Shark Uprights are synonymous with success. There’s no doubt that.
The Shark Ninja Family, with its talented team of innovators, has tirelessly added great products to the ever-expanding vacuum cleaner market.
The result is a win-win. Booming business for Shark and squeaky clean homes for us.
Take the Navigator Lift Away Pro for example. With powerful suction, efficient filtration, and ergonomic design, it simply busted the charts after hitting the market.
Who knew that Shark had more up its sleeves?
The Navigator Zero-M (ZU561) is a second-generation navigator with all the great features of its bestselling predecessor. Plus there is a groundbreaking feature- brushes that self-clean!
Finally, a vacuum that cleans your house and cleans itself!
So, is ZU561 worth all the hype?
Find out with this “on-point” yet all-inclusive Shark Zero M Review.
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Zero-M (ZU-561) Review
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 x 45.6 inches
- Weight: 13.4 pounds
- Motor: 800 W
- Cleaning path: 12 in
- Dust cup capacity: 2.2 quarts
- Swivel head
- Cord length: 25 ft.
- Hose length: 6.6 ft
- Filter: HEPA and foam filter (washable)
- Warranty: 5 years
Attachments:
- A duster crevice tool for tight corners
- Hair Removal Tool for upholstery
- Pet Power Brush for removing pet hair embedded in the house
Construction:
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Zero-M is a bagless, corded upright vacuum cleaner.
Measuring 13.4 pounds, it is amazingly lightweight. This helps in the maneuverability of the device.
The cord length is 25 feet- not the longest but long enough to make you feel leash-free. You can easily clean a large surface without shifting from one power outlet to another.
There is no bag. The dirt collects in a medium-sized dirt cup. The 2.2 quarts capacity cup lets you clean a medium sized household without pausing to empty it.
Shark Apex Zero M retains almost all the features of its predecessor NV356E.
The detachable hose and attachments are all strong and do not feel cheaply made. The body is sturdy enough to last for years.
Special Features:
Shark Zero M Vacuum reviews chime about two specific features- the Zero-M technology and Lift-Away Technology.
While the Lift-Away feature is not new to the world of great vacuums, Zero-M is indeed a true achievement.
Here is what you get from these two features:
- Zero-M Technology: Say Bye to Tangled Brushes:
The brushes of Shark Apex Vacuum Cleaner Zero-M are designed in such a way that it picks up hair and animal fur to the last strand but does not get tangled in the process.
While at work, the bristle guard keeps the brush safe and a combing mechanism separates the hair strands from the brush bristles. These strands are continuously sucked up into the dirt collector.
And this is how the magic happens.
Gone are the days when vacuums frequently got stuck due to tangled brush rolls. You won’t need to keep scissors handy anymore.
- Lift-Away Technology: From the Floors to the Drapes:
This lets you detach the hose from the canister and turn the unit into a lift-away vacuum cleaner.
Use the upright mode when working on hard floors and carpets. Then utilize the lift-away mode to give your above-floor surfaces a thorough clean.
Stairs, upholstery, drapes, and hard-to-reach crevices, the Shark Zero-M has every inch of your apartment covered.
Suction:
Zero-M runs on an 800 Watt motor. Some of its competitors offer 1150 Watts.
This may sound like a downside of this vacuum, but it is not.
The motor is powerful enough to create great suction. On top of that, an overall ergonomic design plays a synergistic role here and gives your Zero-M tremendous suction capability.
It picks up all kinds of debris, danders and animal fur accurately. Larger debris is easily sucked up and does not clog the hose.
There is also a suction regulating tilting switch near the handle.
Filtration:
Shark ZU561 utilizes the Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology. This removes allergens from your environment and prevents them from flowing back in.
This is great, especially if you are prone to allergies or have pet shedding allergens at your place.
The main filter is HEPA. Then there are additional foam filters.
The HEPA filter removes 99.9% allergens including dander and pet hair from your environment and traps it inside the vacuum. The foam filters further strengthen the operation.
The filters are washable and reusable, so you won’t have to worry about replacing them in the near future.
Maneuverability:
Shark Lift-Away Zero-M is lightweight. You can move it around for a long time without feeling tired at the slightest.
Moreover, the swivel steering multiplies the maneuverability of this device several times. Swivel the head around to reach any spot, and all the spots.
This unit runs effortlessly over carpets and bare floors alike. Moreover, the carpet to floor transition and vice versa is as smooth as it can get.
The lift-away mode further adds to the maneuverability. Reach the hardest and farthest crevices, nooks, and crannies and clean them all.
Storage:
Shark Zero M vacuum is compact. On top of that, the parts are easily detachable.
Ergo, this unit has a much smaller footprint than other bulkier uprights.
It can be stored even inside crammed up closets without a speck of trouble.
Maintenance:
Maintaining your Shark Navigator Lift-Away Zero-M is a cakewalk. We believe that you won’t ever feel troubled with this unit.
It is bagless, so you can cross off the chore of replacing bags from your to-do list.
The dirt cup is capacious so does not need you to empty it in the middle of a cleaning cycle. After you are done cleaning, you can easily detach the dirt cup and empty it.
The attachments easily fit to the unit, and the filters are washable.
Simply place the filters under running tap water until the flowing water looks all clean. Then air dry for 24 hours. The filters will be good as new.
For optimum performance of your Shark Zero-M, wash the HEPA filter annually and the foam filters every two years.
Performance:
There have been countless Shark Apex Reviews, all with consistent results.
Cleaning with Zero-M is convenient and the cleaning performance is top notch.
It picks up almost every speck of dust and every strand of hair with great detail.
We found its cleaning efficiency to be immaculate. However, we felt that the unit lagged a few features including LED lights. Cleaning dark spots would have been much easier if it had one.
The efficiency of the self cleaning brushes are great but not 100% accurate. You may still find a few strands of long hair stuck to the brush roll.
Even then, this is certainly an upgrade from many uprights that require you to cut through the tangles with scissors.
One Shark Apex Duoclean Zero M reviewer filmed the performance of Zero-M against large balls of cat fur.
Want to know how it went? See for yourself:
Summary: Here’s What We Liked about Shark Navigator Lift-Away Zero-M (ZU561):
There’s a lot of things that we loved about this vacuum cleaner. So the list goes long and strong;
- Surprisingly low price point gives you a greater incentive to purchase this vacuum cleaner.
- Sufficient suction power.
- Efficient dust pick up.
- Lightweight vacuum cleaner with a small footprint.
- Swivel Steering makes navigating this vacuum easy.
- Effortless transition from one floor type to another.
- Easy to store and maintain.
- 5-year warranty.
Summary: Here’s What We Did Not Like about Shark Navigator Lift-Away Zero-M (ZU561):
There’s only a few aspects that we didn’t like. So the list goes short:
- No LED light on the vacuum.
- A few strands of long hair may still get stuck to the brush roll.
The Tough Competition: BISSELL PowerForce Helix
Often Shark Apex Vacuum reviews suggest that Bissell PowerForce Helix is a worthy alternative to Shark Zero M Duoclean.
Coming from the reputed manufacturers, both the units have a lot to offer.
There are mixed opinions regarding the superiority of one over the other. We figured, it’s better to highlight their features and let you decide for yourself.
PowerForce Helix comes with a crevice tool, dusting brush and an extension wand. This device has been designed keeping all sorts of surfaces in mind. Therefore, you get the all-round versatility that you invariably look for in your vacuum cleaner.
The cord length is 23 feet, about 2 feet shorter than the Shark DuoClean. On the other hand it is lighter, making maneuverability even easier.
The cleaning mechanics operate in a helix pattern, hence the name PowerHelix. This ensures maximum trapping of dust particles.
If this is getting you interested then do check this cleaning monster out Amazon and learn more about it in this ultimate review dedicated to the PowerForce Helix.
Verdict on Shark Navigator Upright Vacuum with Lift-Away Zero-M ZU
The Lift-Away Zero-M is an efficient and ergonomic vacuum cleaner that comes at a great price.
If you are looking for all-round cleaning of your house at the minimum effort, this is a great option you can explore.
This second generation Shark Navigator Upright brings the best of Navigator with an added bonus- tangle free brush rolls.
For those, who feel utterly disgusted when cutting through the tangles of matted hair on vacuum brush rolls, Shark Navigator Lift-Away Zero-M is a life saver.
It is absolute value for your money.
It earns a flying 9/10 on our book as we were not disappointed.
You won’t as well. Promise.