Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been using my RapidClean Step for a week now. It's powerful, and does the job well. But I'm very disappointed when it comes to maintaining the unit. First: the cup fills fast, the filter clogs fast, and both are remarkably messy to empty. Because the cup is so small and the filter takes up most of the space inside the cup, I get dust everywhere each time I separate the three pieces of the filter/cup assembly. Second: the instructions specifically state NOT to get the filter wet. To clean it, you are instructed to brush off the outside of the filter. Pet dander clogs the filter very fast, and I don't see how just brushing it off will be enough. I've already noticed a decrease in suction power due to the clogged filter. Third: I have been unable (so far) to take the bottom plate off to clean built-up hair off of the roller brush. I've never owned a vacuum that didn't have a removable bottom plate. This came as an unpleasant surprise. If anyone can help me disassemble this model, I would be grateful. Unimpressed so far. What's the point of a powerful vacuum that can't be properly maintained? -------------- Update: regarding my third point. I was able to remove the bottom plate, but my dissatisfaction remains. The unit is clearly not meant for the consumer to be able to remove the bottom plate and clean the roller brush. Based on this, I've left my rating at 2 stars. I may raise it to 3 stars if the filter doesn't deteriorate with rinsing. If you choose to remove the bottom plate, here's a few hints. - Three screws. You don't have to remove the yellow bare-floor selector to access the small third screw in the front. Just set the selector mid-way between the two settings. (I actually removed the bare-floor selector entirely; I only use it on my carpeted stairs, it reduces the depth you can reach into the corner of the stairs by almost an inch!) - The motor is NOT secured inside the unit by anything except the clamping pressure of the bottom plate. It popped out of its alignment, but still looked like it was seated correctly. It took me a long time to figure out why the bottom plate wasn't going back into place properly. Make sure the motor is seated properly before trying to re-install the bottom plate. - Be VERY careful not to strip out the screws when you're re-installing the base plate! They don't seem to have any 'bite' as you re-install the screws, which makes me think they're just anchored into soft plastic.