Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

September 2017 update: one year on from my original review and I stand by every word - this machine gets the job done! We have long-haired, shaggy dogs. A long-haired teenager. Long-haired husband. You get the idea. Four years ago, I bought a Dyson DC24 with high hopes. Sadly, after the rotator bush housing kept MELTING from friction when the brush filled with hair (the brush assembly had to be replaced three separate times- even if the product was a lemon, Dyson support is excellent), I finally gave up, and bought a Shark Rocket Truepet. The roller brush in that one jammed, despite my cutting the hair off it 4-5 times every use; fortunately, it was still within the warranty, and they replaced the entire (detachable) motor head unit. Still, that demonstrates how much we struggle with vacuum cleaners. Although I prefer smaller, lightweight units, they just haven't been up to the task. I saw this, and decided to give it a try. Have just given it it's first workout, and a few thoughts after half an hour's use: TL;DR version: zOMG! zOMG! zOMG! The photo below was snapped immediately after 20 minutes of hard use in a grubby, dog-hair-coated corner. I DIDN'T HAVE TO OPEN IT UP AND CUT THE HAIR OUT ONCE. NOT ONCE. (yes, I'm shouting. This is huge. Possibly a first). Summary: Obviously, I need to see how it holds up with use, but first impressions it gets an A++++++++ for handling hair, A for suction efficiency/filter, A- for weight/ergonomics (for its size and weight it handles well), and B- for tool storage (great in theory, but soft plastic caddy broke on first use). Pros - the roller bar is still clean. Yes, you heard me right. NO HAIR AT ALL on it when I'd finished.This alone justifies its purchase for me. - an over-full canister released most of the its contents (and there was enough of it that I can say it was doing a good job of picking it up!); a few hair balls got stuck around the cone, but were easy enough to remove, and I didn't have to take the filter out to get at them. - The crevice tool is the best I've EVER used. It's small enough to actually get into and behind nooks and crannies, and it's rubberized (like a pet hair rake) so you can actually get the hair up with it; suction was STRONG. It also has a light. - suction is more than adequate. I'm not sure I need to be able to hoover up a small animal along with the dust, and this is fine. It's definitely getting PLENTY up (and the filter must be good, as it didn't trigger my allergies or start to stink). - Switching from hose>brush is very easy and done via a wheel on the base. It actually feels solid instead of the flimsy plastic switches some units have for this function. - brush can be turned off/on via a toggle switch on the handle; easy to reach, therefore easy to use. Cons - it's a full size upright. Although not a huge full size model, see my above comments re preferring smaller units. HOWEVER, I'm willing to concede defeat. It's got an easy swivel and moves easily; it's also fairly quiet, which is nice. - no headlight on the main unit. Not a dealbreaker, but I've found that's a feature I really like on the Shark, and I'm sorry it's not on this unit. - The "holds two accessories" thingie is useless. Soft plastic broke on the first use. The one-acccessory thingie it comes with is more stable. I may request the other one as a replacement part, but it's just not that big a deal to me. The crevice tool is the only one I really need on-board as the others are specialty tools which can live in the cupboard. - the flexible hose doesn't give as much reach as a stable wand. There is a short wand as well, but it is definitely shorter than some models. IF you use it with the hose, extend the hose all the way FIRST, otherwise you risk pulling the unit over. - the soft brush attachment (which stores on the wand itself) is fine, but the way it attaches to the wand is a bit awkward. Not a dealbreaker, but they can do better for the next model. It is cool that it has rubber nubs on one side to get hair, and soft bristles on the other which are good for dusting. - Better on carpet than hardwood, although I think that's true of most full size uprights. It is helpful to be able to turn the roller off easily at the switch, however, making it easy to switch from one to the other even if you don't want to adjust the brush height. If it has the longevity (watch this space), it's a slam-dunk winner!!!!! (Disclaimer: I bought this at another retailer simply because I had a gift card for there, but posting here since so many people check Amazon for reviews)