This vacuum cleaner was purchased to clean a carpeted church altar. It had to have good suction, but still have a design that wasn't too big or cumbersome when moved between rows of pews. After careful shopping, we made this choice. As set, all but one question. The suction power is strong enough to offer significant resistance to very low-pile carpets. We solved this problem by attaching 3 small plastic furniture pads to the underside of the suction nozzle to lift it slightly off the carpet and this setting worked well. If the space the vacuum cleaner had to clean was smaller, it might not matter much, but the effort it took exhausted the housekeeper, and a little modification helped the housekeeper be happy! The vacuum cleaner is also pleasantly quiet!