Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK cordless vacuum cleaner review
The Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK cordless vacuum cleaner is the most economical version in the latest Shark range. Is it the vac for your home?
It may be the lowest budget model in the range, but this is still a vac with plenty of useful features to cope with a busy home where kids and pets do their worst.
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Effective on pet hair
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Lightweight handheld
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Easily manoeuvrable
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On the noisy side
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Some dust might hang about in the bin
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If you're looking for a new vac then our Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK cordless vacuum cleaner review would be worth a read.
Shark vacs incorporate a variety of features to make life easier, including anti hair wrap technology. What does it do? Remove hair – and the fur of four-legged housemates – from the brush roll as you go along. This tech is combined with other Shark special features in a new range, and we’ve put the lowest budget model of the collection through its paces here so you can see if it’s the best vac for your home.
I’ve tested a wide selection of vacuum cleaners on carpet, parquet, tiles, stairs and upholstery, and challenged them with mud, fluff, light debris and pet hair to give you the lowdown on how efficiently they’ll do the job, how easy they are to use, and how much space they’ll take up in your cupboard.
Can’t wait to buy? You can buy it for the best price from one of your favourite retailers below then, check out our best vacuum cleaners guide for more top vacs which we've tried, tested and reviewed.
Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK at a glance:
Type: cordless stick and handheld
Bag or bagless: bagless
Suction: efficient
Noise: maybe put some headphones in
Easy storage: folds down to take up less vertical space
Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK product shot
Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK cordless vacuum cleaner specifications:
- Maximum power: 25.2V
- Cable length: Not applicable
- Dimensions: H118 x W26 x D24.5cm
- Weight: 4.1kg
- Noise: rating not available
- Energy rating: no ratings for cordless vacuums
- Dustbag capacity: 0.7 litres
Who will the Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK suit?
The owners of homes of small to medium size with long-haired inhabitants whether they’re two or four legged.
What is the Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK like to use?
The vacuum is pretty intuitive to set up and to clean with all round your home, and you’ll find the settings straightforward.
Hard flooring, carpet and stairs
The Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK didn’t let me down on any of the everyday cleaning nor special tests I set it when it came to cleaning all the rooms in my home, and the staircase in between.
I’d say it had the edge on hard flooring, but that’s not to say it failed on carpet: it did need a little more going over and effort than tiles and parquet, though. Whichever type of flooring it was used on, the flexology feature meant it was easy to get everywhere I needed to: the wand goes from straight to angled with the aid of a latch. Result? I could easily vacuum underneath the sofa, chairs, and the beds (yes, no excuses for dust bunnies with this model).
And the anti hair wrap tech? It really did deliver in my home when challenged with the human hair that reaches the carpet as well as the pet variety. Shark says what happens is that a bristle guard and comb separates and removes hair from the brush roll as you clean – and it did.
I found my staircase was really easy to get clean using the handheld, which is lighter than some other manufacturers’ versions, and thus proved comfortable to do the job with. You might want to get an extra attachment for this job, though. Shark recommends its motorised hand tool with anti- hair wrap for vacuuming stairs, but it has to be purchased separately (see below).
Using the Shark IZ201UK cordless vacuum cleaner with the dusting brush
Attachments
As this is the lowest budget vac in the new Shark range I didn’t expect a wealth of accessories to come along with it. Nevertheless, there was everything I’d list as an essential in the box: a crevice tool for getting into nooks, a dusting brush to keep surfaces clean more efficiently than with a cloth, and an upholstery tool for the bits and the fur that get on the sofa and chairs. And while the tools might not be the most plentiful, you do get a bag for them so they don’t go AWOL in the cupboard.
The tools attached and swapped without any hassle. As to the job they did, it was maximum points from me especially in terms of cat fur removal from the most popular spots on the sofa, and for crumb lifting.
If you do feel there’s a tool missing from the selection you get with this vacuum cleaner, there is the possibility of going on to the Shark site to order the extras you’d like. If you take pride in keeping your motor spotless, you will be delighted to find there’s a car detail series to give it the valet treatment at home, and there are also attachments such as an anti-allergen dusting brush. If Shark’s TruePet attachment – which deals with embedded hair on upholstery, stairs and rugs – is a must-have for you, by the way, go for the IZ201UKT model instead which adds this into the package for a little more money.
Power and debris removal
It’s the nub of the vacuum cleaning matter, isn’t it? So how does the Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK do with the crucial business of getting the dirt and the debris out of your flooring and furnishings? My verdict is a positive one.
More specifically, on the Rice Krispies test it was excellent at picking them up from hard flooring and got them up straightaway without scatter. The vacuum wasn’t quite so good when they were on the carpet pushing some about rather than sucking them up first time, but cleaning them all up didn’t take too long overall. Meanwhile, for vacuuming up fine dust and mud on all surfaces the vacuum scores top marks.
The key to this cleaning success is apparently the DuoClean floorhead. As well as the bristle brush roll, there’s a second soft brush roll that is in constant contact with the floor. It’s this that draws in debris, Shark says, and that also lifts the fine dust. The bristle roll, meanwhile, is the one that gets into carpet pile to remove the dirt that’s become embedded.
The pairing means you can vacuum different floors with the same floorhead. All that’s needed is a press of the button as you move between them to indicate to the vacuum whether it’s going to be on carpet or hard flooring or rugs and, for me, this is a huge point is its favour, saving me precious minutes and hassle when getting the chores done. There’s a boost function in addition to the hard floor and carpet settings. This is on a trigger you have to hold, which is a thoughtful piece of design as I found this stopped me leaving the vacuum on this power-hungry setting for longer than was strictly necessary.
I did find that it was harder work to use this vac on carpet as opposed to hard flooring. It was worth the effort, however, bringing up the pile beautifully. On both this and hard flooring the vacuum also got up to the edges well, cutting down on cleaning time.
You’ll get up to 40 minutes of running time on a full battery charge with this vac, which will prove enough for many people’s cleaning sessions. Bear in mind that you can get longer if you pay more for the IZ251UK model, which comes with two batteries. If you do run out of power before you’re done, you’ll be waiting three and half hours for a full battery charge.
Dustbag removal
It’s easy to take the dust container off this vac, and release the lid over the bin to let the dust out. I found that the finest material did linger in the bin and had to be pulled out, but the rest exited just as it should.
Emptying the dust bin from the Shark IZ201UK cordless vacuum cleaner is easy
Handy features
The lights in the floorhead are a bonus and helped me spot the debris better – they’re especially effective on hard flooring.
Also useful is the option to charge the battery on board or separately from the vacuum, which means you can do this in the way you find most convenient depending on the location of your power sockets.
The cleaner has a HEPA filter and the anti-allergen seal promises to capture and trap 99.9 per cent of dust and allergens inside the vacuum.
The Shark IZ201UK cordless vacuum cleaner can be stored in a cupboard
Storing
While the flexology feature is handy for getting under the furniture it’s useful in a second way, allowing you to fold the handheld section of the vacuum forward until it’s positioned over the floorhead. This means your stick vacuum takes up a whole lot less space vertically and you can stash it in a cupboard that’s not full height. In my book, that’s a brilliant feature.
Manoeuvrability
The Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK gets to the edges of the room and around obstacles well. The only time I felt I had a bit less control was using the flexology wand as the joint that makes the appropriate angle for reaching under furniture creates a slightly loose feel. It wasn’t a huge issue, but something I did have to allow for as I vacuumed.
Going up and down the stairs was a relatively easy experience. Because the floorhead sits forward until you put your foot on it and tilt the stick backwards ready to vacuum the floor, it doesn’t have to dangle when you’re going up and down stairs. The result is that there’s less height to lift to clear the steps than on some sticks. On the other hand, there is a little weight to lift with this model coming in at 4.1kg, and other stick vacuums are lighter if this is a particular concern for you.
How does it rate online?
On the Shark site purchasers have given this vacuum cleaner an average 4.6 out of five stars. There are plaudits for the anti hair wrap feature, ease of converting between upright and handheld, and excellent cleaning results. In the negative column for some users are the fact that the attachments aren’t on board the vacuum. Some people find it a little heavy, or top heavy, and others would like it if it stood up on its own.
The average score from those who bought via Currys is 9.1 out of 10. These buyers note the usefulness of being able to fold it to store, say it works well on pet hair, and find it easy to add attachments for different uses. Once again, the top heaviness of the design is a negative for some of its users, while others would prefer a larger dust bin capacity.
How does it rate against similar vacuum cleaners?
There are plenty of options when it comes to cordless stick vacuums, so you are spoiled for choice. However, if you’re looking for a model that does a great job without a premium price point, the Shark Anti Hair Wrap & DuoClean IZ201UK is definitely worth adding to your shortlist. It’s beaten by some of the competition when it comes to running time, and it’s also not the lightest option, but its special features are effective, it’s simple to use, and it will deliver great cleaning results all round your home.
About our review – and our reviewer:
Sarah Warwick has specialised in homes and interiors for over 20 years. She was Executive Editor of Ideal Home magazine, and has written for nationals, magazines and websites including Real Homes, Homebuilding & Renovating, Grand Designs, Homes & Gardens, Houzz, The Guardian, House Beautiful and Country Homes & Interiors. She put the vacuums through their paces all round the house, on all sorts of dirt and debris, and a variety of flooring and surfaces.
More on vacuum cleaners:
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- Or, read our Shark Anti Hair Wrap cordless stick vacuum cleaner with Flexology and TruePet plus twin batteries