Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Didn't purchase our Shark Lift-Away from Amazon. However, I had to submit a review of this vacuum we bought in June 2011, as it has impressed my wife and myself beyond expectations! We have owned a Kirby Generation 4 vacuum for many years, and it has served us well, but it's weight has become a little too-much for my wife. My wife had been hinting for a Dyson vacuum, but the price of the Dyson was awfully high though it did have good reviews. I was scanning some TV channels, and happend upon a Shark Navigator Lift-Away ad in progress. In the ad they used a Dyson with the Swivel ball steering to show how the Navigator also could swivel/pivot/steer the same way. The ad showed a number of testimonials from folks who said that they thought their prior vacuum before purchasing the Lift-Away were doing a good jobs. They were all surprised that even after running their original vacuum over their carpets, that the Shark Navigator Lift-Away pulled much more dust/dirt/hair/etc... Well we went down to Bed Bath and Beyond with our 20% off coupon and took a look at this Shark vacuum. They had a low-pile carpet at the vacuum display area, so we plugged-in the display Navigator Lift-Away, and ran it over the carpet. Quiet! : The noise level of this machine was much lower than our Kirby. You could actually talk and hear other things around you while it was running. Suction! : Can't say enough.....This low pile black carpet at Bed Bath and Beyond looked fairly clean, but after a few passes with the Shark Lift-Away the carpet seemed a deeper black. The dirt/dust/hair cannister on the Shark had a big old ball of dust in it! We couldn't even figure where all that dust came from. Apparently the suction on this Shark is just as advertised; better than the competition.(Shark Lift-Away sucked up more heavy billiard balls up a tube than the Dyson!...in the info ad). Swivel Feature: Yep, it does just what they say. Swivels just like a Dyson, only you don't see/have an immense yellow swivel-ball on your vacuum. The swivel feature is built inside the Shark machine and not obvious. Bought It - Took It Home: It was easy to assemble(couple minutes). We tried it on our very large low-pile throw rug in the livingroom that had recently been vacuumed with our Kirby. What a surprise; After going over the throw rug the dust/dirt/cannister was filled with a big ball of dust and hair. You Can Feel The Suction: The suction is so strong that the Lift-Away literally pulled itself forward as the beater brush rotated on the carpet. On-Off Brush Power: Great feature when doing tile or hardwood floors. There's no reason to run the beater brush on our hardwood or tile floors as the Lift-Away's suction is so strong that it lifts up all the dirt. We also ran the beater brush on the hardwood and tile as it seemed to help pull up some particles. Tried It On Our Berber Rug: This is an old rug(medium pile), but the Lift-Away again sucked up tons of dirt/sand/dust/hair that the Kirby couldn't. The rug/pile seemed to be lifted up much more with the Shark than our Kirby vacuum. Maybe it's a "guy thing" with mechanical things, but seeing that dirt cannister fill-up motivated me(husband) to do more of the vacuuming. I'm sure wives out there will like that! 12 + lbs... It is very light. My wife is happy, as she can't lift heavy thing without discomfort. ****** Summation: I think we are using the Shark Navigator Lift-Away vacuum nearly every day. Why? Cause it's actually fun to know we are picking up so much dust. Allergies are less in our household too. No bags to buy! Yeah! Those Kirby bags are very expensive! ***** Price.....Less than half the price of a Dyson! But......It has the same 5 year parts/labor warranty of Dyson! We're sold. :)