I write this review only by chance, because my real reason for visiting Amazon.com today is to replace this very product. I have always trusted Consumer Reports, finding their reviews pretty much on the money, but despite their glowing report on this product, (quoted here by another reviewer) reality has proved far less luminous.
I have struggled with this vac for over a year now, and honestly, I wish I had never bought it! If it hadn't cost so darn much, I'd have tossed it out long ago.
On the positive side, this machine has plenty of suction but unless you have miles of unobstructed wall-to-wall carpet and a single level home, it simply sucks! The self-propelled feature is quite helpful: more on that farther down.
The vac is too bulky to fit under/between most of my furniture. Even if the head gets under, the body does not lay flat enough to follow. I spend WAY too much time on my hands and knees struggling with the poorly placed hose, extensions and powered brush attachment to get under normal items like chairs. In addition, its wimpy "powered" brush (which spins only by suction with no motor of its own) only picks up light surface dirt anyway. Push down harder and it just stops turning. BAH!
As another reviewer mentioned, beware when using the tools on this vac. Mine also falls over all the time (timber!) and because it weighs a freaking ton, beware of falling over yourself if you have to carry it upstairs! GADS! And forget cleaning those stairs on the way up, too. I had to purchase another small, hand-held vac for that.
Other complaints: The adjusters for bare floor/carpet are very hard to move and break easily. It does not clean close to walls at all (get out that hose again!). The bags are not all that easy to change, and quite pricey. It eats belts. And why, oh WHY, does the cord (which you have to wind up yourself no cord reel) come out on the bottom?
Did I mention it's HEAVY?? If it weren't self-propelled, it would be immobile. The vac cannot be rolled at all when turned off, making storage difficult.
In summary, unless your home resembles a hotel lobby pass this one up.
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