What A Vacuum for the Price!!! (2009-01-06)
I think I bought this vacuum from Walmart or Kmart 3 years ago - and it still works great. Now it probably isn't the best vacuum, or have the strongest suction, but I have never had a problem with this and it does a fantastic job for the price!

The canister has a release button and opens from the bottom, and there are 3 filter phases that can be easily taken apart and cleaned when you need to. I think I do this about every 20-25 vacuums to give myself maximum suction. I have not needed to replace the hepa filter yet, and tapped dirt and dust out of it for the first time last week! It came with a replacement belt when I bought it, and I'm not sure where that is right now - I've never needed to replace that either!

I can tell the suction isn't as good when the vacuum is in need of cleaning, but once it's been cleaned and ready to go, it's sucking strong!
I purchased this when my kids were babies, now they're 3 and 5 - this is a great vacuum for cleaning up after kids! I also have a cat with med length hair and a lab/shepherd mix dog that sheds constantly! - this picks up hair very well and nothing has ever gotten clogged! (this is why 4 stars instead of 5, it does pick up pet hair Very Well, but I'm sure there are vacs that can do a little better) I need to vacuum my carpet almost every day just to keep up with the pet hair. But again - never clogs!!!! And the tube hose come out to use the 2 attachments it comes with. (really who needs more than the basic attachments?)

I have read a lot of reviews on more expensive vacs ($100-$160 range), and they seem to have problems breaking after 6 or more months of use, or their parts just break, or suction just plain sucks. This vac I think beats them all out in durability (and this one isn't too big or heavy - I carry it up and down the stairs all the time!)

I'm super happy with this vacuum, if you're buying your first vac, go with this one - you don't need to spend a lot to get something that works great and won't break down! This vac works. And this vac will last.