The BEST I've ever owned!

This machine is everything it says. I researched epinions before deciding to purchase this particular model. I originally hesitated due to the amount of advertizing they do for this, I thought it was overpriced. However, after reviewing epionions, the biggest complaint I heard was the weight & that it was a bit too POWERFUL. Can that be a negative? Not in my books!

I purchased it and loved it immediately. It is priced extremely well. Wal-Mart price matched Canadian Tires $219 sale price. It is fairly heavy, but no heavier than the one I was replacing, so that wasn't a problem. The suction is amazing. I do see how it does cause a bit of a problem when cleaning mats as it has a tendency to lift them right up - You need one foot on the end of the mat to hold it down. Not such a big deal.

I also find it does a great job on bare floors. One fingertip button turns the power bar off and makes a smooth transition to bare floors. I have not used my broom in the kitchen since I bought this. It also does a good job of sucking up darn close to the walls.

My favourite was the length & position of the hose. A simple pull of the end (without bending over) releases the suction from the base and can pretty much vacuum the ceiling, baseboards and windowsills without moving the vacuum. It remains quite stable and doesn't tip over & the length of the hose makes reaching those odd spots easily.
The is a little turbo brush for using on stairs, which works great - it is belt driven as well rather than air driven as my old vacuum was. As it is positioned right below the handle, I find I often grab it inadvertently and pull it off. It's in an awkward place so I often leave it off while I'm vacuuming.

It is easy to empty. I have only done it outside in the trash. It may make a bit of a mess inside, unless you put a plastic bag right over the end before releasing. You can see the dust and hair swirling around in the collector so it is easy to see when it needs emptying. I did have one problem with that however. When I hit the release button to empty the container, the entire flap fell into the trash. One of the latches broke. I returned just the container to Wal Mart and they replaced it without question.

Overall, I am thrilled with this awesome vacuum & would highly recommend it. We have 2 large dogs and vacuum a lot & it does a great job on pet hair. On the outside mats, you can see the sand jumping up out of the carpet from the vibration of the vacuum.

Well worth every penny.