I didn't think I would really need this car dust collector. But I'm tired of emptying the vacuum cleaner after every cleaning. So after 6 months I finally gave up and I'm glad I did! I can use the vacuum cleaner every day, but only empty the dust box once a week. Much better than pulling out the tray after each cleaning cycle and sometimes in the middle of a cycle. Better. Worth the extra $100. The only thing I would mention is that fallen plant leaves can get stuck and set off false alarms, so pick them up before vacuuming.