, the vacuum is virtually the same no matter where you are. The biggest difference is that in the US it doesn’t come with the powered pet tool.
This model is the top-of-the-range canister vacuum from the brand, building upon the cheaper Shark CZ250UKT; but the differences are subtle. The main upgrade is to the floorhead, which here features two motorized brush rolls instead of the single one you’ll find on its less expensive sibling. It comes with the same crevice and upholstery tool as the cheaper model, and is packed with all the same Shark features – a flexible wand and Anti Hair Wrap technology, as well as the same-sized dust bin. Surprisingly, there isn’t an upgrade in suction power, but the beefed-up floorhead should take care of that by dislodging greater dirt from deep in the carpet pile.
On test it performed well, thoroughly cleaning all surfaces, extracting ground-in dirt and dust out of carpets. It’s a superb choice for those looking for a plug-in vacuum, but who don’t want to push around a weighty upright model. Whether it’s worth forking out the extra money for this top-of-the-range model, it’s difficult to say. Having said that, it isn’t a huge jump in price and the floorhead is much better than the cheaper canister.
Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Pet Vacuum CZ500UKT price and availability
- List price: $479.99 / £329.99/ AU$799.99
As we’ve already mentioned, this vacuum goes under several different names. It’s the Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ500UKT in the UK; in the US, it’s the Shark Vertex Bagless Corded Canister Vacuum with DuoClean Powerfins; in Australia, it’s known as the Shark Bagless Barrel Pet Vacuum with Multi-flex CZ500. The main difference between the three models is that the US version doesn’t come with the small, powered pet tool supplied with the UK and Australia models. You can purchase this vacuum direct from Shark in all countries.
For those on a budget, we’d recommend considering the cheaper Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250, which also goes under several names; find out what it’s called in your country by reading the full review here. It comes in at the slightly cheaper price of $399.99 / £299.99/ AU$699.99.
Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Pet Vacuum CZ500UKT design
- Two motorized brush rolls in floorhead
- Flexible wand bends to reach under low furniture
- 25ft / 9-meter power cord
The canister alone measures 19.3 x 10.2 x 10.2 inches/49 x 26 x 26cm (h x w x d), which is a fairly standard size, with it sufficiently compact to balance on the stairs for cleaning them. At 9lb/ 4.4kg without the hose or floorhead, it’s also light enough for most people to carry with ease.
The large 1.9-quart/ 1.6-liter dust cup is capable of holding a decent amount of dust and debris before it will need emptying, and the vacuum is equipped with foam, felt and HEPA filters. These work as part of the anti-allergen complete seal, which, according to Shark, will capture 99.9% of dust and allergens and prevent them from reentering the air.
The DuoClean floorhead features two brush rolls. The main one is responsible for deeper cleaning, drawing dust out of carpets, while the soft one at the front is best for picking up fine dust from hard floors. Meanwhile, the Anti Hair Wrap technology is designed to stop the brush roll from becoming tangled with hair and becoming clogged. There’s also a headlight to illuminate the floor ahead.
In the box, you’ll find a crevice tool and upholstery tool, which sit in a cradle on the wand for easy access. These tools mean the vacuum can be used to clean furniture, curtains and mattresses, as well as to remove cobwebs or dust from overhead. In addition, if purchased in the UK or Australia, the pet power tool is also included, which is great for removing pet hair from furniture.
As well as an on/off button on the canister itself, the vacuum can be turned on via the touchscreen LED display on the handle. From here, you can also switch between the carpet and hard floor modes, as well as cycle through the three power levels. It’s all very straightforward in use – but, frustratingly, it doesn’t remember your last selection and always defaults to hard floor and the middle power setting.
Two buttons slide to release the dust cup, which lifts smoothly from the top of the canister, and the large main handle doubles as a handle for the dust cup for easy carrying, too. To empty, you push another button to flip open the bottom, to allow the dirt to fall right out into the trash. The filters, dust cup and soft brush roller are all washable for easy maintenance.
Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Pet Vacuum CZ500UKT performance
- Delivers a thorough clean on carpet
- Quiet
- Maneuvers well
The floorhead glides very smoothly across carpet and hard floors, picking up surface dirt and debris as well as pulling out deeper dirt when vacuuming carpets. We certainly had no complaints with regards to dust pick-up and the amount of dust, dirt and dander in the dust cup at the end of vacuuming just one carpet, which confirmed that the cleaner was picking up far more than simply what was on the surface.
Unlike a cordless vacuum, there’s no need to conserve battery here, so you can vacuum on the highest power for as long as you like for the most thorough clean. While the vacuum didn’t struggle to remove hair from carpets, we did notice that some hair remained wrapped around the end of the brush roll and wasn’t removed by the Anti Hair Wrap technology, even after several uses.
When collecting oats from along the baseboard, the Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Pet Vacuum CZ500UKT took several pushes back and forth to collect the majority of the spill on carpet. And it didn’t manage to collect as much when we approached the baseboard with the front of the floorhead as opposed to the side. However, on hard floors, it removed all the debris along the baseboard at first attempt.
The vacuum managed to remove an impressive amount of debris from deep within a long-pile area rug, and the floorhead transitioned easily between the rug and hard floor. The controls on the handle make for easy switching between floor types and power levels. Likewise, the two main tools can be stored on the wand, so they’re always to hand when you need them.
The upholstery tool made vacuuming sofas a breeze, and the crevice nozzle proved useful for getting into all sorts of tight spots. We did try using the wand to vacuum overhead, which was fine to suck up the odd cobweb; but it can feel heavy if used for much longer.
Canister vacuums are always a good choice if you have lots of low furniture under which to vacuum – and this model is no exception; it reaches easily beneath chairs and beds. The flexible wand allows extra reach without you having to bend, but we struggled to control the direction of vacuuming in this mode.
The canister glides effortlessly behind you as you vacuum, plus the 360-degree pivot wheels help agility, even as the vacuum fills up and becomes heavier. The hose did on occasion become folded, which meant we had to pause vacuuming to tug it back into shape; but this is typical of longer hoses. Helpfully, when clicked into the upright position, the floorhead is self-supporting and the brush roll switches off until you tilt it back down to continue vacuuming.
The Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Pet Vacuum CZ500UKT is a quiet vacuum. Even on the highest power setting, it only hit a maximum of 70dB on our noise meter, no matter whether vacuuming carpet or hard floors. In addition, since most of the noise comes from the floorhead, reducing the power level didn’t reduce the noise output.
Should I buy the Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Pet Vacuum?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
First reviewed: July 2022
