Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I can't believe this vacuum has such great reviews! I researched for probably 2 months before deciding on this Shark Navigator. Look at the reviews....it sounds too good to be true! Well, talk about disappointing. First Problem: The dirt canister. It looks big on the photos. (Nowhere locally sold this vacuum, so I couldn't see one in person before purchasing. The actual place where the dirt ends up, is filled at around a cup to a cup & a half. I don't know about you all, but when sucking pet hair, that thing's filled within minutes! I've had my vacuum for about a month and the button to release the dirt into the trash can has already stuck a few times on me, causing me to open it with my hand and getting covered with dirt. Second Problem: The base release. Every vacuum that I've used in the past, has had a button that you push at the bottom back with your foot to release the base to start vacuuming. I don't know what exactly the bottom part is called, but the directions call it the nozzle. It's the actual base, the vacuuming part. This vacuum has NO release button! You place your foot on the front side of the base, putting weight down on it, as you pull the handle back. I don't know, but this seems like a future problem. You have to pull back with a little force. In my mind, I see the inside thingy holding the vacuum upright, wearing out quickly by doing this. What came to my mind when I first relized this function, "CHEAP." Third Problem: It tips over. Yah, I read the reviews. I knew it would tip over easily, but I didn't expect that it would this easily. If you use the hose, it WILL tip over. There's no avoiding it, unless you stay right next to the vacuum and don't raise the hose over waist high. But Shark has come up with something to avoid this. You know at the bottom of your vacuum, where the hose wraps around.....like a hook to hold the hose in place? Well, much to my surprise, there's writing on that hook, "Anti-Tip Hose Hook." Seriously? I actually chuckled when I read that. In order to keep it from tipping, you have to keep your hose wrapped through that hook. Did you notice where I said that it's at the BOTTOM of the vacuum? (I posted photos of this) The hose starts near the top of the vacuum, comes straight down, goes through the anti-tip hook at the bottom, and then back up. So what this means, if you're going to be using the hose, you can't do it on anything taller than your shoulder. When I keep the hose in the anti-tip hook, with the wand still attached, hold it in my hands, the end of the wand comes to my chest. (I'm 5'9) When stretched with the most amount of force that I'm comfortable with, it will come a few inches over my head. With this much force pulling the hose, no one could clean in a comfortable manner. Plus, your hose would be stretched out in no time. Fourth Problem: It scratches very easily. It's just cosmetic and not a deal breaker. But the very first time that I used it, I was so gentle with my brand new almost $200 Navigator. I was shocked to see when I was finished that a big scuff was on the side. When I got near the baseboards, I was very careful. I didn't play bumper cars with my vacuum and walls! With me barely getting against the baseboard, I now have a big 1 inch scuffed mark on the side of my brand new vacuum. It brought all the paint off, leaving pure white under it. At this price, you would think that the paint would at least hold up for a while. (I posted photos of this) Fifth Problem: This may be the biggest problem that I have. The cord. It's plenty long enough for me. I just don't like how it comes out of the vacuum. It starts directly in the middle of the back. It shoots straight out! It comes out probably 2.5 to 3 inches with no give. You have to wrap it either up or down. I learned back when I was a kid with all of my video games.....you never ever put pressure on a cord where it comes out of the machine, controller, charger, etc. This WILL cause a short over time. I can't leave a vacuum cord loosely hanging on the vacuum, to prevent a short. It needs to be wrapped tightly. (Photo posted) Sixth and final Problem: It just doesn't clean as well as I thought it would. I guess I was expecting a miracle after reading reviews for 2 months on this! My very first time using it, the time when people go "WOW!!!" I did the same thing. "Wow, my carpet looks really nice." But honestly, no nicer than any other new vacuum would do. Immediately afterwards, I started up my rug cleaner. I was waiting to get my new vacuum before cleaning the carpets.....wanted to make sure that all dirt and hair was up before cleaning. I was shocked when I emptied the water tank! I expected dirty water, like anytime that you run the rug cleaner.....but I didn't expect all of the grainy dirt and PET HAIR! Yes, there was quite a bit! I thought the vacuum had surely gotten everything. I vacuumed and vacuumed before using the rug cleaner. The Shark missed SOOOO much! I could have lived with all of the other problems, until this one. When I vacuum, the carpet looks great.....but if you really get down and inspect, and especially when you use a rug cleaner, you will catch all of the missed debris that should have been gotten with the vacuum. With any other vacuum, I wouldn't have been so harsh, but I was really let down after reading all of the reviews. It vacuums as well as any other new vacuum, and the suction when using the hose is pretty strong. But at this price, I was not expecting to have that "cheap" feeling when fooling with it. Almost forgot.......The 2 attachments are super tiny, and the 3rd attachment, the little hand held vacuum thingy, there's NO place to put it! Seriously, there's no place on the vacuum to attach it. You have to put it in the junk drawer or linen closet and cross your fingers that it doesn't get lost. (There's nothing better than when a buyer posts photos of the item! So I'll post some photos of my vacuum, pointing out my concerns.) ***Update*** It's been a few days since I left my review. I just got done using the vacuum to clean the dust off of my baseboards in my bedroom. I'm moving furniture, preparing to paint the walls. So there's dust behind the furniture that needs to be gotten before painting. Back to the reason that I'm updating my review.........Since I'm cleaning the whole room's baseboards, I sat down in the floor to clean. Thinking I'd inch my way around the room. The vacuum was sitting maybe 3 inches from my butt, the hose in it's anti-tip hook at the bottom. BAM!!! Damn thing STILL tips over and pounds me in the head. I knew to watch for it after that, so after it tried knocking me out a few more times, I figured I'd just stand up, bend over, and clean the baseboards. If I had a penny for every time that vacuum handle fell over and hit me in the butt, I'd have almost a dollar! This is getting ridiculous! Oh, yah, I almost forgot this one.......I'd read somewhere that this vacuum never clogs. WRONG! When I was doing my baseboards, the vacuum starting making a high pitched whistling noise. It didn't sound like the motor. It sounded like the suction/air flow was doing it. Sure enough, right dead center in the hose (the one spot where NOTHING can reach to get it unclogged) is a big hair and dirt ball. Took me forever, but I finally got it out.