Unlike other floorheads, the DuoClean has two brush bars that work together. The larger front brush-roll is a softer bar that’s perfect for removing dust and dirt from hard floors, while the rear is a more standard bristle brush roll to stir up debris from carpets.

The Shark HZ500UK is an average carpet cleaner. While it isn’t terrible on carpets, we don’t think it can match the cleaning performance of more powerful upright vacuums. It’s less effective than the top carpet vacuums when cleaning carpets, however, which is something to keep in mind if your home is mainly carpeted. The small capacity may also be an annoyance if you want to use it for cleaning multiple rooms, as you’ll need to empty it frequently.It’s not the most powerful vac on the market, although raw suction strength isn’t everything when it comes to cleaning performance. The Shark still manages to provide decent all-round cleaning performance – particularly on hard floors. Let’s take a closer look at common cleaning tasks. Carpets Note: Shark sells a pet version of this vacuum cleaner called the HZ500UKT. It’s a bit more expensive, but includes a turbo pet tool. Price & Value for Money With a handheld mode and the high-quality DuoClean floorhead, the HZ500UK is a versatile vacuum that’s great for cleaning almost any area of the home. This wand has an articulating elbow that allows the vacuum to be folded up and stored upright, and it also allows you to more easily vacuum under low furniture. There’s a large display on top of the handle that shows the battery level and the power mode you’re using.

Compared to many cordless vacuum cleaners, what you get with the Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro IZ400UKT is relatively sparse. Don’t worry, though – on the whole, Shark has simply pared the box’s contents down to the absolute essentials, without losing anything important. It comes with the main dual-purpose floor head, a crevice tool and a smaller “pet” tool. READ NEXT: The best Shark vacuum cleaners to buy Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro IZ400UKT review: What’s it like to use? No, the HZ500UK is the basic version of this vacuum cleaner and doesn’t come with a pet tool. You’ll need to spend more to get the HZ500UKT (known as the True Pet version) to get this extra accessory. VerdictIf money is no object then the Dyson Gen5detect remains a superior option, but not to the extent that it’s worth paying almost twice the price. Its battery lasts a bit longer and it comes with a few more bells and whistles, but you’re definitely not getting twice the vacuum.

The Shark Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro IZ400UKT comes heartily recommended. It’s a terrific cleaner at a good price. Its performance in our tests rivals that of vastly more expensive models, and I love the fact that you don’t need to switch the floor head over when moving from one surface to another. As we mentioned, there’s no motorised pet tool included with the Shark though. This makes it difficult to get rid of hair from furniture, stairs, or car interiors. For this reason, we don’t recommend it for pet owners, particularly if your dog or cat sheds a lot. So, if you’re looking for the best carpet vacuum cleaner, the HZ500UK isn’t the one to choose. But if you’re happy to accept average cleaning performance in return for great hard floor cleaning (see next section) and advanced features, then it’s an option to consider. Hard FloorsAn interesting feature of the HZ500UK is that it comes with Shark’s Anti Hair-Wrap technology. Shark claims this actively removes hair and deposits it into the dust canister, meaning you shouldn’t need to remove tangled hair from the brush bar. But before we go any further, it’s worth repeating that this is a corded vacuum cleaner – despite having a design that’s similar to most modern cordless vacs. The 10-metre cord means you can vacuum for as long as necessary without recharging, although it also reduces the convenience of the vac. In general, we think corded vacs make more sense for larger homes or extended cleaning sessions, although cordless vacuums are more convenient.

If you don’t want the bother of having to charge batteries, but want the flexibility that a cordless vacuum cleaner can bring, the HZ400UKT could be just the cleaner for you. It offers all of the advantages of an upright vacuum, the power of a corded model, and the flexibility of handheld operation, too. Note that the HZ400UKT can be a touch unwieldy to use for some jobs, though, as a result of much of its weight sitting towards the rear of the unit. With that said, its average carpet performance means you can probably get greater value from other vacuums if your home is mainly carpeted.

In This Article

How does it compare to other corded uprights? And is it worth buying over a traditional upright (such as those on our buyer’s guide?) Keep reading our Shark HZ500UK review to find out. Overview of the Shark HZ500UK’s Features The HZ400UKT’s stand-out feature is Anti Hair Wrap technology, which uses a combination of blades and bristles designed to stop hair from becoming entangled around the brush, clogging it up. It was well put to the test in a house with three girls (all with long hair) and four cats; the brush was refreshingly free of hair, making it stand out from the competition. Another useful feature is the LED headlights in the floorhead. Most Shark vacuums include headlights, which make it much easier to spot dirt and dust that might otherwise be missed. The lights are particularly useful for cleaning under furniture, which is a much easier task with the Flexology design. Other Design Features Despite having a HEPA filter, we still don’t think this Shark is the best choice for people with allergies. As it’s a bagless vacuum, dust and dirt can still escape when you empty the bin. Even so, the HEPA filter makes it a decent choice if you want to keep your air clean when using a bagless vac. Emptying & Cleaning The HZ500UK comes with Shark’s excellent DuoClean floorhead that allows you to move between carpets and hard floors without changing heads.