Shark cordless stick vacuum cleaner IZ201UKT review

We've been reviewing the Shark Anti Hair Wrap cordless stick vacuum cleaner with Flexology and TruePet plus twin batteries for some weeks. We wanted to give it a good and thorough testing before we reported back – and we have. We've used it in a busy family home (made MUCH dirtier by lockdown) that's not just the retreat of humans, but a dog that couldn't care less about housework, too.

We baked (messily), crafted (carelessly) and brushed the dog (thoroughly), and the Shark had to do most of the hard work in clearing up after us. How did it get on? Read our review for the lowdown.

Then find our pick of all the top models in our best vacuum cleaner buyer's guide edit.

• Really, really need the best vacuum for pet hair? Don't miss our guide

Shark Anti Hair Wrap cordless stick vacuum cleaner with Flexology and TruePet: the basics

This vacuum cleaner is made up of three component parts: the handheld vacuum, and the Flexology wand, both of which you can slip the various attachments on to, including the third component: the anti-hair wrap floor nozzle. 

One battery at a time slots smoothly into the handheld vacuum component – the other sits in the charging unit. 

Shark Anti Hair Wrap: explain please?

Shark's Anti-Wrap technology is designed to remove long, short and pet hair from the brush roll, without you having to go at it with scissors/tweezers/fingers. Simply vacuum up hair and, if you notice it gathering on the brush roll, switch to boost and it will be separated and removed into the canister.

Flexology: explain that too please?

See the picture at the top of this review? That bend in the wand is what's put the Flexology in the name. You simply push the button half way down the wand (making sure not to push the one that makes it into a handheld as we did a few times), and the wand bends. Add to that the turns that the vacuum's head can make and you've got yourself a vacuum cleaner that can get right under furniture without you having to bend. The only criticism? As usual with vacuum cleaners, the head is too deep to slide under kitchen cabinets, so you still need to get down on the floor with a slimmer attachment for that.

Flexology doesn't end there, though: there's a storage mode where an unlock latch can be pressed and the vacuum is essentially folded in half so that it stands to about knee height. This makes it easier carry about (although, Shark, we'd love a little handle somewhere for that rather than hooking our fingers around the bent wand) and to store. 

The Shark's power settings – and how they perform

This vacuum has four power settings: off (obvs), hard floor; carpet; and boost, which offers extra power – you have to click back a switch and hold it for this to stay on. Sliding from one setting to another makes Shark's DuoClean floorhead combination of two motorised brush-rolls slide easily over all floor types, without the need for changing floor heads. The bristle brush roll cleans deep, while the softer front brush roll draws in smaller, finer debris and stuck-on dust, plus larger pieces of debris.

Hard floor and carpet are definitely good enough – leave them on that and you'll get the full 80 minutes. However, there is a noticeable increase in power when you boost the power, and we have to say, it's pretty addictive because it does make the vacuuming faster and more effective. You can do without it, but we bet you won't. The downside: the battery life is shortened somewhat (we've yet to come up with a reliable time for that as it varied depending on how much we switched between floor types and boost on/boost off). The upside? We just switched to a newly charged battery, which we never had to do more than once to get around the entire house.

Another feature we liked? Signature LED headlights on the main brush roll help to illuminate hidden dust under furniture and in dark corners. It's great if you're vacuuming in the evening or, if like us, your eyesight isn't as good as it could be in dark spots.

Using the Shark cordless stick vacuum cleaner as a handheld

This vac transforms easily into an effective cordless handheld vacuum cleaner at the press of a button – perfect for vacuuming stairs, sofas and furnishings, and easily cleaning inside cars and caravans. 

We tend to just use the crevice tool if we're not using a vacuum as an upright, but the vacuum has multiple standard attachments, including an upholstery attachment, which pet owners will appreciate.

What's the deal with this vacuum's batteries?

The twin Lithium Ion batteries are rechargeable and recyclable. The vacuum comes with a power pack charger which has space for the two battery packs to be charged at the same time, although in reality, you tend to have one left on charge and one in the vacuum. You can also charge a battery at a time on the vacuum, although we've not bothered with that. Worth knowing? Once the battery that's in the charger has reached full charge, it stops drawing electricity – so you can leave it in the pack without worrying. 

The battery is really easy to remove from the vacuum, just squeeze the battery release button and slide it out. You don't even need the instruction manual to work it out (in fact, you barely need to use the manual at all with this vac – it's all very self-explanatory – perfect for gadget-phobes).

There are three lights indicating which level the battery is charged to, including during charging. One of our favourite features of this vacuum is the fact the batteries give you a total run-time of up to 80 minutes so you don't have to worry about charging the battery after every use – but then with two batteries, it's not something you have to think about anyway. 

And, in our experience, the batteries lasts a good long time – you can certainly get round an average sized house before needing to swap out.

Any allergy features?

For allergy sufferers and homes with pets, Shark’s Anti-Allergen Complete Seal captures and traps 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum, not releasing them back into the air you breathe.

Cleaning the vacuum cleaner

When it comes to cleaning the vacuum, it is very easy to do. To empty the dust cup, simply slide the lid release. You can also easily remove dust cup completely with another release button. 

Shark do recommend rinsing the dust cup and the foam and felt filters, which we did this weekend. It was simple and we just replaced them when they were dry. 

What else? 

Shark offers a five-year guarantee upon registration with Shark (two years for the batteries).