Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

So a couple weeks ago I was shopping for a vacuum cleaner and after watching the silly Shark Rotator infomercial (which made the product look like the best thing since sliced bread), I headed to the Internet to get the real, salesman-free scoop on the product. To my surprise, I couldn't find any bad reviews. I even found one glowing review which was kind enough to break down the different variations sold by different outlets (Michael Flux's review here on Amazon). I took the advice in that review and decided to buy at Bed Bath & Beyond. I went to retailmenot first to get this 20% off coupon that everyone was talking about but there is none. Not only that, but even if it had provided one, the BBnB Web site doesn't offer you the opportunity to put in a promo code when checking out. With that said, here's how to get the "20% off your first purchase" that others have mentioned: 1) you can go to the BBnB Web site and at the very top of the page there is a link for "E-Mail signup" OR 2) you can text the word OFFER to 239663 to sign you up for text alerts. From what I read about the email alerts, it gives you a printable in-store coupon and I was looking to avoid driving out to the store during the holiday season so I chose the text alerts--not to mention the fact that right now there is free shipping on orders over $99 so I would just be paying the item price minus 20% plus tax with no drive to the store. I figured a text alert (as opposed to an e-mailed in-store coupon) would give me some way to apply my 20% off when shopping online even though there didn't appear to be a mechanism for promo codes. It took three days to get my first text alert after signing up. Then, after I got it, the link in the text opened up a Web page that a cashier could scan in-store. So I was a little pissed...It would appear I would have to go to the store anyway. But then I read the fine print and saw that if I enter my mobile number (the one I use to receive my text alerts) when checking out, it would apply my 20% off coupon to my online order. PROBLEM SOLVED; my cell phone number was--in essence--the promo code. Now, when I started this process, the item was in-stock at BBnB. But by the time I got the promo code 3 days later it was...OUT OF STOCK!!! Damn, this was not going well. Maybe something was telling me not to buy this vacuum. Anyway, when I browsed over to the Web site and saw that it was out of stock, I also saw that the one I placed in my shopping cart a few days back was still in there (usually I'm good about clearing my browser history and cookies, I don't know what happened). Anyway, I figured, let me give checkout a shot. I fully expected at some point during the checkout that it would say, "sorry, this item is out of stock." It didn't. Then after ordering I expected an email within a day or two saying, "sorry this item is out of stock." But the only thing I got in a day or two was my vacuum! Yes, the vacuum came within two days. I ordered at 2AM on Sunday night/Monday morning. As I write this, it's Tuesday, 5PM and I already got it! Wow, I was expecting two weeks or so but I guess technically it was one business day later. The first thing I noticed was that the parts did not seem as "solid" as everyone led me to believe it would be. The last vacuum I bought (which still works great but is the one I'm replacing) was a Eureka "The Boss". I remember when I got it about ten years ago, it didn't seem all that solid compared to the metal vacuum I had before it. But the performance of "The Boss" compared to the old vacuum was worth losing some durability. As it turned out, "The Boss" was plenty solid and it held up for ten years before attachments and other pieces started to break. And, as I mentioned, the actual vacuuming was still great. Thinking back to that memory I reflected that maybe I was being unfair--perhaps the Shark is less study but better in some other way than "The Boss". Then, I put it together (a quick, easy, no-tool process) and realized it was a lot more solid in one piece than it was in a disassembled state. It still wasn't as sturdy as "The Boss" but it was ABOUT HALF THE WEIGHT! AMAZING! Lightweight is good! When I first got "The Boss" I liked the fact that it was heavy and brick-like, I felt it was good for staying glued to the floor as I zipped back and forth over the rugs, floors and carpets. But whenever I had to reposition (maybe to get a tight corner), it meant lifting it up which even for an athletic, then 20-ish, now 30-ish man was a chore. It was HEAVY! So eventually I came to hate the weight. The Shark does not have that problem. I could pick it up and move it into small areas with ease. To summarize, it's plenty sturdy but not as sturdy as my last vacuum. But it is TONS lighter. I mentioned that lifting the Shark up to get it into tight spaces would be easy; well, the funny thing is, I don't even need to. It really is navigable (guess that's why it's in the Navigator series, duh). But seriously, my old "The Boss" went back-and-forth, then you would have to turn it to hit the carpet at a different angle and go back and forth again. You know...vacuuming! This thing with the Shark is...it feels like you're steering it with the upright stick. This takes a little getting used to since at first while you vacuum, it feels like the vacuum wants to tip over either to the left or right. But it only takes a few minutes to mentally adjust since what's really happening is not that the vacuum wants to tip over, but that my usual movements pushing against the stick to adjust the angle are oversteering the hypersensitive stick. Bottom line, easy to get around. And it sucks so great on the carpet that (as others mentioned) it feels self-propelled. You only have to pull it back, then it will pull itself forward; repeat, repeat, repeat. Cool. We had arrived at the moment of truth. I have hard floors but an area rug in the living room. I figured I would start there. It had visible pet hair (one dog, one cat) and presumably lots of dirt. I hit it hard like Mike Tyson. Every angle. Every nook and cranny. Even when it was visibly clean I kept going. When it was all said and done, the rug was SPOTLESS!!! Oh, did I forget to mention that I was using my old vacuum? LOL. I wanted to see (in this first experiment) if the Shark vacuum would pick up anything the old one missed. I figured if I could get a little extra dirt, it's worth it. So now I was ready to test the Shark. Time to see if this "no loss of suction" business was for real... ...if anyone had walked into the room after I was done with the Shark, they would have had me committed. I was just sitting there laughing to myself...alone in a room...staring at a vacuum. Maybe the laughter was incredulity, maybe it was happiness (as an uber-consumer I love nothing more than a deal that has value), or maybe I had really snapped. Anyway, staring back at me in the canister--from the rug I had just vacuumed with my prized "The Boss"--was the cause of my temporary mania...three inches of dirt/dust. THREE INCHES!!! I'm talking, like, a crapload of grimy, nasty, gray dirt that I NEVER would have guessed was in that rug. And there it was, staring back at me. As I write this I keep glancing over there just to make sure I'm not nuts...I'm not. THE DIRT IS REAL AND "THE SHARK" IS THE REAL DEAL. IT REALLY SUCKS (in the good way). So I haven't done the rest of the house but I feel confident enough about the vacuum to write this review now. I CAN'T WAIT to see how much dirt I get when it's all said and done. You know--while researching, I came across a lot of vacuum reviews online by weird vacuum cleaner-loving nerds. It was informative but kinda' creepy watching these dudes walk around in their socks talking about suction. The point I'm getting to is this...the "Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away" might just turn me (and you) into one of those weirdoes. Is it possible to have feelings for an appliance? So thanks again to Michael Flux. And thanks to the goofy Shark inventor-dude with the glasses--you are forgiven for the stupid infomercials. Two final things to mention: 1) My BBnB item said NV501 on the box even though on the Web site it says NV502. At first I was pissed! I had ordered the NV502 after reading the model breakdown by Michael Flux because it was the best bang-for-the-buck and now someone had sent me an NV501. Then I noticed that there was a sticker that said NV502 on it. NV501? NV502? I don't know. I guess the main thing is to make sure it has all the parts you are expecting (please refer to the Michael Flux review) and if it does, it's an NV502. As near as I can figure, the NV502 is just an NV501 with the car detailing kit thrown inside the box and an "NV502" sticker placed on the outside of the box. 2) On the topic of included attachments, my vacuum cleaner came with MORE than expected. I'm not sure if this is because I got an NV501 rebadged as an NV502 or if the attachments are different regionally or if Michael Flux was missing a piece or if I got something extra. But anyway I got the following: EXPECTED ATTACHMENTS - PART NUMBER Detailing Kit - XCD350W 18-inch Flexi Crevice Tool - X12FC500 Multi-Tool (brush/furniture) - X10FC500 Straight Suction Floor Nozzle - XSN500 Premium (large) air powered turbo brush - X13FC500 UNEXPECTED ATTACHMENT: Multi-Angle dusting brush - X15FC500 I was under the impression that the multi-angle dusting tool would not be included but I got it somehow. With regard to that part, I'M GOING TO DISAGREE WITH MICHAEL FLUX ON ONE POINT HERE. He said that the multi-angle dusting brush (in the NV501) was not as favorable as the detailing kit (in the NV502) because the multi-tool can also do the dusting. While I agree with that statement, I would go with the NV501 in the following scenarios 1) you don't own a car (obviously) OR 2) you plan to do most of your dusting with the vacuum OR 3) you have a lot of delicate surfaces that you dust. Let me better explain reasons two and three... Had I not gotten the multi-angle dusting brush by mistake, I would have been fine with just the multi-tool. The multi-tool seems more-than-capable of dusting most surfaces. But since I got the duster by mistake (?), I can see where it has value. It is at least twice as wide as the multi-tool so you can dust surfaces more quickly; as mentioned, if you use a vacuum for most of your dusting it makes sense. Also, the bristles on the duster are softer than the bristles on the multi-tool so if I have a lot of of knickknacks, bric-a-brac or frames I would prefer the duster as opposed to the detailer. The multi-tool is great on shelves, furniture, etc however the bristles are about the firmness of a soft-bristled toothbrush so I wouldn't (for example) use it on a flat screen TV surface but I would use the multi-angle duster whose bristles are even softer. This might be a bad example since most people (including myself) use a damp cloth to clean their TV surface because they want to remove smudges and fingerprints in addition to dust. But you get the idea...the multi-tool is not abrasive but it's not as soft as the duster. I still agree with Michael Flux that the NV502 is the best bargain. My personal suggestion if you haven't already bought the vacuum would be to follow his advice and get the NV502 from BBnB, then cross your fingers and hope to get the multi-angle duster included like I did. If you don't, the multi-tool is great and you'll probably never know what you're missing but should you feel like you need a duster that's gentler or wider than the multi-tool, just order part# X15FC500 (multi-angle dusting brush) online somewhere or even the "Universal Dusting Brush" that pivots but doesnt angle. Conversely, if you buy the NV501 (here on Amazon for example) but want to detail your car with your awesome new vacuum, just order part # XCD350W (detailing kit) somewhere online. So there's my review...the reason I gave this 4-stars instead of 5-stars is because of the durability issue. It's very good but not excellent...it could be a tad bit better. Also, the "fit and finish" (an automobile term which simply means the way the different parts align and fit together as a working unit) is not 100%...it's probably 95%. Though 95% is great for whatever overseas sweatshop it was made in. So 5-stars on sucking power, 4-stars on construction, 6-stars on value. GREAT VACUUM!!! PS. AFTER you get your BBnB code but BEFORE you go to their Web site to purchase, go to your ebates account first to get redirected to BBnB. This will earn you cash back on your purchase (currently only 1% but it's better than nothing). If you don't have an ebates account, sign up for free, they give up to 30% off at online merchants including Amazon; and when they ask who referred you, please use my email: ABANKSNYC AT YAHOO DOT COM. SO FROM NOW ON, WHEN YOU PLAN TO BUY SOMETHING ONLINE 1) go to retailmenot for a promo code but don't click any links (it will give them a commission instead of you and your ebates account) 2) go to your ebates account and choose the store you plan to shop at, you will be redirected to your shopping site 3) Make your purchase and use your promo code. 4) Save money I use this method to MURDER KOHL'S when I shop. I always wait for a 30% off coupon at retailmenot (they usually pop up every two months). Then I go to ebates and click through to Kohls (right now they are giving 6% cash back). So it's like saving 36%. For example, if I was going to buy the NV501 vacuum at Kohls that I just reviewed, it is listed at $299 but I would wait for the 30% off promo code and throw in my 6% cash back and SAVE OVER $100 ($299 minus 30% = $209.30 minus 6% cash back through ebates = net cost of $196.74). Ebates rocks. Oh, and Kohls lets you use up to two promo codes at checkout so in addition to the 30% off, I forgot to mention, there is always a free shipping promo always floating around. But anyway, BUY THIS VACUUM.