I was glad to find this product on the website and not hunt around town in search. That being said, the filters are expensive compared to the cost of a vacuum, which a friend actually gave me when he left. The vacuum works better than the Oreck vacuum that I paid over $300 for. But to be honest, I clean the filter every now and then to prolong its life, otherwise at some point it will be cheaper (less environmentally friendly) to buy a new vacuum cleaner.