I've had my Dyson Animal Vac for over a year and a half now. I absolutely love it. My carpets have never been so clean. I previously owned an Oreck, which I disliked from day one and I had it for 10 years. Previous to that I had a canister "rebuild" which I loved. I had looked at several other brands of vacuums before deciding on the Dyson. A couple of friends told me about their experiences with the Dyson Animal Vac and how much they loved it. They had dogs in their homes. We have cats and the amount of hair and super fine dander that came out of our carpets almost made me sick. And the ease with which you empty the canister is awesome. Cleaning filters is a snap too. I have had back surgery and I thought the weight of the machine would be a problem. It is not. The back wheels allow me to swing it like a dance partner with little back strain. The extension of the hose is wonderful and I like the attachments which affords me great reach. Love the purple color too! I haven't been able to figure out how to use the mini turbine head since our instruction booklet disappeared. Can't find a single thing on-line to help. Guess I'll have to call them for that. But, kudo's on a wonderful machine.