Shark AZ950UK, 750 W, 1.5 liters

Product Information

Shark continue to innovate and offer even more choice to accommodate the needs of every home with their large range of excellent vacuum cleaners and the AZ910 & AZ950 range of corded hoovers are no exception. Some features make a big difference and this has lots of them but the biggest thing to pay attention to with any vacuum cleaner is the suction power.

Aside from the new guards, the actual brush remains the same. The nylon bristles work hard to pull up hair and embedded dirt, and they also have easy access if you need to maintain them. Press the button on top of the pin, and the main cylinder lifts away, letting you carry it around where you want it. With the flexible wand lose, you can get into small areas more easily, or clean up high, all without having to lug around the full vacuum and floor head. Lift-Away works brilliantly, turning this beast of a vacuum into a more nimble one. Here is a good if a bit lengthy video showing you exactly what you get with the AZ910 and AZ950 corded upright vacuum cleaners: The Shark AZ950UKT is the heaviest of all the upright models, and with all the tools attached it comes in at 7.9kg. Without the tools, it is 7.5kg, but this is still a heavy piece of kit to have. The filtration system for the AZ950UKT is much the same as the rest of the Shark upright range. The HEPA filter remains by the motor, helping to muffle some of the sound, and also perfectly placed to protect it from dust and debris. This should be washed annually, but we recommend doing it every six months.

The AZ950UKT also has a sealed system, and this means that the air pushed out of the machine is cleaner than what went in. It is pushed through the filter and then the exhaust, meaning that allergens get trapped in the filter on the way out and only clean air comes through the exhaust. One of the main advantages of size is that the Shark AZ950UKT ships with the large DuoClean floor head. With its wide width, it means you can clean large areas fast. As with Shark’s most recent vacuum cleaners, this floorhead has the Anti Hair Wrap tech, which uses a series of combs to stop hair wrapping around the roller. It really works too, and you’ll never have the miserable job of cutting away matted hair. I love the dual LED headlights on the front of this floor head, showing up any dirt that you might otherwise have missed. DuoClean is a dual brush roller system invented by Shark. It's designed to collect dust and debris from hard floors and carpets.

Of course, I will not miss out the LED headlights – a classic staple in any Shark vacuum cleaner. A lot of rival companies have started implementing their own, but the Shark remains top of the pile. The AZ950UKT sports both powered lift away and DuoClean technology. The latter of which is something that only the NV601UKT and NV681UKT are missing. Firstly, there’s the model number. You will notice that one ends in UK and the other UKT. The T actually stands for True Pet, and this indicates that it comes with a dedicated pet tool to help get rid of fur and fluff in the home. This test is really simple and involves a decibel meter. This is placed three metres away from the floorhead of the vacuum cleaner. The machine is then switched on, and the sound is recorded. You can see the results in the table below. Noise ( Decibals) You also get the new anti-hair wrap technology with this model, which is something I have already detailed in the carpet cleaning section of this review. It’s clever technology because while you have the guards protecting the brush from hair getting tangled, the bristles are still able to work effectively to clean carpets and get them looking incredible.The Shark AZ950UKT has a bin capacity of 1.65L, which is almost twice the size of the AZ910UKT. If dust capacity is key for your household and you don’t need all the bells and whistles, then take a look at the NV601UK/T The weight test might not seem necessary, but it is part of us bringing you the most accurate information possible with each vacuum cleaner. The table below will show you the various weights that we tested for this model of Shark upright. Weight (Without Tools) This means that it will need to be emptied more often than the others, and it is smaller than normal for a corded upright. However, it is not quite a dealbreaker because of the other great features this model has. The main filter comes in the form of a large sponge that can be popped out of the machine and washed by hand. It is incredibly absorbent, which is good for removing dust and other particles from around your home.