First of all: This is not a paid review. So you don't have to search for the magic words that are hidden in so many reviews. I really love this thing. I bought this vacuum cleaner 6 months ago and have been waiting to see what I really think. Wonderful! I killed 2 different Dysons for $300 so I needed a better one and read Consumer Reports. Shark has one of the lowest breakage rates. i understand why It has easy-open connections to clear blockages. Large capacity container and collects larger items in the 1st compartment. It's very easy to switch between hose, hard floor, carpet brush in a jiffy without turning off the power. I have a huge country house with two Great Danes and a man who doesn't take his boots off. I collect enough soil and fur to plant one plant in one day. We have hardwood floors with some rugs, a few stairs, and large baseboards. I can switch from hardwood to carpet with the thumb switch on the grip without wasting a second. The hose is easy to detach to walk around baseboards, stairs, around dog beds. The beauty of the hose is that you can use an extended long hose or a short hose handle and the short handle can be used without having to unwind the power cord. With my old Dyson, you could only use the hose if you completely unrolled the power cable. There's also a suction regulator on the hose next to the handle - basically it opens to let air in and release some suction. You're probably used to things getting stuck at the end of a hose and hearing the engine try to eat itself by sucking in the clog. This protects the engine and makes repairs quick and easy. I also use a vacuum with a carpet brush to go over my large canvas covered dog beds. Instantly sucks out hair. I wasn't into plastic and purple - I don't know why vacuum cleaners have to be painted like superheroes. But I can see how light this thing is and why they use plastic. The swivel head rotates very easily. The thing is easy to manoeuvre. The only downside is that when using a hose, the main unit does not roll smoothly on its own and tends to fall off. It doesn't hurt, but it's annoying, so keep one hand on the top handle. If you're using a hard floor (rolled with a brush) pet hair can collect on the rollers, so I sometimes turn on the brush rollers to remove the hair. remove small splinters of glass. Ironically, we all had sharks and we talked about how much we love them. Although I will say that some ladies lived alone and had cheaper and smaller apartments - they loved them for their position. I'm not sure if less is enough for us. Curiously, Comsumer Reports gave this vacuum a lower rating for pet hair than my old Dyson. I do not see it. I think it does a great job on pet hair and I don't think I'll need to replace it any time soon. Hope that helps! I don't like buying vacuum cleaners either.