I bought this little handheld vacuum cleaner mainly to do the stairs. I have a great big Dyson which, despite all its attachments, is hard work to balance on the stairs safely and cleaning the stairs was fast becoming my most hated job. With 2 dogs in the house, I was keen to buy a machine that would do a good job with dog hairs and also with sock "fluff"!! I considered buying the handheld Dyson but after reading the reviews I wasn't sure if it would manage the job and also the price was a little off-putting. So, after a little research, I came across this model. It's compact, easy to use and has a powerful rotating brush which does a good job with the dog hairs. It has a little dust pod at the back which collects the debris and is relatively easy to dismantle and empty. The hose is stored neatly around the machine and there are two attachments - a long nozzle and a brush.
So...why not 5 stars?? It has two main drawbacks. One is the HEPA filter which has to be cleaned each time the cleaner is used. Very fine dust and dirt trapped in the filter must be removed after each use by vigorously banging it against a hard surface. This causes lots of dust to fly up into the air (not good if you're allergic to dust!!) I've tried brushing it clean but this also causes clouds of dust. This job is best performed outside!! Secondly, the vacuum is very noisy - much more so than I had anticipated. The first time I used it to do the stairs my ears were ringing by the end of it. I now wear ear plugs to use it.
Despite these drawbacks I think this machine does a good job for the money and it is definitely a useful addition to our household.