Shark Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner with Anti Hair Wrap, Up to 40 mins run-time, Flexible Vacuum Cleaner with LED Lights, Crevice Tool and Upholstery Tool, Electric Blue IZ202UK

Product Information

At first glance, you’d hardly notice that the Shark Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Vacuum IZ202UK is any different to Shark’s more expensive cordless models. It has a similar design, with the vacuum engine and collection bin combined into a handheld unit at the top, separated from the floor head by an articulated extension wand. It’s 270 x 1,190 x 170mm (WHD) in size and weighs 4.7kg. Hair is part of every home. But over time, hair can become tightly wrapped around a traditional vacuum cleaner’s brush-roll. As it builds up, it can affect cleaning performance. I was a little concerned that ditching the fluffy roller would be a compromise too far in our tests, and that the hard floor results would be some way behind what we’ve seen from Shark’s best models. The main unit looks identical to that of its predecessor, the Shark IZ201UK, which is still available at some retailers but costs a little more. The controls are extremely simple, with a three-way thumb switch on the top that takes it through its three modes: off, hard floor and carpet. There’s also a trigger loop for your index finger, which you pull to engage the Max boost mode. Keeping the Shark emptied and clean is simple, too, with one button that releases the collection bin and filter unit from the device and a second button to open the trap door on the bottom to empty it. The filters can all be rinsed in running water and, since the vacuum also comes with Shark’s Anti Hair Wrap tech, you don’t need to worry about detangling regularly, either. This hasn’t transferred across to the pet tool, unfortunately, which gathered quite a bit of tangled hair during our testing.

Shark calls its folding extension wand “Flexology”, and it’s worth giving a name to. A button on the wand releases a catch that lets the wand flex at knee height. This can be used to slide the floor head under low furniture, or to fold it right over to reduce the height of the device to 680mm for storage – a state in which it can also support itself in an upright position. Anyone who has a cat or dog in the home knows how often you find pet hair everywhere. This Shark stand vacuum is here to help. Thanks to the improved Anti Hair Technology, the vacuum removes hair of all lengths and origins from your upholstery and surfaces. It also easily transforms into a smaller, handheld device which can be used on stairs, in the car, or on furniture. Shark’s Anti-Allergen Complete Seal traps 99% of dust and dander to keep the home allergen free. Long Battery Life With a single motorised Anti Hair Wrap brush-roll, this lightweight, flexible cordless vacuum cleaner is perfect for homes with long, short and pet hair. Moving down to the floor head, you can finally see where the main change between the IZ201UK and the IZ202UK has happened. Whereas the previous model used Shark’s dual roller system to house both a fluffy roller and a brush bar, the IZ202UK has a single brush bar. It’s a sophisticated roller, though, with both bristles and stiff fins interspersed along its length. It also has an anti-hair wrap system to stop long hair getting tangled along its length. Like many of Shark's corded and cordless models, the IZ300UK is fitted with a flexible cleaning tube called Flexology. This means the vacuum conveniently slots underneath coffee tables and sofas, helping you clean those hard-to-reach areas.

You work at BID, what a legend.

And unlike the Dyson, the display doesn't work while the vacuum is charging. So you have to rely on three less precise indicator lights on the battery to know when it's fully charged. Because the Shark Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Vacuum IZ202UK is relatively unsophisticated, it’s also straightforward to use. The three-way switch on the top of the unit is easily accessible and well labelled, and pulling the trigger below to get a boost is intuitive. With the one floor head capable of cleaning both hard floor and carpet, there’s no switching needed. The Shark makes a lot of noise, so it's not a good choice if you tend to vacuum while others are asleep or working from home - even if they're on the other side of the house. On hard floor it collected 98.6% of the flour, with the only visible remainder caught between the gaps of my plastic floor tiles, and later gathered with the crevice tool. On carpet, there were only a few visible areas where flour wasn’t collected, but it still managed to collect 96% on a single pass.

Speaking of the battery, it performed well in our tests, outlasting the one on the previous model. This might be an improvement in battery technology, or it might be because it’s now only powering a single roller. If there’s one element I didn’t particularly like it’s the position of the power indicator lights on the battery. During operation these are well out of sight, so there’s no at-a-glance guide to how much power you have left without rotating the vacuum around to see the lights.However, you can get extra tools if you're willing to spend more. The pet variant (the Shark IZ300UKT) comes with a mini turbo brush, while the IZ320UKT comes with the same turbo brush plus an extra battery, letting you clean for twice as long without recharging. Flour proved a bit more of a challenge. On hard floor, the vacuum collected enough flour from a 50g spillage in a single pass to register 50g on my scales afterwards, although close inspection showed it wasn’t entirely perfect, with some flour still left over. A few subsequent passes on the Boost setting removed the rest effectively. In terms of attachments, it’s limited to the bare essentials. You get a crevice tool and a simple upholstery tool, the latter being just a funnel with felt-like brushes around the edge to tease hair and other fine debris out of your furniture.